CONEY ISLAND

amusement area in the southern part of the borough of Brooklyn in New York, N.Y., U.S., fronting the Atlantic Ocean. Formerly an island, it was known to Dutch settlers as Konijn Eiland (Rabbit Island), which was presumably Anglicized as Coney Island. It became part of Long Island after Coney Island Creek silted up to form a sandbar (about 5 miles long and 0.251 mile [0.41.6 km] wide) between Gravesend Bay (north), Sheepshead Bay (east), and Lower Bay (south). The coming of the subway in 1920 made it a popular playground. Coney Island is one of the best-known amusement parks in the United States, with its 3.5-mile Boardwalk fronted by a sand beach. Numerous concessions have been developed with rides, exhibitions, restaurants, and souvenir shops. The Sea Gate district at its western end is a residential section, and a large housing project occupies the site of Luna Park. In 1957 the New York Aquarium was built on the Boardwalk.