Sunset Park, a neighborhood located on the southwestern waterfront of Brooklyn, is a community with a mosaic of cultures that blend tradition and modernity.
The neighborhood is one of the most diverse and unique areas in New York, known for its brick-lined row houses, the 24.5-acre public park of the same name, and the echoes of shipping yards — many of which have been repurposed into cultural hubs, like the Brooklyn Army Terminal and Industry City.
In many ways, the neighborhood is emblematic of Brooklyn's story. In the 19th century, the area became a transit hub with ferries connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan and train lines extending out to the resort communities of Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, leading to its urbanization, according to NYCSubway.org
By the turn of the 20th century, Sunset Park was welcoming waves of immigrants from Scandinavia, Italy and Eastern Europe. The neighborhood was primarily working-class, with its proximity to the Brooklyn waterfront shaping its economic and cultural landscape, according to a report by the New York City Department of Small Business Services.
During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, there was a significant shift in the area's demographics, with an influx of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Mexico, and immigrants from China, according to the SBS report.
This diversity is the heart and soul of Sunset Park today. Eighth Avenue, between 44th Street and 68th Street, is often referred to as Brooklyn's own Chinatown and nicknamed “Badadao," which translates to Eighth Avenue in Mandarin Chinese.
In addition to being a great place to live, Sunset Park is also a great place to spend a day — which is exactly what BK Reader did. "Life in Sunset Park" shows the eclectic history of the area, which is a microcosm of Brooklyn as a whole.
