Union City

History

The area of what is today Union City was originally inhabited by the Munsee-speaking branch of Lenape Native Americans, who wandered into the vast woodland area encountered by Henry Hudson during the voyages he conducted from 1609 to 1610 for the Dutch, who later claimed the area (which included the future New York City) and named it New Netherland. The portion of that land that included the future Hudson County was purchased from members of the Hackensack tribe of the Lenni-Lenape and became part of Pavonia, New Netherland. The relationship between the early Dutch settlers and Native Americans was marked by frequent armed conflict over land claims. In 1658 by New Netherland colony Director-General Peter Stuyvesant re-purchased the territory. The boundaries of the purchase are described in the deed preserved in the New York State Archives, as well as the medium of exchange: "80 fathoms of wampum, 20 fathoms of cloth, 12 brass kettles, 6 guns, one double brass kettle, 2 blankets, and one half barrel of strong beer." In 1660, he ordered the building of a fortified village at Bergen to protect the area. It was the first permanent European settlement in New Jersey, located in what is now the Journal Square area of Jersey City near Academy Street. In 1664, the British captured New Netherland from the Dutch, at which point the boundaries of Bergen Township encompassed what is now known as Hudson County. North of this was the unpopulated Bergen Woods, which would later be claimed by settlers, after whom a number of Union City streets today are named, Brown Street, Golden Lane, which is named after J. Kerrigan, the owner of Kerrigan Farm, who donated the land for Saint Michael's Monastery. The area that would one day be Union City, however, remained sparsely populated until…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 1.29 square miles (3.33 km2), all of which was land. it is one of the municipalities which comprise North Hudson. Located atop the ridge of the lower Hudson Palisades (just south of the highest point in the county), many of its streets offer glimpses and views of the surrounding municipalities, the New York City skyline, and the New Jersey Meadowlands. The city is bisected by New Jersey Route 495, a vehicular cut built in conjunction with the Lincoln Tunnel. Soon after its construction, many street names were abandoned in favor of numbering in most of North Hudson starting at 2nd Street, just north of Paterson Plank Road, which runs through the city's only major park and creates its border with Jersey City. 49th Street is the northern boundary with West New York. Apart from a small section between Bergen Turnpike and Weehawken Cemetery, Kennedy Boulevard, a major north–south thoroughfare, creates the western border with North Bergen. A former colonial road and previous border between the merged municipalities takes three names as it diagonally crosses the city's urban grid: Hackensack Plank Road, 32nd Street, and Bergen Turnpike. Most of the city north of the street, formerly Union Hill, shares its eastern border along Park Avenue with Weehawken. The southern section of the city, formerly West Hoboken, is indeed west of Hoboken, The city borders the Hudson County municipalities of Hoboken, Jersey City, North Bergen, Weehawken and West New York. It is the only municipality in Hudson County to be entirely surrounded by other county municipalities.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  218,662
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  205,670
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  187,511
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  174,707
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  173,002
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  166,045
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  158,594
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  142,573

Largest nearby schools

• Union City High School
  High · Union City · 3,025 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Bayonne High School
  High · BAYONNE · 2,656 students · 12.5:1 ratio
• North Bergen High School
  High · N BERGEN · 2,355 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Memorial High School
  High · WEST NEW YORK · 2,251 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• William L Dickinson High School
  High · JERSEY CITY · 2,024 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Kearny High School
  High · KEARNY · 1,827 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• BelovED Community Charter School
  Other · Jersey City · 1,551 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• James J Ferris High School
  High · JERSEY CITY · 1,348 students · 14.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-08-05
  1 km N of Hillsdale, New Jersey
• M 3 — 2025-08-03
  0 km W of Little Ferry, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-05-24
  6 km E of Califon, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-05-01
  1 km NW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-04-27
  7 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-04-10
  5 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey