The name Arthur Kill is an anglicization of the Dutch achter kill meaning back channel, which would refer to its location "behind" Staten Island and has its roots in the early 17th century during the Dutch colonial era when the region was part of New Netherland.

Along the New Jersey side it is primarily lined with industrial sites, part of which is called the Chemical Coast.

The size of Arthur Kill channel is large, suggesting that it was, for a time, the primary drainage from the region.

However, it could not have been primary drainage for long because the river did not have enough time to carve a broad flood plain.

[6] Because of the complex nature of the tides in New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River, the hydrology of Arthur Kill is still an open subject.

[13][14] The Arthur Kill was a critical dividing line during the American Revolution, with the British holding Staten Island for the duration of the conflict while New Jersey remained largely in Continental hands.

Numerous skirmishes, including the Battle of Staten Island, spanned the Arthur Kill.

The Pilgrim Pipeline, to pipe crude oil, kerosene, and diesel fuel through New York and New Jersey was proposed to terminate at the Linden side of the kill.