Arrochar () is a neighborhood in northeastern

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is located directly inland of

Fort Wadsworth Fort Wadsworth is a former United States military installation on Staten Island in New York City, situated on The Narrows which divide New York Bay into Upper and Lower bays, a natural point for defense of the Upper Bay, Manhattan, and beyon ...

and

South Beach South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a Neighborhoods of Miami Beach, Florida, neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south ...

, on the east side of

Hylan Boulevard Hylan Boulevard is a major northeast-southwest boulevard in the New York City borough of Staten Island, and the longest street in a single borough in the city. It is approximately long, and runs from the North Shore neighborhood of Roseban ...

south of the

Staten Island Expressway Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New York C ...

; the community of Grasmere borders it on the west. It is today primarily a neighborhood of one- and two-family homes and small businesses.

History

Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the late 17th century Staten Island, the area was the site of a

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

encampment. The name "Arrochar" comes from the estate of William Wallace MacFarland in the 1840s, who named it for his hometown of Arrochar in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, the seat of the ancient chiefs of the Clan MacFarlane. At the beginning of the 20th century the neighborhood became a fashionable gateway to the resort communities of South Beach and

Midland Beach Midland Beach (formerly known as Woodland Beach) is a neighborhood of Staten Island in New York City. It lies along the east-central coast of the island, in the area known locally as the " Mid-Island, Staten Island" or the " East Shore". To its ...

. The house of the MacFarland estate is now part of the grounds of St. Joseph Hill Academy, a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

girls school. Across Landis Avenue from St. Joseph Hill Academy sits

St. John Villa Academy St. John Villa Academy was a private, Roman Catholic School on Staten Island in New York, New York. Its senior high school was all girls, while the K-8 school was co-ed. The school was located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. St. ...

, a now-defunct all-girls Catholic high school. Throughout the 20th century it became a residential neighborhood for various ethnic groups,

Italian-Americans Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, with significant communities also residing ...

being chief among them. Arrochar today is still inhabited by many Italians and has a growing

Chinese-American Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans have ancestors from mainland China, Hong Kong ...

community as well.

Education

Arrochar is served by the elementary school P.S.39 and St. Joseph Hill Academy (which is both elementary and high school).

Transportation

Arrochar once had its own train station, on the South Beach Branch of the

Staten Island Railway The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is a rapid transit, railroad line in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Staten Island. It is owned by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (SIRTOA), a subsidiary of the Metropol ...

. The station was located at Major Avenue. This station was abandoned when the SIRT discontinued passenger service on the

South Beach Branch The South Beach Branch, also called the East Shore Sub-Division, is an abandoned branch of the Staten Island Railway in New York City, which operated along Staten Island's East Shore from Clifton to Wentworth Avenue. This double-tracked branch ...

to Wentworth Avenue at midnight on March 31, 1953, because of city-operated bus competition. The tracks of the South Beach line have been removed and homes now stand on its former right-of-way. Due to its proximity to the

Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge ( ; also referred to as the Narrows Bridge, the Verrazzano Bridge, and simply the Verrazzano) is a suspension bridge connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It spans ...

, Arrochar is served by the express buses to and from Manhattan; the buses to and from Brooklyn; and the intra-borough buses.

References

Neighborhoods in Staten Island {{StatenIsland-geo-stub

History

Education

Transportation

See also

References