Brooklyn

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This article is about the borough in New York City. For other uses, see Brooklyn (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 40°41′34″N 73°59′25″W

Brooklyn
Borough of New York City
Kings County
Clockwise from top left: Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn brownstones, Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch, Brooklyn Borough Hall, Coney Island
Flag Seal
Motto: Eendraght Maeckt Maght ("Unity makes strength")
Location of Brooklyn, shown in red, in New York City
Coordinates: 40°37′29″N 73°57′8″W
Country	United States of America
State	New York
County	Kings
City	New York City
Settled	1634
Named for	Breukelen, Netherlands
Government
• Type	Borough (New York City)
• Borough President	Eric Adams (D) — (Borough of Brooklyn)
• District Attorney	Eric Gonzalez[2] — (Kings County)
Area
• Total	97 sq mi (250 km2)
• Land	71 sq mi (180 km2)
• Water	26 sq mi (70 km2)
Population (2015)
• Total	2,636,735[1]
• Density	37,137.1/sq mi (14,338.7/km2)
• Demonym	Brooklynite
ZIP Code prefix	112
Area code(s)	347, 718, 917, 929
Website	www.Brooklyn-USA.org

Brooklyn (/ˈbrʊklᵻn/) is the most populous borough of New York City, with a Census-estimated 2,636,735 residents in 2015.^[1] It borders the borough of Queens at the southwestern end of Long Island. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, the most populous county in the U.S. state of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, after the county of New York (which is coextensive with the borough of Manhattan).^[3]
With a land area of 71 square miles (180 km²) and water area of 26 square miles (67 km²), Kings County is New York's fourth-smallest county by land area and third-smallest by total area, though it is the second-largest among the city's five boroughs.^[4] Today, if New York City dissolved, Brooklyn would rank as the third-most populous city in the U.S., behind Los Angeles and Chicago.
Brooklyn was an independent incorporated city (and previously an authorized village and town within the provisions of the New York State Constitution) until January 1, 1898, when, after a long political campaign and public relations battle during the 1890s, according to the new Municipal Charter of "Greater New York", Brooklyn was consolidated with the other cities, boroughs, and counties to form the modern "City of New York," surrounding the Upper New York Bay with five constituent boroughs. The borough continues, however, to maintain a distinct culture. Many Brooklyn neighborhoods are ethnic enclaves. Brooklyn's official motto, displayed on the Borough seal and flag, is Eendraght Maeckt Maght which translates from early modern Dutch as "Unity makes strength".
In the first decades of the 21st century, Brooklyn has experienced a renaissance as an avant garde destination for hipsters,^[5] with concomitant gentrification, dramatic house price increases, and a decrease in housing affordability.^[6] Since 2010, Brooklyn has evolved into a thriving hub of entrepreneurship and high technology startup firms,^[7][8] and of postmodern art^[9] and design.^[8]