Brooklyn occupies a generally low and flat terrain. It has at least 28 geographical neighborhoods, many of which grew around early villages of the same name. Among the residential areas are the attractive Brooklyn Heights on a bluff overlooking the East River; Park Slope; Flatbush; Crown Heights; Bedford-Stuyvesant; and the seaside community of Coney Island. The principal business district is located in the western part of the borough between Brooklyn Heights and Flatbush Ave. Borough Hall (built 1846-1848) is the nucleus of this area, which is also the site of many of the borough's other major public buildings.
