SUNSET PARK, LONG ISLAND

Sunset Park, Long Island

Sunset Park is a neighborhood located in the southern section of the borough of Brooklyn. It is in the south of Park Slope and Windsor Terrace separated by Green-Wood Cemetery and the Prospect Expressway while 65th Street and the Gowanus Expressway mark the southern boundary of the community with Bay Ridge. Because of its long waterfront, Sunset Park was one of the earliest parts of Brooklyn to be settled. Sunset Park was also the site of the Battle of Long Island in 1776. As of 2000 census, there were 120,441 people living in the neighborhood; 50.5% male and 49.5% were female. The median household income was $30,152, and the median family income was $31,247.

The Sunset Park neighborhood has gone through many ethnic changes and is an example of many of the immigration waves that transformed the city. In the mid 1800s, a Scandinavian community composes mainly of Irish people was among the first ethnic groups to establish itself in Sunset Park leaving an imprint which still persists today both in residents and institutions like the Lutheran Medical Center. Also around 1880, a Polish community took root near Third Avenue and 20th street. The Ansonia Clock factory employed many Polish men and many found work in the nearby Greenwood cemetery at fourth and 25th street.

By 1890, a largely Catholic Polish community was established along Third Avenue in Sunset Park. The second age of the community began with a wave of immigration from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic as well as other Latin American Countries. By 1990, Hispanics comprised 50% of Sunset Park's population, rehabilitating property values and developing a thriving community. Many Chinese immigrants have moved to this neighborhood from Manhattan's crowded Chinatown.

Sunset Park is served widely by road, rail, and ferry service. It has an access to three expressways such as the Gowanus Expressway, the Prospect Expressway, and the Belt Parkway. The community is a very popular in terms of their attractions and recreational activities which the residents enjoy whitewater paddling, fishing, swimming, playing golf, and so much more. The Battle Island State Park is a great place to have a look at that offers golfers magnificent views from a number of its fairways and greens. The park also used in winter for cross-country skiing.

Sunset Park has a typical amount of annual precipitation of all the months in a year. All the marvelous local attractions close at hand and all the outdoors recreation will undeniably that everyone coming back many times. There are also several Greek restaurants, a Chinese supermarket and churches that can be found in the area. Among of the houses of worship is Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the Roman Catholic basilica that stretches from 59th to 60th Street on Fifth Avenue, and the area's tallest building is St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church which have been a famous historical landmark in Sunset Park.