kōˈnē, beach resort, amusement center, and neighborhood of S Brooklyn borough of New York City, SE N.Y., on the Atlantic Ocean. The tidal creek that once separated the island from the mainland has been filled in, making the area a peninsula. A seaside resort from the middle of the 19th cent., rail service made it an extremely popular resort, attracting up to a million visitors on hot summer days. The beach, the 2-mi (3.2-km) boardwalk, the New York Aquarium, and the many notable eating places were other attractions. Although it remains a popular attraction, Coney Island has declined considerably since its heyday in the 1920s and 30s; its residents are the poor and elderly. Since the 1950s, high-rise apartments (many of which have fallen into decay) have replaced much of the amusement area.

See J. Kasson, Amusing the Million (1970), and W. Register, The Kid of Coney Island: Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusements (2001).

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