Racetrack Section, North Bergen

Racetrack, North Bergen
Unincorporated community
Nungesser's, at the intersection of Bergenline Avenue and Woodcliff Avenue
Nungesser's, at the intersection of Bergenline Avenue and Woodcliff Avenue
Racetrack, North Bergen is located in Hudson County, New Jersey
Racetrack, North Bergen
Racetrack, North Bergen
Location of Racetrack in Hudson County Inset: Location of county within the state of New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°48′25″N 74°00′14″W / 40.80694°N 74.00389°W / 40.80694; -74.00389
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountyHudson
TownshipNorth Bergen
Elevation
[1]
217 ft (66 m)
Area code201
GNIS feature ID882893[1]

The Racetrack Section, also known as Hudson Heights, is a neighborhood of North Bergen Township in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[2] It is a mostly residential district between Bergenline and Kennedy Boulevard. Its east–west streets follow the numbering of other North Hudson towns while its north–south streets are called avenues and are numbered First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth.[3] Located on the plateau of the Hudson Palisades (which begin their descent at the Boulevard) the Racetrack Section consists of mostly one and two family homes and enjoys convenient public transportation, a stable population, and proximity to North Bergen Public Library,[4] North Bergen High School, North Hudson Park and Woodcliff.

The neighborhood takes its name from Nungesser's Guttenberg Racetrack.[5][6] The racetrack located in the area was a popular with day-trippers from New York (who traveled by streetcar from the elevator at the Weehawken Ferry) during the latter part of the 19th century, until gaming was outlawed by the New Jersey legislature in 1893. While the tracks closed, the area remained an amusement park known as Little Coney Island. The "pleasure resort" as it was known, gained a reputation as attracting a similarly rowdy crowd as the racetrack, and reported incidents of alcohol being served to children and women being drugged.[citation needed] The recently invented ice cream cone was popularized at the park.[7] The track was later used as a roadhouse for automobilists until the former clubhouse burned down in 1910.[8] The site became a known landing spot for early aviators.[9][10][11] The land on which the racetrack had been was subdivided in 1919, and later was built upon creating the section which exists today. .[5] White Castle, an early drive-in fast-food chain, has long been located in the neighborhood.[12][13]

The district is still sometimes called Hudson Heights[14][15][16][17] or Nungesser's, which is more commonly used to describe the intersection and transportation hub at the northwest corner of North Hudson Park, at the Bergen line with Fairview border.

  1. ^ a b "Hudson Heights". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Locality Search Archived July 9, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, State of New Jersey. Accessed February 7, 2015.
  3. ^ Hudson County New Jersey Street Map. Hagstrom Map Company, Inc. 2008. ISBN 0-88097-763-9.
  4. ^ "-NBPL". Archived from the original on November 28, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Ractrack". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  6. ^ Ryall, G.F.T. (December 14, 1957), "The Race Track", The New Yorker, archived from the original on October 21, 2012, retrieved January 25, 2011
  7. ^ La Marca, Stephen (September 18, 2011), "Corruption, carousels, and ice cream cones North Bergen was once home to 'Little Coney", Hudson Reporter, archived from the original on March 27, 2012, retrieved September 20, 2011
  8. ^ "FIRE ENDS OLD GUTTENBURG.; Blaze Seen from Manhattan Destroys the Clubhouse, Latterly on Inn" (PDF). The New York Times. January 16, 1910.
  9. ^ "THREE PLANES FALL; ONE BEHEADS A BOY; Former Army Pilots Arrested After Their Propeller Kills Jersey Lad at Play. BIPLANE ENGINE GOES DEAD Lieut. Stinson Lands in Flatbush Lettuce Patch--AConey Island Mishap" (PDF). The New York Times. July 8, 1921. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  10. ^ "MOROK'S AEROPLANE INTERRUPTS TOILET; Trans-Hudson Flyer's Machine Comes to Grief in a Young Woman's Window". The New York Times. December 27, 1910. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  11. ^ "BANDIT ROBS A TRAIN.; Gets More Than 100 Wallets and Watches from Passengers" (PDF). The New York Times. December 26, 1910. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  12. ^ Kennedy, Shawn G. "Real Estate; A New Look For the Old White Castle" Archived March 5, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. December 16, 1987
  13. ^ Adams, Arthur G. (1996). The Hudson River Guidebook. Fordham University Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-1676-5.
  14. ^ Adams, Arthur G. (1996). The Hudson Through the Years. Fordham University Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-1679-6.
  15. ^ [1] Archived February 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Hudson Heights map
  16. ^ "SkateCity:Fort Lee to Hoboken". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  17. ^ "NJ State Info Bank: Post Offices and Zip Codes". Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2010.