To be fair, I have lived in Brooklyn for over 34 years and only 2 years in Staten Island. My only break was for 6 months in Albany, NY during college and In my early 30’s I spent 2 years in the Rockaways, Queens.
(South Beach, Staten Island)
Although I have lived in 4 different area’s, I am officially “FROM” Brooklyn. Not be confused with the tens of thousands of people who moved to Brooklyn in the last 10 years. I was born in Brooklyn, went to public school in Brooklyn and I got married in Brooklyn.
I am not a transplant, I am FROM Brooklyn.
Although I’ve never hung out much in Staten Island prior to moving here, I’ve been to the Island hundreds of times growing up, because one side of my family lives on the South shore. My experience growing up was several weekends a year to visit relatives, many trips to the Staten Island mall and in my mid 20’s I went to graduate school in Staten Island (St John’s)
So let’s get down to the comparison:
People: Edge Brooklyn. In my opinion, the people are a lot more humble and approachable in Brooklyn (except the hipsters). Brooklyn has a much higher density and diverse population, so growing up in Brooklyn you are forced to interact with other people. Some people in Staten Island are very nice, but overall they seem to be very wary of strangers. Many people moved to Staten Island to “get away” from the rest of the city, and it’s no surprise that Staten Island has the highest gun ownership in NYC.
Commute: Staten Island. The people in Staten Island complain about the commute, but they don’t know how good they have it. The traffic in Brooklyn is BAD and getting worse. Driving downtown or anywhere near the Barclays center is a nightmare, Coney Island is getting worse and parking across the borough is becoming nonexistent. If you work in Staten Island you can park almost anywhere., meanwhile, Brooklyn is slowly turning into Manhattan.
In Staten Island, the only time it gets bad is if you live out on the South Shore and have to commute to Brooklyn or Manhattan. But with that being said, the train to the ferry is the best deal in all of NYC. My wife picks me up and drives me to the ferry for work, so I commute to Manhattan everyday for FREE (Minus gas, insurance and repairs)
Gyms: Staten Island has a huge gym culture and so does parts of Brooklyn. I would probably call this a tie. Staten Island on average has more bodybuilders and power lifters, but Brooklyn has more gyms. In Bay Ridge, Brooklyn where I grow up, they have 5 or 6 gyms in walking distance from my house, in Staten Island most people have to drive.
Parks: The parks in Staten Island parks are extremely underrated. Clove lake park, Silver lake park and South Beach are all great areas. Further out, Great Kills Park and Wolfe’s Pond Park are also great and so are the trails on the green belt and Todt Hill. Brooklyn has Prospect Park and Coney Island of course, but again, parking can be difficult and they have become super touristy. To be fair, Prospect Park is my favorite park in NYC, but Staten Island has many more options. Staten Island Wins.
Bars/Restaurants: Staten island has really good pizza/Italian food, but the borough loses on every other category. For bars, Staten Island has maybe 10-15 decent places, but they mostly attract a neighborhood crowd. In Brooklyn you get the neighborhood crowd and also a little bit of a tourist crowd. Brooklyn has more business turnover, so there are always new places to try. Brooklyn wins food and bars by a long shot.
Price: Staten Island is generally less expensive, but historically the homes have not appreciated in value like they have in Brooklyn. This is a tie. Prices are lower, but if you buy something, it doesn’t go up as much (historically).
Overall winner: It’s hard to say, since they are both very different. If you are just moving to NYC from out-of-state and you end up in Staten Island, you will probably be disappointed. Staten Island doesn’t have the culture or diversity as the other boroughs and its generally more of a suburb than an urban city.
But if you are already familiar with NYC and you know the places that you like, Staten Island can work for you. For myself, my commute to Manhattan is a breeze compared to when I lived in Brooklyn and it’s also a 10-minute bus ride to my parents house in Bay Ridge. I also found a gym that I like and there are several parks that I use for my cardio.
So overall, if you are between ages 18-28, I would not recommend living in Staten Island. Brooklyn has more bars, restaurants, diversity and population. If you are more established or raising a family, I would consider giving Staten Island a chance. I’m not leaving.
-John
Workout and Travel 