Coney Island experienced a boom in the number of visitors in the 1920’s due to the introduction of a new subway line that connected Manhattan and Brooklyn. The subway fare was only a nickel, which drew millions of visitors to Coney Island to experience the many attractions. People traveled to New York City’s closest beach and spent time on the sand with their family and friends. They enjoyed walking on Coney Island’s famous Boardwalk, which contained the newly installed 150-foot tall Wonder Wheel and five-cent hot dogs from Nathan’s Famous. On June 26, 1927, the Cyclone was built and became Coney Island’s most famous roller coaster. Amusement parks such as Luna Park, Dreamland and Steeplechase Park were very popular with visitors. These parks generated a stable flow of revenue for the area while providing fun for families and children.² 

 

After the Great Depression hit, the amusement parks and other attractions suffered economically. Even though people still traveled to Coney Island because of the cheap nickel fare, they weren’t as willing to spend money when they got there. Most people spent time on the beach rather than going to the parks. Another factor that pushed people to flock to the beach was the heat wave that took place during the Great Depression. There were still some people that had extra money on the side to have fun, but the amusement parks had a hard time making a profit. In the 1930’s, most of the amusement parks became bankrupt and shutdown. These parks eventually opened up again due to new owners but never became as successful as pre-Depression days.⁴

 

The status of Coney Island began to decline over the years, changing from the family-friendly to shabby and broke-down. The beach remained popular but the amusement parks began to deteriorate. The amusement parks were not able to make up for the economic damage that the Great Depression brought on. Starting from the early 1960’s, Coney Island slowly began to gain a reputation for being dangerous because so many teenage gangs, such as “The Jokers”, congregated there. ⁶ The subways were filled with members of teenage gangs which discouraged many people from riding the trains to Coney Island. It also became a center of racial tensions because of the changing demographics of New York and “white flight” from the city.⁷

Click here to see compare to how Coney Island is NOW!

Back