North Bergen is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in the northern part of

Hudson County Hudson County is a List of counties in New Jersey, county in the U.S. state of New Jersey, its smallest and most densely populated. Lying in the northeast of the state and on the west bank of the North River (Hudson River), Hudson River, the No ...

, in the U.S. state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 63,361, an increase of 2,588 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 60,773, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,681 (+4.6%) from the 58,092 counted in the 2000 census. The township was incorporated in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by a series of secessions. Situated on the

Hudson Palisades The Palisades, also called the New Jersey Palisades or the Hudson River Palisades, are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River in Northeastern New Jersey and Southeastern New York in the United States. The cliffs s ...

, it is one of the hilliest municipalities in the United States. Like neighboring North Hudson communities, North Bergen is among those places in the nation with the highest population density.

History

Colonial era

At the time of European colonization the area was the territory of Hackensack tribe of the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

Native Americans, who maintained a settlement, Espatingh, on the west side of the hills and where a Dutch

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...

was established after the Peach War. 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 the

Hackensack River The Hackensack River is a river, about 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 suburban ar ...

. This is commemorated in a

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

post off mural entitled ''Purchase of Territory of North Bergen from the Indians''. In 1660 Stuyvesant granted permission to establish the semi-autonomous colony of

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

, with the main village located at today's Bergen Square, considered to be the first chartered municipality in what would become the state of New Jersey. At the time, the area of North Bergen was heavily forested, traversed by paths used by the indigenous and colonizing population and became known as Bergen Woods, a name recalled in today's neighborhood of Bergenwood. After the 1664 surrender of Fort Amsterdam the entire

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

colony came into the possession of the British, who established the

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial history of the United States, Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherla ...

. In 1682, the East Jersey legislature formed the state's first four counties, including Bergen County, which consisted of all the land in the peninsula between the Hackensack and

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

s; that is, the eastern portions of what today is

and Hudson Counties. In 1693, Bergen County was divided into two townships: Hackensack Township in the north, and Bergen Township, encompassing the Bergen Neck peninsula, in the south. The border between the two townships is the current Hudson-Bergen county line. While settlement was sparse, communities developed along the Bergen Turnpike at the Three Pigeons and Maisland, later New Durham. French botanist

André Michaux André Michaux (' → ahn- mee-; sometimes Anglicisation, anglicised as Andrew Michaud; 8 March 174611 October 1802) was a French botanist and explorer. He is most noted for his study of North American flora. In addition Michaux collected specime ...

developed his gardens nearby. On the Hudson River, Bulls Ferry became an important landing for crossings to

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. While ostensibly under British control during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, the area was patrolled by the Americans on

foraging Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Foraging theory is a branch of behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavi ...

, espionage, and raiding expeditions, most notably the Battle of Bull's Ferry.

Toponymy, secession, and urbanization

On February 22, 1838,

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

was incorporated as a separate municipality, and in 1840 Hudson County, comprising the city and Bergen Township, was created from the southern portion of Bergen County. North Bergen was incorporated as a township on April 10, 1843, by an act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

, from the northern portion of Bergen Township. At the time, the town included everything east of the Hackensack River and north of and including what is now Jersey City Heights. 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. Portions of the North Bergen were taken to form Hoboken Township (April 9, 1849, now the City of Hoboken), Hudson Town (April 12, 1852, later part of Hudson City), Hudson City (April 11, 1855, later merged with

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

), Guttenberg (formed within the township on March 9, 1859, and set off as an independent municipality on April 1, 1878),

Weehawken Weehawken is a Township (New Jersey), township in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the Hudson Waterfront and Hudson Palisades overlooking ...

(March 15, 1859), Union Township and West Hoboken Township (both created on February 28, 1861), Union Hill town (March 29, 1864) and Secaucus (March 12, 1900).Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 145. Accessed May 30,2024. During this era many of Hudson County's cemeteries were developed along the town's western slope of the

. At their foot in the Meadowlands, the Erie, the New York, Susquehanna and Western and the West Shore railroads ran right-of-ways to their terminals on the Hudson, the last building its

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

through Bergen Hill at North Bergen. 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 notable and notorious destination which, after its closing, became a proving ground for new technologies: the automobile and the airplane.Ractrack "Winter Racing at New Jersey's Guttenberg Race Track, 1885–1893"
, Colin's Ghost: Thoroughbred Racing History, Jan 28, 2010.

20th century

The development of Hudson County Boulevard, which skirts around the west, north and east of North Bergen, was completed in the early 20th century. By 1913 it was considered to be fine for "motoring". The roadway is now known by its two sections: Kennedy Boulevard and Boulevard East. Residential districts along and between the two boulevards were developed. Bergenline Avenue, a broad street which accommodated the North Hudson County Railway streetcars to Nungesser's became (and remains) an important commercial and transit corridor. The two boulevard sections met at Bergenline Avenue, at the northwest corner of North Hudson/Braddock Park.

Soon after the opening of the Lincoln Tunnel Approach, the Susquehanna Transfer was opened in August 1939 to accommodate passengers who wished to transfer to buses through the

to the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving ab ...

. It closed in 1966. At the time of its construction in 1949, the WOR TV Tower, in the midst of the residential Woodcliff Section, was the tenth-tallest man-made structure in the world. The tower was dismantled in 1956 but in 1967, about half a mile (2500 m) to the east, the 34-story,

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric Megalith, megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, to ...

apartment building was constructed on the tip of the Palisades.. In the early 1960s two notable paleontological finds of

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

s from the Newark Basin were made near the foot of the cliffs at one of several former quarries, the Granton, of which today's avenue is a namesake. The former

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

remained an archeological site until at least 1980. North Hudson Park was renamed the James J. Braddock North Hudson County Park. In 1935, while living in North Bergen, local hero James J. Braddock won the world heavyweight championship in one of the most stunning upsets in boxing history. In contrast to other Hudson County communities during the latter half of the century, North Bergen grew significantly in population. Many residents are part of the wave of

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

speakers which had begun in the 1960s with Cuban

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social exile or self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Hugueno ...

s, leading to the nickname, Havana on the Hudson.Gray, Jerry
"Hudson County a Harbinger of a New Hispanic Influence"
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', February 23, 1991. Accessed January 1, 2015.

Geography

In 1850, the township was roughly rectangular. When the municipalities along the Hudson River (what are now Guttenberg, West New York, Union City and Weehawken) broke away, it left North Bergen roughly an inverted "L", or "axe-shaped". Its northern section stretches east–west and is south of the

Bergen County Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Fairview and Ridgefield. To the east, the

creates the shared border with the borough of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It shares a border with Carlstadt in the

. Its north–south section lies between Secaucus to the west and to the east Guttenberg, West New York and Union City, with which it meets

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

at a single point at its southern end. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the township had a total area of 5.57 square miles (14.43 km²), including 5.14 square miles (13.30 km²) of land and 0.44 square miles (1.13 km²) of water (7.83%). North Bergen has diverse geological features. Partially situated on the

, the

rise from the waterfront, while the northern part of the town sits atop the plateau. The

cuesta A cuesta () is a hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side, and a steep slope on the other. In geology, the term is more specifically applied to a ridge where a harder sedimentary rock overlies a softer layer, the whole being tilted somew ...

, or slope, on its west side makes North Bergen the city with the second-most hills per square mile in the United States after

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, some of which are extremely steep. A rock formation along the slope (located at ) is made up of unusual

serpentinite Serpentinite is a metamorphic rock composed predominantly of serpentine group minerals formed by serpentinization of mafic or ultramafic rocks. The ancient origin of the name is uncertain; it may be from the similarity of its texture or color ...

rock and made up of small rock cliffs. Because of this, it is one of the few undeveloped parts of North Bergen. Low-lying areas along the west side are part of the New Jersey Meadowlands. The unusual shape and diverse topography of North Bergen have created diverse historical and contemporary neighborhoods: * Bergenline Avenue runs to Nungessers at the Fairview border near North Hudson Park. It has been described as the longest commercial avenue in the state, with over 300 retail stores and restaurants.Pérez-Stable, Marifeli
"That other Cuban community"
, copy of article from ''

The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe countie ...

'', December 3, 2009. Accessed June 12, 2015. * The Racetrack section, between Bergenline and Kennedy Boulevard on the plateau.Lasky, Julie
"North Bergen, N.J.: Reasonably Priced and Minutes From Manhattan"
, ''

'', July 29, 2020.Accessed August 18, 2022. "In addition to the high- and low-rise condos and apartment buildings near the waterfront, there is the Racetrack district, between Bergenline Avenue and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, named for a notorious 19th-century gambling attraction that evolved into an amusement park.... Bergenwood lies between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue and has especially steep grades." * Bergenwood, on the steep slopes of the west side of the Palisades. * New Durham, site of colonial American Three Pigeons near the Bergen Turnpike and Tonnelle Avenue. * Meadowview, behind the Municipal Building between the many cemeteries. * Bulls Ferry, on the Hudson waterfront, site of Roc Harbor, Palisades Medical Center and the

Hudson River Waterfront Walkway The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, also known as the Hudson River Walkway, is a promenade along the Hudson Waterfront in New Jersey. The ongoing and incomplete project located on Kill van Kull and the western shore of Upper New York Bay and t ...

* Babbitt, in the Meadowlands district, a part of which is a wetlands preserve known as the Eastern Brackish Marsh. * Woodcliff on The Palisades around the North Hudson Park. * Transfer Station near the

tripoint A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...

with Union City and

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

near

Paterson Plank Road Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic, Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen and Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey. The route, originally laid in the colonial era, conn ...

, Kennedy Boulevard, and Secaucus Road in Secaucus. 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. 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. This may be due to the layout of the county in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with North Bergen having more land than its more densely populated neighbors, which had to bury their dead outside of town. It may also date back to the Civil War era. Among these cemeteries are Flower Hill Cemetery and Grove Church Cemetery.Passantino, Joseph
"Time of year for reflection; Weehawken cemetery actually lies in North Bergen"
, '' The Hudson Reporter'', October 19, 2014. Accessed November 13, 2019. "Other North Bergen resting places are the Grove Reformed Church cemetery, Flower Hill Cemetery, Hoboken Cemetery, Machpelah Cemetery, Bergen Crest Mausoleum, and Garden State Crematory."

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 60,773 people, 22,062 households, and 14,539 families in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 11,838.0 per square mile (4,570.7/km²). There were 23,912 housing units at an average density of 4,657.8 per square mile (1,798.4/km²). The racial makeup was 66.98% (40,705)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.04% (2,456) Black or African American, 0.88% (535) Native American, 6.55% (3,979) Asian, 0.08% (49)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 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. Of the 22,062 households, 30.3% had children under the age of 18; 42.7% were married couples living together; 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 34.1% were non-families. Of all households, 28.4% were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.35. 21.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 25.2% 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, the population had 94.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.3 males.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 58,092 people, 21,236 households, and 14,249 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 22,009 housing units at an average density of 1, 634.2/km² (4,235.5/sq mi). The racial makeup of the township was 67.36%

, 2.72%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.40% Native American, 6.47% Asian, 0.05%

, 15.53% from other races, and 7.47% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 57.25% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for North Bergen township, New Jersey

. Accessed November 12, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for North Bergen township, Hudson County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 12, 2012. There were 21,236 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.33. 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 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. Males had a median income of $35,626 versus $29,067 for females. The per capita income for the township was $20,058. About 9.6% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

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. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment and investment within the UEZ, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125%

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

rate (half of the % rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in April 1995, the city's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in April 2026. 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. Hudson News and Liz Claiborne are large employers. New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway operates five

intermodal freight transport Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation (e.g., rail, ship, aircraft, and truck), without any handling of the freight itself when changing ...

facilities within the township.

Government

Local government

North Bergen has been governed under the Walsh Act form of New Jersey municipal government since 1931. The township is one of 30 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use the

form of government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a m ...

. The governing body is comprised of five commissioners elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

to the Township Committee in

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

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.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 142. , members of the North Bergen Township Committee are Mayor Nicholas Sacco (Commissioner of Public Affairs), Hugo D. Cabrera (Commissioner of Parks and Public Property), Frank Gargiulo (Commissioner of Public Works), Julio Marenco (Commissioner of Revenue and Finance), and Allen Pascual (Commissioner of Public Safety), all serving concurrent terms of office ending in May 2027.Directory
, North Bergen Township. Accessed June 26, 2022.Elected Officials
, Hudson County, New Jersey Clerk. Accessed May 6, 2023.2019 May Municipal Election North Bergen - West New York Unofficial Results
, Hudson County, New Jersey Clerk, updated May 17, 2019. Accessed November 14, 2019.

Corruption

After serving as Township Clerk from 1971 to 1979, Joseph Mocco was arrested on August 7, 1986, on charges of illegally dumping tons of construction material within North Bergen and other nearby communities. Mocco was convicted and began serving a prison sentence in July 1995. Mocco was paroled in 1999, with several special conditions imposed on him upon his release by the New Jersey State Parole Board designed to prohibit him from working or participating in local elections. In February 2004, Peter Perez, former commissioner in charge of Parks and Recreation, was sentenced to serve six months in a federal prison for accepting kickbacks and bribes from a contractor who had several business contracts with the township. He received a reduced sentence in light of his cooperation with authorities. On March 27, 2008, North Bergen Athletic Director Jerry Maietta and Guidance Counselor Ralph Marino were among 45 men swept up in a Bergen County raid. Bergen County prosecutors described the two as lower level operatives in an expansive network of bookies, package holders, drug dealers and drug distributors. Other transactions included knock-off women's purses and human organs. On September 11, 2012, North Bergen's Superintendent of the Department of Public Works James Wiley pleaded guilty to one count of second degree conspiracy to commit official misconduct. Wiley was convicted for using the town's resources to participate in political campaigns. In November 2015, two DPW supervisors were sentenced to five years in prison following their convictions on charges that they had directed department workers to work on political campaigns and perform work on behalf of supervisors and other officials. A 2013 report issued by the office of the New Jersey State Comptroller stated that an attorney had been hired by the township between 1988 and 1990 for a

no-show job A no-show job or fictitious employment is a paid position that ostensibly requires the holder to perform duties, but for which no work, or even attendance, is actually expected. The awarding of no-show jobs is a form of political corruption, politi ...

for which he had been paid an annual salary of $18,800 plus benefits. While an employee of the township, the attorney said that he had been pressured to contribute to the mayor and other individuals affiliated with the mayor. His employment was terminated in 2006 after a disagreement with his political patrons.

Federal, state and county representation

North Bergen is located in the 8th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report
, New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 33rd state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 30,595 registered voters in North Bergen, of which 18,816 (61.5%) were registered as Democrats, 2,462 (8.0%) were registered as Republicans and 9,301 (30.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 16 voters registered to other parties. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

received 78.1% of the vote (15,600 cast), ahead of Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

with 21.1% (4,209 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (164 votes), among the 20,134 ballots cast by the township's 32,627 registered voters (161 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 61.7%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 69.6% of the vote here (14,791 cast), ahead of Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

with 28.7% (6,100 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (169 votes), among the 21,254 ballots cast by the town's 34,402 registered voters, for a turnout of 61.8%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

received 65.4% of the vote here (12,783 ballots cast), outpolling Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

with 33.5% (6,541 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (118 votes), among the 19,540 ballots cast by the town's 30,540 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 64.0. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 60.5% of the vote (6,802 cast), ahead of Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

with 38.2% (4,296 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (147 votes), among the 11,704 ballots cast by the township's 33,134 registered voters (459 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 35.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 73.9% of the vote here (9,680 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 22.3% (2,922 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 1.5% (200 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (151 votes), among the 13,106 ballots cast by the town's 28,555 registered voters, yielding a 45.9% turnout.

Public safety

The North Bergen Police Force was founded in 1923, replacing the peace force known as "roundsmen", who began patrolling the township at night in 1907. The North Bergen Police Department attracted negative publicity in 2025 after a series of alleged "pranks" by its police chief, which included defecating on the floor, spiking a coffee pot with prescription drugs, and inserting a hypodermic needle into an officer's penis. The chief and his predecessors also allegedly pressured officers into writing more parking tickets in order to raise money for the township. North Bergen's fire department merged with those of the neighboring communities of Guttenberg, Union City, West New York and

in 1999 to form North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue (NHRFR). Engine 1, Engine 6, Engine 9 / Battalion 3, Engine 13 and Ladder 5 are all located in North Bergen. NHRFR and North Bergen Emergency Medical Services (headquartered at 63rd Street and Granton Avenue) were among the many Hudson County agencies that responded to the January 2009 crash of Flight 1549, as did Palisades Medical Center, where 57 of the survivors were treated for injuries.

Education

The North Bergen School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 7,165 students and 553.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.0:1.District information for North Bergen School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed December 15, 2024. Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the

) are Franklin Elementary School (524 students; in grades 1–8), Robert Fulton Elementary School (885; K-8), John F. Kennedy Elementary School (566; 1–8), Lincoln Elementary School (1,209; PreK–8), Horace Mann Elementary School (968; 1–8), McKinley Elementary School (320; K–8), Polk Street Elementary School (258; K–8) and North Bergen High School (2,384; 9–12). Students from Guttenberg attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Guttenberg Public School District. North Bergen had been the location of High Tech High School, a county

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. Normally, a student will attend an elementary school, and this also determines the middle school and high school they attend unless they mo ...

for ninth through

s. The Hudson County Schools of Technology constructed a new site for the school in Secaucus at a cost of $160 million, which opened for the 2018–19 school year. The former High Tech High School campus was acquired by the North Bergen district, which plans to construct a new junior high school for grades 7–9 on the site. A Step Ahead Preschool is a private pre-K through kindergarten school established in 1993.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Hudson County, by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...

and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Several major roadways traverse North Bergen. Route 495 travels between the Lincoln Tunnel and the New Jersey Turnpike (

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

), with interchanges for Route 3 and U.S. Route 1/9, which runs north–south on the western edge side of the township. County Route 501 (Kennedy Boulevard) and County Route 505 (River Road) pass through on the eastern side of the township.

Public transportation

Public transportation in North Bergen is provided by bus and light rail service. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) service is available at the Tonnelle Avenue station and Bergenline Avenue station (in Union City) to points in

, Hoboken,

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

and

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

. Bus service is provided along busy north–south corridors on Kennedy Boulevard, Bergenline Avenue, and Boulevard East by NJ Transit and privately operated dollar vans within

, and to

and

, New York City. Nungessers is a major origination and transfer point. Lines terminating at

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

are the 121,

125 125 may refer to: *125 (number), a natural number *AD 125, a year in the 2nd century AD *125 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *125 (dinghy), a two person intermediate sailing dinghy *125 (New Jersey bus), a New Jersey Transit bus route *125 Liberatr ...

, 127, 128, 154, 156, 158, 159, 165, 166, 168, 320 routes. The 181 and 188 lines terminate at George Washington Bridge 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. Jitney commuter buses operate along Bergenline 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 along Bergenline Avenue as frequently as one bus every minute, some operated by Spanish Transportation.

Media and culture

North Bergen is located within the New York media market, with most of its daily papers available for sale or delivery. Local weeklies include the free bilingual paper, ''Hudson Dispatch Weekly'', (named for the former daily '' Hudson Dispatch''), '' North Bergen Reporter'' (part of The Hudson Reporter group of local weeklies), and the Spanish language '' El Especialito''. '' River View Observer'' is a monthly newspaper that covers the Hudson Waterfront market. Online new
HudsonCountyView.comHudsonTV.com
and th
HudPost.com
all cover local North Bergen news. '' The Jersey Journal'' was a local daily paper based in

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

that ceased publishing in February 2025. In the late 2000s, North Bergen,

, 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 whom are immigrants from

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and other countries, in part due to lower housing costs compared to those in nearby art havens such as Hoboken,

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

and

.Paul, Mary; and Matzner, Caren
"Scores of artists find a place in N. Hudson WNY, Union City, Weehawken, and North Bergen becoming 'NoHu'"
, '' The Hudson Reporter'', May 6, 2008. Accessed November 13, 2019. "The North Hudson artists who know each other have dubbed the area 'NoHu,' and some hope to eventually rival more established art Meccas like SoHo."

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with North Bergen include: * 070 Shake (born 1997), stage name of rapper Danielle Balbuena * Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, charged in 2010 with conspiring to join a terrorist group and kill, maim, and kidnap people outside the U.S. * Carlos Alomar (born 1951), musician, musical director, songwriter * Kyle Anderson (born 1993), NBA basketball player for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

* Rick Apodaca (born 1980), Puerto Rican professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who has played in the NCAA, USBL, National Basketball Development League, NBDL, and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico * Ronald Arévalo (born 2003), soccer player * Coco Austin (born 1979), actress, dancer, model and wife of rapper/actor Ice-T"Ice-T turns from cop-killing talk to posing nude"
. MSNBC. November 3, 2006. Accessed November 12, 2012. "North Bergen, N.J. — U.S. rapper Ice-T once gained fame talking about killing cops. Now the controversy over his latest album has led him to compare himself to a peace-loving John Lennon." * Lidia Bastianich (born 1947), chef, Emmy Award-winning television host, author, and restaurateur * Odell Beckham Jr. (born 1992), wide receiver for the New York Giants * James J. Braddock (1905–1974), heavyweight boxing champion from 1935 to 1937 * John O. Brennan (born 1955), Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security in the Obama White House * James L. Brooks (born 1940), television and film director * Dan Callandrillo, former professional basketball player * Edd Cartier (1914–2008), pulp magazine illustrator * Richard S. Castellano, Richard Castellano (1933–1988), American actor * C. Judson Child Jr. (1923–2004), seventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta * Gene Cornish (born 1944), guitarist and harmonica player who is an original member of the 1960s blue-eyed soul band The Rascals * Leo Cullum (1942–2010), cartoonist best known for his work in ''The New Yorker'' * Frank Cumiskey (1912–2014), artistic gymnast who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics, in the 1936 Summer Olympics, and in the 1948 Summer Olympics * Ralph Della-Volpe (1923–2017), painter, printmaker and educator, known for his colorful abstract paintings * Paquito D'Rivera (born 1948), musician, composer * Joey Diaz (born 1963), stand-up comedian and actor * Henry Escalante, pop musician, one of 15 finalists from 2007 season of MTV reality show ''Making Menudo (band), Menudo'' * Edward Feigenbaum (born 1936), computer scientist who collaborated on the development of the first expert system Dendral * Lucio Fernandez, Cuban-American politician and entertainer, who served as the city's Commissioner of Public Affairs * Louis Freeh (born 1950), former Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI director * Melissa Fumero (born 1982), actress best known for her role as Amy Santiago in the comedy series ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine''. * Greg Herenda (born 1961), former head coach of the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights men's basketball team * Ice-T (born 1958), rap music pioneer and actor * Dan Kurzman (1922–2010), military historian * AJ Lee (born 1987), professional wrestler signed to WWE * Lionel Loueke (born 1973), African Jazz guitarist and sideman to Herbie Hancock * Luigi Lucioni (1900–1988), painter known for his realistic and precisely drawn still lifes, Landscape art, landscapes, and portraits. Lucioni's family emigrated from Malnate, Italy in 1911 to New York City, and then subsequently lived for a time in North BergenEmbury, Stuart P. (2006). "Chapter One: The Early Years". ''The Art and Life of Luigi Lucioni''. Embury Publishing Company. pp. 1 -4. * Steve Mocco (born 1981), Olympic wrestler * Ed Murawinski (born 1951), award-winning cartoonist for the ''New York Daily News, Daily News'' * Fred Orlofsky (born 1937), retired artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast who competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics * Jesse Pike (1890–1986), cycle sport, cyclist who competed in two events at the 1912 Summer OlympicsJesse Pike Olympic Results
Sports-Reference.com. Accessed June 12, 2015. * Bill Raisch (1905–1984), dancer and actor, known as the One-Armed Man pursued by Richard Kimble (David Janssen) on the 1963-67 TV series ''The Fugitive (1963 TV series), The Fugitive''Whitty, Stephen
"Family Viewing: 'Lonely Are the Brave'"
, NJ.com, May 18, 2013. Accessed November 13, 2015. "Fun trivia: That one-armed man who takes on Douglas in the bar fight? Bill Raisch from North Bergen, the same actor David Janssen was always searching for on ''The Fugitive.''" * Feisal Abdul Rauf (born 1948), Muslim imam, author and activistTirella, Tricia; and Diaz, Lana Rose
"'Ground zero mosque' imam is NB resident, UC property owner"
, '' The Hudson Reporter'', September 5, 2010, pp. 3 and 8. Accessed November 13, 2019. "According to The Record, which spawned many spinoff reports quoting the paper, and the Hudson Reporter's own searches of property records, Imam Feisal A. Rauf, a North Bergen resident, owns four properties in Union City, and one in North Bergen." * Evan Rodriguez (born 1988), NFL fullback and tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers * Wilbur Ross (born 1937), investor and former banker * Nicholas Sacco (born 1946), politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate, State Senate and as Mayor of North BergenSenator Sacco's legislative web page
,

. Accessed April 11, 2008. * John Scarne (1903–1985), author, expert on gambling, card games and magic tricks * Herbert H. Shaw (1930–2016), independent politician and perennial candidate who has run for office more than 75 times over five decades under the "Politicians Are Crooks" banner * Rena Sofer (born 1968), actress * Robert Sundholm (born 1941), outsider artist * Lou Tepe (born 1930), offensive lineman who played for three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers * Terese Terranova (born 1947), retired para table tennis player who won two gold medals at the 1988 Summer Paralympics * Guy F. Tozzoli (1922–2013), directed development of the World Trade Center (1973–2001), World Trade Center * Hal Turner (born 1962), far-right political commentator and radio host * Yordenis Ugás (born 1986) amateur lightweight boxer * Anthony P. Vainieri (born 1928), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the New Jersey's 32nd legislative district, 32nd Legislative District from 1984 to 1986 * Mariusz Wach (born 1979), heavyweight boxer

In popular culture

* ''Oak Hill'', a low-budget film starring Sally Kirkland, and directed by former Guttenberg mayor Peter Lavilla, about three former entertainers whose depression and addiction has led them to a homeless shelter, was filmed in both Union City's PERC homeless shelter, and a synagogue in North Bergen. In 2008, it was entered into the Sundance Film Festival, Sundance, Tribeca Film Festival, Tribeca, and Hoboken Film Festivals. * ''Cinderella Man'', a film starring Russell Crowe as boxer James J. Braddock, depicted North Bergen during the Great Depression. A city park bears his name. *North Bergen was the production base for the NBC drama ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', with scenes set in the police station and courtroom filmed on a stage at NBC's Central Archives building on West Side Avenue. * ''Meat Men'' is a Food Network reality show about Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, a North Bergen-based family-owned and -operated meat supplier.Fujimori, Sachi
"'Meat Men' goes behind the scenes with North Bergen celebrity butcher Pat LaFrieda"
, ''The Record (North Jersey), The Record'', April 9, 2012. Accessed January 1, 2015. "The third-generation butcher and his North Bergen business, Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, premiere tonight in ''Meat Men,'' a Food Network show that aims to tell the surprisingly dramatic story of how meat lands on plates at New York's top restaurants."

References

External links

* {{Authority control North Bergen, New Jersey, 1843 establishments in New Jersey New Jersey Meadowlands District New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zones North Hudson, New Jersey Populated places established in 1843 New Jersey populated places on the Hudson River Townships in New Jersey Townships in Hudson County, New Jersey Walsh Act

History

Colonial era

Toponymy, secession, and urbanization

20th century

Geography

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Economy

Government

Local government

Corruption

Federal, state and county representation

Politics

Public safety

Education

Transportation

Roads and highways

Public transportation

Media and culture

Notable people

In popular culture

See also

References

External links