Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Sunset Park is a neighborhood in the western part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bounded by Park Slope and Green-Wood Cemetery to the north, Borough Park to the east, Bay Ridge to the south, and New York Harbor to the west.[1][4][a] The neighborhood is named for a public park of the same name that covers 24.5 acres (9.9 ha) between Fifth and Seventh Avenues from 41st to 44th Street.[5] The area north of 36th Street is alternatively known as Greenwood Heights, while the section north of 20th Street is also called South Slope.
For the park after which the neighborhood is named, see Sunset Park (Brooklyn park).
Sunset Park
126,000
718, 347, 929, and 917
Roughly bounded by the Upper New York Bay, Thirty-sixth St., Ninth Ave. and Sixty-fifth St., Brooklyn, New York
280 acres (110 ha)
Pohlman & Patrick; et al.
September 15, 1988
The area was initially occupied by the Canarsee band of Munsee-speaking Lenape until the first European settlement occurred in 1636. Through the late 19th century, Sunset Park was sparsely developed and was considered part of Bay Ridge or South Brooklyn. The arrival of elevated railways and the subway led to Sunset Park's development, with middle-class row houses and industrial buildings being erected in the 1890s through the 1920s. After the decline of the industrial hubs in the 1940s and 1950s, the name "Sunset Park" was given to the region north of 65th Street as part of an urban renewal initiative. Immigrant groups started moving to the neighborhood in the late 20th century due to its relative affordability. By the 21st century, the neighborhood's population is primarily composed of Hispanics and Chinese immigrants along with swaths of predominantly white young urban professionals and the remaining vestiges of Scandinavian, Irish and Italian communities.
Sunset Park is part of Brooklyn Community District 7. It is patrolled by the 72nd Precinct of the New York City Police Department. Fire services are provided by the New York City Fire Department's Engine Company 201 and Engine Company 228/Ladder Company 114. Politically, Sunset Park is represented by the New York City Council's 38th and 39th Districts.
History[edit]
Early settlement[edit]
Though modern-day Brooklyn is coextensive with Kings County, this was not always the case. South Brooklyn, an area in central Kings County extending to the former Brooklyn city line near Green-Wood Cemetery's southern border, was originally settled by the Canarsee, one of several indigenous Lenape peoples who farmed and hunted on the land. The Canarsee had several routes that crossed Brooklyn, including a path from Fulton Ferry along the East River that extended southward to Gowanus Creek, South Brooklyn (present-day Sunset Park), and Bay Ridge.[6][7] The Canarsee traded with other indigenous peoples, and by the early 17th century, also with Dutch and English settlers.[6]
The first European settlement occurred in 1636 when Willem Adriaenszen Bennett and Jacques Bentyn purchased 936 acres (379 ha) between 28th and 60th Streets, in what is now Sunset Park.[8][9][a] However, after the land was purchased in the 1640s by Dutch settlers who laid out their farms along the waterfront, the Canarsee were soon displaced, and had left Brooklyn by the 18th century.[6] The area comprising modern Sunset Park was divided between two Dutch towns: Brooklyn to the northwest and New Utrecht to the southeast, divided by a boundary that ran diagonally from Seventh Avenue/60th Street to Ninth Avenue/37th Street.[10] The Dutch created long, narrow farms in the area.[11] When New Netherland was conveyed to the English in 1664, the latter improved the waterfront pathway in the town of Brooklyn as part of a Gowanus (Coast) Road, which ran southwest to an east–west trail called Martense's Lane, then southward to the boundary with New Utrecht. These roads would be used during the American Revolutionary War in the Battle of Long Island.[11][12]
During the American Revolution, the area was mostly owned by the descendants of Hans Hansen Bergen, an early immigrant from Norway.[11][13] They owned two homesteads, the DeHart-Bergen House close to 37th Street and the Johannes Bergen House around 55th Street;[11][14] the former was used by the British during the Revolution.[15] In addition, the Bergens owned several slaves, as indicated in the 1800 United States Census, where 19 slaves and 8 free non-whites were recorded living at the two Bergen houses. After New York abolished slavery in 1827, there were 55 African Americans living in the area.[11] Similar to Dutch farms, the farms in modern Sunset Park occupied long, narrow plots.[13]
Fire safety[edit]
The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) operates two fire stations and one EMS station in Sunset Park[205] Engine Company 201/Ladder Company 114/Battalion 40, located at 5113 Fourth Avenue,[206] was built in 2009 by Rothzeid Kaizerman and Bee.[62] Engine Company 228 (formerly Engine Company 28), located at 436 39th Street,[207] is an official city landmark.[175] In addition, EMS Station 40 is located at 5011 Seventh Avenue.[205]
Health[edit]
As of 2018, preterm births and births to teenage mothers are less common in Sunset Park than in other places citywide. In Sunset Park, there were 27 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 7.9 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide).[141]: 11 Sunset Park has a relatively high population of residents who are uninsured, or who receive healthcare through Medicaid.[208] In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 22%, which is higher than the citywide rate of 12%.[141]: 14
The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Sunset Park is 0.0085 milligrams per cubic metre (8.5×10−9 oz/cu ft), higher than the citywide and boroughwide averages.[141]: 9 Twelve percent of Sunset Park residents are smokers, which is slightly lower than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers.[141]: 13 In Sunset Park, 24% of residents are obese, 11% are diabetic, and 27% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively.[141]: 16 In addition, 18% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.[141]: 12
Eighty-seven percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is equal to the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 74% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", less than the city's average of 78%.[141]: 13 For every supermarket in Sunset Park, there are 45 bodegas.[141]: 10
There are several hospitals and medical clinics in the Sunset Park area, the largest of which is NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn. Maimonides Medical Center is located in nearby Borough Park.[208]: 19–20
Political representation[edit]
Politically, Sunset Park is in New York's 7th and 10th congressional districts,[209][210] represented respectively by Democrats Nydia Velázquez and Jerrold Nadler.[211] In the New York State Senate, Sunset Park is in four districts: the 17th district, represented by Simcha Felder; the 20th district, represented by Zellnor Y. Myrie; the 23rd district, represented by Diane J. Savino, and the 25th district, represented by Jabari Brisport.[211][212][213] In the New York State Assembly, Sunset Park is in the 49th and 51st districts, represented respectively by Democrats Peter J. Abbate Jr. and Marcela Mitaynes.[211][214][215] Sunset Park is also in the New York City Council's 38th and 39th districts, represented respectively by Alexa Avilés and Shahana Hanif.
Post offices and ZIP Codes[edit]
Sunset Park is served by two ZIP Codes: most of the neighborhood south of 44th Street is part of 11220 while Industry City and the area north of 44th Street is within 11232.[216] The United States Post Office operates the Sunset Station at 6102 Fifth Avenue,[217] the Bay Ridge Station at 5501 Seventh Avenue,[218] and the Bush Terminal Station at 900 Third Avenue.[219]