North Bergen

As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 63,361. The township was founded in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by a series of secessions. Situated on the Hudson Palisades, it is one of the hilliest municipalities in the United States. North Bergen is among those places in the nation with the highest population density and a majority Hispanic population. The area was the territory of Hackensack tribe of the Lenape Native Americans, who maintained a settlement, Espatingh, on the west side of the hills. In 1658, Peter Stuyvesant, then Director-General of New Netherland, repurchased from them the area now encompassed by the municipalities of Hudson County east of theHackensack River. The entire region that 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. In the 20th century the area became a proving ground for new technologies: the airplane and the automobile. The town was an important destination during peak German immigration to the United United States, which is recalled today in Schuzen Park, founded today in 1874. Further north, Guttenberg Racetrack became a notable and notorious destination, which became a notorious and notorious tourist destination after its closing in the 1950s and 1960s. At the time, the area was heavily forested, traversed by paths used by the indigenous and colonizing population and became known as Bergen Woods.

History

At the time of European colonization the area was the territory of Hackensack tribe of the Lenape Native Americans. In 1660, Peter Stuyvesant granted permission to establish the semi-autonomous colony of Bergen, with the main village located at today's Bergen Square. North Bergen was incorporated as a township on April 10, 1843, by an act of the New Jersey Legislature. The entire region that is now known as North Hudson experienced massive immigration and urbanization during the latter half of the 19th century. During this era many of Hudson County's cemeteries were developed along the town's western slope of the Hudson Palisades. 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, Nungesser's Guttenberg Racetrack became a proving ground for new technologies: the airplane and the automobile. The development of Hudson Boulevard, which skirts around the west, north and east of North Ber Gen, was completed in the early 20th century and was considered to be fine for "motoring". The two sections: Kennedy Boulevard and East Bergenline, a broad street which accommodated the North Hudson/Braddock Park/Hudson County Railway, at the northwest corner of North Braddock Park and North Hudson Park are still popular tourist attractions today. The city of Jersey City was incorporated on February 22, 1838, and in 1840 Hudson County, comprising the city and Bergen Township, was created from the southern portion of Ber gen County.

Geography

In 1850, the township was roughly rectangular. When the municipalities along the Hudson River broke away, it left North Bergen roughly an inverted "L", or "axe-shaped" Its northern section stretches eastwest and is south of the Bergen County communities of Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Fairview and Ridgefield. Its northsouth section lies between Secaucus to the west and to the east Guttenberg, West New York and Union City. The cuesta, or slope, on its west side makes the city with the second-most hills per square mile in the United States after San Francisco. The unusual shape and diverse topography have created diverse historical and contemporary neighborhoods: Bergenline Avenue runs to Nungessers at the Fairview border near North Hudson Park. The town has seven cemeteries, more than any other town in the county, including some, such as Weehawken Cemetery and Hoboken Cemetery, that were at one time designated for other towns. Low-lying areas along the west side are part of the New Jersey Meadowlands. Other historical unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Homestead, Granton, Hudson Heights, New Durham, Shadyside, Three Pigeons and Tyler Park. It has been described as the longest commercial avenue in the state, with over 300 retail stores and restaurants. The township had a total area of 5.57 square miles (14.43 km²) according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Demographics

The 2010 U.S. census counted 60,773 people, 22,062 households, and 14,539 families in the township. The racial makeup was 66.98% (40,705) White, 4.04% (2,456) Black or African American, 0.88% (535) Native American, 6.55% (3,979) Asian,0.08% (49) Pacific Islander, 16.63% (10,107) from other races, and 4.84% (2,942) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 68.40% (41,569) of the population. 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 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.3 males. The per capita income for the township was $20,058. About 9.6% of families and 11.1%. of the residents of the township were below the poverty line, including 14.0%. of those under age 18 and 14.5. of those age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.33.

Economy

North Bergen has several retail districts, along Bergenline Avenue, Tonnelle Avenue, and near Transfer Station. Portions of the city are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. Union City was selected in 1996 as one of a group of seven zones added to participate in the program. New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway operates five intermodal freight transport facilities within the township. The zone was established based on legislation passed in February 1995 through the efforts of Senator Sacco, one of the sponsors of legislation creating the zones. The city's Urban Enterprise zone status expires in April 2026.Hudson News and Liz Claiborne are large employers in North Bergen, along with other local businesses such as the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office and the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment and investment within the UEZ, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate (half of the 6+58% rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. The UEZ was established in April 1995, the zone's status is set to expire in 2026, and the city is one of 37 zones in New Jersey to be included in the Urban Enterprise Zones program. The state has a total of 32 Urban EnterpriseZones, covering 37 towns and cities in the state, including Union City, Newburgh, and Binghamton.

Government

North Bergen has been governed under the Walsh Act form of New Jersey municipal government since 1931. The governing body is comprised 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, each individual is assigned to head one of the five commissions and the commissioners select one of their members to serve as mayor. For the 117th United States Congress, New Jersey's Eighth Congressional District is represented by Albio Sires (D, West New York). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark) and Bob Menendez (Harrison, term ends 2025). For the 2022-2023 session, the 32nd Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature isrepresented in the State Senate by Nicholas Sacco (D) and in the General Assembly by Angelica M. Mejia (D). The Hudson County Executive, elected at large, is Thomas A. DeGise (D), whose district includes North Bergen, Secaucus and the northern tip of Secaucus. North Ber gen is located in the 8th Congressional District and is part of New York's 32nd state legislative district. As of March 2011, there were a total of 30,595 registered voters in North Ber Gen, of which 18,861 (861 as Democrats, 2,462 as Republicans and 9,301 as Unaffiliated) There were 16,301 (4.30%) registered as Un affiliated and 16,000 (4,301) were registered as Republicans.

Education

The North Bergen School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 201819 school year, the district, comprised of seven schools, had an enrollment of 7,576 students and 581.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentteacher ratio of 13.0:1. Students from Guttenberg attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Guttenburg Public School District. A Step Ahead Preschool is a private pre-K through kindergarten school established in 1993. The Hudson County Schools of Technology constructed a new site for the school in Secaucus at a cost of $160 million. The former High Tech High School campus was acquired by the North Bergan district, which plans to construct a new junior high school for grades 79 on the site. The district had been the location of a county magnet school for ninth through tw 12th grades. The school was closed and replaced by a new high school, which opened in the 2014-15 school year. The new school will have a capacity of 2,376 students; the old school had 1,111 students; and the new school has a capacity for 1,100 students; in grades 18 and 18. The current high school is located on a former high school campus, which was closed in the 1990s and replaced with a new school for 9th through 12th grade. The old high school was demolished in the 2010-11 school year; a new building was built on the former site for grades 9-12.

Transportation

As of May 2010, North Bergen had a total of 64.74 miles (104.19 km) of roadways. Bus service is provided along busy northsouth corridors on Kennedy Boulevard, Bergenline Avenue, and Boulevard East by NJ Transit and privately operated dollar vans. Jitney commuter buses operate along Bergenlines Avenue, providing service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, the Newport Centre and other local destinations. The county's most frequent route for dollar buses, jitneys operate as frequently as one bus every minute, some operated by Spanish Transportation. HBLR light rail service is available at the Tonnelle Avenue station and Ber genline Avenue station (in Union City) to points in Weehawken, Hoboken, Jersey City and Bayonne. The 181 and 188 lines terminate at George WashingtonBridge 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. Lines 121, 125, 127, 128, 154, 156, 158, 159, 165, 166, 168, 320 routes terminate at Midtown Manhattan and Journal Square. Lines 162, 163, 164, 165 and 168 terminate at Hoboken and Jersey City, and the 181, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179 and 190 terminate at New York City and Hoboken respectively.

Media and culture

In the late 2000s, North Bergen, Weehawken, Union City, Guttenberg, and West New York came to be dubbed collectively as "NoHu", a North Hudson haven for local performing and fine artists. Many of these artists 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. The Jersey Journal is a local daily paper based in Jersey City. Local weeklies include the free bilingual paper, Hudson Dispatch Weekly, and the Spanish language El Especialito. River View Observer is a monthly newspaper that covers the Hudson Waterfront market. Online news HudsonCountyView.com, HudsonTV.com, and the HudPost.com all cover local North Ber gen news. The Hudson Reporter is a group of local weeklies based in Hudson, New York, with offices in New York City, New Jersey, and New Jersey. It is owned by The Hudson Group, which also owns the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post. It was founded in 1903 and is one of the oldest local newspapers in the United States. It has been in operation since the early 20th century, and is now owned by the same group as The Hudson Company. It also has its own website, HudsonDispatchWeekly.com. The company also owns Hudson Dispatch, a free daily paper that covers Hudson County news and features a variety of other local issues.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in North Bergen, Hudson County, New Jersey = 14.1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 27. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in North Bergen = 3.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 63,361 individuals with a median age of 38.4 age the population dropped by -4.85% in North Bergen, Hudson County, New Jersey population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 12,336.6 residents per square mile of area (4,763.2/km²). There are average 2.75 people per household in the 19,826 households with an average household income of $50,198 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.80% of the available work force and has dropped -4.61% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 18.98%. The number of physicians in North Bergen per 100,000 population = 138.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in North Bergen = 44.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 26.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 120. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 219. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 25.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 45, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in North Bergen, Hudson County, New Jersey which are owned by the occupant = 34.38%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 52 years with median home cost = $320,460 and home appreciation of -23.03%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $29.69 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $10,071 per student. There are 13.5 students for each teacher in the school, 1202 students for each Librarian and 438 students for each Counselor. 3.37% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.47% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.13% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).