Finntown (Brooklyn, New York)

Finntown is a small area located in the neighborhood of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Named after the surge of Finnish immigrants arriving during the first decades of the 20th century, Finntown is perhaps most notable for the socialist activities of the Finnish Home Building Association that resulted in the establishment in 1916 of the non-profit Alku Toinen co-operative houses, located at 816 and 826 43rd Street.

“A family on a day’s wages owning the apartment in which it lives? But seeing is believing. There they stand, two four-story brick apartment houses, with attractive entrances, wide groups of windows, and areas affording a flood of light for every room” – and all for $27 a month."