That's what we called native Staten Islanders. "Native" meaning that
they were born before the bridge or that their parents were living on
Staten Island before the bridge.
"The Bridge" is the
Verazzano Narrows bridge which links Staten Island to the other boros,
specifically Brooklyn. At the time that it was built, it was the longest
suspension bridge in the world...so long that the engineers had to
consider the curvature of the earth in the planning and construction.
The
bridge changed the entire Staten Island landscape. It made Staten
Island very accessible and soon people from Brooklyn and other boros were moving in. The
landscape began to change...slowly at first as the farms dotting the
countryside were replaced with houses and roads; and much later -
highways.
I noticed the change in the area where I grew up. When I
was very young, my street was not busy at all. The corner of my street
had a stop sign and there were no paved sidewalks. There were trees as
far as the eye could see. Eventually, the trees began to be replaced
with homes, the sidewalks were paved, and a traffic light replaced the
stop sign.
For my entire life on Staten Island, there was an "us"
and "them" mentality. We were the natives...the mentality was so strong
that when I began dating my high school sweetheart, his mother asked me
if I was before or after the bridge. Had I been after the bridge, his
parents would have forbidden him to date me.
I alreadys remember
there being resentment from the natives regarding the newcomers. My
feelings were mixed. Many of my friends were "after the bridge" and many
post bridge folks became community leaders and worked tirelessly at
preserving the history of our Island as well as its natural beauty.
Still,
Staten Island changed so drastically over time that it wasn't even a
shadow of it's former self anymore. So few natives remained that I
didn't feel bad when I left.
It wasn't the Staten Island I once knew.
In
the community where I had my store -- the story was the same. There was
no bridge; however, an influx of new residents had created a similar
situation...resentment from those who had grown up in an area which had
drastically changed.
Now here I am in Leesburg, Florida and I
can't help but think that the people who lived here for years and whose
families have long histories may resent folks like me. It's because of
folks like me that there are highways where farms once stood and that
new houses and shopping centers are being built.
I no longer
belong on Staten Island, but I don't belong here either. I don't plan on
leaving and I want to assimilate rather than stick out.
I could go on and on, but I'll leave it at this brain dump.
