Union City, New Jersey

Union City is a city in Hudson County, on the west bank of the Hudson River, in New Jersey. It is located right across to the west of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and to the north of Hoboken.

In terms of size, Union City is very small for a city. It covers only 1.27 sq mi (3.28 sq km). Yes, with a population of 53,000 (2011 estimate), it is the most densely populated city in the United States.

City Hall, Union City
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:11.22.10UnionCityCityHallByLuigiNovi.jpg
Author: Nightscream


Union City was created on 1 June, 1925 by merging Union Hill with West Hoboken. Long before the city was founded, the area was the traditional home of the Lenni Lenape people, whom explorer Henry Hudson encountered when he arrived there in 1609. Hudson was under the employment of the Dutch West Indies Company. He named the area, inclusive of present-day Manhattan, New Netherland.

As Dutch settlers arrived to colonize the area, in no time conflicts erupted with the Native Americans. To protect themselves, the settlers under Peter Stuyvesant built a fortified village, which they called Bergen. The site of Bergen is at Journal Square in present-day Jersey City.

St Michael's Monastery, Union City, New Jersey
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:8.14.09StMichaelsMonasteryByLuigiNovi.jpg
Author: Nightscream


The British captured the area from the Dutch in 1664. By then, the settlement has been established in Bergen, which became a town in 1668, and in 1682, Bergen County was formed. At that time, the Union City area has not yet been developed. It wasn't until Hoboken was created in 1849, then it expanded to create West Hoboken in 1861 and Union Township in 1864. The settlements and villages were eventually merged, and was known as Union Hill. The northern neighborhood of Union Hill was later developed as West New York, in 1898.

As with various other parts of New Jersey and New York, the Union City area saw waves of immigrants from various lands coming to settle there. The Germans arrived in the mid 19th century, along with Swiss, Austrian and Dutch immigrants. Together they created the early neighborhoods of Union City, and created the lace-making industry that is still on-going in Union City. They were followed by the Irish, Polish, Armenians, Syrians, Eastern European Jews and Italians.

Union City Historical Museum, formerly the Public Library
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:11.10.10UnionCityMuseum%26CulturalCenterByLuigiNovi2.jpg
Author: Nightscream


In the 1940's a new wave of immigrants from Cuba descended on Union City. Many ethnic Germans were facing racial discrimination during that time, and moved away just as the Cubans were moving in. Eventually Union City had the biggest Cuban enclave in the United States after Miami. They add to the fabric of Union City, introducing cigar-making as a local industry.

Union City has maintained a family-oriented character, with family homes often holding more than one family. In the final decades of the 20th century, it has seen the development of high-rise condominiums, whose name The Thread celebrates the city's association with the lace-making industry.

Visiting Union City, New Jersey

From Manhattan, take the Lincoln Tunnel, which continues as New Jersey Route 495 that runs through Union City.

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