Etymology Hudson County is named after the explorer
Henry Hudson, who charted much of the region in 1609.
The Lenape and New Netherland at center left). Hudson County is called Oesters Eylandt, or Oyster Island. At the time of European contact in the 17th century, Hudson County was the territory of the
Lenape (or
Lenni-Lenape), namely the bands (or family groups) known as the
Hackensack, the
Tappan, the
Raritan, and the
Manhattan. They were a seasonally migrational people who practiced small-scale agriculture (
companion planting) augmented by
hunting and gathering which likely, given the topography of the area, included much (shell) fishing and trapping. These groups had early and frequent trading contact with Europeans. Their
Algonquian language can still be inferred in many local place names such as
Communipaw,
Harsimus,
Hackensack,
Hoboken,
Weehawken,
Secaucus, and
Pamrapo.
Henry Hudson, for whom the county and river on which it sits are named, established a claim for the area in 1609 when anchoring his ship the
Halve Maen (
Half Moon) at
Harsimus Cove and
Weehawken Cove. The west bank of the
North River (as it was called) and the cliffs, hills, and marshlands abutting and beyond it, were settled by Europeans (Dutch, Flemish, Walloon, Huguenot) from the
Lowlands around the same time as
New Amsterdam. In 1630,
Michiel Pauw received a land patent, or
patroonship and purchased the land between the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers, giving it the Latinized form of his name,
Pavonia. He failed to settle the area and was forced to return his holdings to the
Dutch West India Company. Homesteads were established at
Communipaw (1633),
Harsimus (1634),
Paulus Hook (1638), and Hoebuck (1643). Relations were tenuous with the Lenape, and eventually led to
Kieft's War, which began as a slaughter by the Dutch at
Communipaw and is considered to be one of the first genocides of Native Americans by Europeans. A series of raids and reprisals across the province lasted two years and ended in an uneasy truce. Other homesteads were established at
Constable Hook (1646),
Awiehaken (1647), and other lands at
Achter Col on
Bergen Neck. In 1658,
Director-General Peter Stuyvesant of
New Netherland negotiated a deal with the Lenape to re-purchase the area named
Bergen, "by the great rock above Wiehacken," including the whole peninsula from
Sikakes south to
Bergen Point/
Constable Hook. In 1661, a charter was granted the new village/garrison at the site of present-day
Bergen Square, establishing what is considered to be the oldest self-governing
municipality in New Jersey. The British gained control of the area in 1664, and the Dutch finally ceded formal control of the province to the English in 1674.
The British and early America fights his
fatal duel with
Aaron Burr. Illustration after painting "Ein Ehrenhandel" by Joseph Munsch (Austrian, 1832–1896) By 1675, the
Treaty of Westminster finalized the transfer and the area became part of the British colony of
East Jersey, in the administrative district of
Bergen Township. The county's seat was transferred to
Hackensack in 1709, after
Bergen County was expanded west. Small villages and farms supplied the burgeoning
city of New York, across the river, notably with oysters from the vast beds in the Upper New York Bay, and fresh produce, sold at
Weehawken Street, in Manhattan. During the American Revolutionary War, the area was under British control which included garrisons at
Bulls Ferry and the fort at
Bergen Neck. Colonialist troops used the heights to observe enemy movements. The
Battle of Paulus Hook, a surprise raid on a British fortification in 1779, was seen as a victory and morale booster for revolutionary forces. Many downtown Jersey City streets bear the name of military figures
Mercer,
Greene,
Wayne, and
Varick among them.
Weehawken became notorious for duels, including the nation's most famous between
Alexander Hamilton and
Aaron Burr in 1804. Border conflicts for control of the waterfront with New York (which claimed jurisdiction to the high water line and the granting of ferry concessions) restricted development though some urbanization took place in at
Paulus Hook and
Hoboken, which became a vacation spot for well-off New Yorkers. The
Morris Canal, early steam railroads, and the development of
New York Harbor stimulated further growth. In September 1840, Hudson County was created by separation from
Bergen County and annexation of some
Essex County lands, namely
New Barbadoes Neck. During the 19th century, Hudson played an integral role in the
Underground Railroad, with four routes converging in Jersey City.
Boundaries Most of Hudson County, apart from
West Hudson, was part of
Bergen Township, which dates back to 1661 and was formally created by an act of the
New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of the first group of 104 townships formed in New Jersey, while the area was still a part of
Bergen County. As Jersey City grew, several neighboring communities were annexed:
Van Vorst Township (March 18, 1851),
Bergen City and
Hudson City (both on May 2, 1870), and
Greenville Township (February 4, 1873). Weehawken was formed as a township by an act of the
New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1859, from portions of
Hoboken and
North Bergen. A portion of the township was ceded to Hoboken in 1874. Additional territory was annexed in 1879 from
West Hoboken. The bill was approved by the State legislature on April 2, 1869, and the special election was scheduled for October 5, 1869. An element of the bill provided that only contiguous towns could be consolidated. The results of the election were as follows: While a majority of the voters approved the merger, only Jersey City, Hudson and Bergen could be consolidated since they were the only contiguous approving towns. Both the Town of Union and Union Township could not be included due to the dissenting vote of West Hoboken which lay between them and Hudson City. On March 17, 1870, Jersey City, Hudson City, and Bergen merged into Jersey City. Only three years later the present outline of Jersey City was completed when Greenville agreed to merge into the Greater Jersey City. On July 5, 1898, the residents of
Union Township passed a referendum to incorporate as the town of
West New York, which became effective on July 8, 1898. With the creation of West New York, Union Township was dissolved. On January 1, 1925, Union City was incorporated as a city by an act of the
New Jersey Legislature, replacing both
Union Hill and
West Hoboken Township. Construction, first of ports, and later railroad terminals, in
Jersey City,
Bayonne,
Hoboken, and
Weehawken (which significantly altered the shoreline with
landfill) fueled much of the development. European immigration, notably German-language speakers and Irish (many fleeing famine) initiated a population boom that would last for several decades. Neighborhoods grew as farms, estates, and other holdings were sub-divided for housing, civic and religious architecture. Streets (some with trolley lines) were laid out.
Stevens Institute of Technology and
Saint Peter's University were established. Before the opening, in 1910, of the
Pennsylvania Railroad's
North River Tunnels under the Hudson, trains terminated on the west bank of the river, requiring passengers and cargo to travel by ferry or barge to New York. Transfer to the
Hudson and Manhattan Railroad tubes (now
PATH) became possible upon its opening in 1908.
Hoboken Terminal, a national historic landmark originally built in 1907 by the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad to replace the previous one, is the only one of five major rail/ferry terminals that once dotted the waterfront still in operation.
West Shore Railroad Terminal in Weehawken, Erie Railroad's
Pavonia Terminal and Pennsylvania Railroad's Exchange Place in Jersey City were all razed. , 1902
Central Railroad of New Jersey's Communipaw Terminal, across a small strait from
Ellis Island and the
Statue of Liberty, played a crucial role in the massive immigration of the period, with many newly arrived departing the station to embark on their lives in America. Many, though, decided to stay, taking jobs on the docks, the railroads, the factories, the refineries, and in the
sweatshops and
skyscrapers of Manhattan. Many manufacturers, whose names read as a "Who's Who" in American industry established a presence, including
Colgate,
Dixon Ticonderoga,
Maxwell House,
Standard Oil, and
Bethlehem Steel. , then and now: Facing south toward 32nd Street, circa 1900 (left), and in 2010 (right)
North Hudson, particularly Union City, became the
schiffli "embroidery capital of America". The industry included businesses that provided embroidery machines and parts, fabrics, thread, embroidery designs, dying, chemical lace etching, and bleaching. There were hundreds of small shops, each with one or a few machines, producing a wide array of products. Finished embroidery supplied the garment and home goods industries. Secaucus boasted numerous pig farms and rendering plants. It was during this period that much of the housing stock, namely one and two family homes and low-rise apartment buildings, was built; municipal boundaries finalized, neighborhoods established. Commercial corridors such as
Bergenline, Central, Newark and Ocean Avenues came into prominence.
Journal Square became a business, shopping, and entertainment mecca, home to
The Jersey Journal, after which it is named, and movie palaces such as
Loew's Jersey Theater and
The Stanley.
World Wars and New Deal at sunset in 1927 entrance circa 1940 Upon entry into
World War I, the US government took over control of the
Hamburg-American Line piers in Hoboken under
eminent domain, and Hudson became the major point of embarkation for more than three million soldiers, known as "
doughboys". In 1916, an act of sabotage literally and figuratively shook the region when
German agents set off bombs at the munitions depot in New York Bay at
Black Tom. The forerunner of
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was established on April 30, 1921. Huge transportation projects opened between the wars: The
Holland Tunnel in 1927, The
Bayonne Bridge in 1931, and The
Lincoln Tunnel in 1937, allowing vehicular travel between New Jersey and New York City to bypass the waterfront. Hackensack River crossings, notably the
Pulaski Skyway, were also built. What was to become
New Jersey City University opened. Major
Works Progress Administration projects included the construction of stadiums in Jersey City and Union City. Both were named for President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, who attended the opening of the largest project of them all, The
Jersey City Medical Center, a massive complex built in the
Art Deco Style. During this era, the "Hudson County Democratic Machine", known for its cronyism and corruption, with Jersey City mayor
Frank Hague at its head was at its most powerful. Industries in Hudson were crucial to the war effort during WWII, including the manufacture
PT boats by
Elco in Bayonne.
Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne (MOTBY) was opened in 1942 as a U.S. military base and remained in operation until 1999.
Post-war years After the war maritime and manufacturing industries still dominated the local economy, and union membership provided guarantees of good pay packages. Though some returning servicemen took advantage of GI housing bills and moved to close by suburbs, many with strong ethnic and familial ties chose to stay. Baseball legend
Jackie Robinson made his minor league debut at Roosevelt Stadium and "broke" the baseball color line. Much of Hudson County experienced the phenomenon of ethnic/economic groups leaving and being replaced by others, as was typical of most urban communities of the New York Bay region. When the big businesses decided to follow them or vice versa, Hudson County's socioeconomic differences became more profound. Old economic underpinnings disintegrated. Attempts were made to stabilize the population by demolishing so-called slums and build subsidized middle-income housing and the pockets of so-called "good neighborhoods" came in conflict with those that went into decline. Riots occurred in Jersey City in 1964. Lower property values allowed the next wave of immigrants, many from Latin America, to rent or buy in the county.
North Hudson, particularly Union City, saw many
émigrés fleeing the Cuban revolution take up residence. Unlike other urban industrial areas of comparable size, age and density,
North Hudson did not experience marked
urban decay or a crime wave during the late 20th century, its population and economic base remaining basically stable, in part, because of its good housing stock, tightly knit neighborhoods and satisfactory schools systems.
Pre/post-millennium The county since the mid-1990s has seen much real estate speculation and development and a population increase, as many new residents purchase existing housing stock as well as condominiums in high- and mid-rise developments, many along the waterfront. What had started as a
gentrification in the 1980s became a full-blown "redevelopment" of the area as many suburbanites, transplanted Americans, internationals, and immigrants (most focused on opportunities in NY/NJ region and proximity to Manhattan) began to make the "Jersey" side of the Hudson their home, and the "real-estate boom" of the era encouraged many to seek investment opportunities. The exploitation of certain parts of the waterfront and other
brownfields led to commercial development as well, especially along former rail yards. Hudson felt the short- and long-term impact of the destruction of the
World Trade Center intensely: its proximity to lower Manhattan made it a place to evacuate to, many residents who worked there lost their jobs (or their lives), and many companies sought office space across the river. Re-zoning, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, and New Jersey State land-use policy of
transit villages have further spurred construction. Though very urban and with some of the highest residential densities in the United States, the Hudson communities have remained fragmented, due in part to New Jersey's long history of home rule in local government; geographical factors such as Hudson River inlets/canals, the cliffs of the
New Jersey Palisades and rail lines; and ethnic/demographic differences in the population. As the county sees more development this traditional perception is challenged. ==Demographics==