Sunset Hill

Sunset Hill

Homes for Sale in Sunset Hill, Staten Island

With a population of just under 6,000, Sunset Hill is a cozy community on the southside of West Brighton, Staten Island. This suburban oasis reportedly gets its name from the view of the sunset that reaches residents’ windows each day and is a sought-after location for professionals who want to enjoy the security of a small town while being close to the excitement of New York City.

Conveniently, Sunset Hill is only a 30-minute drive or a bus ride to Brooklyn. And while it is mainly a family-friendly neighborhood near good schools and sprawling parks, this suburban community also has an exciting food scene and a thriving nightlife for foodies and night owls alike.

Homes for sale in Sunset Hill, Staten Island also offer the perk of being close to nature, so a run under blue skies at Silver Lake Park or a quiet fishing trip to Clove Lakes is always an option for those who live there.

Thinking of relocating to this quiet suburban community? Learn the ins and outs of living your best life in Sunset Hill by reading this curated community guide.

WELCOME TO SUNSET HILL, STATEN ISLAND

Homes for sale in Sunset Hill, Staten Island are found south of Forest Avenue, nestled between two beautiful lakes and their surrounding parks: Clove Lake in the west and Silver Lake in the east. To the south of Sunny Hill is the Sunnyside community.

North of this small neighborhood lies the rest of West Brighton, which sits comfortably between Port Richmond to the west and New Brighton to the east and reaches up to the island’s North Shore and the waves of Kill Van Kull.

Getting around Sunset Hill

While most Sunset Hill residents prefer to drive themselves or join a 30-minute carpool to work, public transportation is also available in the area.

With a MetroCard, residents can travel within the island by riding the rapid transit lines in any of the Staten Island Railway’s 21 stations. For residents who need new MetroCards, the island’s St. George and Tompkinsville stations work as distribution hubs. There are also nearby convenience stores and shops that sell these cards.

Meanwhile, the island’s bus routes and the local ferry service provide transportation to and from Staten Island. Regular bus routes take passengers around the island and to Brooklyn via the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, while Express buses take passengers directly to Manhattan via the Hugh Carey Tunnel (locally known as the Battery Park Tunnel).

For a scenic trip to work, the Staten Island Ferry provides a free 25-minute ride from the St. George Ferry Terminal to South Ferry, more formally known as the Whitehall Ferry Terminal, in Manhattan. On their way to work, residents can see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from the ferry deck.

For Sunset Hill residents with disabilities or health conditions, the neighborhood provides the ride-sharing Access-A-Ride Paratransit Service. This allows passengers who can’t drive or commute on their own to book a ride to work or errands any day at any time.

Residents who choose to commute may also enjoy discounted fares if they meet the requirements of New York City’s Fair Fares Program.

Historic origins

Sunset Hill and its encompassing neighborhood of West Brighton became the diverse and historic community it is today when it first took shape in the 17th century. At that time Dutch and English settlers built farming and fishing communities in the area. In fact, one of New York’s first governors chose this spot as the site of his large estate and named it after his birthplace of Castletown, Ireland.

According to silive.com, the Staten Island Advance’s online publishing arm, “In the late 17th century, West Brighton was part of a 5,100-acre tract that Governor Dongan acquired in 1688 and named the Manor of Castleton. Dongan built a manor house on Shore Road (now Richmond Terrace) near present-day Dongan Street.”

Decades later, more settlers built homes on patches of Dongan’s old estate. Throughout the 1700s, West Brighton remained a rural community reliant on agriculture and trade through nearby waterways.

However, by the 1800s the neighborhood turned into a booming manufacturing town with the arrival of factories, which included the textile plants of the New York Dyeing and Printing Establishment and Barrett, Nephews & Company.

As more people moved into West Brighton in the hopes of prospering from the neighborhood’s rapid growth, successful business owners in the area ventured into land development to provide housing for their workers and the town’s new residents. One of these developers was textile entrepreneur Nathan Barrett, who named his 1836 project Factoryville, a name that soon stood for the entire neighborhood for most of the 19th century.

The neighborhood’s elite also began residing close to their businesses, choosing the area of Sunset Hill to build their European-inspired homes, some of which still stand today.

By the end of the 1800s, new suburbs began rising near the neighborhood, including New Brighton. To stay on trend, Factoryville residents started calling their neighborhood West New Brighton until it was eventually shortened to what it’s called today.

HOMES FOR SALE IN SUNSET HILL, STATEN ISLAND

While most of Sunset Hill’s real estate inventory are single-family homes, multi-family homes are also available. These larger homes may serve as rental properties for enterprising buyers looking to generate passive income.

And it would be worth the price. According to the Neighborhood Scout, “Real estate here [in the whole of West Brighton] is exceedingly well-maintained, and similarly, tends to maintain its value over time.”

Architectural styles

The historic homes that stand to this day are a charming feature of the neighborhood. Many of them were built on or before 1939 and a few others were erected in the 1950s.

Some of these older homes bear the hallmarks of Victorian-style architecture. However, most homes in Sunset Hill are Colonial Revival in style, specifically the Dutch, Cape Cod, and New England variations.

You’ll also see Greek Revival homes, such as the Gardiner-Tyler House, home to Julia Gardiner, wife of former United States president John Tyler.

THE PERKS OF LIVING IN SUNSET HILL, STATEN ISLAND

If you’d like to know more about the perks and conveniences of living in Sunset Hill, here are a few that stand out.

A state-of-the-art hospital

It’s reassuring for residents to have a major healthcare facility with 470 beds within Sunset Hill.

Reputable schools

The New York City Department of Education governs public schools in Sunset Hills and the larger West Brighton neighborhoods. In these areas, schools include:

• The John Tyler School / P.S. 045 accepts students from pre-kindergarten to the fifth grade. It is in the heart of Sunset Hill.
• Anning S. Prall / I.S. 27 is the nearest middle school to Sunset Hill
• New World Preparatory is a public charter school accepting students from kindergarten to the eighth grade. They are known for their smaller class sizes and their faculty of highly trained teachers, many of whom hold at least a graduate degree. NWP students may also opt to take electives or math and science honor courses apart from their rigorous main curriculum.

Senior high schools are accessible near Sunset Hill and in its neighboring communities.

• South Richmond High School on Hylan Boulevard is just a mile away from the neighborhood.
• Century-old private Catholic schools like St. Peter’s Boys High School and Notre Dame Academy Staten Island are just a six-minute drive from Sunset Hill.

Homegrown shops and community gardens

Like many self-sufficient small towns, Sunset Hill is home to family-owned businesses that keep the neighborhood pantries well stocked. From mom-and-pop shops to local markets you’ll find them all in Sunset Hill. Plus, community gardens provide a place for residents to unwind and grow their own food. Two are in Sunset Hill: one that’s privately owned, and the publicly managed, 9,000-square-foot West Brighton Community Garden in Corporal Thompson Park.

A vibrant shopping district and foodie haven

Sunset Hill is just south of Forest Avenue, a street lined with boutiques, shopping, plazas, pubs, and restaurants. Some of them have been around for decades and become neighborhood institutions.

Look for gift shops with merchandise supplied by small community businesses or clothing stores that have been around for 100 years and stand to this day.

When it comes to bars, restaurants, cafes, and other eateries, the choices in Sunset Hill are varied and guaranteed to please every palate and craving. Some of the long-standing fixtures that operate to this day are proof of how residents support local businesses, enabling them to continue thriving in the neighborhood. Everything’s on the menu, from bar chow to Chinese and Italian favorites, with weekly specials to excite the palate and kid-friendly portions to accommodate the youngest diners.

Apart from small businesses, Forest Avenue is also home to Sunset Hill’s shopping plazas. They are:

• Forest Avenue Shopping Center has a local pharmacy with two retail chain stores. It also has a gym and a pet store.
• Forest Commons is smaller with a donut store, ice cream parlor, and a nail salon.

Things to do in Sunset Hill, Staten Island

For such a small neighborhood, Sunset Hill offers a ton of things to do. From parks to sports clubs, here are some places to enjoy in and around town:

• Silver Lake Park is the Staten Island counterpart of Manhattan’s Central Park. While it has an on-leash dog park, playgrounds, and athletic fields, Silver Lake’s main draw is its very own 18-hole public golf course designed by John Van Kleek.
• Clove Lakes Park, a protected natural site, is perfect for a three-mile hike, freshwater fishing at one of the park’s large ponds, or ice skating at the rink.
• Staten Island Zoo on 705 Clove Road is known as “New York’s Biggest Little Zoo.” It features 1,200 animals belonging to 350 species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates from all over the world. The 8-acre facility also takes care of 70 endangered animals.
• Staten Island Cricket Club is New York’s oldest cricket club, having been founded in 1872. It welcomes members worldwide and hosts games at Walker Park on weekends.
• Broadway YMCA at 651 Broadway has group exercise and swimming classes for all ages. The Y also has a gym and fitness center for your personalized workouts.

FIND HOMES FOR SALE IN SUNSET HILL, STATEN ISLAND WITH CASANDRA PROPERTIES

As a tight-knit community with a small-town feel, Sunset Hill may be the neighborhood you’ve been looking for. To learn more about this industrial town-turned-suburban paradise, talk to our real estate experts at Casandra Properties, Inc.

With over four decades of experience as a full-service real estate company, our team has worked with Fortune 500 companies and closed a total of $1 billion in real estate deals in the last 10 years. That’s more than any other team in Staten Island!

Indeed, our track record and word-of mouth have led to glowing testimonials:

“Several of my friends and family members have listed their homes with Casandra Properties over the years. Everyone I have spoken with was extremely satisfied with their service from the very beginning of the process to the end. When I decide to sell my home, Casandra will list it. I will not even entertain the thought of wasting my time elsewhere.” – Michelle Z

“Hallmark Abstract Service has had the opportunity and pleasure of working with Casandra Properties in the past. The firm, specialists in Staten Island real estate, is extremely professional and represents both buyers and sellers of residential and commercial real estate with a laser focus on protecting their best interests. This is not always the case in real estate, and I would most definitely recommend Casandra Properties to anyone in the Staten Island real estate marketplace!”

Explore your options with the help of someone who knows Staten Island real estate by heart. Call Casandra Properties at 718.720.0126 or leave a message here to get started.