Todt Hill
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Todt Hill (elevation 410 ft (125 m)) is a small mountain ridge on Staten Island, New York. It is the highest natural point in the five boroughs of New York City, and the highest point on the U.S. East Coast south of Maine. The summit of the ridge is largely covered in woodlands as part of the Staten Island Greenbelt, although much of the surrounding area is developed and residential.
The name Todt comes from the Dutch word for "dead" and refers to the cemetery (the present Moravian Cemetery) on the southwestern foot of the ridge near the town of New Dorp that has been in use since colonial days. It is pronounced "Toad" by the natives although newcomers often mispronounce it as "Todd" or "Tod't".
The term Todt Hill is now often used to include the upscale developments in the hills along the eastern side of the ridge, which most island geographers classify as part of the neighborhood of Dongan Hills.
Residents on Todt Hill are among the wealthiest on Staten Island. Former New York Mets relief pitcher John Franco lived on the hill for his stay with the Mets from the early 1990s to 2005, and the late Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano lived there as well.
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