300px|right|thumb|Oakwood Welcome Sign with Amundsen Circle in the background
Oakwood is a neighborhood located in east central Staten Island, New York City, near the South Shore. It is bordered by Tysens Lane (north); the Atlantic Ocean (east); Great Kills Park (south); Kensico Street, and Clarke Avenue (west).
The neighborhood has a coastline on the Lower New York Bay; the coastal area is sometimes referred to as Oakwood Beach, and is the site of a sewage treatment facility. Bordering this facility on the south is the Staten Island Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area, also known locally (and formerly, officially) as Great Kills Park.
Oakwood's ZIP Code is 10306, served by a post office in New Dorp, the community's northern neighbor.
History
thumb|Guyon Avenue, Oakwood Heights, middle 20th century
thumb|Oakwood Heights Community Church
Dominated by farmland in the heights area, and an ocean resort in the beach area until the mid-20th century, Oakwood started suburbanization when a Staten Island Tunnel was proposed to connect to the New York City Subway. Development was rapid after the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge opened in November 1964. Today, Oakwood is a middle-class neighborhood of one- and two-family homes and garden apartments, with important commercial establishments along Hylan Boulevard.
Demographics
For census purposes, the New York City Department of City Planning classifies Oakwood as part of a larger Neighborhood Tabulation Area called Oakwood-Richmondtown SI0301. This neighborhood had 22,388 inhabitants based on data from the 2020 United States Census. This was an increase of 339 persons (1.5%) from the 22,049 counted in 2010. The neighborhood had a population density of 17.0 inhabitants per acre (14,500/sq mi; 5,600/km2).
The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 72.9% (16,322) White (Non-Hispanic), 2.6% (581) Black (Non-Hispanic), 10.6% (2,366) Asian, 2.7% (596) from some other race or from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.3% (2,523) of the population.
Public transportation
The Staten Island Railway serves the neighborhood at its eponymous station. Oakwood Heights' bus service is provided by the local buses and the express buses.