Port Richmond is bounded by Kill van Kull on the north, Clove Road on the east, Forest Avenue on the south, and the Bayonne Bridge on the west.

Settlers established a cemetery at nearby Port Richmond, which served as the burial ground for residents of northern Staten Island until 1696.

Port Richmond's location on the Kull Van Kill made it a prime ferry launch from Staten Island to New Jersey.

The streets are wide, well-macadamized and smooth; the side walks well paved and generally shaded by trees of large growth.

The business blocks are substantial and the dwellings range from pretentious mansions to quiet cottage[7]In 1866, the neighborhood was incorporated as Port Richmond.

The North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway that ran through the neighborhood connecting it to St. George was mainly a freight railroad.

[2] In 2018, an estimated 21% of Port Richmond and the North Shore 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], Port Richmond and the North Shore are considered high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.

[16] The African-American community that had long occupied Port Richmond's Northern quarters began to see a large influx of Mexican immigrants move in alongside them starting late in the 1980s.

The Mexicans transformed many boarded up storefronts along Port Richmond Avenue and quickly made the commercial strip the center of Latino culture on Staten Island.

Still many of Port Richmond's Mexicans line busy neighborhood streets every morning looking to be picked up for work as day laborers.

Since they often commute on foot and usually have money in their pockets, the immigrants have long been targeted for violent muggings and senseless attacks on Port Richmond streets.

[18] This led to an incident, whence in the early morning hours of April 5, 2010, 26-year-old baker Rodulfo Olmedo was on his way home from a local club on Port Richmond Avenue when he was set upon by three African-American and one Hispanic teenagers, who badly beat Olmedo with unidentified objects believed to be baseball bats or wooden planks and possibly a chain before robbing his unconscious body of cash and a cellphone.

After being helped by a passer-by and brought to the hospital, Olmedo, a 13-year resident of the U.S., told police that throughout the attack, which was captured on nearby surveillance cameras, he was verbally discriminated against.

[19] After the incident, the United States Department of Justice began assisting community officials in their efforts to develop a neighborhood watch or a "Crime Response Team", a group of citizens that would possibly work with the NYPD to report suspicious activity and prevent more violence in the neighborhood, as well as to organize a series of meetings to facilitate community dialogue.

These are willing businesses that are open late, such as bodegas or delis, where people who feel like they are being followed or otherwise fear for their safety, can seek refuge and be assisted by workers with contacting the police.

[28] Port Richmond is served by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY)'s Engine Co. 157/Ladder Co. 80, located at 1573 Castleton Avenue.

[11]: 14 The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Port Richmond and the North Shore is 0.0071 milligrams per cubic metre (7.1×10−9 oz/cu ft), less than the city average.

[33] Port Richmond and the North Shore generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update].

[11]: 6  The percentage of Port Richmond and the North Shore students excelling in math rose from 49% in 2000 to 65% in 2011, though reading achievement declined from 55% to 51% during the same time period.

[34] Port Richmond and the North Shore's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is slightly higher than the rest of New York City.

[12]: 24 (PDF p. 55) [11]: 6  Additionally, 73% of high school students in Port Richmond and the North Shore graduate on time, about the same as the citywide average of 75%.

The abandoned North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway runs through Port Richmond, and the area's eponymous station still stands.

The architecture of the building draws from a variety of styles including Romanesque Revival, neo-Classical, Italian villa, and Americanized Queen Anne.

The hodge-podge of styles suggests a vernacular approach and reflects the reality of the 19th century, when school districts were responsible for designing, constructing, and maintaining their own buildings.

The house was first owned by a prosperous oysterman and abolitionist named Captain John J. Housman, then leased to tenants, and finally fell into the hands of the Brown family.

The original building, a long structure around which the community now known as Port Richmond grew, was erected on land donated in 1714 by Governor Hunter.

The Daughters of the American Revolution recognized the Brothers Mersereau: Joshua - 3rd Quarter Master General, Jacob - Colonel, Cornelius - Soldier, John - Captain, and Paul - Sailor.

The cult classic movie release Combat Shock, the independent directing debut of Staten Island native Buddy Giovinazzo, is set in and was largely filmed in Port Richmond, where the main character dwells in apocalyptic squalor.

[50] In December 2009, Arcadia Publishing released a book named Port Richmond on its Images of America product line about the neighborhood's history, including its ethnic diversity and the effect various immigrant groups have had on the community.