Peopling of Staten Island
During the post-Civil War period, South Beach began to develop rapidly. In the 1800’s, both Midland and South Beach became popular beach resorts. People came from all over the nation to vacation along the New York Bay. As the island continued to develop, more and more people considered moving to the island. Living in New York City became pretty expensive and not everyone was able to afford it. Since there was no subway connecting Staten Island to the other boroughs, the real estate was pretty reasonably priced. This encouraged a rush of people to flood the market and make the move, although not everyone was able to afford it. Since there was no subway connecting Staten Island to the other boroughs, the real estate was pretty reasonably priced. This encouraged a rush of people to flood the market and make the move.
Modern day Midland Beach may not be as popular of a tourist attraction as it was in the early 1900s, but it is still visited annually by many Staten Island residents, as well as visitors from the other four boroughs.
Today, Midland Beach’s total population is an estimated 55,154 people. 47.96% of this population is male, while the other 52.04% is female. The population has increased 13% since 1990.
Of the 20,239 households, 15,398 are family households, 7,353 containing children. 11,634 people make up the working force: 9,507 as white collar Americans who work in offices and the other 2,127 make their living through manual labor. 28.6% of the working population works in sales and service jobs, 27.7% work in executive, management, and professional occupations, 23% work as clerical assistants and technical support, while the remaining 20.7% work in the manufacturing industry.
Midland Beach has the highest population of Italian and Puerto Rican ancestry. 30.7% of the population with Italian ancestry and 9.3% with Puerto Rican ancestry. 20% of the population is Irish, 6% is German, and the remaining 5.5% is Asian. In addition, 16.2% of the population in Midland Beach was born in another country. A significant amount of its residents speak Russian at home, a direct affect of the substantial number of Russian immigrants who settled in Midland and South Beach in the 1990’s. Primarily, 72.1% of the population speaks English. Other languages spoken include Spanish, Russian, and Italian.
Sources:
[1] Lundrigan, Margaret. “The Civil War Era.” Staten Island: Isle of the Bay. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004. 15+. Print.
[2]”Midland Beach Demographics.” Zillow. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.zillow.com/local-info/NY-New-York/Midland-Beach-people/r_196350/>.
[3] “Midland Beach Neighborhood in Staten Island, New York (NY), 10306, 10305 Detailed Profile.” Midland Beach Neighborhood in Staten Island, New York (NY), 10306, 10305 Subdivision Profile. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Midland-Beach-Staten-Island-NY.html>.
[4]”Midland Beach.” Staten Island Demographics. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://homes.point2.com/Neighborhood/US/New-York/New-York-City/Staten-Island/Midland-Beach-Demographics.aspx>.
