Coney Island has been a center of pleasure and leisure since railroads and steamboats began reaching the area after the Civil War. Utilizing these new connections, Coney Island became a resort area, with beaches and hotels for relaxation (amongst other pleasures), albeit mostly for the well off.

With the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and the arrival of electric railroads in the early 20th century however, Coney Island became more accessible to all and soon turned into...
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Coney Island has been a center of pleasure and leisure since railroads and steamboats began reaching the area after the Civil War. Utilizing these new connections, Coney Island became a resort area, with beaches and hotels for relaxation (amongst other pleasures), albeit mostly for the well off.

With the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and the arrival of electric railroads in the early 20th century however, Coney Island became more accessible to all and soon turned into America's de facto capital of amusement parks. At one point the area had three major amusement parks (Luna Park, Steeplechase, and Dreamland) competing against one another, in addition to the smaller parks and rides. While those three parks have since closed, Coney Island has several amusement landmarks still standing and operational, most notably the the Wonder Wheel ferris wheel and the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster (since 1927 and 1920, respectively).

The beach area, with its boardwalk and 2.5 miles of sand that face the Atlantic Ocean in constant daylight, is maintained by the city. Water quality at the beach is directly tied to rainfall, as more than 70% of New York City's sewer system pipes are combined with stormwater pipes. Heavy rainfall therefore can cause untreated sewage to overflow into the city's surrounding bodies of water.

Coney Island's popularity has been on the steady decline since it's peak shortly before World War II. For just as long, the area has been the center of a tug of war between those that want to continue the tradition of having an amusement area and those that want to develop the land for other purposes.
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