Dongan Hills is a neighborhood located within the New York City borough of Staten Island. It is on the Island's East Shore. The neighborhood was originally known by two separate names, the western half being called Hillside Park and the eastern half Linden Park. The name of Dongan Hills was originally Garretson's and it was changed to Dongan Hills to avoid confusion with Garrison on Hudson. The neighborhood was renamed for Thomas Dongan, the Irish-born governor of the Province of New York after the Kingdom of England acquired it from the Netherlands in 1682. The "hills" alluded to in the name are the eastern ridge of Todt Hill, and much of what is colloquially referred to as "Todt Hill" by most island residents is reckoned as belonging to Dongan Hills by more authoritative sources such as