Junk Removal in Westerleigh, Staten Island, NY

Westerleigh is a neighborhood in Staten Island, NY, and is bounded by the Staten Island Expressway to the north, Arden Avenue to the west, Victory Boulevard to the east and Forest Hill Road to the south.

Westerleigh is located within the boundaries of District 33 of New York City Council, currently represented by Vincent Ignizio.

Westerleigh is a small area south of Victory Boulevard with mostly single-family homes. It contains a mix of flat and hilly terrain, similar to Port Richmond.

History

The name Westerleigh is said to come from James Westerleigh, an English immigrant who came over with Governor Richard Nicolls in 1666 and acquired a tract of land here upon which he built a house for himself and his wife Leah Platt (or “Lea”). He had great wealth at the time of his death in 1706, but it all left with his widow for her three children.

Given the fact that Staten Island was once considered to be rural farmland, with stately plantations and large estates dotted across its expanse, Westerleigh holds a unique distinction. The neighborhood is one of the only neighborhoods on the island that has no Victorian or Edwardian-style homes and no clear Dutch influence in naming the location.

Westerleigh was one of the last remaining farmland tracts until after World War I, when development began in earnest. Westerleigh is filled with mostly brick bungalows and pre-1900 Victorian mansions (the largest of which sprawls on a plot of land that spanned the size of six city blocks).

Notable Places

The entirety of Westerleigh is served by PS 36, which also serves part of Grymes Hill. This school consists of grades K-4 in one wing and 5-8 in another wing. Children going to PS 36 usually reside in the boundaries of Grymes Hill, Bloomfield and West Brighton, since these are the closest elementary schools.

Westerleigh has two main parks: Nicole’s Park and Crane Park, both of which are located near the middle of the area. Both parks possess playgrounds that are used with varying degrees of frequency by children from PS 36.

Westerleigh has its own business district around the main intersection of Clove Road and Victory Boulevard (the heart of the neighborhood). This area caters to residents’ needs, with shops like pizza joints, delis, bakeries and various other small businesses.

Westerleigh has many churches that cater to various denominations and age groups. There are four Catholic Churches in Westerleigh and two Baptist churches. There is also a synagogue and a small mosque near the intersection of Clove Road and Arden Avenue.