West New Brighton, Staten Island - Definition

West New Brighton is a neighborhood of New York City, USA situated along the central North Shore of Staten Island. The neighborhood borders New Brighton to the east, Port Richmond to the west, the waters of the Kill Van Kull to the north, and the communities of Sunnyside and Castleton Corners to the south.

Originally known as "Factoryville," islanders now commonly refer to the area as West Brighton. The neighborhood once consisted largely of white working-class families (many of Irish descent), but was transformed in the years immediately following World War II when two large public housing developments — first the Markham Homes, and later the West Brighton Houses — were constructed there. The blocks immediately surrounding these developments — which stand side-by-side in the heart of the neighborhood — have become notorious hotbeds of crime, welfare dependency, and especially, the abuse and sale of illegal drugs, particularly crack cocaine.

Notable landmarks include the Staten Island Zoo, and several small abandoned cemeteries in which members of some of the island's founding families are interred. St. Peter's Cemetery, which is still properly maintained and is the oldest Roman Catholic cemetery on Staten Island (opened in 1848), is also located here.

West New Brighton's ZIP Code is 10310, and the territory served by this zip code is considered virtually coterminous with the boundaries of the neighborhood itself (such boundaries not officially existing for any neighborhoods within New York City).