President of Finland visits Sunset Park, former Finnish stronghold
During a recent visit to New York, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö took a tour of the area in Sunset Park that was known once known as Finntown.
According to Finnish Consul General Mika Koskinen, Finntown, which was located in northern Sunset Park, was populated by Finns from the early 1900 to the 1960s. “At best there were about 20,000 Finns living in the area,” he tweeted.
The Finns in Sunset Park, who had a tradition of cooperative living in Finland, were pioneers in the development of co-op apartment buildings, and estimates of the numbers of these buildings range from about 25 to about 50.