The neighborhood of Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York, is sometimes referred to as “Brooklyn’s Little Latin America” due to its vibrant and thriving populations of people from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and various countries in South and Central America.
The influx of Hispanic people marked the second age of Sunset Park, revitalizing some of the neighborhood’s more rundown areas and adding many new businesses to the local economy. Today there is an abundance of Hispanic restaurants and markets along Fifth Avenue in Sunset Park.
As of the 2009 Census, approximately 42% of residents of Sunset Park were Hispanic or Latino, 36% were white (Caucasian or Arab), 29% were Asian (primarily Chinese), 3% were black/African American, and 24% were "some other race".
New York City in general saw a dramatic increase in the number of Puerto Ricans between 1900 and 1930, and in the 1950s the population began to be displaced from Manhattan to the outer boroughs. In 1966 the United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park was formed to help citizens in the community. Today the neighborhood of Sunset Park celebrates Puerto Rican Day in June.
Sunset Park is also home to immigrants from Ecuador, Columbia, Peru, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. The neighborhood is infused with the flavors and sounds of Latin America, making it a wonderful place to learn authentic salsa dancing, shop for specialty foods and eat at delicious restaurants that capture the various nuances of the different Latin American cultures through their food and drinks.
Anyone who appreciates Latin dance, the many types of Latin music, and the spicy and complex flavors of Latino culture will enjoy eating, drinking, dancing and shopping in Sunset Park.
