Todt Hill
Encyclopedia
Todt Hill [elevation 410 ft (125 m)] is a hill
formed of serpentine rock on Staten Island, New York. It is the highest natural point in the five boroughs of New York City
and the highest elevation on the entire Atlantic Coastal Plain
from Florida
to Cape Cod
., The summit of the ridge is largely covered in woodlands as part of the Staten Island Greenbelt
, although much of the surrounding area is developed and residential.
word for "dead" and refers to the cemetery (the present Moravian Cemetery) on the southwestern foot of the ridge near the town of New Dorp that has been in use since colonial days.
.
Two small, natural ponds are found on Todt Hill, and a Roman Catholic priory
is located near the summit. Staten Island Academy
, a private school, moved its campus to Todt Hill in the 1960s. There is a golf course adjoining the Moravian Cemetery, each of which has a man-made pond. Otherwise the hill is either parkland or private homes. There is no public transit available on Todt Hill, and most of the streets, including Todt Hill Road
, the neighborhoods main thoroughfare, lack sidewalks.
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
formed of serpentine rock on Staten Island, New York. It is the highest natural point in the five boroughs of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and the highest elevation on the entire Atlantic Coastal Plain
Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Atlantic coastal plain has both low elevation and low relief, but it is also a relatively flat landform extending from the New York Bight southward to a Georgia/Florida section of the Eastern Continental Divide, which demarcates the plain from the ACF River Basin in the Gulf Coastal Plain to...
from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
., The summit of the ridge is largely covered in woodlands as part of the Staten Island Greenbelt
Staten Island Greenbelt
The Staten Island Greenbelt is a system of contiguous public parkland and natural areas in the central hills of the New York City borough of Staten Island...
, although much of the surrounding area is developed and residential.
Name
The name Todt comes from the German languageGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word for "dead" and refers to the cemetery (the present Moravian Cemetery) on the southwestern foot of the ridge near the town of New Dorp that has been in use since colonial days.
Geography
The term Todt Hill is now often used to include the upscale developments in the hills along the eastern side of the ridge, which most island geographers classify as part of the neighborhood of Dongan HillsDongan Hills, Staten Island
Dongan Hills is a neighborhood located within New York City, USA's borough of Staten Island. It is on the Island's East Shore.The neighborhood was originally known by two separate names, the western half being called Hillside Park and the eastern half Linden Park...
.
Two small, natural ponds are found on Todt Hill, and a Roman Catholic priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
is located near the summit. Staten Island Academy
Staten Island Academy
Staten Island Academy is a coeducational, college-preparatory day school located on a campus in Staten Island in New York City, USA. Founded in 1884 by Anton Methfessel, it is the oldest private school on Staten Island, and is the only independent school in the borough. It educates students from...
, a private school, moved its campus to Todt Hill in the 1960s. There is a golf course adjoining the Moravian Cemetery, each of which has a man-made pond. Otherwise the hill is either parkland or private homes. There is no public transit available on Todt Hill, and most of the streets, including Todt Hill Road
Todt Hill Road
Todt Hill Road is a major north-south artery in the Castleton Corners, Meiers Corners, Manor Heights, Todt Hill, Dongan Hills, and New Dorp neighborhoods in the New York City borough of Staten Island. The construction of the Staten Island Expressway in the late 1950s severed the northernmost...
, the neighborhoods main thoroughfare, lack sidewalks.
Demographics
Todt Hill consists of the two census tracts 177 and 181 (though census tract 177 incorporates part of Emerson Hill). According to the 2010 census (http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/map?hp), the demographics of Todt Hill were 80% Nonhispanic White, 1% Black, 11% Asian, and 1% Multiracial. Hispanics of any race made up 7% of the population. The median household income of the area is roughly $120,000.Notable residents
Residents on Todt Hill are among the wealthiest on Staten Island and even in New York.- The late Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
boss Paul CastellanoPaul CastellanoConstantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
lived there, in a house noted for its intended resemblance to the White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. His family lived on Todt Hill as well, but moved in 2005. - Mob WivesMob WivesMob Wives is an American reality television series airing on VH1. It follows four Staten Island women after their husbands or fathers are arrested and imprisoned for crimes connected to the Mafia. They have been described as "rats and stoolies" since discussing private family business on TV...
reality television star, Drita D’avanzo, grew up in the Todt Hill Houses. - Former New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
relief pitcherRelief pitcherA relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
John Franco currently lives on the hill.