Brooklyn Apartment
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Sheepshead Bay is named for the Sheepshead fish that used to be found in the Rockaway Inlet (pollution has killed the breed). The water has been an attraction since the mid-1800s, when most of the surrounding land was farmland. Several fine hotels were built after the Civil War, and rich Manhattanites came to Sheepshead Bay to use them. Streetcar lines and railroads were extended to the hotels in the 1870s, whose later 5-cent fares provided less wealthy fun seekers with access to the ocean. However, Sheepshead Bay struggled in the 1980s and early 90s as the area grew unfashionable. For many in the neighborhood, the reopening of Lundy's, albeit at one-third its original size, in 1995 was a turning point in the area's rejuvenation. People are investing in the neighborhood, and communities of Asians, Russians, Turks, Pakistanis, Indians and Middle Easterners are adding new life. Emmons Ave maintains a definite charm, with locals strolling past the piers of fishing boats and relaxing at outdoor cafes.

Gerritson Beach is named for Wolphert Gerritsen, a settler there before the Revolutionary War. This neighborhood is a quiet, sleepy fishing village far, far away from the noisy big city. Gerritsen Beach is home of Italian, Irish, and German descendants who have been here from many years. Residents have a strong sense of community because most families stay in the neighborhood for generations.

Manhattan Beach is a step up on the social ladder from Brighton Beach. During the turn of the century, affluent visitors, escaping the summer heat of New York City, would travel to what was then the country by private railroad cars. They would stay at the hotels for the summer and in the evenings would listen to John Phillip Sousa and his orchestra perform. Along with his other famous patriotic songs, Sousa would play one he specifically composed and dedicated to the community he called his "summer home," titled The Manhattan Beach March. Italian American and Jewish immigrants have recently been joined by immigrants from China, Russia, and the Dominican Republic. There is a large population of students residing in this area due Kingsborough Community College which gives free summer concerts under the stars from its famous Rainbow Bandshell.