Staten Island’s Mason Dixon Line
A while back, I remember reading an article in the newspaper that alluded to a Staten Island “Mason-Dixon line”. It may seem absurd but there is some truth to it. This “Mason-Dixon line” is The Staten Island Expressway. It “divides the northern, urban third of the borough from its more suburban southern end”.
According to the 2010 census, “New York City had the largest population of self-defined black residents of any U.S. city”. However, Staten Island is predominantly white. It has the highest proportion of white residents compared to the other 4 boroughs. The whitest neighborhood in the city is the South Shore town of Tottenville. Below is based upon 2013 census data, broken down by zip code. (Funny thing I learned: zip code 10311 has a population of 0 so it shows up gray on the visual.)
I live on the North Shore of Staten Island. I went to a high school in the middle of the Island and my relationship with the kids I met from the South Shore was a lot like this. Currently, I play in a basketball league on the Southern tip of the Island, in Tottenville. It takes me over 20 minutes to get there and it sure doesn’t feel like New York City when I arrive.
Does Staten Island have a “Mason-Dixon line”? When you take the same visual from above but use the the black % of the population as the fill value the Island’s demographic division becomes starker.
