It contained a 1,700-foot (520 m) pier jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, where visitors could catch the steamboat William Story to the Battery at the tip of Lower Manhattan.

The attractions were also similar: they included Japanese bowling, a Thompson scenic railway, a dance pavilion, a carousel, a circle swing, and a theater.

[8][13] Rider incidents included a 1917 accident where a patron was left dangling from a roller coaster by his leg,[14] and a miniature train derailment in 1918 that injured 12 people.

[15] An extreme thunderstorm in 1923 resulted in several buildings being set on fire by lightning, as well as trolley tracks being washed away by storm surges.

[12][18] The year after, James S. Graham purchased much of the remaining resort and rebuilt many of the attractions, including a scenic railroad, Barrel of Fun, Old Mill, skee-ball, and other smaller amusements.

[20] Rainstorms on the island caused wind or water damage (such as flooded bungalows) in Midland Beach in the 1970s, due to its proximity to the coast and lack of storm sewers.

The City of New York installed a large new storm sewer system down Greeley Avenue in 1979, which resolved the flooding issues for most of the newer housing stock in the neighborhood.

The neighborhood once had its own post office branch, bearing the postal code "Staten Island 11, New York."

[22] Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of New Dorp-Midland Beach was 21,896, a change of 1,654 (7.6%) from the 20,242 counted in 2000.

[2] In 2018, an estimated 14% of Midland Beach and Mid-Island residents lived in poverty, compared to 17% in all of Staten Island and 20% in all of New York City.

Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Midland Beach and Mid-Island are considered high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.

Stone bridges, culverts, viaducts, walls and tree plantings will beautify the neighborhood and eventually eliminate the blight that has plagued the northern edge of Midland Beach since the 1960s.

[32] Midland Beach is served by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY)'s Engine Co. 165/Ladder Co. 85, located at 3067 Richmond Road.

[25]: 14 The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Midland Beach and Mid-Island is 0.0069 milligrams per cubic metre (6.9×10−9 oz/cu ft), less than the city average.

[37] Midland Beach and Mid-Island generally have a similar rate of college-educated residents to the rest of the city as of 2018[update].

[25]: 6  The percentage of Midland Beach and Mid-Island students excelling in math rose from 49% in 2000 to 65% in 2011, though reading achievement declined from 55% to 52% during the same time period.

[38] Midland Beach and Mid-Island's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is lower than the rest of New York City.

[26]: 24 (PDF p. 55) [25]: 6  Additionally, 87% of high school students in Midland Beach and Mid-Island graduate on time, more than the citywide average of 75%.

He maintained a profitable 186.7-acre (0.756 km2) farm in 1855 and built an Italianate style 24-room mansion on the property, complete with horse stables, trotting field and judges' stands, which was overseen by his son George Washington Vanderbilt II.