Hoboken, New Jersey

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Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, located on the west bank of the Hudson River just across from Manhattan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 38,577.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Naming 3 History 3.1 Early and Colonial History 3.2 The Nineteenth Century 3.3 Birthplace of Baseball 3.4 "Heaven, Hell or Hoboken." 3.5 Interwar Years 3.6 Post World War II 3.7 Pre-/Post-Millennium 4 Demographics 5 Government 5.1 Local government 5.1.1 Mayoral election history 5.2 Federal, state and county representation 6 Character 7 Transportation 7.1 Rail 7.2 Water 7.3 Surface 7.4 Air 7.5 Road 8 Waterfront 9 Education 9.1 Public schools 9.2 Private schools 10 Trivia 11 Notable residents 12 Local attractions 12.1 Places of Interest 12.2 Annual events 13 Parks 14 See also 15 References 16 External links

[edit] Geography

Hoboken is located at 40°44'41" North, 74°1'59" West (40.744851, -74.032941).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 km² (2.0 mi²). 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 35.35% water.

Hoboken's zip code is 07030 and its area code is 201 with 551 overlaid.

[edit] Naming

The Lenape (later known as the Delaware Indian) called the area “Hobocan Hackingh” or “land of the tobacco pipe.”,^[1] most likely to refer to the soapstone collected there to carve pipes.

Since the first Europeans to live there were Dutch/Flemish-speaking settlers to New Netherlands, it would appear that Hoboken is named after the town in Flanders, Belgium, annexed to Antwerp in 1983.^[2] Speakers of Old Franconian, the 17th century dialect of the Lowlands (from whence they originated), may have phonetically bastardized the Lenape to conform to the folks-tongue of the period, though there is no written documentation to confirm it. It is not known what the area was called in Jersey Dutch, a Dutch-variant language based on Zealandic and Flemish, with English and possibly Lenape influences, spoken in northern New Jersey during the 18th century.

Hoebuck, Dutch for high bluff and likely refering to Castle Point, was used during the colonial era and later spelled in English as Hobuck.

The name Hoboken was decided upon by Colonel John Stevens after he purchased the land on which the city sits, though its not known why he chose that spelling.

Hoboken's unofficial nick-name is the "Mile Square City".

[edit] History

[edit] Early and Colonial History

Hoboken was originally an island, surrounded by the Hudson River on the east and tidal lands at the foot of the New Jersey Palisades on the west. It was a seasonal campsite of the Lenni Lenape. Later called Delaware Indian, this collection of tribes is believed to have lived for more than 2800 years on lands around and in-between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers. The first European to discover the area was Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Dutch East India Company, who anchored his ship the Halve Maen (Half Moon) at Weehawken Cove on October 2, 1609, establishing a Dutch claim. The United New Netherlands Company was created to manage this new territory and in June of 1623, New Netherlands became a Dutch colony. In 1630, Michael Pauw, a burgemeester(mayor) of Amsterdam and a director of the West India Company, received a land grant as patroon on the condition that he would plant a colony of not fewer than fifty persons within four years on the west bank of what had been named the North River. Three Lenape sold the land that is was to become Hoboken (and part of Jersey City) for 80 fathoms (146 m) of wampum, 20 fathoms (37 m) of cloth, 12 kettles, six guns, two blankets, one double kettle and half a barrel of beer. These transactions, variously dated as July 12, 1630 and November 22, 1630, represent the earliest known conveyance for the area. Pauw (whose Latinized name is Pavonia) neglected to settle the land and he was obliged to sell his holdings back to the Company in 1633. It was later acquired by Hendrick Van Vorst, who leased part the land to Aert Van Putten, a farmer. In 1643, north of what would be later known as Castle Point, Van Putten built a house and a brewery, North America’s first. In series of Indian and Dutchn raids and reprisals, Van Putten was killed and his buildings destroyed, and all residents of Pavonia (as the colony was known) were ordered back to New Amsterdam. Deteriorating relations with the Lenape, its isolation as an island, or relatively long distance from New Amsterdam may have discouraged more settlement. In 1664, the English took possession of New Amsterdam with little or no resistance, and finally, in 1674 the area became part of East Jersey. The province was divided into four administrative districts in 1675, and Hoboken became part of Bergen County, where it remained until the creation of Hudson on February 22, 1840. English-speaking settlers (some re-locating from New England) interspersed with the Dutch, but it remained scarcely populated and agrarian. Eventually, the land came into the possession of William Bayard, who originally supported the revolutionary cause, but became a Loyalist Tory after the fall of New York in 1776 when the city and surrounding areas, including the west bank of the re-named Hudson River, were occupied by the British. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Bayard’s property was confiscated by the Revolutionary Government of New Jersey. In 1784, the land described as "William Bayard's farm at Hoebuck" was bought at auction by Colonel John Stevens for 18,360 pounds sterling.

[edit] The Nineteenth Century

In the early 1800s, Colonel John Stevens developed the waterfront as a resort for Manhattanites, a lucrative source of income, which he may have used for testing his many mechanical inventions. On October 11, 1811 Stevens' ship the Juliana, began operation as the world's first steam-powered ferry with service was between Manhattan and Hoboken. In 1825, he designed and built a steam locomotive capable of hauling several passenger cars at his estate. In 1832, Sybil's Cave opened as an attraction serving spring water, and after 1841 became a legend, when Edgar Allan Poe wrote a story about an event that took place there. (In the late 1880s, when the water was found to be contaminated, it was shut and in the 1930s, filled with concrete.)

Before his death in 1838, Stevens founded The Hoboken Land Improvement Company, which during the mid- and late-19th century was managed by his heirs and laid out a regular system of streets, blocks and lots, constructed housing, and developed manufacturing sites. In general, the housing consisted of masonry row houses of three to five stories, some of which survive to the present day, as does the street grid. The advantages of Hoboken as a shipping port and industrial center became apparent.

Hoboken was originally formed as a township on April 9, 1849, from portions of North Bergen Township. As the town grew in population and employment, many of Hoboken's residents saw a need to incorporate as a full-fledged city, and in a referendum held on March 29, 1855, ratified an Act of the New Jersey Legislature sgned the previous day, and the City of Hoboken was born.^[3][4] In the subsequent election, Cornelius V. Clickener became Hoboken's first mayor. On March 15, 1859, the Township of Weehawken was created from portions of Hoboken and North Bergen Township.^[3]

In 1870, based on a bequest from Edwin A. Stevens, Stevens Institute of Technology was founded at Castle Point, site of the Stevens family's former estate. By the late 1800s, great shipping lines were using Hoboken as a terminal port, and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (later the Erie Lackawanna Railroad] developed a railroad terminal at the waterfront. It was also during this time that German immigrants, who had been settling in town during most of the century, became the predominant population group in the city, at least partially due to its being a major destination port of the Hamburg America Line. In addition to the primary industry of shipbuilding, Hoboken became home to Keuffel and Esser's three-story factory and in 1884, to Tietjan and Lang Drydock (later Todd Shipyards). Well-known companies that developed a major presence in Hoboken after the turn-of the-century included Maxwell House, Lipton Tea, and Hostess.

[edit] Birthplace of Baseball

In 1845, the Knickerbocker Club of New York City began using Elysian Fields in Hoboken to play baseball due to the lack of suitable grounds on Manhattan. In 1846, the Knickerbockers played the New York Nine on these grounds in the first organized game between two clubs. By the 1850s, several Manhattan-based members of the National Association of Base Ball Players were using the grounds as their home field.

In 1865 the grounds hosted a championship match between the Mutual Club of New York and the Atlantic Club of Brooklyn that was attended by an estimated 20,000 fans and captured in the Currier & Ives lithograph "The American National Game of Base Ball".

With the construction of two significant baseball parks enclosed by fences in Brooklyn, enabling promoters there to charge admission to games, the prominence of Elysian Fields began to diminish. In 1868 the leading Manhattan club, Mutual, shifted its home games to the Union Grounds in Brooklyn. In 1880, the founders of the New York Metropolitans and New York Giants finally succeeded in siting a ballpark in Manhattan that became known as the Polo Grounds. Hoboken, though, rather than Cooperstown, New York, can fairly claim to be the birthplace of baseball. A plaque, and baseball diamond street pavings at 11th and Washington streets commemorates the event.

[edit] "Heaven, Hell or Hoboken."

When the USA decided to enter World War I the Hamburg-American Line piers in Hoboken (and New Orleans) were taken under eminent domain. Federal control of the port and anti-German sentiment led to part of the city being placed under martial law, and many Germans were forcibly moved to Ellis Island or left the city altogether. Hoboken became the major point of embarkation and more than three million soldiers, known as "doughboys", passed through the city. Their hope for an early return led to the slogan, "Heaven, Hell or Hoboken... by Christmas."

[edit] Interwar Years

Following the war, Italians, mostly stemming from the Adriatic port city of Molfetta, became the city's major ethnic group, with the Irish also having a strong presence. While the city experienced the Depression, jobs in the ships yards and factories were still available, and the "tenements" were full.Middle-European Jews, mostly German-speaking, also made their way to the city and established small businesses.

[edit] Post World War II

The war provided a shot in the arm for Hoboken as the many industries located in the city were crucial to the war effort. As men went off to battle, more women were hired in the factories, some (most notably, Todd Shipyards), offering classes and other incentives to them. Though some returning service men took advantage of GI housing bills, many with strong ethnic and familial ties chose to stay in town. During the fifties, the economy was still driven by Todd Shipyards, Maxwell House, Lipton Tea, Hostess and Bethlehem Steel and companies with big plants still not inclined to invest in huge infrastructure elsewhere. Unions were powerful and the pay was good. By the sixties, though, things began to disintegrate: turn-of-the century housing started to look shabby and feel crowded, ship-building was cheaper overseas, and single-story plants surrounded by parking lots made manufacturing and distribution more economical than old brick buildings on congested urban streets. The city appeared to be in the throes of inexorable decline as industries sought (what had been) greener pastures, port operations shifted to larger facilities on Newark Bay, and the car, truck and plane displaced the railroad and ship as the transportation modes of choice in the United States. Many Hobokenites headed to the suburbs, often the close-by ones in Bergen and Passaic Counties, and real-estate values declined. Hoboken sank from its earlier incarnation as a lively port town into a rundown condition and was often included in lists with other New Jersey towns cities experiencing the same phenomenon, such as Paterson, Elizabeth, Camden, and neighboring Jersey City. The old economic underpinnings were gone and nothing new seemed to be on the horizon. Attempts were made to stabilize the population by demolishing the so-called slums along River Street and build subsidized middle-income housing at Marineview Plaza, and in midtown, at Church Towers. Heaps of long uncollected garbage and roving packs of semi-wild dogs were not un-common sights. Though the city had seen better days, Hoboken was never abandoned. New infusions of immigrants, most notably Puerto Ricans, kept the storefronts open with small businesses and housing stock from being abandoned, but there wasn't much work to be had. Washington Street, commonly called "the avenue", was never boarded up, and the tightly-knit neighborhoods remained home to many who were still proud of their city. Stevens stayed a premiere technology school, Maxwell House kept chugging away, and Bethlehem Steel still housed sailors who were dry-docked on its piers. Italian-Americans and other came back to the "old neighborhood" to shop for delicatessen. Some streets were "iffy", but most were not pulled in at night.

^[5]

[edit] Pre-/Post-Millennium

During the late 1970s and 1980s, the city witnessed a surprising speculation spree, fueled by transplanted New Yorkers and others who bought many turn-of-the-century brownstones in neighborhoods the still solid middle and working class population had kept intact and by local and out-of-town real-estate investors who bought up late 19th century apartment houses often considered to be tenements. Hoboken experienced a wave of fires, some of which proved to be arson. Applied Housing, a real-estate investment firm, took advantage of US government incentives to renovate "sub-standard" housing and receive subsidized rental payments (commonly know as Section 8), which enabled some low-income, dis-placed, and disabled residents to move within town. Hoboken attracted artists, musicians, upwardly-mobile commuters (known as yuppies), and "bohemian types" interested in the socio-economic possibilities and challenges of a bankrupt New York and who valued the aesthetics of Hoboken's residential, civic and commercial architecture, its sense of community, and relatively (compared to Lower Manhattan) cheaper rents, and quick, train hop away. Maxwells opened and Hoboken became a "hip" place to live. Amid this social upheaval, so-called "newcomers" displaced some of the "old-timers" in the eastern half of the city.

This gentrification resembled that of parts of Brooklyn and downtown Jersey City and Manhattan's East Village, (and to a lesser degree, Soho and Tribeca, which previously had not been residential). The initial presence of artists and young people changed the perception of the place such that others who would not have considered moving there before perceived it as an interesting, safe, exciting, and eventually, desirable. The process continued 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. Empty lots were built on, tenements became condominiums. Hoboken felt the impact of the destruction of the World Trade Center intensely, many of its newer residents having worked there and having chosen as the place to invest their real-eatate dollars. Re-zoning encouraged new construction on former industrial sites on the waterfront and the traditionally more impoverished low-lying west side of the city where, in concert with Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and New Jersey State land-use policy, transit villages are now being promoted.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	9,662		–
1870	20,297		110.1%
1880	30,999		52.7%
1890	43,648		40.8%
1900	59,364		36.0%
1910	70,324		18.5%
1930	59,261		–
1940	50,115		-15.4%
1950	50,676		1.1%
1960	48,441		-4.4%
1970	45,380		-6.3%
1980	42,460		-6.4%
1990	33,397		-21.3%
2000	38,577		15.5%
Est. 2005	39,900	[6]	3.4%
historical data sources: [7][8]

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 38,577 people (although recent census figures show the population has grown to about 40,000), 19,418 households, and 6,835 families residing in the city. The population density is 11,636.5/km² (30,239.2/mi²), fourth highest in the nation after neighboring communities of Guttenberg, Union City and West New York.^[9] There are 19,915 housing units at an average density of 6,007.2/km² (15,610.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 80.82% White, 4.26% African American, 0.16% Native American, 4.31% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 7.63% from other races, and 2.78% from two or more races. Furthermore 20.18% of those denizens also consider themselves to be Hispanic or Latino.

There are 19,418 households out of which 11.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.8% are married couples living together, 9.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 64.8% are non-families. 41.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 1.92 and the average family size is 2.73.

In the city the population is spread out with 10.5% under the age of 18, 15.3% from 18 to 24, 51.7% from 25 to 44, 13.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 103.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 103.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $62,550, and the median income for a family is $67,500. Males have a median income of $54,870 versus $46,826 for females. The per capita income for the city is $43,195. 11.0% of the population and 10.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.6% of those under the age of 18 and 20.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

The City of Hoboken is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government by a Mayor and a nine-member City Council consisting of three members elected at large from the city as a whole, and six members who each represent one of the city's six wards. Candidates run on a non-partisan basis.

The Mayor of the City of Hoboken is David Roberts.^[10] Members of the City Council are:^[11]

• 2nd Ward: Richard Del Boccio (Council President)
• At-Large: Terry LaBruno (Council Vice-President)
• At-Large: Peter Cammarano
• At-Large: Ruben Ramos Jr.
• 1st Ward: Theresa Castallano
• 3rd Ward: Michael Russo
• 4th Ward: Christopher Campos
• 5th Ward: Michael T. Cricco
• 6th Ward: Nino Giacchi

[edit] Mayoral election history

During Hoboken's 150 year history as an incorporated city, the elections that have been held for Mayor of Hoboken and members of the Hoboken city council have been largely operated by Hoboken's community. Hoboken's political landscape has been shaped by a strong connection between City Hall and the citizens of Hoboken. Many of the people running for mayor / councilman were people who grew up in Hoboken.

Among the most recent elections include:

• Thomas Vezzetti vs. Steve Cappiello (1985; Vezzeti won 6,990 to 6,647)
• Patrick Pasculli vs. Joe Della Fave (1988,1989; Pasculli won)
• Anthony Russo vs. Ira Karasick (1993; Russo won 7,023 to 5,623)
• David Roberts vs. Anthony Russo (2001; Roberts won 6,064 to 4,759)
• David Roberts vs. Carol Marsh (2005; Roberts won 5,761 to 4,239. See The 2005 Hoboken election)

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Hoboken is in the Thirteenth Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 33rd Legislative District.^[12]

New Jersey's Thirteenth Congressional District, covering portions of Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, and Union Counties, is now represented by Albio Sires (D, West New York), who won a special election held on November 7, 2006 to fill the vacancy the had existed since January 16, 2006. The seat had been represented by Bob Menendez (D), who was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the seat vacated by Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine. New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 33rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Bernard Kenny (D, Hoboken) and in the Assembly by Brian P. Stack (D, Union City) and Silverio Vega (D, West New York). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Hudson County's County Executive is Thomas A. DeGise. The executive, together with the Board of Chosen Freeholders in a legislative role, administer all county business. Hudson County's nine Freeholders (as of 2006) are: District 1: Doreen McAndrew DiDomenico; District 2: William O'Dea; District 3: Jeffrey Dublin; District 4: Eliu Rivera; District 5: Maurice Fitzgibbons; District 6: Tilo Rivas; District 7: Gerald Lange Jr.; District 8: Thomas Liggio; and District 9: Albert Cifelli.

[edit] Character

Hoboken is considered to be one of the nation's most vibrant "comeback" towns: a city with an illustrious past, a deep but not devastating decline, and an on-going "rejuvenation" that remains controversial. The definitions of "new-comer" and "old-timer" have faded since Hoboken has had a number of waves of new residents in the last thirty years. It has an increasingly more transient population, the latest being those living in the more anonymous mid-rise buildings along the waterfront and high-rises around 2nd Street Station.

Like Hudson County, in which it's located, Hoboken has remained densely populated and very ethnically diverse. Its compactness, historic street layout, and shortage of on-street parking mean that a car is more of a hindrance than a help, and the city retains a basic pedestrian orientation, making for a lively street-scape. While it has its share of crime, most consider it a safe place to live. Washington Street, the city's commercial thoroughfare, is in many ways a typical American "Main Street", though some would say that Hoboken's human-scale is reminiscent of smaller European cities. Most churches don't ring their bells anymore, and the formerly common sight of Italian widows be-decked in black is now a rarity, and a few street-cleaners still use a broom and push-cart. Many neighbors wave greetings across the street. "Gate-sales" (a distinctly local version of the tag, garage, or yard sale) can be found on all but the coldest of weekends.

Hoboken has become some-what of a bedroom community, and the "feel" of the street changes over the course of the day. The early morning march to the PATH train or ferries, and the long lines for the Manhattan-bound bus, give way to school children, senior citizens, construction workers (busy on projects abounding in town), cleaning ladies, and baby-strollers (more and more frequently driven by nannies and au pairs). Though most stay on its some-what isolated campus, some Stevens students come down the hill and join office-workers around City Hall and the Hoboken Terminal taking their lunch hour stroll. The after-school rush kicks-off the evening hum as the commuters trickle, and finally flood, back into town, enjoying "happy hour", order take-out, do some shopping, head to the gym, or simply, home. The town boasts a diverse collection of bars and restaurants and on a warm evenings, many outdoor cafes are packed with locals and visitors alike, though some residents don't appreciate the somewhat "rowdy" atmosphere on weekend nights, when the city is filled with "youngish" party-goers and bar-hoppers.

In recent years many independent or "mom and pop" shops have been forced to close. There has been a surge in the number of real-estate agents (who market the real-estate "boom" for the so-called "Gold Coast"), bank branches (the city's only cinema was closed and converted),^[13] and mobile phone shops. A few large franchises also have established a presence and new supermarkets have opened, but most residents head to catalogues, "the city" (New York, in local parlance), or the "malls" to do shopping for clothes, housewares, furniture, and appliances.

The formerly powerful Hudson Democratic "Machine" now plays almost no role in local politics though some office-holders also have positions in the county government. Rising property valuations, budget gaps, and "poor-performing" public schools remain important issues. Many think that parking is a "nightmare", even with the construction of some new facilities around town. Strict enforcement of permit and meter regulations are a windfall for the municipal government, but has done little to reduce the time a late-night search for a "spot" can take. (Summer weekends, though, spaces abound, as many residents head to the Jersey Shore, Long Island, upstate or to visit the places they came from). The scarcity of public open spaces has been somewhat mitigated by the re-development of the waterfront and there are proposals for more parks and recreation facilities, but in typical Hoboken-ese, most "will believe it when they see it".

[edit] Transportation

• Hoboken Terminal, located at the city's southeastern corner, is a national historic landmark originally built in 1907 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and currently undergoing extensive renovation. It is the origination/destination point for several modes of transportation and an important hub within the NY/NJ metropolitan region's public transit system. It is the only one of five major rail/ferry terminals that once dotted the west bank of the Hudson 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. Central Railroad of New Jersey Communipaw Terminal, in what is now Liberty State Park, is across from Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty.

[edit] Rail

• New Jersey Transit Hoboken Division: Main Line (to Suffern, and in partnership with MTA/Metro-North, express service to Port Jervis), Bergen County Line, and Pascack Valley Line (limited AM inbound and PM outbound service), all via Secaucus Junction (where transfer is possible to Northeast Corridor Line); Montclair-Boonton Line and Morris and Essex Lines (both via Newark Broad Street Station); North Jersey Coast Line (limited service as Waterfront Connection via Newark Penn Station to Long Branch and Bay Head); Raritan Valley Line (limited service via Newark Penn Station);
• Hudson-Bergen Light Rail: along Hoboken's western perimeter at 2nd and 9th Streets, and at Hoboken Terminal, south-bound to downtown Jersey City and Bayonne, and north-bound to the Weehawken waterfront, Bergenline, and Tonnelle Avenues.

• PATH: 24-hour subway service from Hoboken Terminal (HOB) to midtown Manhattan (33rd) (along 6th Ave to Herald Square/Pennsylvania Station), (via downtown Jersey City) to World Trade Center (WTC), and via Journal Square (JSQ) to Newark Penn Station (NWK) and Newark Liberty Airport.

[edit] Water

• NY Waterway: ferry service across the Hudson River from Hoboken Terminal and 14th Street to World Financial Center and Pier 11/Wall Street in lower Manhattan, and to West 39th in midtown Manhattan, where free transfer is available to a variety of "loop" buses.

[edit] Surface

• Taxi: Flat fare within city limits and negotiated fare for other destinations.
• NJ Transit buses west-bound from Hoboken Terminal along Observer Highway: 64, 68, 85, 87, to Jersey City and other Hudson and suburban destinations
• NJ Transit buses north-bound from Hoboken Terminal along Washington St: 22 to Bergenline/North Hudson, 89 to North Bergen, 126 to Port Authority Bus Terminal via Lincoln Tunnel, and 23 (rush hour service) to North Bergen via the waterfront and Boulevard East
• Academy Bus: Parkway Express
• Coach USA: (limited service from Washington/Newark Streets) #144 to Staten Island, #5 to Lincoln Harbor or Jersey City
• Hoboken Crosstown Loop: from City Hall through midtown Hoboken

[edit] Air

• Newark Liberty Airport (EWR), 12.8 miles away, is closest airport in New Jersey with scheduled passenger service
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is 12.8 miles away in Flushing, Queens
• John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) is 19 miles away on Jamaica Bay in Queens
• Teterboro Airport, in the Hackensack Meadowlands, serves private and corporate planes

[edit] Road

• Lincoln Tunnel: north of city line in Weehawken, with eastern terminus in midtown Manhattan and western access road NJ 495
• Holland Tunnel: south of city line in downtown Jersey City with eastern terminus at Canal Street, Manhattan and western access roads I-78 (New Jersey Turnpike extension) and Routes 1&9
• 14th Street Viaduct to Jersey City Heights and North Hudson
• Paterson Plank Road to Jersey City Heights, North Hudson, and Secaucus

[edit] Waterfront

The Hoboken waterfront is on the west bank of the Hudson River between Weehawken Cove at the north and the Hoboken Terminal at the south, directly across from Manhattan's West Village and Chelsea. The waterfront defined Hoboken as an archetypal port town and powered its economy from the mid-19th to mid-20th century, by which time it had become essentially industrial (and mostly inaccessible to the general public). The large production plants of Lipton Tea and Maxwell House, and the drydocks of Bethlehem Steel dominated the northern portion for many years. The southern portion (which had been US base of the Hamburg-American Line) was seized by the federal government under eminent domain at outbreak of World War I, after which it became (with the rest of the Hudson County) a major East Coast cargo-shipping port. On the Waterfront, consistently listed among the five best American films ever, was was shot in Hoboken, dramatically highlighting the rough and tumble lives of longshoremen and the infiltration of unions by organized crime. With the construction of the interstate highway system and containerized shipping facilities (particularly at Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal), the docks became obsolete, and by the 1970s were more or less abandoned. A large swathe of River Street, known as the Barbary Coast for its taverns and boarding houses (which had been home for many dockworkers, sailors, merchant marines, and other seamen) was leveled as part of an urban renewal project. Though control of the confiscated area had been returned to the city in the 1950s, complex lease agreements with the Port Authority gave it little influence on its management. In the 1980s, the waterfront dominated Hoboken politics, with various civic groups and the city government engaging in sometimes nasty, sometimes absurd politics and court cases. By the 1990s, agreements were made with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, various levels of government, Hoboken citizens, and private developers to build commercial and residential buildings and "open spaces" (mostly along the bulkhead and on the foundation of un-utilized Pier A). The northern portion, which had remained in private hands, has also been re-developed. While most of the dry-dock and production facilities were razed to make way for mid-rize apartment houses, many sold as investment "condos", some buildings were renovated for adaptive re-use (notably the Tea House and the Machine House, home of the Hoboken Historic Museum). Zoning requires that new construction follow the street grid and limits the height of new construction to retain the architectural character of the city and open sight-lines to the river. Downtown, Sinatra Park and Sinatra Drive honor the man most consider to be Hoboken's most famous son, while uptown the name Maxwell recalls the factory with its smell of roasting coffee wafting over town and its huge neon "Good to the Last Drop" sign, so long a part of the landscape. The midtown section is dominated by the serpentine rock outcropping atop of which sits Stevens Institute of Technology (which also owns some, as yet, un-developed land on the river). At the foot of the cliff is Sybil's Cave (where 19th century day-trippers once came to "take the waters" from a natural spring), long sealed shut, though plans for its restoration are in place. The promenade along the river bank is part of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, a state-mandated master plan to connect the municipalities from the Bayonne Bridge to George Washington Bridge and provide contiguous unhindered access to the water's edge and to create an urban linear park offering expansive views of the Hudson with the spectacular backdrop of the New York skyline.

[edit] Education

[edit] Public schools

Hoboken's public schools are operated by Hoboken Public Schools, an Abbott District. The district is comprised of three K-5 elementary schools ( Calabro Primary School, Connors Primary School and Wallace Primary School), two middle schools serving grades 6-8 (Joseph F. Brandt Middle School and A. J. Demarest Middle School [1]) and Hoboken High School for grades 9-12.

In addition, Hoboken has the following K-8 charter schools, which are public schools that operate independently of the Hoboken Public Schools under charters granted by the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education:

• Elysian Charter School, also known as ECS, was founded in 1997.
• Hoboken Charter School

[edit] Private schools

The following private schools are located in Hoboken:

• All Saint's Episcopal Day School
• The Hudson School
• Mustard Seed School
• Stevens Cooperative School
• Stevens Institute of Technology

[edit] Trivia

Hoboken Firsts

• First brewery in the United States, north of Castle Point
• The zipper, invented at Hoboken's Automatic Hook & Eye Co.
• The site of the first known baseball game between two different teams, at Elysian Fields
• The site of the first international cricket match, played at Elysian Fields. ^[14]
• The first steam-powered ferry, in 1811, with service to Manhattan
• First demonstration of a steam locomotive in the United States at 56 Newark Street.
• The first departure of an electrified train, in 1931, driven by Thomas A. Edison from Lackawanna Terminal to Dover, New Jersey.
• The home of the accidental invention of soft ice-cream, 726 Washington Street.
• The nation's first automated parking garage at 916 Garden Street.
• The first Blimpie restaurant, opened in 1964 at the corner of sixth and Washington Streets. A free goldfish in a colored bowl of water was given to all customers who purchased a sandwich during the opening week.
• The first central air-conditioning unit, at Hoboken Terminal.
• The first wireless phone system, at Hoboken Terminal.
• The Oreo cookie, first sold in Hoboken.

On the Street

• Hoboken limits by law the number of liquor licenses to the number of blocks and the limit is usually reached. Additionally, no license can be moved to within 200 feet of another bar or 500 feet from a church, which makes it nearly impossible to open a new bar (except in newly renovated perimeter regions of the city).
• There is an average of one church for every block.
• Hoboken has 48 streets.
• Hoboken was once known as the city with "a bar on every corner" and in fact was once listed in Guinness Book of Records as the city with "Most bars in a square mile". There were well over 200 bars in town in the first half of the 20th century. There are still well over 100 now.
• Hoboken is home to many floats of the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Film, Television and Music

• The title characters in the 2004 film Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle hailed from Hoboken. This could possibly be due to director Danny Leiner's own pre-Hollywood life spent here, as his earlier blockbuster film, Dude, Where's My Car?, also included a reference to the city (an alien character swears to banish another alien menace to Hoboken, New Jersey).
• On the animated series Megas XLR, which is set in New Jersey, in the episode "All I Wanted Was A Slushie", after Coop bemoans the fact that his city is now devoid of slushie machines, and an alien robot is poised to wipe the town off the map as well, Jamie suggests that they go to Hoboken to find a Mega Slush machine, which Coop summarily dismisses by saying "Yeah, but...that's Hoboken."
• A post-apocalyptic Hoboken is the setting of the off-beat computer RPG The Superhero League of Hoboken, by Legend Entertainment.
• In the 1950 Bugs Bunny cartoon 8 Ball Bunny, the performing penguin reveals he needs to go to Hoboken, after Bugs slaved the entire episode to get him to the South Pole.
• Hoboken High School graduate Siglinda Sanchez became the first Puerto Rican Capitol Page, when in the summer of 1973, she served as House Speaker Carl Albert's personal page. She appeared on What's My Line? and Jeopardy! and was featured on Josie and the Pussycats and In the News.
• Creators of the Broadway Musical Hair James Rado and Jerome Ragne lived in Hoboken at 64 10th Street in 1968 when they wrote the play and its classic songs such as "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In, Hair and How Can I be Sure to name a few.
• Maxwell's, once dubbed New York's best rock club, was the first venue to bring prominence to The Bongos, who were based in Hoboken, signed to RCA Records and gained national recognition. Springsteen's "Glory Days" video was shot there.^[15]
• The now-defunct band, Operation Ivy, whose members went on to form Rancid, penned and recorded the song "Hoboken" about the town.
• Hoboken Public Library has so many Frank Sinatra CDs that they count him as a separate genre.
• The film Lianna by John Sayles was shot in Hoboken in 1983.
• Scottish band Franz Ferdinand named a remake of their song 'Jacqueline' as 'Better in Hoboken'
• The Twilight Zone episode "The Mighty Casey" features a robot named Casey pitching for a team called the Hoboken Zephyrs (apparently modeled on the Brooklyn Dodgers, especially since the Zephyrs are said to have moved to Southern California...just like the Dodgers did.)^[16]
• Hoboken Saturday Night is the name of the 1970s album produced by The Insect Trust, a band based in the city at the time.
• Hoboken was the backdrop of the Chappelle's Show's "The Mad Real World," a parody of MTV's The Real World.

What's in a name?

• Though the first Europeans in town were Dutch settlers, Hoboken was not named after the Flemish (Dutch-speaking) town in Belgium, annexed to Antwerp in 1983.
• The term "hobo" (i.e., a railroad journeyman) is incorrectly believed to have stemmed from the groups of hobos travelling by railroad from Hoboken.
• The "Mile Square City", as Hoboken is known, actually covers an area of two square miles.
• Many streets in town were named for US presidents (Washington, Adams, Madison, Monroe), but Clinton Street is not one of them. The name likely honors 19th century politician DeWitt Clinton.
• Hoboken Cemetery is actually located in North Bergen.

[edit] Notable residents

((B) denotes born)

• Howard Aiken, pioneer in computing (B)
• Richard Barone. musician; former frontman for Hoboken pop group, The Bongos.
• Tom Bethune, a.k.a. "Blind Tom" (b. Thomas Wiggins), ex-slave, piano prodigy
• The Bongos, Alternative Rock pioneers
• Bob Borden, writer for, and frequent contributor on, the Late Show with David Letterman
• Andre Walker Brewster, Major General U.S. Army, recipient Medal of Honor (B)
• Michael Chang, professional tennis player (B)
• Irwin Chusid, radio personality, author, music producer, historian
• Jon Corzine, governor of New Jersey
• Luke Faust, musician
• Bill Frisell, "avante-garde" musician and composer
• Hetty Green, businesswoman/entrepreneur
• Mark Guiliana, drummer
• Chaim Hirschensohn, rabbi and early Zionist leader
• Juliet Huddy, Fox News personality
• Michael Jerrick, host of the morning television series Fox & Friends
• Alfred Kinsey, famous psychologist who studied sexual behavior. (B)
• Willem de Kooning, 20th century painter
• Alfred Kroeber, prominent 20th century anthropologist. (B)
• Artie Lange, comedic actor, alum of MADtv and regular on the Howard Stern Show.
• Dorothea Lange, prominent portrait photographer. (B)
• Caroline Leavitt, author
• Mark Leyner, post-modern author
• G. Gordon Liddy, Watergate conspirator and radio talk show host (B)
• Janet Lupo, Playboy Playmate for November 1975. (B)
• Eli Manning, New York Giants first-string quarterback
• Jesse Palmer, former professional football player, former star of the TV show The Bachelor
• Joe Pantoliano, actor (B)
• Maria Pepe, first girl to play Little League baseball. (B)
• Tom Pelphrey won an Emmy for his role on Guiding Light.
• Daniel Pinkwater, National Public Radio commentator/author
• Anna Quindlen columnist, novelist
• James Rado, co-creator of the Broadway Musical Hair
• Jerome Ragne, co-creator of the Broadway musical Hair
• Siglinda Sanchez, first Puerto Rican Capitol Page
• John Sayles, filmmaker and author
• Jeremy Shockey, NY Giants football player
• Frank Sinatra, singer and actor; (B)
• Alfred Stieglitz [2], leading figure of 19th and early 20th Century American photography. (B)
• Jeff Tamarkin, music journalist and editor
• Yo La Tengo, art-rock band
• Kanye West, hip hop artist and producer
• Pia Zadora, singer and actress. (B)

[edit] Local attractions

[edit] Places of Interest

• Stevens Institute of Technology, situated over-looking the Hudson
• Hoboken Terminal, national historic landmark built in 1908
• Marineview Plaza, considered by some to be an eyesore, but a fine example of "urban renewal" architecture
• Weehawken Cove
• Castle Point
• Sybil's Cave, at the foot of the serpentine rock outcropping on the waterfront (no public access)
• Maxwell's, once dubbed New York's best rock club
• Hoboken Free Public Library, with a fine (if dis-organized)collection of photos, maps,artifacts
• Hoboken Historical Museum, with thematic exhibitions changed bi-annually
• Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, along the river's edge
• DeBaun Auditorium, in the "A" House on Stevens Park, presenting theater and dance productions
• Hoboken Green Market, Tuesdays at Hoboken Terminal

[edit] Annual events

• Hoboken House Tour (Spring)-an inside view of private spaces of historical, architectural or aesthetic interest
• Hoboken Studio Tour (Fall)-open house at many studios of artists working in town
• Hoboken Arts and Music Festival (Spring and Fall)-music, arts and crafts on waterfront and Washington Street
• Hoboken (Secret) Garden Tour-(late Spring)
• Saint Patrick's Day Parade (usually the first Saturday of March)
• Seventh Inning Stretch (Fall)-presentation of newly commissioned base-ball inspired one-act plays by Mile Square Theater Company
• Feast of Saint Anthony
• St Ann's Feast-almost 100 years old
• New Jersey Transit Festival(Fall)-transportation-related exhibitions at Hoboken Terminal, including train excursions
• Movies Under the Stars (Summer)-an outdoor film series

[edit] Parks

Four Hoboken parks were originally developed within city street grid laid out in the 19th century:

• Church Square Park, a town square
• Columbus Park, the only Hudson County park in the city
• Elysian Park, the last remnant of Elysian Fields
• Stevens Park

Other parks, developed later, but fitting into the street pattern in the city's southeast:

• Gateway Park, the smallest and most remote of the city's parks
• Jackson Street Park, the most concrete park in town
• Legion Park
• Madison Park, abutting senior housing complex, more plaza than park

The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway is a state-mandated master plan to connect the municipalities from the Bayonne Bridge to the George Washington Bridge creating an 18 mile-long urban linear park and provide contiguous unhindered access to the water's edge. By law, any development on the waterfront must provide a public promenade with a minimum width of 30 feet. To date, completed segments in Hoboken and the new parks and renovated piers that abut them are (from south to north):

• the plaza at Hoboken Terminal
• Pier A
• The promenade and bike path from Newark to 5th Streets
• Frank Sinatra Park
• Castle Point Park
• Sinatra Drive to 12th, currently under construction, at former Maxwell House Coffee plant
• 12th to 14th Streets, at former Bethelem Steel drydocks
• Hoboken North New York Waterway Pier
• 14th Street Pier (formerly Pier 4)
• 14th Street north to southern side of Weehawken Cove, at the former Lipton Tea plant

• other segments of river-front held privately (notably by Stevens Tech) are not required to build a walkway until the land is re-developed.

The Hoboken Parks Initiative is a municipal plan to create more public open spaces in the city using a variety of financing schemes including contributions from and zoning trade-offs with private developers, NJ State Green Acres funds, and other government grants. It is source of controversy with various civic groups and the city government. Among the proposed projects, the only one to that has yet materialized is at Maxwell Place, whose developer is obligated to build a public promenade on the river. Others include:

• Hoboken Island, a 9/11 memorial connected by bridge to Pier A
• Pier C, which no longer exists, to be-rebuilt and include sand volleyball court and fishing pier
• Stevens Tech Ice Skating Rink: temporary rink at the eastern end of 5th street to become permanent
• 1600 Park Avenue, 2.4 acre (10,000 m²) park with two handball courts, two basketball courts, and two tennis courts
• Hoboken Cove, a 5-acre park along Park Ave at the waterfront
• 16th Street Pier, 0.75 acres (3,000 m²) extending into Weehawken Cove, with playground and overlook terrace
• Green Belt Walkway, also known as the Green Circuit, on city's western perimeter north of the projects, including rooftop tennis courts and swimming complex.
• Upper West Side Park, in the northwestern corner of the city adjacent to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail tracks north of the 14th Street Viaduct, a 4.2 acre (17,000 m²) park with athletic fields

[edit] See also

• Hoboken Reporter
• Landmarks of Hoboken, New Jersey
• Hoboken Parks Initiative
• Gateway Region
• Gold Coast, New Jersey
• Hudson River Waterfront Walkway
• Hoboken Terminal
• Stevens Institute of Technology

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• City of Hoboken
• Hobokeni.com Online guide to the mile square since 1995.
• Hoboken Public Schools
• Hoboken Public Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• National Center for Education Statistics data for the Hoboken Public Schools
• USGS satellite image of Hoboken
• Kannekt - an unofficial guide to Hoboken
• Hoboken Chat
• Hoboken Cafe - Events, User Profiles, Classifieds
• Hoboken 411 - Hoboken blog, updated daily. Tons of information and references.
• New York City skylines as seen from Hoboken, New Jersey
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 40.744851° -74.032941°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

Hoboken-related articles

Castle Point | Castle Point Park | Church Square Park | Clam Broth House | Columbus Park | David Roberts | Elysian Park | Frank Sinatra Park | Gateway Park | Hoboken Island (9/11 Memorial) | Hoboken Parks Initiative | Hoboken Projects | Hoboken Public Schools | Hoboken Tea Building Walkway | Jackson Street Park | Legion Park | List of Hoboken Mayors | Madison Park | Marineview Plaza | Sybil's Cave | North Hoboken Harbor | Pier 14 | Pier A | Stevens Institute of Technology | Stevens Park | The Hoboken election of 2005

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