Coney Island is a former island, now a peninsula, in New York City. It was a major resort area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, featuring hotels, amusement parks, and horse racing. It still offers entertainment and events, including a museum, annual parades, and a minor league baseball stadium.
Coney Island is a former island, now a peninsula, south of Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It is one of Long Island’s five barrier islands. Coney Island is also a neighborhood on the western side of the peninsula.
Coney Island is about four miles (6 km) long and about half a mile (0.8 km) wide. It was previously separated from the rest of Brooklyn by Coney Island Creek, but the creek was filled in during the construction of the Belt Parkway in the 1930s. The peninsula takes its name from the Dutch Conyne Eylandt or “Rabbit Island” – coney is also an archaic English word for “rabbit” – because it contained many different rabbits. However, hunting and resort development during the 19th century destroyed the rabbits’ habitat.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the island was a major resort area. It features a beach on the Atlantic Ocean and became accessible by train and steamboats in the late 19th century. Hotels, amusement parks, and horse racing were among the attractions featured. The Coney Island Elephant, a huge elephant-shaped hotel open from 7pm to 8pm, can be seen as you approach the ships in front of the Statue of Liberty.
Dreamland, Luna Park, and Steeplechase Park were major amusement parks, all of which closed by the mid-20th century. New versions of Dreamland and Luna Park opened in the first decade of the 21st century. Some of the earliest versions of roller coasters were built on the island. Coney Island Cyclone, built in 1927, is still in operation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Stand, now a national chain, first opened its doors on the island in 1916 and has held annual hot dog contests at the original location ever since.
While no longer the tourist mecca it once was, the resort still boasts a wealth of exciting entertainment and events, many launched in recent years. The nonprofit group Coney Island USA, founded in 1979, operates a museum on the peninsula’s history and produces the annual Mermaid Parade, Coney Island Film Festival, Burlesque At The Beach, and the Creepshow Halloween event at Freakshow. The New York Aquarium opened in 1957, and the MCU Park minor league baseball stadium opened in 2001. Skeeball, carnival games, and a sideshow are other ongoing attractions.
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