| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| Coney Island |
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(k ´n ) (KEY) , beach resort, amusement center, and neighborhood of S Brooklyn borough of New York City, SE N.Y., on the Atlantic Ocean. The tidal creek that once separated the island from the mainland has been filled in, making the area a peninsula. A seaside resort from the middle of the 19th cent., rail service made it an extremely popular resort, attracting up to a million visitors on hot summer days. The beach, the 2-mi (3.2-km) boardwalk, the New York Aquarium, and the many notable eating places were other attractions. Although it remains a popular attraction, Coney Island has declined considerably since its heyday in the 1920s and 30s; its residents are the poor and elderly. Since the 1950s, high-rise apartments (many of which have fallen into decay) have replaced much of the amusement area. | 1 | | See J. Kasson, Amusing the Million (1970), and W. Register, The Kid of Coney Island: Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusements (2001). | 2 |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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