peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...

Newark Bay Newark Bay is a tidal bay at the confluence of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers in northeastern New Jersey. It is home to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, the largest container shipping facility in Port of New York and New Jersey, ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Bergen Point, is separated from

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

by the

Kill van Kull __NOTOC__ The Kill Van Kull is a tidal strait between Staten Island, New York and Bayonne, New Jersey in the United States. It is approximately long and wide and connects Newark Bay with Upper New York Bay. The Robbins Reef Light marks th ...

, which is crossed by the

Bayonne Bridge Bayonne Bridge is an arch bridge spanning the Kill Van Kull and connecting Bayonne, New Jersey with Staten Island in New York City. It carries New York State Route 440 (NY 440) and New Jersey Route 440. It is the sixth-longes ...

. It was likely first called so in the 17th century by the first Dutch and English speaking settlers to the region between the bays and northward along the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

and

Hackensack River The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) 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 subur ...

. Though now part of Hudson County, the area was part of

Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Bergen Township, which lasted until 1862. It was first named Oyster Island by the Dutch, who at first thought it was an island, and for a brief period after the British takeover of

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva ...

in 1674 was called Old Hackensack Neck. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

British maps showed it as Barren Neck. Bergen Neck is rarely used, occasionally replaced by the terms such as Bayonne Peninsula, Hudson Peninsula, South Hudson. It gave its name to a fort during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, which was built in 1776, occupied by the British in 1777, and demolished in September 1782. (In British hands the fort was renamed for

Oliver De Lancey, Sr. Major-General Oliver De Lancey (September 17, 1718 – October 27, 1785) was a merchant and Loyalist politician and soldier during the American Revolutionary War. His surname is also sometimes written as de Lancey or Delancey. Career The son ...

as Fort Delancey.) It still lends its name to

First Reformed Dutch Church of Bergen Neck The First Reformed Dutch Church of Bergen Neck, now known as ''The First Federated Church of Bayonne'' is located in Bayonne, New Jersey, Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The church was added to the N ...

in Bayonne. The waterfront of Bergen Neck varies greatly. The Central Railroad of New Jersey crossed the CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge to its line to

Communipaw Terminal The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, also known as Communipaw Terminal and Jersey City Terminal, was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey. The terminal was built in 1889, replacing ...

, portions of which are now used by the Hudson Bergen Light Rail. The

National Docks Secondary National Docks Secondary is a freight rail line within Conrail's North Jersey Shared Assets Area in Hudson County, New Jersey, used by CSX Transportation. It provides access for the national rail network to maritime, industrial, and distributi ...

line is now used by Norfolk Southern to Port Jersey and other points. The emergence of the Hudson Palisades on Bergen Neck is called Bergen Hill, which is also traversed with rail lines. During the 20th century the east side of the peninsula was home to heavy industry, rail and shipping facilities, and military installations, notably

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co- ...

, Central Railroad of New Jersey, and the

Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne (MOTBY) was a U.S. military ocean terminal located in the Port of New York and New Jersey which operated from 1967 to 1999. From 1942 to 1967 the site was the Bayonne Naval Drydock. The site is on Upper New Yor ...

. Some areas, particularly Constable Hook and Port Jersey still function in that capacity. Other brownfields have been redeveloped for residential, commercial, and recreational use, such as Liberty State Park. The west, or

Newark Bay Newark Bay is a tidal bay at the confluence of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers in northeastern New Jersey. It is home to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, the largest container shipping facility in Port of New York and New Jersey, ...

side, in Bayonne has traditionally been more residential while in Jersey City, it has tended to be more mixed-use, combining residences, retail, municipal services, manufacturing, and recreation, such as Lincoln Park. Projects to provide public access to the water's edge are in progress with the creation of Hudson River Waterfront Walkway and the

Hackensack RiverWalk Hackensack RiverWalk, also known as the Hackensack River Greenway, a is partially constructed greenway along the Newark Bay and Hackensack River in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The linear park, which closely follows the contour o ...

.

References

{{Coord, 40.7, -74.1, format=dms, display=title Bayonne, New Jersey Landforms of Hudson County, New Jersey Peninsulas of New Jersey Colonial forts in New Jersey

See also

References