Staten Island, with its population of 473,279, is the least populous and most suburban of New York CityÍs five boroughs. The 1964 opening of the Verrazano Bridge, which connected the borough to Brooklyn, drove development of the previously rural area and doubled its population. Its northern edge is dotted with denser, more urban neighborhoods like St. George, Tompkinsville, Clifton, and Stapleton, which are close the terminal for the ferry to Lower Manhattan. The southern end of the island is more leafy. One could mistake its streets, lined with large single-family homes, with yards and pools, for a bedroom community in upstate New York. Staten Island is not connected to the rest of New York City Subway system, except by the ferry, unlike the other four boroughs. The rapid rise of real estate prices has not bypassed Staten Island, which has seen its share of development as a result. In 2011, the city sold seven waterfront acres in the Stapleton neighborhood for $11 million to Ironstate Development. A 900-unit rental complex, plus retail and parking, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2015. The city is also leading the redevelopment of the waterfront around the ferry terminal and the Richmond County Ballpark. In order to attract tourists to the borough, developers are planning to build the biggest Ferris wheel in the world in St. George. -TA