North Bergen, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
North Bergen is a township
in Hudson County
, New Jersey
, United States
. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 60,773. Originally founded in 1843, the town was much diminished in territory by a series of secession
s. Situated on the Hudson Palisades, it is one of the "hilliest" municipalities in the United States
. Like neighboring North Hudson
communities is among those places in the nation with one of the highest population densities and a majority Hispanic population.
, the township has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), of which, 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (7.47%) is water.
North Bergen is roughly shaped like an inverted "L". It northern section stretches east-west and is south of Bergen County
. It's north-south section lies between Secaucus
to the west and Guttenberg
, West New York, and Union City
, which with it meets Jersey City
at a single point at its southern end.
North Bergen has a diverse geological features. Partially situated on the North River (Hudson River), the Hudson Palisades rise from the waterfront
, while the northern part of the town sits atop the plataeu. The cuesta
, or slope, on the west side of area makes North Bergen the city with the second most hills per square mile in the United States after San Francisco
, some of which are extremely steep. A rock formation along the slope (located at 40°48′27"N 74°01′05"W) is composed of unusual serpentinite
rock and made up of small rock cliffs. Because of this, it is one of the few undeveloped parts of North Bergen. Low-lying areas along the west side are part of the New Jersey Meadowlands
. The unusual shape and diverse topography of North Bergen have create a diverse historical and contemporary neighborhoods.
, who maintained a settlement, Espatingh, on the west side of the hills., and where a Dutch trading post
was established after the Peach Tree War
. In 1658, Peter Stuyvesant
, then Director-General of New Netherland
, re-purchased from them the area now encompassed by the municipalities of Hudson County east of the Hackensack River
. In 1660 he granted permission to establish the semi-autonomous colony of Bergen
, with the main village located at today's Bergen Square
, considered to be the first chartered municipality in what would became the state of New Jersey. At the time the area of North Bergen was heavily forested, traversed by paths used by the indigenous and colonializing population and became known as Bergen Woods, a name recalled in today's neighborhood
. After the 1664 surrender of Fort Amsterdam
the entire New Netherland
colony came into the possession of the British, who established the Province of New Jersey
. In 1682, the East Jersey
legislature created Bergen County, consisting of all the land in the peninsula between the Hackensack
and Hudson River
s; that is, the eastern portions of what today is Bergen and Hudson Counties. In 1693, Bergen County was divided into two townships: Hackensack Township in the north, and Bergen Township, encompassing the Bergen Neck
peninsula, in the south. The border between the two townships is the current Hudson-Bergen county line. While settlement was sparse, communities developed along the Bergen Turnpike at the Three Pigeons
and Maisland
, later New Durham
. French botanist André Michaux
developed his gardens nearby. On the North River (Hudson River), Bulls Ferry
became an important landing for crossings to Manhattan
. While ostensibly under British control during the American Revolutionary War
, the area was patrolled by the Americans on foraging
, espionage, and raiding expeditions.
, from the northern portion of Bergen Township. At the time, the town included everything east of the Hackensack River and north of what is now Jersey City. The entire region which is now known as North Hudson
experienced massive immigration and urbanization during the latter half of the 19th century, and led to the creation of various new towns. Portions of the North Bergen were taken to form Hoboken Township (April 9, 1849, now the City of Hoboken
), Hudson Town (April 12, 1852, later part of Hudson City), Hudson City
(April 11, 1855, later merged with Jersey City
), Guttenberg
(formed within the township on March 9, 1859, and set off as an independent municipality on April 1, 1878), Weehawken
(March 15, 1859), Union Township
and West Hoboken Township
(both created on February 28, 1861), Union Hill town
(March 29, 1864) and Secaucus
(March 12, 1900). During this era many of Hudson County's cemeteries were developed along the town's western slope of the Hudson Palisades. At their foot in the Meadowlands
the Erie
, the New York, Susquehanna and Western
, and the West Shore
railroads ran right-of-ways to their terminals on the Hudson, the last building its tunnel
through Bergen Hill
at North Bergen. The area was important destination during peak German immigration to the United States, and is recalled today in Schuetzen Park, founded in 1874. Further north, the Guttenburg Racetrack
became a notable and notorious destination which after its closing became a proving ground for new technologies, the automobile
and the airplane.
and Boulevard East
, was completed in the early 20th century,and by 1913 it was considered to be fine for "motoring". Residential districts along and between the boulevards were developed. Bergenline Avenue, a broad street which accommodated the North Hudson County Railway
streetcars to Nungesser's became (and remains) an important commercial and transit corridor. In 1935, in one of the most stunning upsets in boxing history, local hero James J. Braddock
won the world heavyweight championship. A resident of the town until his death, the county park is now named for him. Soon after the opening of the Lincoln Tunnel Approach, the Susquehanna Transfer
was built to accommodate passengers who wished to transfer to buses through the tunnel
. At the time of its construction in 1949 the WOR TV Tower
, in the midst the residential Woodcliff Section
, was the tenth tallest man-made structure in the world. In the early 1960s two notable paleontological finds
of fossils from the Newark Basin
were made near the foot of the cliffs at one of several former quarries, the Granton, of which today's avenue is a namsake. The former quarry
remained an archeological site until at least 1980. In contrast to other Hudson County
towns during the latter half of the century, North Bergen grew significantly in population. Many residents are part of the wave of Spanish language speakers
which had begun in the 1960s with Cuban émigré
s, leading to the moniker Havanna on the Hudson for the North Hudson area.
of 2000, there were 58,092 people, 21,236 households, and 14,249 families residing in the township. The population density
was 11,179.6 people per square mile (4,313.4/km²). There were 22,009 housing units at an average density of 1, 634.2/km² (4,235.5/sq mi). The racial makeup of the township was 67.36% White, 2.72% African American, 0.40% Native American, 6.47% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 15.53% from other races
, and 7.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 57.25% of the population.
There were 21,236 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples
living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the township the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
Males had a median income of $35,626 versus $29,067 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $20,058. About 9.6% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.
The township is a suburb of New York City
, where about 21% of the township's employed residents work.
. It is a state-established "Urban Enterprise Zone
", implemented through a program designed to assist businesses in communities across New Jersey. Businesses within the zone are eligible for a variety of incentives, including a sales tax reduction to customers of 3½% (from the mandated 7% statewide sales tax), with no tax on clothing or on purchases made by merchants related to running their businesses. Revenue generated from the reduced sales tax is maintained in a special fund dedicated for use within the zone for specific economic development and physical improvement projects. The zone was established in February 1995 through the efforts of Senator Sacco, one of the sponsors of legislation creating the zones.
The Vitamin Shoppe
is headquartered in North Bergen. Hudson News and Liz Claiborne
are large employers.
form of New Jersey municipal government since 1931. The government consists of five commissioners elected at large to the Township Committee in non-partisan elections to serve four-year terms of office on a concurrent basis. After each election, the commissioners select one of their members to serve as mayor and each individual is assigned to head one of the five commissions.
Members of the North Bergen Township Committee are:
North Bergen is part of both the 9th and 13th Congressional districts.
In the 2008 United States presidential election
, Barack Obama
received 14,791 votes (70% of the votes cast) from North Bergen voters, while John McCain
received 6,100 votes (29%).
North Bergen is in the
North Bergen is in the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders District 8.
(NHRFR). Seven are located in town.. NHRFR and North Bergen Emergency Medical Services (headquartered at 63rd St. and Granton Ave) were among the many Hudson County agencies that responded to the January 2009 crash of Flight 1549, as did Palisades Medical Center
, where 57 of the survivors were treated for injuries.
serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005–06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
) are six elementary schools —
Franklin School (K-8; 634 students),
Robert Fulton School (K-8; 1,131),
John F. Kennedy School (K-8; 511),
Lincoln School (PreK-8; 1,367),
Horace Mann School (K-8; 1,081),
McKinley School (PreK-8; 378) — and
North Bergen High School
for grades 9-12 (2,380 students). Students from Guttenberg
attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship
with the Guttenberg Public School District
.
North Bergen is also home to A Step Ahead Preschool, a private pre-K through kindergarten school established in 1993.
Public transportation in North Bergen is provided by bus and light rail service.
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
(HBLR) service is available at the Tonnelle Avenue
station and Bergenline Station
to points in Weehawken, Hoboken
, Jersey City and Bayonne
.
Bus service is provided along busy north-south corridors on Kennedy Boulevard, Bergenline Avenue, and Boulevard East
by New Jersey Transit
and privately operated guagua (minibus) within Hudson County, and to Bergen County and Manhattan
, New York City
. Nungessers
is a major orgination and transfer point. Lines terminating at Port Authority Bus Terminal
in Midtown Manhattan
are the 121, 125, 127, 128, 154, 156, 158, 159, 165, 166, 168, 320 routes. The 181 and 188 lines terminate at George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
in Upper Manhattan
. Lines 22, 23, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88 and 89 terminate either at Journal Square
or Hoboken Terminal
. The 751 travels to Edgewater
and Hackensack
.
Route 495 travels between the Lincoln Tunnel
and the New Jersey Turnpike
with interchanges for Route 3 and U.S. Route 1/9
, which runs north-south on the western edge side of town.
), North Bergen Reporter
(part of the Hudson Reporter
group of local weeklies), and the Spanish language El Especialito. River View Observer
is a monthly newspaper that covers the Hudson Waterfront
market.
In the late 2000s, North Bergen, Weehawken, Union City
and West New York came to be dubbed collectively as "NoHu", a North Hudson
haven for local performing and fine artists, many of whom are immigrants from Latin America
and other countries, in part due to lower housing costs compared to those in nearby art havens such as Hoboken
, Jersey City and Manhattan
.
Township (New Jersey)
A township, in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. As a political entity, a township is a full-fledged municipality, on par with any town, city, borough, or village, collecting property taxes and providing...
in Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 60,773. Originally founded in 1843, the town was much diminished in territory by a series of secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
s. Situated on the Hudson Palisades, it is one of the "hilliest" municipalities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Like neighboring North Hudson
North Hudson, New Jersey
North Hudson is the collective name of the municipalities of Weehawken , Union City , West New York , Guttenberg and North Bergen in Hudson County, New Jersey...
communities is among those places in the nation with one of the highest population densities and a majority Hispanic population.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the township has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), of which, 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (7.47%) is water.
North Bergen is roughly shaped like an inverted "L". It northern section stretches east-west and is south of Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
. It's north-south section lies between Secaucus
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
to the west and Guttenberg
Guttenberg, New Jersey
Guttenberg , is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 11,176. Only four blocks wide, Guttenberg is one of the smallest municipalities in New Jersey and the most densely populated incorporated place in the...
, West New York, and Union City
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
, which with it meets Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
at a single point at its southern end.
North Bergen has a diverse geological features. Partially situated on the North River (Hudson River), the Hudson Palisades rise from the waterfront
Hudson Waterfront
The Hudson Waterfront is in northeastern New Jersey along the lower reaches of the Hudson River, the Upper New York Bay and the Kill van Kull. Though the term can specifically mean the shoreline, it often used to mean the contiguous urban area between the Bayonne Bridge and the George Washington...
, while the northern part of the town sits atop the plataeu. The cuesta
Cuesta
In structural geology and geomorphology, a cuesta is a ridge formed by gently tilted sedimentary rock strata in a homoclinal structure. Cuestas have a steep slope, where the rock layers are exposed on their edges, called an escarpment or, if more steep, a cliff...
, or slope, on the west side of area makes North Bergen the city with the second most hills per square mile in the United States after San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, some of which are extremely steep. A rock formation along the slope (located at 40°48′27"N 74°01′05"W) is composed of unusual serpentinite
Serpentinite
Serpentinite is a rock composed of one or more serpentine group minerals. Minerals in this group are formed by serpentinization, a hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle...
rock and made up of small rock cliffs. Because of this, it is one of the few undeveloped parts of North Bergen. Low-lying areas along the west side are part of the New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. The Meadowlands are known for being the site of large landfills and decades of...
. The unusual shape and diverse topography of North Bergen have create a diverse historical and contemporary neighborhoods.
- Bergenline runs to NungessersNungessersNungessers is the name of the confluence of roads that meet at the Hudson and Bergen county line at North Bergen and Fairview in northeastern New Jersey. The area is former site the Nungesser's Gutenberg Racetrack, a late 19th century gaming and gambling venue. The neighborhood just south of...
at the Fairview border near North Hudson ParkNorth Hudson, New JerseyNorth Hudson is the collective name of the municipalities of Weehawken , Union City , West New York , Guttenberg and North Bergen in Hudson County, New Jersey... - Racetrack-between Bergenline and Kennedy BoulevardCounty Route 501 (New Jersey)County Route 501 is a county highway in New Jersey in two sections spanning Middlesex, Hudson and Bergen Counties. The southern section runs from South Plainfield to Perth Amboy, the northern section runs from Bayonne to Rockleigh, and the two sections are connected by New York State Route 440...
on the plateauPlateauIn geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau... - BergenwoodBergenwood, North BergenBergenwood is a long narrow district of North Bergen, New Jersey in the northern central part of the township between Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue, characterized by the steep slopes on the west side of the Hudson Palisades as they descend to the New Jersey Meadowlands...
, on the steep slopeCuestaIn structural geology and geomorphology, a cuesta is a ridge formed by gently tilted sedimentary rock strata in a homoclinal structure. Cuestas have a steep slope, where the rock layers are exposed on their edges, called an escarpment or, if more steep, a cliff...
s of the west side of the Palisades - New DurhamNew Durham, North BergenNew Durham is an area of North Bergen, New Jersey near the foot of Union Turnpike and Bergen Turnpike, and south of the Tonnelle Avenue Station of the Hudson Bergen Light Rail...
site of colonial American Three PigeonsThree PigeonsThe Three Pigeons was a prominent and famous meeting place in Bergen Township, New Jersey during the revolutionary period, and was used historically as a landmark as well as a popular place for hosting special occasions.-Location and Name:...
near the Bergen Turnpike and Tonnelle AvenueTonnelle Avenue (HBLR station)Tonnelle Avenue is a station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail located at 51st Street in North Bergen, New Jersey. The station opened for service on February 25, 2006.... - Meadowview, behind the Municipal Building between the many cemeteries:
- Flower Hill CemeteryFlower Hill Cemetery, North BergenFlower Hill Cemetery is located in North Bergen, New Jersey. It is cojoined with Hoboken Cemetery and Machpelah Cemetery.-Notable burials:*Ed Alberian children's television actor and entertainer...
, Hoboken CemeteryHoboken Cemetery, North BergenThe Hoboken Cemetery is located at 5500 Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, New Jersey. It is bordered by Flower Hill Cemetery. Originally when the Secaucus Junction was built on land that was the Hudson County Burial Grounds, bodies exhumed were to be re-interred at the Hoboken Cemetery...
, Grove Church CemeteryGrove Church CemeteryThe Grove Church Cemetery is a nonsectarian cemetery, located on the western slope of the Hudson Palisades, along with several other cemeteries in a string of green open space, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The Grove Church, who owns the cemetery, is one of the oldest religious...
, and Weehawken CemeteryWeehawken CemeteryThe Weehawken Cemetery, like neighboring Hoboken Cemetery, is not located in its namesake town of Weehawken but rather on the western slope of the Hudson Palisades in North Bergen, New Jersey, with its main entrance on Bergen Turnpike. At its east side the cemetery is overlooked by the Bergen Crest...
- Flower Hill Cemetery
- Bulls FerryBulls FerryBulls Ferry is the area along the Hudson River in the North HudsonCounty, New Jersey municipalities of West New York, Guttenberg, and North Bergen....
, on the Hudson Waterfront site of Roc Harbor, Palisades Medical CenterPalisades Medical CenterPalisades Medical Center is a regional hospital in North Bergen, New Jersey. The hospital has approximately 202 beds and serves approximately 350,000 people in Southern Bergen and Hudson counties...
the Hudson River Waterfront WalkwayHudson River Waterfront WalkwayThe Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, also known as the Hudson River Walkway, is an ongoing and incomplete project located on Kill van Kull and the western shore of Upper New York Bay and the Hudson River, implemented as part of a New Jersey state-mandated master plan to connect the municipalities... - Babitt, in the MeadowlandsNew Jersey MeadowlandsNew Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. The Meadowlands are known for being the site of large landfills and decades of...
, a part of which is a wetlands preserve known as the Eastern Brackish Marsh. - WoodcliffWoodcliff, North BergenWoodcliff is a neighborhood in northeastern North Bergen, New Jersey. The center of area is a large Hudson County park known as North Hudson Park, which refers to the collective name of the municipalities in northern part of the county, and is officially named for James J...
on the Hudson Palisades around the North Hudson Park - Transfer Station near the single point border Union CityUnion City, New JerseyUnion City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
and Jersey CityJersey City, New JerseyJersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
near Paterson Plank RoadPaterson Plank RoadPaterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey originally lain in the colonial era. The route, connecting the city Paterson and the Hudson River waterfront, still exists...
, Kennedy Boulevard, and Secaucus RoadSecaucus, New JerseySecaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
. - Schuetzen ParkSchuetzen ParkSchuetzen Park is a privately owned park in North Bergen, New Jersey, USA that has existed since 1874 and is located on the ridge of the Hudson Palisades at Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Turnpike just north of the Marginal Highway...
/Columbia Park Kennedy Boulevard where Hackensack Plank RoadHackensack Plank RoadThe Hackensack Plank Road was a major artery which connected the cities of Hoboken and Hackensack, New Jersey Like its cousin routes, the Newark Plank Road and Paterson Plank Road, it travelled over Bergen Hill and across the Hackensack Meadows from the Hudson River waterfront to the city for...
becomes the Bergen Turnpike
Colonial era
At the time of European colonization the area was the territory of Hackensack tribe of the LenapeLenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
, who maintained a settlement, Espatingh, on the west side of the hills., and where a Dutch trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
was established after the Peach Tree War
Peach Tree War
The Peach Tree War, also known as the "Peach War," is the name given to a large scale attack on the New Netherland colony of Pavonia, across from New Amsterdam, and surrounding settlements along the North River by the Susquehannock Nation and allied Native Americans on September 15,...
. In 1658, Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant , served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was renamed New York...
, then Director-General of New Netherland
Director-General of New Netherland
This is a list of Directors, appointed by the Dutch West India Company, of the 17th century Dutch province of New Netherland in North America...
, re-purchased from them the area now encompassed by the municipalities of Hudson County east of the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
. In 1660 he granted permission to establish the semi-autonomous colony of Bergen
Bergen, New Netherland
Bergen was a part of the 17th century province of New Netherland, in the area in northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers that would become contemporary Hudson and Bergen Counties...
, with the main village located at today's Bergen Square
Bergen Square
Bergen Square, at the intersection of Bergen Avenue and Academy Street in Jersey City, is in the southwestern part of the much larger Journal Square district...
, considered to be the first chartered municipality in what would became the state of New Jersey. At the time the area of North Bergen was heavily forested, traversed by paths used by the indigenous and colonializing population and became known as Bergen Woods, a name recalled in today's neighborhood
Bergenwood, North Bergen
Bergenwood is a long narrow district of North Bergen, New Jersey in the northern central part of the township between Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue, characterized by the steep slopes on the west side of the Hudson Palisades as they descend to the New Jersey Meadowlands...
. After the 1664 surrender of Fort Amsterdam
Fort Amsterdam
For the historic fort on the island of Saint Martin, see Fort Amsterdam Fort Amsterdam was a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan that was the administrative headquarters for the Dutch and then British rule of New York from...
the entire New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
colony came into the possession of the British, who established the Province of New Jersey
Province of New Jersey
The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland, but came under English rule after the surrender of Fort Amsterdam in 1664, becoming a...
. In 1682, the East Jersey
East Jersey
The Province of East Jersey and the Province of West Jersey were two distinct, separately governed parts of the Province of New Jersey that existed as separate provinces for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. East Jersey's capital was located at Perth Amboy...
legislature created Bergen County, consisting of all the land in the peninsula between the Hackensack
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
and Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
s; that is, the eastern portions of what today is Bergen and Hudson Counties. In 1693, Bergen County was divided into two townships: Hackensack Township in the north, and Bergen Township, encompassing the Bergen Neck
Bergen Neck
Bergen Neck is a name for the peninsula between the Upper New York Bay and the Newark Bay in the Hudson County, New Jersey municipalities of Bayonne and Jersey City...
peninsula, in the south. The border between the two townships is the current Hudson-Bergen county line. While settlement was sparse, communities developed along the Bergen Turnpike at the Three Pigeons
Three Pigeons
The Three Pigeons was a prominent and famous meeting place in Bergen Township, New Jersey during the revolutionary period, and was used historically as a landmark as well as a popular place for hosting special occasions.-Location and Name:...
and Maisland
Maisland
Maisland, or Mais Land was an area in Hudson County, New Jersey.-Location:The region of Maisland was located on the western slope of the Hudson Palisades....
, later New Durham
New Durham, North Bergen
New Durham is an area of North Bergen, New Jersey near the foot of Union Turnpike and Bergen Turnpike, and south of the Tonnelle Avenue Station of the Hudson Bergen Light Rail...
. French botanist André Michaux
André Michaux
André Michaux was a French botanist and explorer.-Biography:Michaux was born in Satory, now part of Versailles, Yvelines. After the death of his wife within a year of their marriage he took up the study of botany and was a student of Bernard de Jussieu...
developed his gardens nearby. On the North River (Hudson River), Bulls Ferry
Bulls Ferry
Bulls Ferry is the area along the Hudson River in the North HudsonCounty, New Jersey municipalities of West New York, Guttenberg, and North Bergen....
became an important landing for crossings to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. While ostensibly under British control during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the area was patrolled by the Americans on foraging
Forage War
The Forage War was a partisan campaign consisting of numerous small skirmishes that took place in New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War between January and March 1777, following the battles of Trenton and Princeton...
, espionage, and raiding expeditions.
Toponymy, secession, and urbanization
In 1838, Jersey City was re-incorporated as separate municipality, and in 1840 Hudson County, comprising the city and Bergen Township, was created from the southern portion of Bergen County. North Bergen was incorporated as a township on April 10, 1843, by an Act of the New Jersey LegislatureNew Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
, from the northern portion of Bergen Township. At the time, the town included everything east of the Hackensack River and north of what is now Jersey City. The entire region which is now known as North Hudson
North Hudson, New Jersey
North Hudson is the collective name of the municipalities of Weehawken , Union City , West New York , Guttenberg and North Bergen in Hudson County, New Jersey...
experienced massive immigration and urbanization during the latter half of the 19th century, and led to the creation of various new towns. Portions of the North Bergen were taken to form Hoboken Township (April 9, 1849, now the City of Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
), Hudson Town (April 12, 1852, later part of Hudson City), Hudson City
Hudson City, New Jersey
Hudson was a city that existed in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, from 1855 to 1870 when it became part of Jersey City.Hudson Town, a predecessor of Hudson City, was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 12, 1852, from portions of North Bergen Township.Hudson City itself...
(April 11, 1855, later merged with Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
), Guttenberg
Guttenberg, New Jersey
Guttenberg , is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 11,176. Only four blocks wide, Guttenberg is one of the smallest municipalities in New Jersey and the most densely populated incorporated place in the...
(formed within the township on March 9, 1859, and set off as an independent municipality on April 1, 1878), Weehawken
Weehawken, New Jersey
Weehawken is a township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 12,554.-Geography:Weehawken is part of the New York metropolitan area...
(March 15, 1859), Union Township
Union Township, Hudson County, New Jersey
This article is for the now-defunct town in Hudson County, NJ. For the current towns of the same name in Hunterdon County and Union County, seeUnion Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey and Union Township, Union County, New Jersey....
and West Hoboken Township
West Hoboken, New Jersey
West Hoboken was a municipality that existed in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, from 1861 to 1925.West Hoboken was originally incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 28, 1861, from portions of North Bergen Township. The township was reincorporated on...
(both created on February 28, 1861), Union Hill town
Union, Hudson County, New Jersey
Union Hill was a town that existed in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, from 1864 to 1925.Union Hill was incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 29, 1864, from portions of Union Township . Portions of North Bergen Township were added in 1866...
(March 29, 1864) and Secaucus
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
(March 12, 1900). During this era many of Hudson County's cemeteries were developed along the town's western slope of the Hudson Palisades. At their foot in the Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. The Meadowlands are known for being the site of large landfills and decades of...
the Erie
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
, the New York, Susquehanna and Western
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway , also known as the Susie-Q, or simply the Susquehanna, is a Class II American freight railway operating over 500 miles of track in the northeastern states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It was formed in 1881 from the merger of several...
, and the West Shore
West Shore Railroad
The West Shore Railroad was the final name of a railroad from Weehawken, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City, north along the west shore of the river to Albany, New York and then west to Buffalo...
railroads ran right-of-ways to their terminals on the Hudson, the last building its tunnel
Bergenline Avenue (HBLR station)
Bergenline Avenue is a station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail . The intermodal facility is located on 49th Street between Bergenline Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard at the border of Union City, West New York and North Bergen, New Jersey The station opened for service on February 25, 2006.-Design and...
through Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
at North Bergen. The area was important destination during peak German immigration to the United States, and is recalled today in Schuetzen Park, founded in 1874. Further north, the Guttenburg Racetrack
Racetrack Section, North Bergen
The Racetrack Section of North Bergen, New Jersey is a mostly residential district between Bergenline and Kennedy Boulevard. Its east-west streets follow the numbering of other North Hudson towns while its north-south streets are called avenues and are numbered First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth...
became a notable and notorious destination which after its closing became a proving ground for new technologies, the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
and the airplane.
20th century
The development of Hudson County Boulevard, now known by its two sections which meet in North Hudson Park, Kennedy BoulevardCounty Route 501 (New Jersey)
County Route 501 is a county highway in New Jersey in two sections spanning Middlesex, Hudson and Bergen Counties. The southern section runs from South Plainfield to Perth Amboy, the northern section runs from Bayonne to Rockleigh, and the two sections are connected by New York State Route 440...
and Boulevard East
Boulevard East
Boulevard East is a two-way, mostly two lane, scenic thoroughfare in the North Hudson, New Jersey municipalities of Weehawken, West New York, Guttenberg and North Bergen. Apart from small sections at either end, the road runs along the crest of the Hudson Palisades, affording it views of the Hudson...
, was completed in the early 20th century,and by 1913 it was considered to be fine for "motoring". Residential districts along and between the boulevards were developed. Bergenline Avenue, a broad street which accommodated the North Hudson County Railway
North Hudson County Railway
The North Hudson Railway Company built and operated a streetcar system in Hudson County and southeast Bergen County, New Jersey before and after the turn of twentieth century. It was founded by John Bonn, and eventually taken over by the Public Service Railway...
streetcars to Nungesser's became (and remains) an important commercial and transit corridor. In 1935, in one of the most stunning upsets in boxing history, local hero James J. Braddock
James J. Braddock
James Walter "The Cinderella Man" Braddock was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from 1935 to 1937....
won the world heavyweight championship. A resident of the town until his death, the county park is now named for him. Soon after the opening of the Lincoln Tunnel Approach, the Susquehanna Transfer
Susquehanna Transfer (NYS&W station)
Susquehanna Transfer was a passenger station on the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, located in North Bergen, New Jersey at the Route 495 overpass...
was built to accommodate passengers who wished to transfer to buses through the tunnel
Lincoln Tunnel
The Lincoln Tunnel is a long tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey and the borough of Manhattan in New York City.-History:...
. At the time of its construction in 1949 the WOR TV Tower
WOR TV Tower
WOR TV Tower was a 760 foot tall lattice tower used for FM- and TV-broadcasting at North Bergen, New Jersey, USA. The 420 ton tower was built in 1949. At the time of its construction, it was the tenth tallest man-made structure in the world. At the beginning of 1953, the TV transmissions were...
, in the midst the residential Woodcliff Section
Woodcliff, North Bergen
Woodcliff is a neighborhood in northeastern North Bergen, New Jersey. The center of area is a large Hudson County park known as North Hudson Park, which refers to the collective name of the municipalities in northern part of the county, and is officially named for James J...
, was the tenth tallest man-made structure in the world. In the early 1960s two notable paleontological finds
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
of fossils from the Newark Basin
Newark Basin
The Newark Basin is a sediment-filled rift basin located mainly in northern New Jersey but also stretching into south-eastern Pennsylvania and southern New York. It is part of the system of Eastern North America Rift Basins.-Geology:...
were made near the foot of the cliffs at one of several former quarries, the Granton, of which today's avenue is a namsake. The former quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
remained an archeological site until at least 1980. In contrast to other Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
towns during the latter half of the century, North Bergen grew significantly in population. Many residents are part of the wave of Spanish language speakers
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
which had begun in the 1960s with Cuban émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
s, leading to the moniker Havanna on the Hudson for the North Hudson area.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 58,092 people, 21,236 households, and 14,249 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 11,179.6 people per square mile (4,313.4/km²). There were 22,009 housing units at an average density of 1, 634.2/km² (4,235.5/sq mi). The racial makeup of the township was 67.36% White, 2.72% African American, 0.40% Native American, 6.47% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 15.53% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 7.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 57.25% of the population.
There were 21,236 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the township the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
Males had a median income of $35,626 versus $29,067 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $20,058. About 9.6% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.
The township is a suburb of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where about 21% of the township's employed residents work.
Commerce
North Bergen has several retail districts, along Bergenline Avenue, Tonnelle Avenue, and near Transfer StationTransfer Station (Hudson County)
Transfer Station is the name of a section of Hudson County, New Jersey, which radiates from the intersection where Paterson Plank Road crosses Summit Avenue at 7th Street, and where the borders of Jersey City Heights, North Bergen, and Union City meet at one point, which is a few blocks to the...
. It is a state-established "Urban Enterprise Zone
Urban Enterprise Zone
In the United States, Urban Enterprise Zones , also known as Enterprise Zones, are intended to encourage development in blighted neighborhoods through tax and regulatory relief to entrepreneurs and investors who launch businesses in the area. UEZs are areas where companies can locate free of...
", implemented through a program designed to assist businesses in communities across New Jersey. Businesses within the zone are eligible for a variety of incentives, including a sales tax reduction to customers of 3½% (from the mandated 7% statewide sales tax), with no tax on clothing or on purchases made by merchants related to running their businesses. Revenue generated from the reduced sales tax is maintained in a special fund dedicated for use within the zone for specific economic development and physical improvement projects. The zone was established in February 1995 through the efforts of Senator Sacco, one of the sponsors of legislation creating the zones.
The Vitamin Shoppe
The Vitamin Shoppe
The Vitamin Shoppe is a New Jersey-based retailer of nutritional supplements with 500 locations in 37 states...
is headquartered in North Bergen. Hudson News and Liz Claiborne
Liz Claiborne
Anne Elisabeth Jane "Liz" Claiborne was a Belgian-born American fashion designer and entrepreneur. Claiborne is best known for founding Liz Claiborne Inc. which in 1986 became the first company founded by a woman to make the Fortune 500...
are large employers.
Local government
North Bergen is governed under the Walsh ActWalsh Act (New Jersey)
The Walsh Act is legislation in the U.S. state of New Jersey that permits municipalities to adopt a non-partisan commission form of government. The legislation was signed by Governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson on April 25, 1911. The commissions in Walsh Act municipalities are composed of either...
form of New Jersey municipal government since 1931. The government consists of five commissioners elected at large to the Township Committee in non-partisan elections to serve four-year terms of office on a concurrent basis. After each election, the commissioners select one of their members to serve as mayor and each individual is assigned to head one of the five commissions.
Members of the North Bergen Township Committee are:
- Nicholas SaccoNicholas SaccoNicholas J. Sacco is an American Democratic Party politician, who has been serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 1994, where he represents the 32nd Legislative District...
– MayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and Commissioner of Public AffairsCommissioner of Public AffairsThe Commissioner of Public Affairs heads one of the departments in those local governments in New Jersey that operate under the Walsh Act form of municipal governance. This is a standalone position in Walsh Act municipalities with a five-member commission... - Hugo D. Cabrera – Commissioner of Revenue and FinanceCommissioner of Revenue and FinanceThe Commissioner of Revenue and Finance heads one of the departments in those local governments in New Jersey that operate under the Walsh Act form of municipal governance...
- Theresa V. Ferraro – Commissioner of Public SafetyCommissioner of Public SafetyThe Commissioner of Public Safety heads one of the departments in those local governments in New Jersey that operate under the Walsh Act form of municipal governance. This is a standalone position in Walsh Act municipalities with a five-member commission...
- Frank J. Gargiulo – Commissioner of Public WorksCommissioner of Public WorksThe Commissioner of Public Works heads one of the departments in those local governments in New Jersey that operate under the Walsh Act form of municipal governance. This is a standalone position in Walsh Act municipalities with a five-member commission...
- Allen Pascual – Commissioner of Parks and Public PropertyCommissioner of Parks and Public PropertyThe Commissioner of Parks and Public Property heads one of the departments in those local governments in New Jersey that operate under the Walsh Act form of municipal governance. This is a standalone position in Walsh Act municipalities with a three-member commission...
Federal, state and county representation
In the 2008 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
received 14,791 votes (70% of the votes cast) from North Bergen voters, while John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
received 6,100 votes (29%).
North Bergen is in the
North Bergen is in the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders District 8.
Public safety
The North Bergen Police Force was founded in 1923, replacing the peace force known as "roundsmen". North Bergen's fire department merged with those of neighboring communities in 1999 to form North Hudson Regional Fire and RescueNorth Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue
North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue provides fire protection and medical assistance to the North Hudson communities of North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken, West New York, and Guttenburg, New Jersey. The fire department serves a population of over 195,000 people.Its members numbered 76 when it...
(NHRFR). Seven are located in town.. NHRFR and North Bergen Emergency Medical Services (headquartered at 63rd St. and Granton Ave) were among the many Hudson County agencies that responded to the January 2009 crash of Flight 1549, as did Palisades Medical Center
Palisades Medical Center
Palisades Medical Center is a regional hospital in North Bergen, New Jersey. The hospital has approximately 202 beds and serves approximately 350,000 people in Southern Bergen and Hudson counties...
, where 57 of the survivors were treated for injuries.
Education
The North Bergen School DistrictNorth Bergen School District
The North Bergen School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from North Bergen, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States....
serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005–06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) are six elementary schools —
Franklin School (K-8; 634 students),
Robert Fulton School (K-8; 1,131),
John F. Kennedy School (K-8; 511),
Lincoln School (PreK-8; 1,367),
Horace Mann School (K-8; 1,081),
McKinley School (PreK-8; 378) — and
North Bergen High School
North Bergen High School
North Bergen High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade from North Bergen, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the North Bergen School District....
for grades 9-12 (2,380 students). Students from Guttenberg
Guttenberg, New Jersey
Guttenberg , is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 11,176. Only four blocks wide, Guttenberg is one of the smallest municipalities in New Jersey and the most densely populated incorporated place in the...
attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...
with the Guttenberg Public School District
Guttenberg Public School District
The Guttenberg Public School District is a community public school district that serves students in Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade from Guttenberg, New Jersey, United States....
.
North Bergen is also home to A Step Ahead Preschool, a private pre-K through kindergarten school established in 1993.
Transportation
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail is a light rail system in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Owned by New Jersey Transit and operated by the 21st Century Rail Corporation, it connects the communities of Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City , and North Bergen.The system began...
(HBLR) service is available at the Tonnelle Avenue
Tonnelle Avenue (HBLR station)
Tonnelle Avenue is a station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail located at 51st Street in North Bergen, New Jersey. The station opened for service on February 25, 2006....
station and Bergenline Station
Bergenline Avenue (HBLR station)
Bergenline Avenue is a station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail . The intermodal facility is located on 49th Street between Bergenline Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard at the border of Union City, West New York and North Bergen, New Jersey The station opened for service on February 25, 2006.-Design and...
to points in Weehawken, Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, Jersey City and Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
.
Bus service is provided along busy north-south corridors on Kennedy Boulevard, Bergenline Avenue, and Boulevard East
Boulevard East
Boulevard East is a two-way, mostly two lane, scenic thoroughfare in the North Hudson, New Jersey municipalities of Weehawken, West New York, Guttenberg and North Bergen. Apart from small sections at either end, the road runs along the crest of the Hudson Palisades, affording it views of the Hudson...
by New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Bus Operations
New Jersey Transit Bus Operations is the bus division of New Jersey Transit, providing bus service throughout New Jersey along with service along one light rail line, with many routes going to New York City and Philadelphia.-History:...
and privately operated guagua (minibus) within Hudson County, and to Bergen County and Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Nungessers
Nungessers
Nungessers is the name of the confluence of roads that meet at the Hudson and Bergen county line at North Bergen and Fairview in northeastern New Jersey. The area is former site the Nungesser's Gutenberg Racetrack, a late 19th century gaming and gambling venue. The neighborhood just south of...
is a major orgination and transfer point. Lines terminating at Port Authority Bus Terminal
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City...
in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
are the 121, 125, 127, 128, 154, 156, 158, 159, 165, 166, 168, 320 routes. The 181 and 188 lines terminate at George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
The George Washington Bridge Bus Station is a commuter bus terminal located at the east end of the George Washington Bridge in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan in New York City, New York....
in Upper Manhattan
Upper Manhattan
Upper Manhattan denotes the more northerly region of the New York City Borough of Manhattan. Its southern boundary may be defined anywhere between 59th Street and 155th Street. Between these two extremes lies the most common definitions of Upper Manhattan as Manhattan above 96th Street...
. Lines 22, 23, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88 and 89 terminate either at Journal Square
Journal Square
Journal Square is a business district, residential area, and transportation hub in Jersey City, New Jersey, which takes its name from the newspaper Jersey Journal whose headquarters are located there. The "square" itself is at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenues...
or Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is one of the New York Metropolitan area's major transportation hubs. The commuter-oriented intermodal facility, is located on the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey...
. The 751 travels to Edgewater
Edgewater, New Jersey
Edgewater is a borough located along the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 census, the borough had a population of 11,513...
and Hackensack
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
.
Route 495 travels between the Lincoln Tunnel
Lincoln Tunnel
The Lincoln Tunnel is a long tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey and the borough of Manhattan in New York City.-History:...
and the New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
with interchanges for Route 3 and U.S. Route 1/9
U.S. Route 1/9
U.S. Route 9 is a U.S. highway in the northeast United States, running from Laurel, Delaware north to the Canadian border near Champlain, New York...
, which runs north-south on the western edge side of town.
Media and culture
North Bergen is located within the New York media market, with most of its daily papers available for sale or delivery. The Jersey Journal is a local daily paper based in Jersey City. Local weeklies include the free bilingual paper, Hudson Dispatch Weekly, (named for the former daily Hudson DispatchHudson Dispatch
The Hudson Dispatch was a newspaper covering events in Hudson and Bergen counties in Northern New Jersey. It published continuously from 1874 until 1991, when it was purchased by Newhouse Newspapers...
), North Bergen Reporter
North Bergen Reporter
The North Bergen Reporter is a weekly community newspaper serving North Bergen, in Hudson County, New Jersey. The paper is one of nine weekly publications produced by The Hudson Reporter Assoc., L.P. The company's main office is located in Hoboken....
(part of the Hudson Reporter
Hudson Reporter
The Hudson Reporter Assoc., L.P. is a newspaper chain based in Hoboken, New Jersey. It is the only weekly newspaper chain in Hudson County, and one of only two newspaper companies in this busy metropolitan area. The Hudson Reporter publications focus on local politics and community news. In...
group of local weeklies), and the Spanish language El Especialito. River View Observer
River View Observer
River View Observer is a monthly newspaper, published in Hudson County, New Jersey, and owned by Ad Vantage Publishing Inc., which also publishes the Bayonne Observer newspaper...
is a monthly newspaper that covers the Hudson Waterfront
Hudson Waterfront
The Hudson Waterfront is in northeastern New Jersey along the lower reaches of the Hudson River, the Upper New York Bay and the Kill van Kull. Though the term can specifically mean the shoreline, it often used to mean the contiguous urban area between the Bayonne Bridge and the George Washington...
market.
In the late 2000s, North Bergen, Weehawken, Union City
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
and West New York came to be dubbed collectively as "NoHu", a North Hudson
North Hudson, New Jersey
North Hudson is the collective name of the municipalities of Weehawken , Union City , West New York , Guttenberg and North Bergen in Hudson County, New Jersey...
haven for local performing and fine artists, many of whom are immigrants from Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and other countries, in part due to lower housing costs compared to those in nearby art havens such as Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, Jersey City and Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
Notable residents
- Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, charged in 2010 with conspiring to join a terrorist group and kill, maim, and kidnap people outside the U.S.
- James J. BraddockJames J. BraddockJames Walter "The Cinderella Man" Braddock was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from 1935 to 1937....
(1905–1974), heavyweight boxing champion from 1935 to 1937. - John O. BrennanJohn O. BrennanJohn O. Brennan is chief counterterrorism advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama; officially his title is Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and Assistant to the President...
(born 1954), Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security in the Obama White House. - James L. BrooksJames L. BrooksJames Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
(born 1940), Television and movie director. - Edd CartierEdd CartierEdward "Edd" Daniel Cartier , was an American pulp magazine illustrator.Born in North Bergen, New Jersey, Cartier studied at Pratt Institute. Following his 1936 graduation from Pratt, his artwork was published in Street and Smith publications, including The Shadow, to which he contributed many...
(1914–2008), pulp magazinePulp magazinePulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
illustratorIllustratorAn Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
. - Leo CullumLeo CullumLeo Aloysius Cullum was an American cartoonist, one of the more frequent contributors to The New Yorker with more than 800 gag cartoons published...
(1942–2010), cartoonist best known for his work in The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. - Joey DiazJoey DiazJoey "CoCo" Diaz is a Cuban-American stand-up comedian and actor best known for his recurring role as Jhoey on the TV series My Name is Earl, as well as in movies such as The Longest Yard and Taxi.-Early life:...
, stand up comedian, actor - Henry Escalante, pop musicPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
ian, and one of the 15 finalists from the 2007 season of the MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality show Making MenudoMenudo (band)Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....
. - Dan KurzmanDan KurzmanDan Halperin Kurzman , was an American journalist and writer of military history books.- Life :...
(1922–2010 ), military historian - Lionel LouekeLionel LouekeLionel Loueke is a guitarist born in the west African country of Benin. He moved to Ivory Coast in 1990 to study at the National Institute of Art. He attended the American School of Modern Music in Paris, France from 1994-1998...
(born 1973), African Jazz guitarist and sideman to Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
. - Robert Loughlin (1949-2011), artist and furniture dealer
- Danny McDermott (born 1979), professional Lightweight boxer who was raised in the city.
- Steve MoccoSteve MoccoSteve Mocco is an American amateur wrestler originally from North Bergen, New Jersey. Starting his collegiate wrestling career at the University of Iowa, Mocco was the 285-pound NCAA Division I runner-up in 2002 and champion in 2003. After taking an Olympic redshirt year, Mocco transferred to...
(born 1981), Olympic wrestler. - Ed MurawinskiEd MurawinskiEdward Murawinski was born on November 3, 1951 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He is currently employed by the New York Daily News in New York City as a cartoonist and a member of the National Cartoonist Society...
(born 1951), award-winning cartoonist for the Daily News. - Feisal Abdul RaufFeisal Abdul RaufFeisal Abdul Rauf is an American Sufi imam, author, and activist whose stated goal is to improve relations between the Muslim world and the West...
(born 1948), Muslim imam, author, and activist. - John ScarneJohn ScarneJohn Scarne was an American magician and book author who was particularly adept at playing card manipulation. He became known as an expert on cards and other games, and authored a number of popular books on cards, gambling, and related topics.-Early life:...
(1903–1985), author, expert on gambling, card games and magic tricks. - Rena SoferRena SoferRena Sherel Sofer is an American actress, primarily known for her appearances in daytime television, episodic guest appearances, and made-for-television movies...
(born 1968), actress. - Hal TurnerHal TurnerHarold Charles "Hal" Turner is an American white nationalist, Holocaust denier and blogger from North Bergen, New Jersey. In August 2010, he was convicted for making threats against three federal judges with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals...
, white supremacist shortwaveShortwaveShortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
/InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
radio host. - Ice TIce TTracy Marrow , better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American musician and actor.He was born in Newark, New Jersey and moved to the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles when he was in the 7th grade. After graduating from high school he served in the United States Army for four years...
(born 1958), rap music pioneer and actor. - Mariuz Wach, heavyweight boxer
In media
- Oak Hill, a low-budget film starring Sally KirklandSally KirklandSally Kirkland is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Kirkland was named after her mother, fashion editor Sally Kirkland, who was a fashion editor at Vogue and LIFE magazines, and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father, Frederic McMichael Kirkland, worked in the scrap...
, and directed by former GuttenbergGuttenberg, New JerseyGuttenberg , is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 11,176. Only four blocks wide, Guttenberg is one of the smallest municipalities in New Jersey and the most densely populated incorporated place in the...
mayor Peter Lavilla, about three former entertainers whose depression and addiction has led them to a homeless shelter, was filmed in both Union CityUnion City, New JerseyUnion City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
's PERCPalisades Emergency Residence CorporationPalisades Emergency Residence Corporation founded 1981, is a not-for-profit social service agency located in Union City, New Jersey. The organization provides numerous programs and services with the aim to combat poverty and end the cycle of homelessness and hunger in Hudson County, New...
homeless shelter, and a synagogueSynagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in North Bergen. In 2008, it was entered into the SundanceSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, TribecaTribeca Film FestivalThe Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
, and HobokenHoboken, New JerseyHoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
Film Festivals. - Cinderella ManCinderella ManCinderella Man is a 2005 American drama film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. The film was produced by Howard, Penny Marshall, and Brian Grazer.-Plot:James J...
starring Russel Crowe as James J. BraddockJames J. BraddockJames Walter "The Cinderella Man" Braddock was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from 1935 to 1937....
, depicted North Bergen during the Great Depression. - North Bergen is the production base for the NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
drama Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
, with scenes set in the police station and courtroom filmed on a stage at NBC's Central Archives building on West Side Avenue.
See also
- North Bergen ReporterNorth Bergen ReporterThe North Bergen Reporter is a weekly community newspaper serving North Bergen, in Hudson County, New Jersey. The paper is one of nine weekly publications produced by The Hudson Reporter Assoc., L.P. The company's main office is located in Hoboken....
- North HudsonNorth Hudson, New JerseyNorth Hudson is the collective name of the municipalities of Weehawken , Union City , West New York , Guttenberg and North Bergen in Hudson County, New Jersey...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... - Hudson River Waterfront WalkwayHudson River Waterfront WalkwayThe Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, also known as the Hudson River Walkway, is an ongoing and incomplete project located on Kill van Kull and the western shore of Upper New York Bay and the Hudson River, implemented as part of a New Jersey state-mandated master plan to connect the municipalities...
- Hackensack RiverWalkHackensack RiverWalkHackensack RiverWalk a is partially constructed greenway along the Newark Bay and Hackensack River on the west side of the Bergen Neck peninsula in Hudson County, New Jersey...
External links
- North Bergen website
- North Bergen School District
- Data for the North Bergen School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- German-American Volkvest at Schuetzen Park