The average price for a one-family home in St. George is $500,000; a four-bedroom 1910 colonial with two working fireplaces and a backyard recently listed at $399,000. In Tompkinsville, where there has been less development and gentrification, houses are in the mid-$300,000 range. St. George condos can go as low as $300,000 for a three-bedroom unit. Those near Richmond Terrace or the Bay Street Landing—where amenities include washer/dryers, oak floors and a 24-hour doorman—are also particularly popular with new buyers looking for the next hot neighborhood. Brokers are more than willing to cater to their dreams of creating a chic island enclave. “Many people are betting that St. George will soon be to Staten Island what Williamsburg is to Brooklyn—a place where a young, hip professional and artistic crowd mingles,” says Burdzy.

A lot of current residents among that crowd frequent the Everything Goes Book Café & Neighborhood Stage (208 Bay St between Victory Blvd and Hannah St), just three blocks from the ferry, where daytime puppet-making workshops and kids’ open mikes and nighttime concerts entertain young families. The historic St. George Theatre, which reopened in 2004 after being shuttered for 25 years, stages frequent children’s performances.

Schools are fair; the elementary school nearest St. George, P.S. 16 in Tompkinsville, rates average in reading and math but has expanded the role of music and arts in the curriculum, incorporating photography and drama classes. Though indoor play spaces in the downtown area are limited, the zoo and children’s museum are only minutes away. “Philip can’t get enough of the petting zoo, and I love Clove Lakes Park,” Lukac says. “We like hanging out right here on Staten Island.”

Bottom line: Pioneering spirits are flocking to this developing area a short ferry ride from Manhattan.