Two major waves of immigration, first of German speakers and then of Spanish speakers, greatly influenced the development and character of Union City. Its two nicknames, "Embroidery Capital of the United States" and "Havana on the Hudson", reflect important aspects of that history. Thousands visit Union City each year to see the nation's longest-running passion play.[31]
Union City is where Mallomars were first sold and the site of the first lunch wagon, built by Jerry and Daniel O'Mahoney and John Hanf, which helped spark New Jersey's golden age of diner manufacturing, for which the state is colloquially referred to by author Richard J.S. Gutman as the "diner capital of the world".[32]
^Maciag, Mike. "Population Density for U.S. Cities Statistics", Governing, November 29, 2017. Accessed December 4, 2020. "The following are the most densely populated cities with populations exceeding 50,000: Union City, N.J.: 54,138 persons/sq. mile"
^De Avila, Joseph (August 27, 2011). "Tightly Packed Union City Welcomes More". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024. Union City is a tiny city measuring just over one square mile with about 66,000 residents, making it the most densely populated city in the country, according to the latest U.S. Census.
^Shortell, Tom. "Passion Play continues Lenten tradition in Union City", The Jersey Journal, April 1, 2019, updated April 1, 2010. Accessed November 14, 2019. "John Penn Lewis, the Park Performing Arts Center’s executive director, said the show is believed to be the longest running Passion Play in America and possibly on this continent."
^Gabriele, Michael C. "Classic Diners, Offering a Glimpse Into the Past, are True Jersey Gems", New Jersey Monthly, May 1, 2018. Accessed April 7, 2024. "A Jersey City restaurant entrepreneur, Michael Griffin, purchased the first O'Mahony wagon for $800. A contract, dated July 3, 1912, stated the wagon would operate in West Hoboken (today’s Union City), in the vicinity of Paterson Plank Road and Summit Avenue.... The transaction helped set in motion New Jersey’s golden age of diner manufacturing, which in turn made the Garden State the diner capital of the world."