Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York

Nestled on the southeast corner of Brooklyn, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, Coney Island opened its doors in the mid 1800s, but it wasn’t until the late 1800s that real interest in making it an amusement park materialized. Coney Island was then the largest amusement park in the United States and remained so until the middle of the 20th century. Millions of visitors came to Coney Island within that time to ride the Ferris Wheel, (built in 1918), make the Parachute Jump and scream on the still famous, all wooded Cyclone roller coaster.

Deterioration of the park started in the mid to the late 20th century; however, discussions ensued between numerous parties at different times, including NYC mayors and developers Robert Moses and Fred Trump (Donald Trump’s father) regarding decisions as to how it should be revitalized. Today, Coney Island does not have the Parachute Jump or the Ferris Wheel, but does run the Cyclone, as well as maintain many other amusements, and its famous boardwalk, beach and aquarium. Coney Island is also home to over 51,000 Brooklyn residents.

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