Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
Encyclopedia
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
separating the mainland
Mainland
Mainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from the eastern portion of Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
, the latter originally a barrier island but now effectively an extension of the mainland with peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
s both east (the neighborhood of Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn
Manhattan Beach is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east, by Sheepshead Bay on the north, and Brighton Beach to the west. Traditionally known as an Italian and Ashkenazi Jewish neighborhood, it is also home to...
) and west (the neighborhoods of Coney Island and Sea Gate). Its mouth is about a mile (1.6 km) southwest of Marine Park, Brooklyn
Marine Park, Brooklyn
Marine Park is a public park located in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. Its 798 acres surround the westernmost inlet of Jamaica Bay. Most of the land for Marine Park, Brooklyn was donated to New York City to be turned into public park land by the Whitney family in 1920 and by Frederic B....
. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 15
Brooklyn Community Board 15
Brooklyn Community Board 15 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Kings Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Kings Highway, East Gravesend, Madison, Homecrest, and Plum Beach...
.
The bay itself was originally the easterly entrance to Coney Island Creek
Coney Island Creek
Coney Island Creek encompasses two sea inlets in Brooklyn, New York City, one separating Coney Island from the neighborhoods of Gravesend and Bath Beach, the other separating the neighborhoods of Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach...
, but filling of the central part of this waterway during the 1930s in conjunction with construction of the Shore Parkway portion of the Belt Parkway
Belt Parkway
The Belt System is a series of connected limited-access highways that form a belt-like circle around the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The system comprises four officially separate parkways; however, three of the four are signed as the Belt Parkway...
eliminated access to the creek
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
. At the same time the bay was widened at its western end, deepened and bulkheaded
Bulkhead (barrier)
A bulkhead is a retaining wall, such as a bulkhead within a ship or a watershed retaining wall. It may also be used in mines, to contain flooding.Certain bulkheads, e.g., at the Hudson River are of historical and architectural value....
. It is now the home of recreational fishing fleets. The fishing fleet has been shrinking every year and is being replaced by dinner boats. At the western end of the bay, there is Holocaust Memorial Park, which is used throughout the year for commemorative events.
In the last decade of the 20th century, a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
boom brought the reopening of the landmark Lundy Brothers seafood restaurant
Lundy's Restaurant
Lundy's Restaurant, also known as Lundy Brothers Restaurant, was a historic American seafood restaurant in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn...
, which closed again in 2007. It is now Cherry Hill Gourmet Supermarket, specializing in international high-end groceries. Soviet-style restaurants/nightclubs such as Paradise and Baku Palace have opened along the waterfront. It has also experienced a growth of condominium developments. Emmons Avenue, the northern shoreline street along the bay, has piers with an active seafood market and tour boats.
Sheepshead Bay is named for the sheepshead
Sheepshead (fish)
The sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus, is a marine fish that grows to 30 in , but commonly reaches 10 to 20 in. It is deep and compressed in body shape, with 5 to 6 dark bars on the side of the body over a gray background. It has sharp dorsal spines. Its diet consists of oysters, clams, and...
, an edible fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
once found in the bay's waters. Even though it is rare, the fish can still be caught in the local waters every once in a while.
Demographics
As of 2007, there were 123,181 people living in Sheepshead Bay. The demographics were 75.4% WhiteWhite
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
, 14.6% Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
, 6.6% Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
, 4.7% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and 0.2% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. Brooklyn's Avenue U Chinatown
Homecrest, Brooklyn
Homecrest is a neighborhood situated in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It borders Kings Highway to the north, Avenue X to the south, Coney Island Avenue to the west, and Ocean Avenue to the east. Homecrest uses the ZIP Code, 11229. The area is served by Brooklyn Community Board 15...
, which recently emerged as the 2nd Chinatown of Brooklyn during the late 1990s happens to overlap between Sheepshead Bay and Homecrest.
Community and location
BMT Brighton Line
The BMT Brighton Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Local service is provided at all times by the Q train. The Q is joined by the B express train on weekdays...
(B
B (New York City Subway service)
The B Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs over the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....
and Q
Q (New York City Subway service)
The Q Broadway Express is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign, on station signs and the official subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....
trains), with local stops at Avenue U
Avenue U (BMT Brighton Line)
Avenue U is a local station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway, located at Avenue U between East 15th and East 16th Streets in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. It is served by the Q train at all times....
and Neck Road
Neck Road (BMT Brighton Line)
Neck Road is a local station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. Served by the Q train at all times, it is located at Gravesend Neck Road between East 15th and East 16th Streets in Homecrest, Brooklyn....
, and express-local stops at the Kings Highway
Kings Highway (BMT Brighton Line)
Kings Highway is an express station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. Served by the Q train at all times and by the B on weekdays, it is located at Kings Highway between East 15th and East 16th Streets on the border of Midwood and Sheepshead Bay neighborhoods of Brooklyn.This...
and Sheepshead Bay Road
Sheepshead Bay (BMT Brighton Line)
Sheepshead Bay is an express station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. It is located in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn. It is served by the Q train at all times and by the B train on weekdays....
station. The main shopping and business thoroughfares are Emmons Avenue, Sheepshead Bay Road, Ocean Avenue
Ocean Avenue
Ocean Avenue is the fourth studio album by the American pop punk band Yellowcard. It was produced by Neal Avron, and was released on July 22, 2003 through Capitol Records. The album is the major-label debut for the band...
, and Nostrand Avenue
Nostrand Avenue
Nostrand Avenue is a major street in Brooklyn, New York, that runs north from Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay to Flushing Avenue in Williamsburg, where it continues as Lee Avenue. From Flushing Avenue to Farragut Road, Nostrand Avenue is a two-lane street...
. Emmons Avenue is at the west end of the shore Greenway which lies between Shore Parkway and Jamaica Bay, connecting eastward and northward to Canarsie and Cross Bay Boulevard
Cross Bay Boulevard
Cross Bay Boulevard is the main north–south road in Howard Beach, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. In the south, it originates in The Rockaways, runs over the Cross Bay Bridge into Broad Channel and then over the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge into Howard Beach...
. Emmons Avenue is a waterfront road with piers from which yachts and boats offer day trips for fishing and dancing.
Several public schools serve the community: Sheepshead Bay High School
Sheepshead Bay High School
Sheepshead Bay High School is a public high school in Brooklyn, New York City, New York.-Mission:Sheepshead Bay High School is a large, multi-cultural high school in Brooklyn, New York. There are currently 2,673 students enrolled, in grades 9 through 12. The largest group is African American ,...
; JHS 14 Shell Bank Intermediate School; The Bay Academy
The bay academy
The Bay Academy is located in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. Formerly known as the Reynolds Junior High School, it is a magnet school that offers courses in a wide range of disciplines, including creative writing, art, drama, math/computers, science, and music, featuring wind instruments,...
; P.S. 254 and P.S. 52 (elementary). Private schools in the area include the St. Mark's School and St. Edmund's. Kingsborough Community College
Kingsborough Community College
Kingsborough Community College , part of the City University of New York system, is the only community college in Brooklyn, New York. The campus is located at Manhattan Beach, which is at the eastern end of Coney Island. The 71-acre campus overlooks Sheepshead Bay, Jamaica Bay, and the Atlantic...
, part of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
(CUNY) is nearby. Sheepshead Bay is patrolled by the NYPD's 61st Precinct.
Much like its neighobor, Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach is an oceanside neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. As of 2000, it has a population of 75,692 with a total of 31,228 households.-Location:...
, Sheepshead Bay is known for its high concentration of immigrants from the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Many stores and buildings are bilingual, with both English and Russian signage. Other ethnic groups include Italians, Irish, Jews, Turkish, Chinese and some Spanish.
Sheepshead Bay is served by the independent news blog Sheepshead Bites.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Sheepshead Bay include:- Elayne BooslerElayne BooslerElayne Boosler is an American comedian.Boosler was born and raised in Brooklyn, the youngest child and only daughter of a Russian-acrobat father and a Romanian-ballerina mother...
, comedienne - James BradyJames Brady (columnist)James Winston Brady was an American celebrity columnist who created the Page Six gossip column in the New York Post and W magazine; he wrote the In Step With column in Parade for nearly 25 years until his death...
(1928–2009), columnist. - Larry DavidLarry DavidLawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
(born 1947), comedian. - James E. Fitzsimmons (1874–1966), thoroughbred horse trainer.
- Frank FrazettaFrank FrazettaFrank Frazetta was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for work in comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers and other media...
, artist, lived in Sheepshead Bay - Keith GreenKeith GreenKeith Gordon Green was an American gospel singer, songwriter, musician, and Contemporary Christian Music artist originally from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. Beyond his music, Green is best known for his strong devotion to Christian evangelism and challenging others to the same...
(1953–1982), gospel singer. - Terry GrossTerry GrossTerry Gross is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview format radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed throughout the United States by National Public Radio....
(born 1951), host of Fresh AirFresh AirFresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
on National Public Radio. - Vince LombardiVince LombardiVincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
, legendary NFL head coach of the Green Bay Packers. - James MorrisseyJames MorrisseyJames Morrissey is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the Australian Football League. Morrissey debuted for Hawthorn during the latter part of the 1984 season but did not play another senior game until 1987. He was a member of three Premiership sides in his nine...
, (born 1966) Fisherman worked out of Sheepshead Bay - Rico PetrocelliRico PetrocelliAmerico Peter "Rico" Petrocelli is an American retired baseball shortstop and third baseman who played his entire career in the American League with the Boston Red Sox...
, Boston Red Sox shortstop and third baseman, 1963–1976 - Thomas PiteraThomas PiteraThomas "Tommy Karate" E. Pitera is a former Mafia hitman in the Bonanno crime family. Pitera earned a reputation as a vicious and sadistic killer who enjoyed murdering people. He was suspected by law enforcement of as many as 60 murders. He was well known for his use of karate and other martial...
, mafia mobster, grew up in Sheepshead Bay - Mark RothMark RothMark Roth is a former professional bowler. He was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. As a youth he resided in Meiers Corners, Staten Island, New York City, New York.-Bowling career:...
, professional bowler; second in all-time professional tour earnings - Michelle TrachtenbergMichelle TrachtenbergMichelle Christine Trachtenberg is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Dawn Summers in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl...
(born 1985), actress.