Difference between revisions of "Brooklyn" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
 
(33 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
{{Started}}{{Contracted}}
+
{{Images OK}}{{submitted}}{{approved}}{{Paid}}{{Copyedited}}
−
 
+
{{Infobox Settlement
−
{{Infobox New York City Brooklyn}}
+
<!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage—>
−
{{otheruses1|the borough of New York City}}
+
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
−
'''Brooklyn''' (named after the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of [[New York City]]. An independent city until its consolidation into New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with nearly 2.5 million residents.<ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=06000US3604710022&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US36%7C05000US36047%7C06000US3604710022&_street=&_county=kings+county&_cityTown=kings+county&_state=04000US36&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=060&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= Kings County, New York], [[United States Census Bureau]], December 30, 2006</ref> Brooklyn is coterminous with '''Kings County''', which is the most populous county in New York State, and the second most densely populated county in the United States (after [[Manhattan|New York County]], which is the borough of Manhattan).<ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-CONTEXT=gct&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1_US9&-redoLog=false&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=&-format=US-25|US-25S&-_lang=en "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000"], [[United States Census Bureau]], accessed May 11, 2007.</ref>
+
|name                    = Brooklyn<!-- at least one of the first two fields must be filled in —>
 +
|official_name            = Kings County
 +
|other_name              =
 +
|native_name              =  <!-- if different from the English name —>
 +
|nickname                = BK
 +
|settlement_type          = [[Borough (New York City)|Borough]] of New York City <!-- e.g. Town, Village, City, etc.—>
 +
|total_type              = <!-- to set a non-standard label for total area and population rows —>
 +
|motto                    =
 +
<!-- images and maps  ----------->
 +
|image_skyline            = Brooklyn Bridge Postdlf.jpg
 +
|imagesize                =
 +
|image_caption            = View of [[Brooklyn Bridge]] and [[Downtown Brooklyn]]
 +
|image_flag              =
 +
|flag_size                =
 +
|image_seal              =  
 +
|seal_size                =
 +
|image_shield            =
 +
|shield_size              =
 +
|image_blank_emblem      =
 +
|blank_emblem_type        =  
 +
|blank_emblem_size        =
 +
|image_map                = Brooklyn Highlight New York City Map Julius Schorzman.png
 +
|mapsize                  = 260px
 +
|map_caption              = Location of Brooklyn shown in yellow
 +
<!-- Location ------------------>
 +
|coordinates_region      = US-NY
 +
|subdivision_type        = Country
 +
|subdivision_name        = [[United States]]
 +
|subdivision_type1        = State
 +
|subdivision_name1        = [[New York]]
 +
|subdivision_type2        = County
 +
|subdivision_name2        = Kings
 +
|subdivision_type3        = City
 +
|subdivision_name3        = [[New York City]]
 +
<!-- Politics ----------------->
 +
|government_type          = [[Borough (New York City)]]
 +
|leader_title            = [[Borough President]]
 +
|leader_name              = [[Marty Markowitz]] (D)<br />— ''(Borough of Brookyn)''
 +
|leader_title1            = [[District Attorney]]
 +
|leader_name1            = [[Charles Hynes]]<br />— ''(Kings County)''
 +
|established_title        = Settled
 +
|established_date        = 1634
 +
|named_for                = [[Breukelen]], [[Netherlands]]
 +
|demonym                  = Brooklynite
 +
<!-- Area    --------------------->
 +
|area_total_sq_mi        = 96.90
 +
|area_land_sq_mi          = 70.61
 +
|area_water_sq_mi        = 26.29
 +
<!-- Population  ----------------------->
 +
|population_total        = 2,504,700
 +
|population_density_sq_mi = 36356
 +
|population_blank1_title  = [[Demonym]]
 +
|population_blank1        = Brooklynite
 +
<!-- General information  --------------->
 +
|latd                    = 40
 +
|latm                    = 37
 +
|lats                    = 29
 +
|latNS                    = N
 +
|longd                    = 73
 +
|longm                    = 57
 +
|longs                    = 8
 +
|longEW                  = W
 +
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
 +
|postal_code_type        = Postal Code
 +
|postal_code              = 112 + two digits
 +
|area_code                = [[Area code 347|347]], [[Area code 718|718]], [[Area code 917|917]] [[Area code 929|929]]
 +
|website                  = [http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/index.htm www.Brooklyn-USA.org]
 +
}}
  
 +
'''Brooklyn''' (named after the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of [[New York City]]. An independent city until its consolidation into New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with nearly 2.5 million residents. <ref>[http:///servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=06000US3604710022&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US36%7C05000US36047%7C06000US3604710022&_street=&_county=kings+county&_cityTown=kings+county&_state=04000US36&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=060&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= Kings County, New York], ''factfinder.census.gov''. Retrieved December 4, 2007.</ref> Brooklyn is coterminous with '''Kings County''', which is the most populous county in New York State, and the second most densely populated county in the United States (after [[Manhattan|New York County]], which is the borough of Manhattan). <ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-CONTEXT=gct&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1_US9&-redoLog=false&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=&-format=US-25|US-25S&-_lang=en "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000"]. ''factfinder.census.gov''. Retrieved December 4, 2007.</ref>
 +
{{toc}}
 
Though a part of [[New York City]], Brooklyn maintains a character of its own. Brooklyn is characterized by cultural diversity, an independent art scene, distinct neighborhoods, and a unique architectural heritage.
 
Though a part of [[New York City]], Brooklyn maintains a character of its own. Brooklyn is characterized by cultural diversity, an independent art scene, distinct neighborhoods, and a unique architectural heritage.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
−
{{main|History of Brooklyn}}
+
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle the area on the western edge of Long Island, which was then largely inhabited by the [[Canarsie]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribe. The first Dutch settlement was Midwout (Midwood), established in 1634.<ref>Edward Robb Ellis. ''The Epic of New York City.'' (Carroll & Graf, 2004), 53.</ref>, The Dutch also purchased land in the 1630s from the [[Mohawk nation|Mohawk]]s around present day Gowanus, Red Hook, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Bushwick. The Village of Breuckelen was authorized by the [[Dutch West India Company]] in 1646 and became the first municipality in what is now [[New York State]]. At the time Breuckelen was part of [[New Netherland]].
−
[[Image:Brooklyn Bridge Postdlf.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The Brooklyn Bridge]]
 
−
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle the area on the western edge of Long Island, which was then largely inhabited by the Canarsie [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribe. The first Dutch settlement was Midwout (Midwood), established in 1634.<ref name="ellis-p53">{{cite book |title=The Epic of New York City |author=Ellis, Edward Robb |publisher=Old Town Books |year=1966 |pages=p. 53}}</ref> The Dutch also purchased land in the 1630s from the [[Mohawk nation|Mohawk]]s around present day Gowanus, Red Hook, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Bushwick.<ref name="ellis-p53"/>  The Village of Breuckelen was authorized by the Dutch West India Company in 1646 and became the first municipality in what is now New York State. At the time Breuckelen was part of New Netherland.
 
−
 
 
−
Dorie named the bourough. The Dutch lost Breuckelen in the British conquest of New Netherland in 1664. In 1683, the British reorganized the Province of New York into 12 counties, each of which was sub-divided into towns.  Over time, the name evolved from Breuckelen, to Brockland, Brocklin, Brookline, and eventually Brooklyn.<ref name="ellis-p53"/>  Kings County was one of the original 12 counties, and Brooklyn was one of the original six towns within Kings County. The county was named in honor of King [[Charles II of England]].
 
  
−
In August and September 1776, the [[Battle of Long Island]] (occasionally now called, anachronistically, the "Battle of Brooklyn") was fought in Kings County. It was the first major battle in the [[American Revolutionary War]] following the [[Declaration of Independence]], and the largest battle of the entire conflict.  New York, and Brooklyn along with it, gained independence from the British with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
+
The Dutch lost Breuckelen in the British conquest of New Netherland in 1664. In 1683, the British reorganized the Province of New York into 12 counties, each of which was sub-divided into towns. Over time, the name evolved from Breuckelen, to Brockland, Brocklin, Brookline, and eventually Brooklyn.<ref>Ellis</ref> Kings County was one of the original 12 counties, and Brooklyn was one of the original six towns within Kings County. The county was named in honor of King [[Charles II of England]].
  
−
The first half of the 19th century saw urban areas grow along the economically strategic East River waterfront, across from New York City.  The county had two cities: the City of Brooklyn and the City of Williamsburgh. Brooklyn annexed Williamsburgh in 1854, which lost its final "h."  It took until 1896 for Brooklyn to annex all other parts of Kings County.
+
In August and September 1776, the [[Battle of Long Island]] (occasionally now called, anachronistically, the "Battle of Brooklyn") was fought in Kings County. It was the first major battle in the [[American Revolutionary War]] following the [[Declaration of Independence]], and the largest battle of the entire conflict. New York, and Brooklyn along with it, gained independence from the British with the [[Treaty of Paris]] in 1783.
  
−
[[Image:DSCN3630 brooklynskyline e.JPG|250px|right|thumb|Brooklyn's skyline as seen from the [[East River]]]]
+
The first half of the nineteenth century saw urban areas grow along the economically strategic East River waterfront, across from [[New York City]]. The county had two cities: the City of Brooklyn and the City of Williamsburgh. Brooklyn annexed Williamsburgh in 1854. It took until 1896 for Brooklyn to annex all other parts of Kings County.
−
The building of rail links such as the Brighton Beach Line in 1878 heralded explosive growth, and in the space of a decade the City of Brooklyn annexed the Town of New Lots in 1886, the Town of Flatbush, the Town of Gravesend, and the Town of New Utrecht in 1894, and the Town of Flatlands in 1896.  
 
  
−
Brooklyn had reached its natural municipal boundaries at the ends of Kings County. The question was now whether it was prepared to engage in the still-grander process of consolidation now developing throughout the region.
+
[[Image:DSCN3630 brooklynskyline e.JPG|450px|right|thumb|Brooklyn's skyline as seen from the [[East River]]]]
 +
The building of rail links such as the Brighton Beach Line in 1878 heralded explosive growth, and in the space of a decade the City of Brooklyn annexed the Town of New Lots in 1886, the Town of Flatbush, the Town of Gravesend, and the Town of New Utrecht in 1894, and the Town of Flatlands in 1896. Brooklyn had now reached its natural municipal boundaries at the ends of Kings County. The question was now whether it was prepared to engage in the still-grander process of consolidation now developing throughout the region.
  
−
In 1898, Brooklyn residents voted by a slight majority to join with [[Manhattan]], The Bronx, Queens, and Richmond (later Staten Island) as the five boroughs to form modern New York City. Kings County retained its status as one of New York State's counties.
+
In 1898, Brooklyn residents voted by a slight majority to join with [[Manhattan]], [[The Bronx]], [[Queens]], and Richmond (later [[Staten Island]]) as the five boroughs to form modern [[New York City]]. Kings County retained its status as one of New York State's counties.
  
 
==Geography==
 
==Geography==
−
[[Image:NASA photo of Brooklyn.jpg|thumb|175px|Satellite image showing Brooklyn, center. Manhattan is visible upper left. Staten Island is seen lower left, linked by the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.]]
+
[[Image:NASA photo of Brooklyn.jpg|thumb|175px|Satellite image showing Brooklyn, center. Manhattan is visible upper left. Staten Island is seen lower left, linked by the Verrazano Narrows Bridge]]
  
−
Brooklyn is located on the westernmost point of Long Island and shares its only land boundary with Queens to the northeast. The westernmost section of this boundary is defined by Newtown Creek, which flows into the East River.
+
Brooklyn is located on the westernmost point of [[Long Island]] and shares its only land boundary with [[Queens]] to the northeast. The westernmost section of this boundary is defined by Newtown Creek, which flows into the [[East River]].
  
−
Brooklyn's waterfront faces different bodies of water. Northern Brooklyn's coast is defined by the East River, while middle Brooklyn adjoins [per New York Bay. This area of the waterfront features the Red Hook peninsula and the Erie Basin. Buttermilk Channel separates this part of the waterfront from Governors Island. Southwest is Gowanus Bay, connected to the Gowanus Canal. At its south westernmost section, Brooklyn is separated from Staten Island by the Narrows, where Upper and Lower New York Bay meet.
+
Brooklyn's waterfront faces different bodies of water. Northern Brooklyn's coast is defined by the East River, while middle Brooklyn adjoins New York Bay. This area of the waterfront features the Red Hook peninsula and the Erie Basin. Buttermilk Channel separates this part of the waterfront from Governors Island. Southwest is Gowanus Bay, connected to the Gowanus Canal. At its south westernmost section, Brooklyn is separated from Staten Island by the Narrows, where Upper and Lower New York Bay meet.
  
−
Brooklyn's southern coast includes the peninsula on which stretch Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach. The southeastern coast lies on island-dotted Jamaica Bay.
+
Brooklyn's southern coast includes the peninsula on which stretch [[Coney Island]], Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach. The southeastern coast lies on island-dotted Jamaica Bay.
  
 
The highest point in Brooklyn is the area around Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery, rising approximately <span style="white-space:nowrap">200&nbsp;feet&nbsp;(60&nbsp;m)</span> above sea level. There is also a minor elevation in Downtown Brooklyn known as Brooklyn Heights.
 
The highest point in Brooklyn is the area around Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery, rising approximately <span style="white-space:nowrap">200&nbsp;feet&nbsp;(60&nbsp;m)</span> above sea level. There is also a minor elevation in Downtown Brooklyn known as Brooklyn Heights.
−
 
−
{{seealso|Geography and environment of New York City}}
 
  
 
===Neighborhoods===
 
===Neighborhoods===
−
[[Image:ParkSlope-street.JPG|thumb|right|250px|A typical Park Slope block.]]
 
−
 
 
Brooklyn has many well-defined neighborhoods, many of which developed from distinct towns and villages that date back to its founding in the Dutch colonial era in the early 1600s.  
 
Brooklyn has many well-defined neighborhoods, many of which developed from distinct towns and villages that date back to its founding in the Dutch colonial era in the early 1600s.  
  
−
Today, Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest central business district in New York City, after Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan<ref>[http://www.thebrooklynrail.org/local/winter03/billionsforbrooklyn.html Billions for Brooklyn—No Questions Asked:
+
Today, Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest central business district in New York City, after Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan<ref>Vine, David. [http://www.thebrooklynrail.org/local/winter03/html Billions for Brooklyn—No Questions Asked:The Borough’s New Power Brokers, Winter 2003]. ''www.thebrooklynrail.org'' Retrieved December 4,2007.</ref> It has many commercial towers and a rapidly increasing number of residential buildings.
−
The Borough’s New Power Brokers
 
−
by David Vine
 
−
Winter 2003], accessed October 10, 2007</ref>. It has many commercial towers and a rapidly increasing number of residential buildings.
 
  
 
The northwestern neighborhoods between the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] and Prospect Park, including Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Clinton Hill, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO (an acronym for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass"), Fort Greene, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Red Hook, are characterized by many nineteenth century brick townhouses and brownstones. These neighborhoods include some of the most gentrified and affluent neighborhoods in Brooklyn, along with ample subway lines, cultural institutions, and high-end restaurants.
 
The northwestern neighborhoods between the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] and Prospect Park, including Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Clinton Hill, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO (an acronym for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass"), Fort Greene, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Red Hook, are characterized by many nineteenth century brick townhouses and brownstones. These neighborhoods include some of the most gentrified and affluent neighborhoods in Brooklyn, along with ample subway lines, cultural institutions, and high-end restaurants.
  
−
Further North along the East River lie Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Traditionally working class communities with a vibrant cultural mix, many artists and hipsters have moved into the area since the late 1990s. Further changing the area, the city completed an extensive rezoning of the Brooklyn waterfront in 2005 which will allow for many new residential condominiums. As prices have risen, redevelopment has moved eastward away from the waterfront into Bushwick along the L subway line.
+
Further North along the East River lie Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Traditionally working class communities with a vibrant cultural mix, many artists and hipsters have moved into the area since the late 1990s. Further changing the area, the city completed an extensive rezoning of the Brooklyn waterfront in 2005 which will allow for many new residential condominiums. As prices have risen, redevelopment has moved eastward away from the waterfront into Bushwick along the "L" subway line.
−
 
 
−
[[Image:Saitta House Dyker Heights.JPG|thumb|left|The Saitta House of Dyker Heights.]]Central and southern Brooklyn contains many more architecturally and culturally distinct neighborhoods, some of which grew rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th century as upwardly-mobile immigrants moved out of tenement buildings in Manhattan neighborhoods like the Lower East Side. Borough Park is largely Orthodox Jewish; Bedford-Stuyvesant is the largest black neighborhood in the country; Bensonhurst is historically Italian. Dyker Heights is an affluent Italian neighborhood. East Flatbush and Fort Greene is home to a large number of middle-class black professionals. Brighton Beach is home to many Russians. Since 1990, Brooklyn has seen a rise in new immigration to neighborhoods like Sunset Park, home to flourishing Mexican and Chinese American communities.
 
−
 
 
−
{{seealso|List of Brooklyn, New York neighborhoods}}
 
  
−
===Adjacent counties===
+
[[Image:Saitta House Dyker Heights.JPG|thumb|left|200px|The Saitta House of Dyker Heights]]
−
*[[Staten Island|Richmond County]] - west
+
Central and southern Brooklyn contain many more architecturally and culturally distinct neighborhoods, some of which grew rapidly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century as upwardly-mobile immigrants moved out of tenement buildings in Manhattan neighborhoods like the Lower East Side. Borough Park is largely Orthodox Jewish; [[Bedford-Stuyvesant]] is the largest [[African American|black]] neighborhood in the country; Bensonhurst is historically Italian. Dyker Heights is an affluent Italian neighborhood. East Flatbush and Fort Greene is home to a large number of middle-class black professionals. Brighton Beach is home to many Russians. Since 1990, Brooklyn has seen a rise in new immigration to neighborhoods like Sunset Park, home to flourishing Mexican and Chinese American communities.
−
*[[Manhattan|New York County]] - north
 
−
*[[Queens|Queens County]] - east
 
  
 
==Government==
 
==Government==
−
{{main|Government of New York City}}
+
Since consolidation with [[New York City]] in 1898, Brooklyn has been governed by the New York City Charter that provides for a "strong" mayor-council system. The centralized New York City government is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services in Brooklyn.
−
[[Image:Courthouse brooklynboroughhall.jpg|thumb|250px|Brooklyn Borough Hall.]]
 
−
Since consolidation with New York City in 1898, Brooklyn has been governed by the New York City Charter that provides for a "strong" mayor-council system. The centralized New York City government is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services in Brooklyn.
 
−
 
 
−
The office of Borough President was created in the consolidation of 1898 to balance centralization with local authority. Each borough president had a powerful administrative role derived from having a vote on the New York City Board of Estimate, which was responsible for creating and approving the city's budget and proposals for land use. In 1989, the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] declared the Board of Estimate unconstitutional on the grounds that Brooklyn, the most populous borough, had no greater effective representation on the Board than Staten Island, the least populous borough, a violation of the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment's]] [[Equal Protection Clause]] pursuant to the high court's 1964 "one man, one vote" decision.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0489_0688_ZS.html Cornell Law School Supreme Court Collection: Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris], accessed June 12, 2006</ref>
 
  
−
Since 1990 the Borough President has acted as an advocate for the borough at the mayoral agencies, the City Council, the New York state government, and corporations. Brooklyn's Borough President is Marty Markowitz, elected as a Democrat in 2001 and re-elected in 2005.
+
The office of Borough President was created in the consolidation of 1898 to balance centralization with local authority. Each borough president had a powerful administrative role derived from having a vote on the New York City Board of Estimate, which was responsible for creating and approving the city's budget and proposals for land use. In 1989, the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] declared the Board of Estimate unconstitutional on the grounds that Brooklyn, the most populous borough, had no greater effective representation on the Board than Staten Island, the least populous borough, a violation of the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment's]] [[Equal Protection Clause]] pursuant to the high court's 1964 "one man, one vote" decision.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0489_0688_ZS.html Cornell Law School Supreme Court Collection: Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris]. ''www.law.cornell.edu''. Retrieved December 4, 2007.</ref>
  
 
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
 
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
Line 129: Line 177:
 
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''54.7%''' ''557,655''
 
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''54.7%''' ''557,655''
 
|-
 
|-
−
|}The Democratic Party holds the majority of public offices. 69.7% of registered voters in Brooklyn are Democrats. Party platforms center on affordable housing, education and economic development. The most controversial political issue is over the proposed Brooklyn Nets Arena, a large development project. Pockets of Republican influence exist in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights.
+
|}
 +
Since 1990 the Borough President has acted as an advocate for the borough at the mayoral agencies, the City Council, the New York state government, and corporations. Currently, Brooklyn's Borough President is Marty Markowitz, elected as a Democrat in 2001 and re-elected in 2005.
 +
 
 +
The [[Democratic Party]] holds the majority of public offices. Of registered voters in Brooklyn, 69.7 percent are Democrats. Party platforms center on affordable housing, education and economic development. The most controversial political issue is over the proposed Brooklyn Nets Arena, a large development project. Pockets of Republican influence exist in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights.
  
 
Each of the city's five counties (coterminous with each borough) has its own criminal court system and District Attorney, the chief public prosecutor who is directly elected by popular vote. Charles J. Hynes, a Democrat, has been the District Attorney of Kings County since 1989. Brooklyn has 16 City Council members, the largest number of any of the five boroughs. It also has 18 administrative districts, each served by a local Community Board. Community Boards are representative bodies that field complaints and serve as advocates for local residents.
 
Each of the city's five counties (coterminous with each borough) has its own criminal court system and District Attorney, the chief public prosecutor who is directly elected by popular vote. Charles J. Hynes, a Democrat, has been the District Attorney of Kings County since 1989. Brooklyn has 16 City Council members, the largest number of any of the five boroughs. It also has 18 administrative districts, each served by a local Community Board. Community Boards are representative bodies that field complaints and serve as advocates for local residents.
  
−
Brooklyn has not voted for a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] in a national presidential election in the last 50 years. In the 2004 presidential election Democrat John Kerry received 74.9% of the vote in Brooklyn and Republican [[George W. Bush]] received 24.3%.
+
Brooklyn has not voted for a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] in a national presidential election in the last 50 years. In the 2004 presidential election Democrat John Kerry received 74.9 percent of the vote in Brooklyn and Republican [[George W. Bush]] received 24.3 percent.
−
 
 
−
Brooklyn is split between five congressional districts, three of which are based in the borough.  10th Congressional district, which covers Fort Greene, Bedford Stuyvesant, Brownsville, East New York, and Canarsie is represented by Democrat Ed Towns.  Yvette Clarke represents the 11th Congressional District encompassing Park Slope, Crown Heights, Flatbush, East Flatbush, and Prospect Heights.  It was created by the 1965 Voting Rights Act with the intention of increasing African-American representation in the [[United States Congress]]. In 1968, the district elected Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to hold a seat in the Congress and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. The district's population of 654,361 is 57% black, 24% white, and 12% Latino.<ref>"'Black seat' threatened by Yassky’s congressional run, big money support." 1 June 2006.[http://www.amsterdamnews.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=69975&sID=4]</ref>. 
 
−
 
 
−
In the 12th district, Nydia Velazquez represents Bushwick, Red Hook, and Sunset Park, as well as Manhattan's Lower East Side and parts of western Queens.
 
  
−
The 9th district, represented by Democrat Anthony Weiner, includes Bergen Beach, Brighton Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Kensington, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, Midwood, Mill Basin, and Sheepshead Bay in southeast Brooklyn, as well as portions of Queens.<ref>[http://www.house.gov/weiner/neighborhoods/neighborhoods.htm Anthony Weiner neighborhoods], accessed April 15, 2007.</ref>
+
Brooklyn's official motto is ''Een Draght Mackt Maght.'' Written in the (old) Dutch language, it is inspired by the motto of the United Dutch Provinces and translated as ''In Unity There is Strength.'' The motto is displayed on the borough seal and [[flag]], which also feature a young robed woman bearing ''fasces,'' a traditional emblem of republicanism. Brooklyn's official colors are blue and gold.<ref>Borough of Brooklyn. [http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/Press/2002/apr16.htm blue and gold]. ''www.brooklyn-usa.org''. Retrieved December 4, 2007.</ref>
−
 
 
−
The midtown Manhattan-based 8th District, represented by Democrat Jerry Nadler, includes Coney Island, Boro Park and parts of Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge.  The Staten Island-based 13th district, represented by Republican Vito Fossella, includes some of the more conservative areas of the borough, including most of Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst and all of Gravesend and Dyker Heights.
 
−
 
 
−
Brooklyn's official motto is ''Een Draght Mackt Maght''. Written in the (old) Dutch language, it is inspired by the motto of the United Dutch Provinces and translated as ''In Unity There is Strength''. The motto is displayed on the borough seal and [[flag]], which also feature a young robed woman bearing ''fasces'', a traditional emblem of republicanism.<ref>[http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/us-ny-bk.html The webpage cannot be found], accessed October 10, 2007</ref> Brooklyn's official colors are blue and gold.<ref>Borough of Brooklyn.[http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/Press/2002/apr16.htm blue and gold].</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
{| class="wikitable" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"
 
−
|+ '''Party affiliation of Brooklyn registered voters'''
 
−
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
 
−
!Party
 
−
!2005
 
−
!2004
 
−
!2003
 
−
!2002
 
−
!2001
 
−
!2000
 
−
!1999
 
−
!1998
 
−
!1997
 
−
!1996
 
−
|-
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|[[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]]
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|69.7
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|69.2
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|70.0
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|70.1
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|70.6
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|70.3
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|70.7
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|70.8
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|70.8
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|71.0
 
−
|-
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|[[United States Republican Party|Republican]]
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|10.1
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|10.1
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|10.1
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|10.1
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|10.2
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|10.5
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|10.9
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|11.1
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|11.3
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|11.5
 
−
|-
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|No affiliation
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|16.5
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|16.9
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|16.1
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|16.2
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|16.3
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|16.5
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|15.9
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|15.5
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|15.4
 
−
|align="center" bgcolor="white"|15.2
 
−
|-
 
−
|align="center"|Other
 
−
|align="center"|3.7
 
−
|align="center"|3.9
 
−
|align="center"|3.8
 
−
|align="center"|3.6
 
−
|align="center"|2.9
 
−
|align="center"|2.8
 
−
|align="center"|2.5
 
−
|align="center"|2.8
 
−
|align="center"|2.3
 
−
|align="center"|2.3
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
−
<br style="clear: both;" />
 
  
 
==Economy==
 
==Economy==
−
[[Image:AdamsStreetModern.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Downtown Brooklyn]] is the third largest business district in New York City.]]
+
Brooklyn's job market is driven by three main factors: the performance of the national and city economy, population flows, and the borough's position as a convenient "back office" for New York's businesses.
−
 
 
−
Brooklyn's job market is driven by three main factors: the performance of the national/city economy, population flows, and the borough's position as a convenient back office for New York's businesses.<ref name="report">New York State Department of Labor Brooklyn Report, April 2006. [http://www.bedc.org/statistics/Dept_Labor_Brookyn_Report_april_2006.html]</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
Forty-four percent of Brooklyn's employed population, or 410,000 people, work in the borough; more than half of the borough's residents work outside its boundaries. As a result, economic conditions in Manhattan are important to the borough's jobseekers. Strong international immigration to Brooklyn generates jobs in services, retailing and construction.<ref name="report"/>
 
−
 
 
−
In recent years Brooklyn has benefited from a steady influx of financial back office operations from Manhattan, the rapid growth of a high-tech/entertainment economy in DUMBO, and strong growth in support services such as accounting, personal supply agencies and computer services firms.<ref name="report"/>
 
−
 
 
−
Jobs in the borough have traditionally been concentrated in manufacturing, but since 1975, Brooklyn has shifted from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy. In 2004, 215,000 Brooklyn residents worked in the services sector, while 27,500 worked in manufacturing. Although manufacturing has declined, a substantial base has remained in apparel and niche manufacturing concerns such as furniture, fabricated metals, and food products.<ref>New York City Economic Development Corporation, Brooklyn Borough Update March 2004.[http://www.bedc.org/statistics/mfrg_employment_data.htm]</ref> The pharmaceutical company [[Pfizer]] has a manufacturing plant in Brooklyn that employs 990 workers. First established as a shipbuilding facility in 1801, the [[Brooklyn Navy Yard]] employed 70,000 people at is peak during World War II and was then the largest employer in the borough. The ''[[USS Missouri (BB-63)|Missouri]]'', the ship on which the Japanese formally surrendered, was built there, as was the iron-sided Civil War vessel the ''[[USS Monitor|Monitor]]'', and the ''[[USS Maine (ACR-1)|Maine]]'', whose sinking off Havana led to the start of the Spanish-American War. The Navy Yard is now a hub for industrial design firms, food processing businesses, and artisans, along with a growing film and television production industry. About 230 private-sector firms providing 4,000 jobs are at the Yard.
 
−
 
 
−
Construction and services are the fastest growing sectors.<ref>New York State Dept of Labor [http://www.bedc.org/statistics/employbyind.htm]</ref> Most employers in Brooklyn are small businesses. In 2000, 91% of the approximately 38,704 business establishments in Brooklyn had fewer than 20 employees.<ref>U.S. Census Bureau, 2001 County Business Patterns. [http://www.bedc.org/statistics/firmsbyemployees.htm]</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
The unemployment rate in Brooklyn in March 2006 was 5.9%.
 
−
 
 
−
{{seealso|Economy of New York City}}
 
−
 
 
−
==Culture==
 
−
[[Image:P9210006.JPG|thumb|250px|The [[Brooklyn Museum]] is one of New York's premier art museums.]]
 
−
Brooklyn has played a major role in American letters. [[Walt Whitman]] wrote of the Brooklyn waterfront in his classic poem ''Crossing Brooklyn Ferry''. Betty Smith's 1943 book ''[[A Tree Grows In Brooklyn]],'' and the [[A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (film)|1945 film]] based on it, are among the best-known early works about life in Brooklyn. William Styron's novel ''[[Sophie's Choice]]'' is set in Flatbush, just off Prospect Park, during the summer of 1947. Arthur Miller's 1955 play ''[[A View From the Bridge]]'' is set in Brooklyn. Paule Marshall's 1959 novel, Brown Girl, Brownstones, about Barbadian immigrants during the Depression and World War II is also set in Brooklyn. More recently, Brooklyn-born author [[Jonathan Lethem]] has written several books about growing up in the borough, including ''[[Motherless Brooklyn]]'' and ''[[The Fortress of Solitude (novel)|The Fortress of Solitude]].'' The neighborhood of [[Park Slope, Brooklyn|Park Slope]] is home to many contemporary writers, including [[Jonathan Safran Foer]], [[Jhumpa Lahiri]], [[Jonathan Franzen]], [[Rick Moody]], [[Jennifer Egan]], [[Kathryn Harrison]], [[Paul Auster]], [[Franco Ambriz]], [[Nicole Krauss]], [[Colson Whitehead]], [[Darin Strauss]], [[Siri Hustvedt]] and [[Suketu Mehta]], among others. So many writers live in the area that Brooklyn-based band [[One Ring Zero]] released an album with lyrics written mainly by Brooklyn-based writers. The Discovery Kids show [[Time Warp Trio]] is also set in Brooklyn.
 
−
 
 
−
The borough has had a part in theater and film as well. [[Lynn Nottage]]'s play ''Crumbs from the Table of Joy'' is set in post-World War II Brooklyn and deals with the hopes and frustrations of an African American family recently arrived from Florida. The John Travolta movie ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'' was set in Bay Ridge, an Italian neighborhood in south Brooklyn.  Neil Simon's 1983 play "Brighton Beach Memoirs" is set in 1937 Brooklyn.  In the late 1980s Brooklyn achieved a new cultural prominence with the films of [[Spike Lee]], whose ''[[She's Gotta Have It]]'' and ''[[Do The Right Thing]]'' were shot in Brooklyn neighborhoods. The 2005 film ''[[The Squid and the Whale]]'', by [[Noah Baumbach]], the son of novelist Jonathon Baumbach and ''Village Voice'' film critic Georgia Brown, examined the family life of the Park Slope intelligentsia.
 
  
 +
Forty-four percent of Brooklyn's employed population, or 410,000 people, work in the borough; more than half of the borough's residents work outside its boundaries. As a result, economic conditions in Manhattan are important to the borough's job seekers. Strong international immigration to Brooklyn generates jobs in services, retailing and construction. In recent years Brooklyn has benefited from a steady influx of financial back office operations from Manhattan, the rapid growth of a high-tech/entertainment economy in DUMBO, and strong growth in support services such as accounting, personal supply agencies and computer services firms.
  
−
The [[Brooklyn Museum]], opened in 1897, is among the world's premier art institutions with a permanent collection that includes more than 1.5 million objects, from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art. The [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]] (BAM), a complex including the 2,109-seat Howard Gilman Opera House, the 874-seat Harvey Lichtenstein Theater, and the art house BAM Rose Cinemas are notable venues. BAM is recognized internationally as a progressive cultural center well known for The Next Wave Festival, which began in 1983. Artists who have presented their works there include [[Philip Glass]], [[Peter Brook]], [[Laurie Anderson]], [[Lee Breuer]], [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]], [[Steve Reich]], [[Robert Wilson (director)|Robert Wilson]], [[Ingmar Bergman]], [[The Whirling Dervishes]] and the [[Kirov Opera]] directed and conducted by [[Valery Gergiev]] among others. Founded in 1863, the [[Brooklyn Historical Society]] (BHS) is a museum, library, and educational center dedicated to preserving and encouraging the study of Brooklyn's rich 400-year past, while reflecting upon the future of the culturally rich borough.  BHS houses a treasure trove of materials relating to the founding of the U.S. and the history of Brooklyn and its people. The BRIC Rotunda Gallery, founded in 1981, is the oldest not-for-profit gallery dedicated to presenting contemporary art work by artists who are from, live, or work in the borough. The Gallery, located in Brooklyn Heights, presents contemporary art of all media, public events and an innovative arts education program. The Gallery's aim is to increase the visibility and accessibility of contemporary art while bridging the gap between the art world and global culture in Brooklyn and the world beyond. BRIC Rotunda Gallery is the visual arts program of BRIC Arts|Media|Bklyn, a multi-disciplinary arts and media non-profit, dedicated to presenting visual, performing and media arts programs that are reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities and to supporting the creative process.  
+
Jobs in the borough have traditionally been concentrated in manufacturing, but since 1975, Brooklyn has shifted from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy. In 2004, 215,000 Brooklyn residents worked in the services sector, while 27,500 worked in manufacturing. Although manufacturing has declined, a substantial base has remained in apparel and niche manufacturing concerns such as furniture, fabricated metals, and food products. The pharmaceutical company [[Pfizer]] has a manufacturing plant in Brooklyn that employs 990 workers.
 
   
 
   
−
Brooklyn is home to one of the most vibrant Jewish communities outside of Israel. Some estimates have the Jewish population in Brooklyn at as high as three-quarters of a million, with many living in Borough Park, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, and other sections of Brooklyn. Much of the Jewish community, most notably the Hasidic and Hareidi Jews, are fluent in Yiddish and often use it as their first language. Moreover, many Orthodox Jews have very large families, so the Jewish community is experiencing tremendous growth.  
+
Construction and services are the fastest growing sectors. Most employers in Brooklyn are small businesses. In 2000, 91 percent of the approximately 38,704 business establishments in Brooklyn had fewer than 20 employees.<ref>U.S. Census Bureau, 2001 County Business Patterns. [http://www.bedc.org/statistics/firmsbyemployees.htm]. ''www.bedc.org''. Retrieved December 4, 2007.</ref>
  
−
Variously called the "City of Trees," "City of Homes," or the "City of Churches" in the 19th century, Brooklyn is now often styled the "Borough of Homes and Churches."
+
The unemployment rate in Brooklyn in March 2006 was 5.9 percent.
  
−
As a promotional gesture by the current borough administration, distinctive traffic signs are posted along major traffic arteries at Brooklyn’s border crossings. They incorporate colorful expressions associated with Brooklyn, including: "Fugheddaboudit," "[[Oy vey]]!," and "How Sweet It Is."  One sign identifies the borough as: "Home to Everyone From Everywhere!"
+
==Education==
 +
[[Image:BC Snow.JPG|thumb|300px|Brooklyn College in winter]]
 +
Education in Brooklyn is provided by a vast number of public and private institutions. Public schools in the borough are managed by the New York City Department of Education, the largest public school system in the United States. Private schools range from the elite [[Berkeley Carroll School]] to religious schools run by [[Roman Catholic]] Diocese of Brooklyn and Jewish organizations. The [[Satmar]] Jewish community of Brooklyn operates its own network of schools, which is the fourth largest school system in New York state.<ref>Andy Newman.[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/25/nyregion/25teitelbaum.html?ex=1303617600&en=9eb1e0ed13a8518b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum Is Dead at 91]. ''www.nytimes.com''. Retrieved December 4, 2007.</ref>
  
−
Brooklyn and Red Hook feature in Arthur Miller's play "A View From The Bridge" which is a tragedy set in 1940-50s New York about an Italian American Family.
+
[[Brooklyn College]] is a senior college of the [[City University of New York]], and was the first public co-ed liberal arts college in New York City. The College ranked in the top 10 nationally for the second consecutive year in ''Princeton Review'' 2006 guidebook, ''America’s Best Value Colleges.'' Many of its students are first and second generation immigrants. The Brooklyn College campus serves as home to the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts complex and its four theaters, including the George Gershwin.
  
−
{{seealso|Culture of New York City}}
+
[[Brooklyn Law School]] was founded in 1901 and is notable for its diverse student body. Women and African Americans were enrolled in 1909. According to the ''Leiter Report,'' a compendium of law school rankings published by Brian Leiter, Brooklyn Law School places 31st nationally for quality of students.<ref>[http://www.leiterrankings.com Leiter's Law School Rankings] ''leiterrankings.com''. Retrieved December 4, 2007. </ref> [[Kingsborough Community College]] is a junior college in the City University of New York system, located in Manhattan Beach.
  
−
===Media===
+
[[SUNY Downstate Medical Center]], originally founded as the Long Island College Hospital in 1860, is the oldest hospital-based medical school in the United States. The Medical Center comprises the College of Medicine, College of Health Related Professions, College of Nursing, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and the School of Graduate Studies, where [[Nobel Prize]]-winner Dr. [[Robert F. Furchgott]] is a member of the faculty. The College of Medicine has the highest percentage of minority students of any medical school in New York State.
−
Brooklyn has three local newspapers, the ''[[Brooklyn Eagle|Brooklyn Daily Eagle]]'', the ''Brooklyn Paper'' and [[Courier-Life Publications]].
 
−
Courier-Life Publications is Brooklyn's largest chain of newspapers, with a weekly readership exceeding more than one million. Courier-Life publishes newspapers reaching every sector of the borough, in addition to its myriad supplements.
 
−
''[[Bay Currents]]'' is a bi-weekly newspaper published in south Brooklyn. ''The Brooklyn Rail'' is a glossy monthly magazine emphasizing arts and literary criticism and winner of the Utne Independent Press Award in 2002 and 2003 for Best Local/Regional Coverage. Brooklyn is also served by the major New York dailies, including ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[New York Daily News|The New York Daily News]]'', and ''[[New York Post|The New York Post]]''. HelloBrooklyn.com is Brooklyn's largest portal with more than 10,000 links<ref>[http://www.hellobrooklyn.com Brooklyn Events at a Glance], accessed October 10, 2007</ref>.
 
  
−
Brooklyn has a thriving ethnic press. Major ethnic publications include the Brooklyn-Queens Catholic paper ''The Tablet'', "[[Hamodia]]" an orthodox Jewish daily, as well as several Haitian newspapers including ''The Haitian Times'', ''Haiti Observateur'', and ''Haiti Progress''. Many nationally-distributed ethnic newspapers are based out of offices in Brooklyn. Over 60 ethnic groups, writing in 42 languages, publish some 300 non-English language magazines and newspapers in New York City.
+
[[Long Island University]] is a private university in Downtown Brooklyn with 6,417 undergraduate students. In Clinton Hill, the [[Pratt Institute]] is one of the leading art schools in the United States and offers programs in art, architecture, fashion design, design, creative writing, library science, and other area disciplines.
  
−
The City of New York also has an official television station, run by the [[NYC Media Group]], which features programming based in Brooklyn. There is also Brooklyn Cable Access Television, the borough's [[public access television|public access channel]].
+
As an independent system, separate from the New York City and Queens libraries, the [[Brooklyn Public Library]] offers thousands of public programs, millions of books, and use of more than 850 free Internet-accessible computers. It also has books and periodicals in all the major languages spoken in Brooklyn, including [[Chinese]], [[Russian]], [[Spanish]], [[Hebrew]], and [[Haitian Kreyol]], as well as [[French]], [[Yiddish]], [[Hindi]], [[Bengali]], [[Polish]], [[Italian]], and [[Arabic]]. The Central Library is a landmarked building facing Grand Army Plaza and is undergoing extensive renovations and an underground expansion. There are 58 library branches, placing one within a half mile of each Brooklyn resident. There's a significant business library in Brooklyn Heights. The Library is preparing to construct the new Visual and Performing Arts Library, which will focus on the link between new and emerging arts and technology and house traditional and digital collections. It will provide access and training to arts applications and technologies not widely available to the public. The collections will include the subjects of art, theater, dance, music, film, photography and architecture. A special archive will house the records and history of Brooklyn's arts communities.
  
−
{{seealso|Media of New York City}}
+
==Culture==
 +
Brooklyn has a culture rich in history and tradition. It is a borough that has influenced many works of art, such as television, movies, music, paintings, literary works, and sports. The [[Brooklyn Museum]], opened in 1897, is among the world's premier art institutions with a permanent collection that includes more than 1.5 million objects, from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art. The [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]] (BAM), is a complex including the 2,109-seat Howard Gilman Opera House, the 874-seat Harvey Lichtenstein Theater, and the art house BAM Rose Cinemas. Founded in 1863, the [[Brooklyn Historical Society]] (BHS) is a museum, library, and educational center dedicated to preserving and encouraging the study of Brooklyn's 400-year past, while reflecting upon the future of the culturally rich borough. BHS houses a treasure trove of materials relating to the founding of the U.S. and the history of Brooklyn and its people.
  
−
===Tourism===
+
Brooklyn has played a major role in American letters. [[Walt Whitman]] wrote of the Brooklyn waterfront in his classic poem ''Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.'' [[Betty Smith]]'s 1943 book ''A Tree Grows In Brooklyn,'' and the 1945 film based on it, are among the best-known early works about life in Brooklyn. [[William Styron]]'s novel ''Sophie's Choice'' is set in Flatbush, just off Prospect Park, during the summer of 1947. [[Arthur Miller]]'s 1955 play ''A View From the Bridge'' is set in Brooklyn. Movies and television have also used Brooklyn as their setting and their inspiration, as in the case of two famous movies from the 1970s. ''Dog Day Afternoon'' was based on a real-life botched bank robbery in 1972 which turned into a 12-hour circus and ended with the arrest of the main characters. ''Saturday Night Fever'' used Bay Ridge in Brooklyn as its setting, where the lifestyle of young Brooklynites in the late 1970s was characterized at the height of the disco explosion, which immortalized that great era. Television shows, such as ''The Honeymooners'' in the 1950s and ''Welcome Back Kotter'' in the 1970s are set in a Brooklyn apartment building in the Bushwick section and a high school named James Buchanan High in Bensonhurst, respectively. Many famous actors are originally from the borough, including both [[Al Pacino]] and [[Robert DeNiro]].
−
[[Image:Cranford-Rose-Garden.jpg|thumb|230px|The rose garden at the [[Brooklyn Botanic Garden]].]]
 
−
Southern Brooklyn was once the premier resort destination for New York City. [[Coney Island]] developed as a playground for the rich in the early 1900s, when wealthy New Yorkers would bet on horses at the [[Gravesend Race Track|Gravesend]] or [[Sheepshead Bay Race Track]] and dined at high-class restaurants and seaside hotels. No trip to Sheepshead Bay would be complete without a stop at the docks and then dinner at [[Lundy's Restaurant]].  The introduction of the subway made Coney Island a vacation destination for the masses, and it evolved into one of America's first amusement grounds. The Cyclone rollercoaster, built in 1927, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1920 Wonder Wheel and other rides are still operational at [[Astroland]]. Coney Island went into decline in the 1950s, but is undergoing a renaissance. The annual [[Coney Island Mermaid Parade]] is a hipster costume-and-float parade which honored [[David Byrne (musician)|David Byrne]], pre-punk music guru, as the head merman in 1998. Coney Island also hosts the annual [[Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest]].
 
  
−
[[Green-Wood Cemetery]], founded by the social reformer Henry Evelyn Pierrepoint in 1838, is both one of the most significant cemeteries in the United States and an expansive green space encompassing <span style="white-space:nowrap">478&nbsp;acres&nbsp;(1.9&nbsp;km²)</span> of rolling hills and dales, several ponds, and a baroque chapel. Still in use, the cemetery is the burial ground of some of the most famous New Yorkers, including [[Albert Anastasia]] (1903-1957), mobster, "Lord High Executioner" for "Murder Inc."; [[Jean-Michel Basquiat]] (1960-1988), artist; [[Leonard Bernstein]] (1918-1990), composer; [[Louis Moreau Gottschalk]] (1829-1869), [[New Orleans]]-born pianist and composer; [[Laura Jean Libbey]] (1862-1924), best-selling "dime-store" novelist; [[Samuel F.B. Morse]] (1791-1872), inventor of the telegraph; [[Edward R. Murrow]] (1908-1965), journalist; [[Martha Bulloch Roosevelt]] (1834-1884), mother of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt; [[Margaret Sanger]] (1879-1966), birth control advocate; [[F.A.O. Schwarz]] (1836-1911), toy store founder; [[Boss Tweed|William M. "Boss" Tweed]] (1823-1878), notorious boss of the New York political machine.
+
Two of Brooklyn's most famous icons are the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] and the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]], today known as the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]]. The Brooklyn Bridge was the first suspension bridge to be built across the [[East River]] to facilitate transportation into Lower Manhattan. Opened in 1883, the bridge initially carried trolleys but by 1943, it was transporting cars as well as pedestrians and bicyclists. The bridge has graced many pictures over the years, a symbol representing the Lower Manhattan skyline and recognized throughout the world.
  
−
The [[New York Transit Museum]] is a museum which displays historical artifacts of the New York City Subway and bus systems; it is located in the unused Court Street subway station in Brooklyn Heights. The [[Brooklyn Children's Museum]] was the world's first museum for children and has many exhibits on culture and zoology. The 52 acre (210,000 m²) [[Brooklyn Botanic Garden]] includes a cherry tree esplanade, a one acre (4,000&nbsp;m²) rose garden, a Japanese hill and pond garden, a fragrance garden for the blind, a water lily pond esplanade, several conservatories, a rock garden, a native flora garden, a bonsai tree collection, and children's gardens and discovery exhibits. {{seealso|Tourism in New York City}}
+
In their hey-day, the Brooklyn Dodgers attained fame and recognition from fans as well as non-sports fans alike. Known notoriously as "dem bums," the Dodgers, who played at [[Ebbets Field]] in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, made history with many of the games in the regular season against the New York Giants, and especially in the post-season, where they played against the [[New York Yankees]] on many occasions. These games are referred to as the "subway series." They helped break the color barrier in 1947 when [[Jackie Robinson]] wore a Dodger uniform for the first time. The Brooklyn Dodgers won their only [[World Series]] championship in 1955 by defeating the Yankees, becoming heroes among their fellow Brooklynites. Economic change and political desire for change caused the Dodgers to move to Los Angeles by the end of the 1957 season, causing resentment and pain to the many fans that idolized their team. Although the Dodgers left at the end of 1957, international soccer was still played at Ebbets Field, but in 1960, the once home to the Brooklyn Dodgers was demolished, giving way for the construction of the Ebbets Field Apartments complex.
  
−
===Sports===
+
==See also==
−
{{main|Sports in Brooklyn}}
+
*[[New York City]]
−
[[Image:Keyspan2001a.jpg|250px|right|thumb|KeySpan Park at Coney Island]]
+
*[[Manhattan]]
−
Brooklyn has a storied sports history. It has been home to many famous sports figures such as Joe Paterno, Joe Pepitone, Joe Torre, Larry Brown, Mike Tyson, Vitas Gerulaitis, Herbie Kronowitz, Paul Lo Duca, John Franco, Stephon Marbury, John Halama, Rico Petrocelli, Michael Jordan. [[Vince Lombardi]]. and Arianit Spahiu. Parks throughout the borough such as Prospect Park, Marine Park, and the community sports complex at Floyd Bennett Field provide residents an opportunity to practice and hone their sports skills and talents.
+
*[[Brooklyn Dodgers]]
 +
*[[Brooklyn Bridge]]
  
−
Brooklyn's most famous team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, played at Ebbets Field and was named for "trolley dodgers," a reference to the many streetcar lines that once criss-crossed the borough<ref>[http://www.ebbets-field.com/FAQ/index.htm Ebbets Field], Accessed October 10, 2007</ref>. The Dodgers most historic achievement came in 1947 when [[Jackie Robinson]] took the field in a Dodgers uniform, becoming the first Major League African American player of the modern era. In 1955, the Dodgers won the first and only World Series for Brooklyn against their rival, the New York Yankees. The event was marked by mass euphoria and celebrations all over Brooklyn. Just two years later, the Dodgers moved to [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], causing a widespread sense of betrayal.
+
==Notes==
 +
<references/>
  
−
After a 43-year hiatus, pro baseball returned to the borough in 2001 in the form of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league team that began playing in Coney Island.
+
==References==
 +
* Ellis, Edward Robb. ''The Epic of New York City.'' Carroll & Graf, 2004. ISBN 0786714360
 +
* Onofri, Adrienne. ''Walking Brooklyn: 30 Tours Exploring Historical Legacies, Neighborhood Culture, Side Streets and Waterways.'' Wilderness Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0899974309
 +
* Reiss, Marcia. ''Brooklyn Then and Now (Then and Now).'' Thunder Bay Press, 2002. ISBN 978-1571457929
  
−
Developer Bruce Ratner]announced in 2004 that he had purchased the New Jersey Nets basketball team.  He hopes to move the Nets to a proposed 20,000-seat Brooklyn Nets Arena as part of a controversial housing and office development.
+
==External links==
 +
All links retrieved November 21, 2023.
  
−
==Transportation==
+
*[http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/ Official site of the Brooklyn Borough President]. ''www.brooklyn-usa.org''.
−
{{main|Transportation in Brooklyn}}
+
*[http://brooklynheightsblog.com/ Brooklyn Heights Blog]. ''brooklynheightsblog.com''.
−
[[Image:R143Int.JPG|thumb|right|250px|A Brooklyn-bound train on BMT Canarsie Line
+
*[http://www.brightonballet.org BBT/School of Russian Ballet at Kingsborough]. ''www.brightonballet.org''.
−
Brooklyn's transportation infrastructure provides the means to efficiently move goods and people throughout the borough.]]]]
+
*[http://www.markmorrisdancegroup.org Mark Morris Dance Group]. ''markmorrisdancegroup.org''.
  
−
Brooklyn is well served by public transit. Because 18 [[New York City Subway]] lines, including the Franklin Avenue Shuttle, traverse the borough, it is not surprising that 92.8% of Brooklyn residents traveling to Manhattan use the subway. Major stations include, [[Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street (New York City Subway)|Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street]], [[Broadway Junction (New York City Subway)|Broadway Junction]], [[DeKalb Avenue (New York City Subway)|DeKalb Avenue]], [[Jay Street-Borough Hall]], and [[Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue (New York City Subway)|Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue]].<ref>Convissor, Daniel[http://www.panix.com/~danielc/nyc/dntnbk.htm DOT Sees More Highways As Brooklyn's Road to Clean Air], Auto-Free Press, January/February 1992. Retrieved 4 November 2006. </ref>
 
  
−
The public bus network covers the entire borough. There is daily express bus service into Manhattan. New York's famous yellow cabs also provide transportation in Brooklyn, although they are less numerous in Brooklyn than in Manhattan. There are three commuter rail stations in Brooklyn, including [[East New York (LIRR station)|East New York station]], [[Nostrand Avenue (LIRR station)|Nostrand Avenue station]], and [[Flatbush Avenue (LIRR station)|Atlantic Terminal]], the terminus station of the [[Atlantic Branch]] of the [[Long Island Rail Road]]. Atlantic Terminal is a major intermodal transit hub with several connecting subway lines.
 
  
−
The grand majority of limited-access expressways and parkways are located in the western and southern sections of Brooklyn. These include, the [[Brooklyn-Queens Expressway]], the [[Gowanus Expressway]], which is part of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the [[Prospect Expressway]], [[New York State Route 27]], the [[Belt Parkway]], and the [[Jackie Robinson Parkway]]. Major thoroughfares include, [[Atlantic Avenue (New York City)|Atlantic Avenue]], [[4th Avenue (Brooklyn)|4th Avenue]], [[86th Street (Brooklyn)|86th Street]],  [[Kings Highway]], [[Ocean Parkway]], [[Eastern Parkway]], [[Linden Boulevard]], [[McGuiness Boulevard]], [[Flatbush Avenue]], [[Pennsylvania Avenue]], and [[Bedford Avenue]].
 
−
 
−
Brooklyn is extensively connected to Manhattan by three bridges, the [[Brooklyn Bridge|Brooklyn]], [[Manhattan Bridge|Manhattan]], and [[Williamsburg Bridge|Williamsburg]] bridges, and a tunnel, the [[Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel]]. The [[Verrazano Narrows Bridge]] links Brooklyn with the more suburban borough of Staten Island. Though its border is mostly made up of land, Brooklyn shares three water crossings with Queens, the [[Kosciuszko Bridge]] (part of the [[Brooklyn-Queens Expressway]]), the Pulaski Bridge, and the JJ Byrne Memorial Bridge all carry traffic over [[Newtown Creek]].
 
−
 
−
Historically Brooklyn's waterfront was a major shipping port, especially at the [[Brooklyn Army Terminal]] in [[Sunset Park]]. Most container ship cargo operations have shifted to the New Jersey side of New York Harbor, while the city has recently built a new cruise ship terminal in Red Hook that is to become a focal point for New York's growing cruise industry. The [[Queen Mary 2]], the world's largest ocean liner, was designed specifically to fit under the [[Verrazano-Narrows Bridge]], the longest suspension bridge in the United States. The Queen Mary 2 makes regular ports of call at the Red Hook terminal on her transatlantic runs from [[Southampton]], [[England]].
 
−
 
−
{{seealso|Transportation in New York City}}
 
−
 
−
==Education==
 
−
[[Image:Higgins.jpg|thumb|250px|Higgins Hall at the [[Pratt Institute]] ]]
 
−
Education in Brooklyn is provided by a vast number of public and private institutions. Public schools in the borough are managed by the [[New York City Department of Education]], the largest public school system in the United States. Private schools range from the elite [[Berkeley Carroll School]] to religious schools run by [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn]] and Jewish organizations. The [[Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)|Satmar Jewish community]] of Brooklyn operates its own network of schools, which is the fourth largest school system in New York state.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/25/nyregion/25teitelbaum.html?ex=1303617600&en=9eb1e0ed13a8518b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum Is Dead at 91]. ''www.nytimes.com''.  Retrieved October 10, 2007.</ref>
 
−
 
−
[[Brooklyn College]] is a senior college of the [[City University of New York]], and was the first public co-ed [[liberal arts college]] in New York City. The College ranked in the top 10 nationally for the second consecutive year in [[Princeton Review]]’s 2006 guidebook, ''America’s Best Value Colleges''.  Many of its students are first and second generation immigrants.  Emblematic of its students’ potential is Eugene Shenderov, the son of Russian immigrants who received a 2005 [[Rhodes Scholarship]] before graduating from the College's B.A.-M.D. program in June 2005. The Brooklyn College campus serves as home to the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts complex and its four theaters, including the [[George Gershwin Theatre (Brooklyn)|George Gershwin]].
 
−
 
−
[[Brooklyn Law School]] was founded in 1901 and is notable for its diverse student body. Women and African Americans were enrolled in 1909. According to the Leiter Report, a compendium of law school rankings published by [[Brian Leiter]], Brooklyn Law School places 31st nationally for quality of students.<ref>[http://www.leiterrankings.com Leiter's Law School Rankings]</ref>
 
−
 
−
[[Kingsborough Community College]] is a junior college in the [[City University of New York]] system, located in [[Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn|Manhattan Beach]]. 
 
−
 
−
[[SUNY Downstate Medical Center]], originally founded as the Long Island College Hospital in 1860, is the oldest hospital-based medical school in the United States. The Medical Center comprises the College of Medicine, College of Health Related Professions, College of Nursing, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and the School of Graduate Studies, where Nobel Prize-winner [[Robert F. Furchgott|Dr. Robert F. Furchgott]] is a member of the faculty. Half of the Medical Center's students are minorities or immigrants. The College of Medicine has the highest percentage of minority students of any medical school in New York State.
 
−
 
−
[[Long Island University]] is a private university in Downtown Brooklyn with 6,417 undergraduate students. In Clinton Hill, the [[Pratt Institute]] is one of the leading art schools in the United States and offers programs in art, architecture, fashion design, design, creative writing, library science, and other area disciplines.
 
−
 
−
As an independent system, separate from the New York City and Queens libraries, the [[Brooklyn Public Library]] offers thousands of public programs, millions of books, and use of more than 850 free Internet-accessible computers. It also has books and periodicals in all the major languages spoken in Brooklyn, including Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Hebrew, and Haitian Kreyol, as well as French, Yiddish, Hindi, Bengali, Polish, Italian, and Arabic. The Central Library is a landmarked building facing [[Grand Army Plaza]] and is undergoing extensive renovations and an underground expansion. There are 58 library branches, placing one within a half mile of each Brooklyn resident. There's a significant business library in Brooklyn Heights. The Library is preparing to construct the new Visual and Performing Arts Library, which will focus on the link between new and emerging arts and technology and house traditional and digital collections. It will provide access and training to arts applications and technologies not widely available to the public. The collections will include the subjects of art, theater, dance, music, film, photography and architecture. A special archive will house the records and history of Brooklyn's arts communities.
 
−
 
−
nique ta mere
 
−
 
−
{{seealso|Education in New York City}}
 
−
 
−
==See also==
 
−
{{commonscat|Residential quarters of Brooklyn}}
 
−
* [[List of people from Brooklyn]]
 
−
 
−
==References==
 
−
{{Reflist}}
 
−
 
−
==External links==
 
−
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Brooklyn}}
 
−
*[http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/ Official site of the Brooklyn Borough President]
 
−
*[http://www.visitbrooklyn.org Brooklyn Tourism]
 
−
*{{wikitravel|New York (city)/Brooklyn|Brooklyn}}
 
−
{{Geolinks-US-cityscale|40.704234|-73.917927}}
 
−
**Hybrid satellite image/street map from [http://wikimapia.org/#y=40624637&x=-73952236&z=10&l=0&m=h&v=2 WikiMapia]
 
−
*[http://www.brooklyn.com/map.php Brooklyn Neighborhood Names Google Maps mashup]
 
−
*[http://brooklynheightsblog.com/ Brooklyn Heights Blog]
 
−
*[http://www.dbpartnership.org Downtown Brooklyn Partnership]
 
−
*[http://ericasherman.blogspot.com Erica's Blog]
 
−
*[http://www.mocada.org MOCADA]
 
−
*[http://www.brightonballet.org BBT/School of Russian Ballet at Kingsborough]
 
−
*[http://www.markmorrisdancegroup.org Mark Morris Dance Group]
 
−
*[http://www.myspace.com/somethingpositivedanceco Cheryl Byron and Something Positive]
 
−
* [http://bigskybrooklyn.blogspot.com Big Sky Brooklyn Blog]
 
−
*[http://www.brooklynbased.net Brooklyn Based newsletter]
 
−
*[http://www.briconline.org BRIC arts, media in Brooklyn]. ''www.briconline.org''.
 
−
{{New York City}}
 
−
{{Brooklyn}}
 
 
{{New York}}
 
{{New York}}
  
 
[[Category:history]]
 
[[Category:history]]
 
[[Category:geography]]
 
[[Category:geography]]
 +
[[Category:United States]]
 +
[[Category:Cities]]
 +
 
{{Credit|165949998}}
 
{{Credit|165949998}}

Latest revision as of 04:35, 22 November 2023

Brooklyn
—  Borough of New York City  —
Kings County
View of Brooklyn Bridge and Downtown Brooklyn
View of Brooklyn Bridge and Downtown Brooklyn
Nickname: BK
Location of Brooklyn shown in yellow
Location of Brooklyn shown in yellow
Coordinates: {{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:40|37|29|N|73|57|8|W|type:city
name= }}
Country United States
State New York
County Kings
City New York City
Settled 1634
Named for Breukelen, Netherlands
Government
 - Type Borough (New York City)
 - Borough President Marty Markowitz (D)
— (Borough of Brookyn)
 - District Attorney Charles Hynes
— (Kings County)
Area
 - Total 96.90 sq mi (251 km²)
 - Land 70.61 sq mi (182.9 km²)
 - Water 26.29 sq mi (68.1 km²)
Population
 - Total 2,504,700
 - Density 36,356/sq mi (14,037.1/km²)
 - Demonym Brooklynite
Postal Code 112 + two digits
Area code(s) 347, 718, 917 929
Website: www.Brooklyn-USA.org

Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. An independent city until its consolidation into New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with nearly 2.5 million residents. [1] Brooklyn is coterminous with Kings County, which is the most populous county in New York State, and the second most densely populated county in the United States (after New York County, which is the borough of Manhattan). [2]

Though a part of New York City, Brooklyn maintains a character of its own. Brooklyn is characterized by cultural diversity, an independent art scene, distinct neighborhoods, and a unique architectural heritage.

History

The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle the area on the western edge of Long Island, which was then largely inhabited by the Canarsie Native American tribe. The first Dutch settlement was Midwout (Midwood), established in 1634.[3], The Dutch also purchased land in the 1630s from the Mohawks around present day Gowanus, Red Hook, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Bushwick. The Village of Breuckelen was authorized by the Dutch West India Company in 1646 and became the first municipality in what is now New York State. At the time Breuckelen was part of New Netherland.

The Dutch lost Breuckelen in the British conquest of New Netherland in 1664. In 1683, the British reorganized the Province of New York into 12 counties, each of which was sub-divided into towns. Over time, the name evolved from Breuckelen, to Brockland, Brocklin, Brookline, and eventually Brooklyn.[4] Kings County was one of the original 12 counties, and Brooklyn was one of the original six towns within Kings County. The county was named in honor of King Charles II of England.

In August and September 1776, the Battle of Long Island (occasionally now called, anachronistically, the "Battle of Brooklyn") was fought in Kings County. It was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the Declaration of Independence, and the largest battle of the entire conflict. New York, and Brooklyn along with it, gained independence from the British with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

The first half of the nineteenth century saw urban areas grow along the economically strategic East River waterfront, across from New York City. The county had two cities: the City of Brooklyn and the City of Williamsburgh. Brooklyn annexed Williamsburgh in 1854. It took until 1896 for Brooklyn to annex all other parts of Kings County.

Brooklyn's skyline as seen from the East River

The building of rail links such as the Brighton Beach Line in 1878 heralded explosive growth, and in the space of a decade the City of Brooklyn annexed the Town of New Lots in 1886, the Town of Flatbush, the Town of Gravesend, and the Town of New Utrecht in 1894, and the Town of Flatlands in 1896. Brooklyn had now reached its natural municipal boundaries at the ends of Kings County. The question was now whether it was prepared to engage in the still-grander process of consolidation now developing throughout the region.

In 1898, Brooklyn residents voted by a slight majority to join with Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, and Richmond (later Staten Island) as the five boroughs to form modern New York City. Kings County retained its status as one of New York State's counties.

Geography

Satellite image showing Brooklyn, center. Manhattan is visible upper left. Staten Island is seen lower left, linked by the Verrazano Narrows Bridge

Brooklyn is located on the westernmost point of Long Island and shares its only land boundary with Queens to the northeast. The westernmost section of this boundary is defined by Newtown Creek, which flows into the East River.

Brooklyn's waterfront faces different bodies of water. Northern Brooklyn's coast is defined by the East River, while middle Brooklyn adjoins New York Bay. This area of the waterfront features the Red Hook peninsula and the Erie Basin. Buttermilk Channel separates this part of the waterfront from Governors Island. Southwest is Gowanus Bay, connected to the Gowanus Canal. At its south westernmost section, Brooklyn is separated from Staten Island by the Narrows, where Upper and Lower New York Bay meet.

Brooklyn's southern coast includes the peninsula on which stretch Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach. The southeastern coast lies on island-dotted Jamaica Bay.

The highest point in Brooklyn is the area around Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery, rising approximately 200 feet (60 m) above sea level. There is also a minor elevation in Downtown Brooklyn known as Brooklyn Heights.

Neighborhoods

Brooklyn has many well-defined neighborhoods, many of which developed from distinct towns and villages that date back to its founding in the Dutch colonial era in the early 1600s.

Today, Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest central business district in New York City, after Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan[5] It has many commercial towers and a rapidly increasing number of residential buildings.

The northwestern neighborhoods between the Brooklyn Bridge and Prospect Park, including Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Clinton Hill, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO (an acronym for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass"), Fort Greene, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Red Hook, are characterized by many nineteenth century brick townhouses and brownstones. These neighborhoods include some of the most gentrified and affluent neighborhoods in Brooklyn, along with ample subway lines, cultural institutions, and high-end restaurants.

Further North along the East River lie Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Traditionally working class communities with a vibrant cultural mix, many artists and hipsters have moved into the area since the late 1990s. Further changing the area, the city completed an extensive rezoning of the Brooklyn waterfront in 2005 which will allow for many new residential condominiums. As prices have risen, redevelopment has moved eastward away from the waterfront into Bushwick along the "L" subway line.

The Saitta House of Dyker Heights

Central and southern Brooklyn contain many more architecturally and culturally distinct neighborhoods, some of which grew rapidly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century as upwardly-mobile immigrants moved out of tenement buildings in Manhattan neighborhoods like the Lower East Side. Borough Park is largely Orthodox Jewish; Bedford-Stuyvesant is the largest black neighborhood in the country; Bensonhurst is historically Italian. Dyker Heights is an affluent Italian neighborhood. East Flatbush and Fort Greene is home to a large number of middle-class black professionals. Brighton Beach is home to many Russians. Since 1990, Brooklyn has seen a rise in new immigration to neighborhoods like Sunset Park, home to flourishing Mexican and Chinese American communities.

Government

Since consolidation with New York City in 1898, Brooklyn has been governed by the New York City Charter that provides for a "strong" mayor-council system. The centralized New York City government is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services in Brooklyn.

The office of Borough President was created in the consolidation of 1898 to balance centralization with local authority. Each borough president had a powerful administrative role derived from having a vote on the New York City Board of Estimate, which was responsible for creating and approving the city's budget and proposals for land use. In 1989, the Supreme Court of the United States declared the Board of Estimate unconstitutional on the grounds that Brooklyn, the most populous borough, had no greater effective representation on the Board than Staten Island, the least populous borough, a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause pursuant to the high court's 1964 "one man, one vote" decision.[6]

Presidential election results
Year GOP Dems
2004 24.3% 167,149 74.9% 514,973
2000 15.7% 96,605 80.6% 497,468
1996 15.1% 81,406 80.1% 432,232
1992 22.9% 133,344 70.7% 411,183
1988 32.6% 230,064 66.3% 368,518
1984 38.3% 285,477 61.3% 328,379
1980 38.4% 200,306 55.4% 288,893
1976 31.1% 190,728 68.3% 419,382
1972 49.0% 373,903 50.8% 387,768
1968 32.0% 247,936 63.1% 489,174
1964 25.0% 229,291 74.8% 684,839
1960 33.5% 327,497 66.2% 646,582
1956 45.2% 460,456 54.7% 557,655

Since 1990 the Borough President has acted as an advocate for the borough at the mayoral agencies, the City Council, the New York state government, and corporations. Currently, Brooklyn's Borough President is Marty Markowitz, elected as a Democrat in 2001 and re-elected in 2005.

The Democratic Party holds the majority of public offices. Of registered voters in Brooklyn, 69.7 percent are Democrats. Party platforms center on affordable housing, education and economic development. The most controversial political issue is over the proposed Brooklyn Nets Arena, a large development project. Pockets of Republican influence exist in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights.

Each of the city's five counties (coterminous with each borough) has its own criminal court system and District Attorney, the chief public prosecutor who is directly elected by popular vote. Charles J. Hynes, a Democrat, has been the District Attorney of Kings County since 1989. Brooklyn has 16 City Council members, the largest number of any of the five boroughs. It also has 18 administrative districts, each served by a local Community Board. Community Boards are representative bodies that field complaints and serve as advocates for local residents.

Brooklyn has not voted for a Republican in a national presidential election in the last 50 years. In the 2004 presidential election Democrat John Kerry received 74.9 percent of the vote in Brooklyn and Republican George W. Bush received 24.3 percent.

Brooklyn's official motto is Een Draght Mackt Maght. Written in the (old) Dutch language, it is inspired by the motto of the United Dutch Provinces and translated as In Unity There is Strength. The motto is displayed on the borough seal and flag, which also feature a young robed woman bearing fasces, a traditional emblem of republicanism. Brooklyn's official colors are blue and gold.[7]

Economy

Brooklyn's job market is driven by three main factors: the performance of the national and city economy, population flows, and the borough's position as a convenient "back office" for New York's businesses.

Forty-four percent of Brooklyn's employed population, or 410,000 people, work in the borough; more than half of the borough's residents work outside its boundaries. As a result, economic conditions in Manhattan are important to the borough's job seekers. Strong international immigration to Brooklyn generates jobs in services, retailing and construction. In recent years Brooklyn has benefited from a steady influx of financial back office operations from Manhattan, the rapid growth of a high-tech/entertainment economy in DUMBO, and strong growth in support services such as accounting, personal supply agencies and computer services firms.

Jobs in the borough have traditionally been concentrated in manufacturing, but since 1975, Brooklyn has shifted from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy. In 2004, 215,000 Brooklyn residents worked in the services sector, while 27,500 worked in manufacturing. Although manufacturing has declined, a substantial base has remained in apparel and niche manufacturing concerns such as furniture, fabricated metals, and food products. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer has a manufacturing plant in Brooklyn that employs 990 workers.

Construction and services are the fastest growing sectors. Most employers in Brooklyn are small businesses. In 2000, 91 percent of the approximately 38,704 business establishments in Brooklyn had fewer than 20 employees.[8]

The unemployment rate in Brooklyn in March 2006 was 5.9 percent.

Education

Brooklyn College in winter

Education in Brooklyn is provided by a vast number of public and private institutions. Public schools in the borough are managed by the New York City Department of Education, the largest public school system in the United States. Private schools range from the elite Berkeley Carroll School to religious schools run by Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Jewish organizations. The Satmar Jewish community of Brooklyn operates its own network of schools, which is the fourth largest school system in New York state.[9]

Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, and was the first public co-ed liberal arts college in New York City. The College ranked in the top 10 nationally for the second consecutive year in Princeton Review 2006 guidebook, America’s Best Value Colleges. Many of its students are first and second generation immigrants. The Brooklyn College campus serves as home to the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts complex and its four theaters, including the George Gershwin.

Brooklyn Law School was founded in 1901 and is notable for its diverse student body. Women and African Americans were enrolled in 1909. According to the Leiter Report, a compendium of law school rankings published by Brian Leiter, Brooklyn Law School places 31st nationally for quality of students.[10] Kingsborough Community College is a junior college in the City University of New York system, located in Manhattan Beach.

SUNY Downstate Medical Center, originally founded as the Long Island College Hospital in 1860, is the oldest hospital-based medical school in the United States. The Medical Center comprises the College of Medicine, College of Health Related Professions, College of Nursing, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and the School of Graduate Studies, where Nobel Prize-winner Dr. Robert F. Furchgott is a member of the faculty. The College of Medicine has the highest percentage of minority students of any medical school in New York State.

Long Island University is a private university in Downtown Brooklyn with 6,417 undergraduate students. In Clinton Hill, the Pratt Institute is one of the leading art schools in the United States and offers programs in art, architecture, fashion design, design, creative writing, library science, and other area disciplines.

As an independent system, separate from the New York City and Queens libraries, the Brooklyn Public Library offers thousands of public programs, millions of books, and use of more than 850 free Internet-accessible computers. It also has books and periodicals in all the major languages spoken in Brooklyn, including Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Hebrew, and Haitian Kreyol, as well as French, Yiddish, Hindi, Bengali, Polish, Italian, and Arabic. The Central Library is a landmarked building facing Grand Army Plaza and is undergoing extensive renovations and an underground expansion. There are 58 library branches, placing one within a half mile of each Brooklyn resident. There's a significant business library in Brooklyn Heights. The Library is preparing to construct the new Visual and Performing Arts Library, which will focus on the link between new and emerging arts and technology and house traditional and digital collections. It will provide access and training to arts applications and technologies not widely available to the public. The collections will include the subjects of art, theater, dance, music, film, photography and architecture. A special archive will house the records and history of Brooklyn's arts communities.

Culture

Brooklyn has a culture rich in history and tradition. It is a borough that has influenced many works of art, such as television, movies, music, paintings, literary works, and sports. The Brooklyn Museum, opened in 1897, is among the world's premier art institutions with a permanent collection that includes more than 1.5 million objects, from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art. The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), is a complex including the 2,109-seat Howard Gilman Opera House, the 874-seat Harvey Lichtenstein Theater, and the art house BAM Rose Cinemas. Founded in 1863, the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) is a museum, library, and educational center dedicated to preserving and encouraging the study of Brooklyn's 400-year past, while reflecting upon the future of the culturally rich borough. BHS houses a treasure trove of materials relating to the founding of the U.S. and the history of Brooklyn and its people.

Brooklyn has played a major role in American letters. Walt Whitman wrote of the Brooklyn waterfront in his classic poem Crossing Brooklyn Ferry. Betty Smith's 1943 book A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, and the 1945 film based on it, are among the best-known early works about life in Brooklyn. William Styron's novel Sophie's Choice is set in Flatbush, just off Prospect Park, during the summer of 1947. Arthur Miller's 1955 play A View From the Bridge is set in Brooklyn. Movies and television have also used Brooklyn as their setting and their inspiration, as in the case of two famous movies from the 1970s. Dog Day Afternoon was based on a real-life botched bank robbery in 1972 which turned into a 12-hour circus and ended with the arrest of the main characters. Saturday Night Fever used Bay Ridge in Brooklyn as its setting, where the lifestyle of young Brooklynites in the late 1970s was characterized at the height of the disco explosion, which immortalized that great era. Television shows, such as The Honeymooners in the 1950s and Welcome Back Kotter in the 1970s are set in a Brooklyn apartment building in the Bushwick section and a high school named James Buchanan High in Bensonhurst, respectively. Many famous actors are originally from the borough, including both Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro.

Two of Brooklyn's most famous icons are the Brooklyn Bridge and the Brooklyn Dodgers, today known as the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brooklyn Bridge was the first suspension bridge to be built across the East River to facilitate transportation into Lower Manhattan. Opened in 1883, the bridge initially carried trolleys but by 1943, it was transporting cars as well as pedestrians and bicyclists. The bridge has graced many pictures over the years, a symbol representing the Lower Manhattan skyline and recognized throughout the world.

In their hey-day, the Brooklyn Dodgers attained fame and recognition from fans as well as non-sports fans alike. Known notoriously as "dem bums," the Dodgers, who played at Ebbets Field in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, made history with many of the games in the regular season against the New York Giants, and especially in the post-season, where they played against the New York Yankees on many occasions. These games are referred to as the "subway series." They helped break the color barrier in 1947 when Jackie Robinson wore a Dodger uniform for the first time. The Brooklyn Dodgers won their only World Series championship in 1955 by defeating the Yankees, becoming heroes among their fellow Brooklynites. Economic change and political desire for change caused the Dodgers to move to Los Angeles by the end of the 1957 season, causing resentment and pain to the many fans that idolized their team. Although the Dodgers left at the end of 1957, international soccer was still played at Ebbets Field, but in 1960, the once home to the Brooklyn Dodgers was demolished, giving way for the construction of the Ebbets Field Apartments complex.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Kings County, New York, factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000". factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  3. ↑ Edward Robb Ellis. The Epic of New York City. (Carroll & Graf, 2004), 53.
  4. ↑ Ellis
  5. ↑ Vine, David. Billions for Brooklyn—No Questions Asked:The Borough’s New Power Brokers, Winter 2003. www.thebrooklynrail.org Retrieved December 4,2007.
  6. ↑ Cornell Law School Supreme Court Collection: Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris. www.law.cornell.edu. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  7. ↑ Borough of Brooklyn. blue and gold. www.brooklyn-usa.org. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  8. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, 2001 County Business Patterns. [1]. www.bedc.org. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  9. ↑ Andy Newman.Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum Is Dead at 91. www.nytimes.com. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  10. ↑ Leiter's Law School Rankings leiterrankings.com. Retrieved December 4, 2007.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Ellis, Edward Robb. The Epic of New York City. Carroll & Graf, 2004. ISBN 0786714360
  • Onofri, Adrienne. Walking Brooklyn: 30 Tours Exploring Historical Legacies, Neighborhood Culture, Side Streets and Waterways. Wilderness Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0899974309
  • Reiss, Marcia. Brooklyn Then and Now (Then and Now). Thunder Bay Press, 2002. ISBN 978-1571457929

External links

All links retrieved November 21, 2023.


Flag of New York
 State of New York
Albany (capital)
Topics History |

Geography | Education | Government | Politics | Economy | Demographics | People | Transportation

Regions Adirondack Mountains |

Allegheny Plateau | Capital District | Catskill Mountains | Central | Champlain Valley | City of New York | Finger Lakes | Holland Purchase | Hudson Highlands | Hudson Valley | Long Island | Mohawk Valley | New York Metro | North Country | Ridge and Valley | Saint Lawrence Seaway | Shawangunks | Southern Tier | Thousand Islands | Upstate | Western

Metro areas

Albany/Schenectady/Troy/Saratoga Springs |

Binghamton | Buffalo/Niagara Falls | Elmira/Corning | Glens Falls | Jamestown | Newburgh/Middletown | New York City | Poughkeepsie | Rochester | Syracuse | Utica/Rome

Counties Albany |

Allegany | Bronx | Broome | Cattaraugus | Cayuga | Chautauqua | Chemung | Chenango | Clinton | Columbia | Cortland | Delaware | Dutchess | Erie | Essex | Franklin | Fulton | Genesee | Greene | Hamilton | Herkimer | Jefferson | Kings (Brooklyn) | Lewis | Livingston | Madison | Monroe | Montgomery | Nassau | New York (Manhattan) | Niagara | Oneida | Onondaga | Ontario | Orange | Orleans | Oswego | Otsego | Putnam | Queens | Rensselaer | Richmond (Staten Island) | Rockland | Saint Lawrence | Saratoga | Schenectady | Schoharie | Schuyler | Seneca | Steuben | Suffolk | Sullivan | Tioga | Tompkins | Ulster | Warren | Washington | Wayne | Westchester | Wyoming | Yates


Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.

Retrieved from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Brooklyn&oldid=1128401

Content is available under Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of Use for details.
Copyright Logo
Powered by MediaWiki