Travis, Staten Island

Travis is a residential and industrial neighborhood in west-central Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City.

It is bounded on the north by Meredith Avenue and Victory Boulevard, on the east by the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge, on the south by the Fresh Kills, and on the west by the Arthur Kill. Some local geographers classify Travis as being part of the island's West Shore, while others reckon it as a Mid-Island neighborhood.

Travis is one of the oldest, as well as one of the more isolated and sparsely populated locales on Staten Island. The site of an Indian village, it was known as Jersey Wharf and, during the Revolutionary period, as New Blazing Star Ferry. It was a skirmish site during the Battle of Staten Island. It was the site of ferries from 1757 and was for decades part of the route between Philadelphia and New York via the Port Richmond Ferry. In the early 19th century the village was named Travisville after Captain Jacob Travis. In mid-century it was named Long Neck and then Deckertown after a local family.

In 1873, the American Linoleum Company acquired 300 acres in the area to build the nation's first linoleum factory, leading to the area being named Linoleumville. Many skilled English immigrants arrived to work in the factory in its early days. By the early 20th century, 700 workers were employed, comprising half the local population. Many of these were Polish immigrants, and Linoleumville had become a Polish enclave. The plant closed in 1931 and residents overwhelmingly chose to rename the community Travis.

In later years, Travis's isolation has been somewhat disrupted by the construction of the West Shore Expressway and the Teleport. The area has sometimes suffered from poor air quality due to the nearby Fresh Kills Landfill and New Jersey's Chemical Coast.

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