MIDLAND BEACH
Geographic Setting
Bounded by Seaview Avenue to the northeast, the Raritan Bay to the southeast, Bancroft Avenue to the southwest, and Hylan Boulevard and Laconia Avenue to the northwest, Midland Beach stretches along Staten Island’s southeastern shoreline—a place where the rhythms of the sea, the memory of old amusement piers, and the resilience of a tight-knit community converge. Situated between South Beach to the northeast and New Dorp Beach to the southwest, Midland Beach forms part of Staten Island’s “East Shore” ribbon of coastal neighborhoods that blend suburban streets with boardwalk views and salt air.
The landscape is defined by its proximity to the water. Broad sandy stretches front the Raritan Bay, while marshes and lagoons fringe its inland edge. The Midland Beach Esplanade, an extension of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk, runs parallel to the shore, offering a continuous path of recreation from South Beach to New Dorp. Inland, gridded streets give way to tidy homes, parks, and local schools, all shaped by the ebb and flow of coastal life. The neighborhood’s position between the oceanfront and Staten Island’s main corridor of Hylan Boulevard gives it a dual identity—equal parts seaside village and accessible suburb within New York City’s farthest reach.
Etymology
The name Midland Beach first appeared in the late 19th century, coined by developers promoting the area as a seaside resort roughly midway between South Beach and New Dorp Beach—hence “Midland.” The word “Beach” emphasized its sandy shoreline and early association with recreation, bathing, and summertime leisure.
During the 1890s, when Staten Island’s East Shore was rapidly transforming into a string of resort destinations, “Midland Beach” was selected to evoke both location and appeal: an accessible, family-friendly alternative to the bustling amusement crowds of South Beach and the more secluded cottages of New Dorp. The name has endured through fires, floods, and redevelopment, maintaining its connection to the sea and to a community that has always faced the water with both joy and determination.
The Neighborhood
Origins through the 19th Century
In the early 19th century, the area now known as Midland Beach was a quiet stretch of coastal meadowland, dotted with fishing shacks and small farms belonging to settlers from the nearby village of Richmondtown. The Raritan Bay’s shallow inlets supported clamming, oystering, and small-scale maritime trade, while the inland uplands provided pasture and fertile ground. The shoreline’s natural beauty—its wide sands and gentle surf—remained largely untouched until the late 1800s, when ferry and trolley access brought waves of summer visitors.
By the 1880s, developers recognized the area’s potential as a resort community. Piers, bathhouses, and small hotels rose along the beachfront, and Midland Beach soon joined South Beach and New Dorp as a popular destination for day-trippers escaping Manhattan’s heat. Wooden boardwalks and dance pavilions lined the shore, and the neighborhood’s signature amusement zone took shape. For a brief moment, Midland Beach was a seaside playground—alive with music, carousel lights, and the mingled scent of saltwater and popcorn.
The establishment of the Midland Beach Hotel and the Excelsior Pier cemented its status as a resort town, accessible via ferry from Manhattan and the newly built Staten Island Railway to nearby Grant City. By the turn of the century, hundreds of families spent summers in the area, renting cottages and enjoying a seasonal community defined by both recreation and retreat.
Early 20th Century: From Resort to Residential Community
Midland Beach’s early 20th-century evolution mirrored that of many East Shore neighborhoods: a gradual shift from seasonal resort to year-round residential enclave. Fires in the early 1900s destroyed several amusement structures, and as larger attractions in Coney Island and South Beach drew crowds away, Midland Beach reinvented itself. Small bungalows and modest frame houses replaced hotels and pavilions, many converted from summer cottages into permanent homes.
The construction of Hylan Boulevard in the 1920s linked Midland Beach more directly to the rest of Staten Island, spurring further residential development. The area’s working-class identity solidified, with families of Italian, Irish, and Polish descent settling along streets like Lincoln Avenue, Moreland Street, and Bedford Avenue. Churches, corner stores, and schools appeared, fostering a close-knit sense of neighborhood.
The shoreline remained central to community life. Residents fished off the piers, gathered for clam bakes, and watched fireworks over the bay. The sea provided both livelihood and leisure—and occasionally, hardship. Hurricanes and coastal storms periodically battered the area, but its residents rebuilt time and again, adapting their homes and their spirit to the rhythms of the tide.
Mid–Late 20th Century: Renewal, Recreation, and Resilience
The post–World War II years brought both decline and renewal to Midland Beach. The old amusement era faded completely by the 1950s, but the community’s resilience endured. Modest suburban-style homes replaced the remaining bungalows, and the neighborhood became a haven for returning veterans and city workers seeking space, affordability, and proximity to the water.
The city’s construction of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach (1935–1937), connecting South Beach through Midland Beach to New Dorp, gave the area a new public identity as part of Staten Island’s premier recreational shoreline. The wide promenade, sports fields, and bathhouses redefined the beach as a civic amenity rather than a private resort.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, civic associations and local activists fought for flood protection, infrastructure improvements, and better public services. The Midland Beach Civic Association, founded in the mid-century, became a cornerstone of neighborhood advocacy. Despite challenges such as flooding, aging housing stock, and occasional neglect from city agencies, the community’s cohesion and self-reliance remained strong.
By the 1980s and 1990s, renewed investment and environmental restoration improved the area’s appeal. New parks, playgrounds, and lifeguarded beaches revitalized the shoreline, while the Midland Beach Veterans Memorial honored the community’s deep military roots. The construction of the Midland Beach Veterans Park and restoration of wetlands along Seaview Avenue strengthened both civic pride and ecological awareness.
21st Century: Recovery and Renewal by the Shore
The 21st century has tested Midland Beach’s resilience—and reaffirmed it. The devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 brought historic flooding to the area, damaging hundreds of homes and reshaping the shoreline. Yet recovery was swift and determined. Through a combination of federal assistance, city planning, and grassroots effort, Midland Beach rebuilt stronger, with elevated homes, new drainage systems, and improved coastal defenses.
Today, Midland Beach stands as a model of urban coastal adaptation. The Bluebelt wetland system along Seaview Avenue helps manage stormwater naturally, while reconstructed dunes and sea walls provide enhanced protection from storm surge. The boardwalk and beachfront—rebuilt and beautified—once again attract residents and visitors for walking, cycling, and summer recreation.
The community has also grown increasingly diverse, welcoming new families from across New York City and beyond. Small cafés, pizzerias, and shops along Midland Avenue and Hylan Boulevard contribute to a local economy that balances small-town familiarity with modern vitality. Despite its trials, Midland Beach retains a strong sense of identity—defined not by its proximity to the sea alone, but by its unity in the face of it.
Spirit and Legacy
The spirit of Midland Beach is rooted in endurance—of people, of place, and of memory. It has lived many lives: a seaside resort, a working-class suburb, a flood-prone battleground, and a revitalized coastal community. Each incarnation has deepened its bond to the water that both nourishes and challenges it.
Its legacy lies in its balance of simplicity and strength. Beneath its modest homes and along its calm shoreline runs a current of resilience that has carried generations through storms literal and figurative. The laughter on its boardwalk, the gulls circling at dusk, and the glow of lights reflecting on the Raritan Bay all speak to a neighborhood that continues to endure—and to shine.
New York City
Use this custom Google map to explore where every neighborhood in all five boroughs of New York City is located.
The Five Boroughs
One of New York City’s unique qualities is its organization in to 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. These boroughs are part pragmatic administrative districts, and part vestiges of the region’s past. Each borough is an entire county in New York State - in fact, Brooklyn is, officially, Kings County, while Staten Island is, officially Richmond County. But that’s not the whole story …
Initially, New York City was located on the southern tip of Manhattan (now the Financial District) that was once the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. Across the East River, another city was rising: Brooklyn. In time, the city planners realized that unification between the rapidly rising cities would create commercial and industrial opportunities - through streamlined administration of the region.
So powerful was the pull of unification between New York and Brooklyn that three more counties were pulled into the unification: The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. And on January 1, 1898, the City of New York unified two cities and three counties into one Greater City of New York - containing the five boroughs we know today.
But because each borough developed differently and distinctly until unification, their neighborhoods likewise uniquely developed. Today, there are nearly 390 neighborhoods, each with their own histories, cultures, cuisines, and personalities - and each with residents who are fiercely proud of their corner of The Big Apple.
