40 Facts About Coney Island

Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

Origin of Coney Island's name is disputed, but the area was originally part of the colonial town of Gravesend.

Coney Island had around 32, 000 residents as of the 2010 United States Census.

Coney Island is part of Brooklyn Community District 13, and its primary ZIP Code is 11224.

Politically, Coney Island is represented by the New York City Council's 47th District.

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The neighborhood is situated on the western portion of the Coney Island peninsula, located on the western end of Long Island lying to the west of the Outer Barrier islands along Long Island's southern shore.

Coney Island was formerly an actual island, separated from greater Brooklyn by Coney Island Creek, and was the westernmost of the Outer Barrier islands.

Coney Island has a humid subtropical climate and the hardiness zone is 7b.

East of Conyne Hook was the largest section of island called Gysbert's, Guysbert's, or Guisbert's Coney Island, containing most of the arable land and extending east through today's Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach.

The land's new owner banned Gravesend residents from using Guisbert's Coney Island and built a salt-works on the land, provoking outrage among Gravesend livestock herders.

Subsequently, Guisbert's Coney Island was divided into plots meted out to several dozen settlers.

Coney Island convinced several friends in the nearby town of Jamaica to help him in this effort, telling them that the creation of such a ditch would allow them to ship goods from Jamaica Bay to New York Harbor without having to venture out into the ocean.

Development of Coney Island was slow until the 19th century due to land disputes, the American Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812.

Coney Island was so remote that Herman Melville wrote Moby-Dick on the island in 1849, and Henry Clay and Daniel Webster discussed the Missouri Compromise at the island the next year.

Coney Island built a shell road across the island to the beaches.

The Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad became the first railroad to reach Coney Island when it opened in 1864, and it was completed in 1867.

Andrew R Culver, president of the Prospect Park and Coney Island Railroad, had built the Culver Line steam railway to West Brighton in 1875, before Corbin and Engeman had even built their railroads.

Between about 1880 and World War II, Coney Island was the largest amusement area in the United States, attracting several million visitors per year.

Development of amusement rides in Coney Island intensified in the 1890s with the opening of amusement parks.

One of the largest conflagrations at Coney Island, which occurred in 1932, left at least a thousand people homeless.

At this point, Coney Island was so crowded on summer weekends that, according to Moses, a coffin would provide more space per person.

That year, the businesses and amusement parks at Coney Island either operated in a sharply reduced capacity or did not open at all.

Coney Island has two amusement parks, Luna Park and Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, as well as several rides that are not incorporated into either amusement park.

Coney Island has several other visitor attractions such as skeeball and ball tossing, as well as a sideshow, that contains shooting, throwing, and tossing skills.

Coney Island Cyclone, opened in 1927, is one of the United States' oldest wooden roller coasters still in operation.

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Coney Island contains one defunct ride that is still standing, the Parachute Jump.

Beaches in Coney Island used to be private until 1923 when the city bought all the land on the waterfront and created the Riegelmann Boardwalk and Beach.

The Coney Island Polar Bear Club consists of a group of people who swim at Coney Island throughout the winter months.

In June 2016, the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island opened on the boardwalk to the west of Maimondies Park, hosting several live musical acts as well as other events.

Nonprofit organization Coney Island USA operates the Coney Island Museum, a collection of memorabilia that chronicles the history of the neighborhood.

The event, titled The Coney Island Boom-A-Ring, was housed in tents that were located between the boardwalk and Surf Avenue.

Coney Island is patrolled by the NYPD's 60th Precinct, located at 2950 West Eighth Street.

In Coney Island, there were 95 preterm births per 1, 000 live births, and 20.

Coney Island has a high population of residents who are uninsured, or who receive healthcare through Medicaid.

The Coney Island Station is located at 2727 Mermaid Avenue, and the Neptune Station is located at 532 Neptune Avenue.

Coney Island generally has a similar ratio of college-educated residents to the rest of the city as of 2018.

Coney Island is served by the New York City Department of Education, and students in the neighborhood are automatically "zoned" into the nearest public schools.

Brooklyn Public Library's Coney Island branch is located at 1901 Mermaid Avenue, near the intersection with West 19th Street.

In 2019, NYC Ferry announced that the western part of Coney Island would be served by the Coney Island ferry route beginning in 2021.

Coney Island has been featured in many novels, films, television shows, cartoons, and theatrical plays.