Westerleigh is one of the best known neighborhoods in the north shore of Staten Island. It was called Prohibition Park in the 1880’s by the National Prohibition Campground Association.

The area held summer meetings as the headquarters of the National Prohibition Party in the late 1880s. These meetings featured lectures and the local park played as a getaway for families. As camp visits declined, Westerleigh transitioned to a neighborhood with year round residents.

As population increased, streets and sidewalks were developed. Streets were donned their names after political candidates of the Prohibition Party. A community school was built. In 1895, the Westerleigh Collegiate Institute was founded and became Staten Island’s first school to provide a complete kindergarten-college education.

Today’s Westerleigh neighborhood still resembles the area as it was 100 years ago. Victorian, Dutch, and English style homes stand and zoning regulations passed in 1989, prevent large businesses from moving to the area. This regulation limits traffic and noise levels compared to other areas in Staten Island.