Sunset Park is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, directly to the east of the Hudson River. It can be argued that the boundaries of the neighborhood do not include the area west of Green-Wood Cemetery. However, with the reasoning that there are locations and organizations based in this area that are aligned with the Sunset Park name (e.g. "Brooklyn Grange @ Sunset Park" and "Sunset Park High School"), this analysis is made with the following image in consideration.
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/01/27/realestate/29limap.html
Who are the People of Sunset Park?
The neighborhood was developed in the 1830s, and was later named for the park built in the 1890s. Though originally a farming neighborhood, the development of transportation and railroads, along with its proximity to the Upper New York Bay, has led to Sunset Park becoming an industrial hub.
Sunset Park was historically known as a place for immigrants in NYC, with a large Scandinavian, Italian, and Irish population initially. Since the 1960s, an influx of Puerto Ricans made the area home.1 Today, we can see Sunset Park has become a diverse area with a notable mix of Asian, Latino, and Caucasian people.
Spanish and Mandarin Chinese are two of the languages that are largely visible in Sunset Park. In the neighborhood, on the east side of Seventh Avenue and along Eighth Avenue is essentially Brooklyn’s first Chinatown, with a large, cemented Chinese population. On the west side of Fifth Avenue, however, lies the core of the Hispanic population in Sunset Park. Walking just two streets would transport a person into completely different cultures.
The ethnicity demographics are generally as follows, with most of the neighborhood residents either being Asian (specifically, Chinese – 24.6%) and Latin American (from a mix of countries, but namely Puerto Ricans – 40.7%).2 There are some white and black residents, but both from visual and quantitative data, the neighborhood residents are predominantly Chinese and Latin American.
From my experience waling through various streets in the neighborhood, I saw many signs that were business-oriented, which give me the impression of a hustle-bustle type of area, especially along the densely populated Eighth Avenue. I felt that there were hardly any “artistic” signs to be seen as well, at least at first glance, but a good number also seem to be PSAs, or were intended to reinforce the feeling of community. Thus, I believe that some of the values (hustling and connection) of the people shine through these visible markers.
However, it’s worth noting that many families in Sunset Park face high levels of poverty and crowded housing conditions compared to the rest of the city.3 There are various programs and initiatives for students of these underserved families (e.g. Apex for Youth and NYPL initiatives) to have more support in their lives, and I believe these motives are another part of Sunset Park that points to the communal values of the people.
Sunset Park: The Park
Sunset Park boasts a lovely view of the Jersey City and Manhattan skyline across the water, but on top of the scenery, the park is almost always bustling with life. The park serves as an important communal hub for children to play, for families to gather, and for events to be held.4 One would often be able to see couples and families having picnics on the grass, Latino street vendors on the park paths, and children playing games in the ball courts or playgrounds.
Rather surprisingly, in my experiences, Sunset Park barely receives tourists, making the park feel like a special, homely place almost uniquely for New Yorkers. Nonetheless, the park has been standing since 1891 with developments involved (like the Sunset Park public swimming pool and Play Center),5 and continuously proves to be a vital part of the connection and liveliness within the neighborhood.
The Impact
The residents of Sunset Park have slowly made their mark on the neighborhood over the years. Some of these impacts range from physical stores being built, to elderly Chinese people practicing Tai Chi exercises in the park. Without the people around, the neighborhood would look and feel very different to what it is now.
For example, the heavy influence of Chinese residents (who also prefer speaking in Mandarin) along Eighth Avenue makes it difficult for fully “western” businesses to gain footing in that area. As a result, the markets and stores along the avenue create a special insight into Chinese culture right in NYC, though it may be difficult to fully experience if one doesn’t know Mandarin.
The people of Sunset Park have physically left their presence on the streets. In some of my outings in the neighborhood on Saturdays, I could see presumably Puerto Rican families set up gatherings right in the middle of the streets (blocked off by cars). These appeared to be like parties, where children played with hoses hooked up to water hydrants, and adults ate and drank together. Whether “legal” or not, I think it’s fascinating how the people in Sunset Park find ways to claim space like this.
Works Cited
- (Author Unclear) Sunset Park. Sunset Park (n.d) – BKCB7.
https://www.nyc.gov/site/brooklyncb7/about/sunset-park.page ↩︎ - (Author Unclear) Sunset Park Neighborhood Profile (2023) – NYU furman center. https://furmancenter.org/neighborhoods/view/sunset-park ↩︎
- Barajas-Gonzalez, R. G., Canfield, C. F., Chung, A., Katter, J., Kerker, B. D. & Miller, E. B. (2023). The Children, caregivers, and community (C3) study of together growing strong: A protocol for an observational, place-based initiative in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. PloS One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0290985 ↩︎
- (Author Unclear) Learn about our neighborhood. Center for Family Life. (2024, July 18).
https://centerforfamilylife.org/learn-more-about-our-neighborhood/ ↩︎ - (Author Unclear) Sunset Park highlights – sunset park and pool. NYC parks. (n.d.). https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sunset-park/highlights/166 ↩︎