Living in Grymes Hill: rent, commute and grades

Staten Island · Updated November 2026

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This guide also covers Silver Lake, West Brighton and Livingston, which share Grymes Hill’s official city boundaries.

Rent in Grymes Hill

$1,454 a month, estimated

Type of homeA room in a 2-bedroom, shared by two

COverall

Grades compare NYC neighborhoods with each other. How the grades work.

DWalkability
The average home has 3.4 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 46 places to eat or shop.
Residents: From the Grymes Hill apartments the nearest market is at the bottom of the hill. Former resident, Aug 2024
City data and 4 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.
DFood and shopping
Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 12 places to eat, 7 kinds of cuisine, 0.9 large grocery stores and 25 open storefronts.
Residents: One West Brighton cafe is called the best coffee on Staten Island. Grew up here, Jul 2026
City data alone would give F; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to D.
B-Parks and green space
100% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 251 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 234 street trees within 300 m of the average home.
Residents: Grymes Hill is close to both Clove Lakes Park and Silver Lake Park. Resident, Dec 2024
City data alone would give C+; what residents say in 5 Reddit threads moves it to B-.

C-Community
16% of households moved in since 2018, 4% are roommates sharing a home, 19% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 6 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
Residents: Silver Lake and West Brighton have more of a community feel than the top of Grymes Hill. Former resident, Dec 2024
DNightlife
About 4 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

A-Safety
3.4 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (122 in all).
Residents: West Brighton feels very safe on quiet residential blocks, though car break-in attempts still happen, so cars in driveways should stay locked. Resident, Aug 2024
City data alone would give B+; what residents say in 6 Reddit threads moves it to A-.
A-Quiet
26 noise complaints to 311 per 1,000 residents in 2025, not counting helicopter complaints, and counting each address at most 12 days a year. That measures how often people complain, not how loud it is.
Residents: Some West Brighton blocks are quiet residential streets. Resident, Aug 2024
City data alone would give B+; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to A-.
C+Building upkeep
19.2 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 5.9 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

CommunitySilver Lake and West Brighton have more of a community feel than the top of Grymes Hill. Former resident, Dec 2024
Food and shoppingOne West Brighton cafe is called the best coffee on Staten Island. Grew up here, Jul 2026
SafetyWest Brighton feels very safe on quiet residential blocks, though car break-in attempts still happen, so cars in driveways should stay locked. Resident, Aug 2024
WalkabilityIn Silver Lake everyday errands, from groceries to dinner, are within walking distance. Resident of 8+ years, Jan 2023
SafetyThe apartment and condo area on Grymes Hill feels safe. Former resident, Aug 2024
SafetyWest Brighton is considered a safe area, though it shares some of Stapleton's issues such as petty crime. Grew up here, May 2023

WalkabilityFrom the Grymes Hill apartments the nearest market is at the bottom of the hill. Former resident, Aug 2024
WalkabilityGrymes Hill needs a car: the hill is steep and only one market is within reasonable walking distance. Former resident, Dec 2024

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West Brighton feels safe.
Not a resident, Jul 2026
Living just off Forest Avenue in West Brighton has been trouble free.
Resident, Dec 2024
Grymes Hill felt super safe to live on.
Former resident, Dec 2024

From Grymes Hill a ShopRite is 10 minutes away, with plenty of restaurants on Forest Avenue and Victory Boulevard.
Resident, Dec 2024
Parts of Forest Avenue and Castleton Avenue have gained new restaurants, bars, cafes and shops with a local crowd.
Not a resident, May 2025
West Brighton has great stores, restaurants and bars.
Not a resident, Jul 2026

West Brighton's Forest Avenue is a long running bar strip that gets busy around the St. Patrick's Day parade.
Not a resident, Jul 2026
A short drive from Grymes Hill there are several well liked neighborhood bars.
Not a resident, Dec 2024
Forest Avenue in West Brighton has a strip of bars.
Not a resident, Dec 2024

West Brighton has stores, gyms and restaurants within walking distance.
Not a resident, Jun 2023
Silver Lake is close to shops on Forest Avenue and Victory Boulevard, so small errands do not need a drive.
Not a resident, Jan 2023
West Brighton is walkable.
Not a resident, Dec 2024

Grymes Hill is close to both Clove Lakes Park and Silver Lake Park.
Resident, Dec 2024
Silver Lake Park is a big plus of living in the neighborhood.
Resident of 8+ years, Jan 2023
From West Brighton the zoo, Clove Lakes Park and Silver Lake Park are all within walking distance.
Not a resident, Jul 2026

By subway or bus, arriving by 9:00 on a weekday:Under 30 min30 to 45 min45 to 60 minOver an hourGrymes Hill

Residents: West Brighton is not too long a trip to the ferry, with buses on Castleton Avenue. Former resident, Sep 2025

Residents: A bus stops right at the Grymes Hill apartment complexes and continues to the ferry. Former resident, Aug 2024

Grymes Hill is home to Wagner College, which moved here in 1918 onto the 38-acre former estate of Sir Edward Cunard of the Cunard shipping line, a hilltop site overlooking New York Harbor. Source
Grymes Hill is bounded by Victory Boulevard to the northwest, Richmond Road and Van Duzer Street to the east, the Staten Island Expressway to the south and Clove Road to the west, according to the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. Source
The hill is named for Suzette Grymes, wife of the New Orleans lawyer John Randolph Grymes, who began buying land near today's Howard Avenue and Grymes Hill Road in 1836 for an estate called Capo di Monte. Source
Grymes Hill, with views over New York Harbor, was built up with large estates in the 1830s and 1840s, and by the early 1900s it was a fashionable neighborhood favored by wealthy German businessmen. Source
Many of the large houses built on Grymes Hill in the early 1900s still stand along Howard Avenue, with newer large homes added among them. Source
Below the hill, in West Brighton, the area's main shopping streets are Forest Avenue and Castleton Avenue. Part of Forest Avenue is run by a business improvement district and is lined with long-standing, multi-generational businesses. Source