Coney Island
History
Coney Island, a peninsular residential neighborhood, beach, and leisure/entertainment destination on the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill.
Coney Island was possibly named by the Dutch for the rabbits that once hopped through its dunes, Konijn Eiland, which means Rabbit Island in English. The area was a major resort and site of amusement parks that reached its peak during the first half of the 20th century. It declined in popularity after World War II and endured years of neglect.
Geography
Coney Island is a peninsula, formerly an island, in southernmost Brooklyn, with a beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The neighborhood of the same name is a community of 60,000 people in the western part of the peninsula, with Sea Gate to its west, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to its east, and Gravesend to the north.
Attractions
Coney Island's amusement area is one of a few in the United States that is not mostly owned by any one entity. It is comprised of various independently owned parks and attractions. This includes Luna Park, Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, and various other rides and attractions including two of the old Coney Island staples, the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel.
Luna Park
Luna Park is an amusement park in Coney Island opened on May 29, 2010 at the former site of Astroland, an amusement park that had been in operation from 1962 to 2008. It was named after the original 1903 Luna Park which operated until 1944.
Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park
Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park is a small amusement park which opened in 1983 on the boardwalk at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. The park's centerpiece is the Wonder Wheel, a 150-foot-tall (46 m) eccentric Ferris wheel built in 1920 by the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company.
Coney Island Cyclone
The Coney Island Cyclone (better known as simply the Cyclone) is a historic wooden roller coaster, that opened on June 26, 1927 in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City. On June 18, 1991, the Cyclone was designated a New York City Landmark, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 1991.
Coney Island in popular culture
Coney Island has been featured in many novels, films, television shows, cartoons, and theatrical plays. These include the film The Warriors (1979), and the Michael Jackson music video "Bad" (1987).