A fascinating destination to visit and exciting place to live, Brooklyn is a dynamic NYC hub, widely considered to be one of the “It” places in the world right now. Beef up your fun knowledge of our favorite borough with these interesting facts.
1. BROOKLYN IS NO LONGER A CITY, BUT IT ONCE WAS.
In what is known as, “the great mistake of 1898,” Brooklyn merged with New York City. Brooklyn’s land borders are exactly the same as those of Kings County, which means Brooklyn is, in a sense, its own county.
2. BROOKLYN IS LARGER, BOTH IN TERMS OF LAND AREA AND POPULATION, THAN MANHATTAN.
The second most densely populated county in the United States (after Manhattan), Brooklyn had 2,621,793 residents to Manhattan’s 1,636,268 in 2014. Brooklyn has 71 square miles of land. Manhattan has 23. If it were its own city, Brooklyn would be the fourth largest in the United States.
3. BROOKLYN HAS 30 MILES OF SHORELINE.
Visitors to the city are often surprised to find there are actually nice beaches in and around the borough.
4. BROOKLYN IS ON LONG ISLAND, BUT IS NOT CONSIDERED PART OF LONG ISLAND.
If you grew up in the Northeast or were stellar at geography as a child, this might not be news to you. But many people across the country and world have heard of both Brooklyn and Long Island, yet are unaware that they share the same land mass. The Brooklyn History Museum was called the Long Island Historical Society until the 1980s.
5. SETTLED BY THE DUTCH AS A FARMING VILLAGE IN THE EARLY 1600S, BROOKLYN WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED BREUCKELEN.
Breuckelen means “Broken Land” in Dutch. The borough’s official motto is Een Draght Mackt Maght, which translates to “In unity there is strength” in Old Dutch.
6. IN 2006, A COLD WAR BOMB SHELTER WAS UNCOVERED ON THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE DURING A ROUTINE STRUCTURAL INSPECTION BY CITY WORKERS.
Inside the bunker were found crackers (more than 350,000 of them, apparently still edible), medical supplies, paper blankets, and water drums.
7. BROOKLYN HAS SOME 700 ARTS AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS.
The most prolific include The Brooklyn Museum, New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Historical Center, Barclays Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum.
8. THE MEDIAN AGE OF A BROOKLYN RESIDENT IS 34.7.
This is a full two years younger than the national median of 36.8.
9. THE ICONIC CYCLONE ROLLER COASTER AT CONEY ISLAND HAS BEEN DISHING OUT THRILLS FOR JUST SHY OF 90 YEARS.
The wooden coaster opened on June 26, 1927, was designated a New York City landmark in 1988, and added to the National Register of Historic places in 1991.
10. BROOKLYN’S HISTORY IS SATURATED WITH INNOVATIVE BREAKTHROUGHS.
Some products branded, invented or patented in Brooklyn include the deep-fried Twinkie, Sweet’N Low, teddy bears, the country’s first roller coaster, the first bank credit card, and Nathan’s famous hot dogs.
Now that you know facts about Brooklyn that even many Brooklynites do not know, you should be extra excited about your upcoming visit. Staying at NU Hotel Brooklyn, you’ll be close to hundreds of arts and cultural institutions, historic landmarks, and other sites featured on this list. Be sure to check a few out during your stay!