Todt Hill, Staten Island

If your not too familiar with Staten Island, Todt Hill is widely known as one of New York City’s more notorious luxury home markets. Emerson Hill, while not as widely known outside of the borough, shares many of the same attributes from housing stock and location perspective. Basically, the two hills are connected via Emerson Valley and Dongan Hills Colony.

There are two small natural ponds among the 412 foot mountain known as Todt Hill. Near the summit, there is a Roman Catholic Priory. The Staten Island Academy is also located in the neighborhood. There is no public transit servicing the area, and most of the streets lack a sidewalk. Todt Hill is still very much natural terrain with lots of trees, brush, and dirt roads. Yet, at the end of a private dirt road, you just might find yourself pulling up to a huge mansion. In fact, residents of Todt Hill are some of the wealthiest on Staten Island. Some of the members of the Gambino crime family have been known to live in the area. Todt Hill was also the location for filming the 1972 movie, The Godfather.

There is a golf course which has a man-made pond adjacent to the Moravian Cemetery. Other than the golf course, Todt Hill is either parkland or private homes - not much else.