Union City, New Jersey

Union City, New Jersey
City of Union City[1]
William V. Musto Cultural Center
Official seal of Union City, New Jersey
Nickname(s): 
"Embroidery Capital of the United States"
"Havana on the Hudson"[2]
"Little Havana on the Hudson"[3]
Map
Interactive map of Union City
Union City is located in Hudson County, New Jersey
Union City
Union City
Location in Hudson County
Union City is located in New Jersey
Union City
Union City
Location in New Jersey
Union City is located in the United States
Union City
Union City
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 40°46′03″N 74°01′56″W / 40.767425°N 74.032279°W / 40.767425; -74.032279[4][5]
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Hudson
IncorporatedJune 1, 1925
Government
 • TypeWalsh Act
 • BodyBoard of Commissioners
 • MayorBrian P. Stack (term ends May 18, 2026)[6][7]
 • Municipal clerkHilda I. Rosario (acting)[8]
Area
 • Total1.29 sq mi (3.33 km2)
 • Land1.29 sq mi (3.33 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0.00%
 • Rank472nd of 565 in state
10th of 12 in county[4]
Elevation190 ft (60 m)
Population
 • Total68,589
 • Estimate 64,462
 • Rank590th in country (as of 2022)[14]
18th of 565 in state
3rd of 12 in county[16]
 • Density53,293.7/sq mi (20,576.8/km2)
  • Rank2nd of 565 in state
2nd of 12 in county[16]
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
Area code(s)201[19]
FIPS code3401774630[4][20][21]
GNIS feature ID0885424[4][22]
Websitewww.ucnj.com

Union City is a city in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 18th-most-populous municipality,[23] with a population of 68,589,[12][13] an increase of 2,134 (+3.2%) from the 2010 census count of 66,455,[24][25] which in turn had reflected a decline of 633 (−0.9%) from the 67,088 counted in the 2000 census.[26] As of the 2010 Census, among cities with a population of more than 50,000, it was the most densely populated city in the United States,[a] with a density of 54,138 per square mile of land.[27][28] The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 65,366 in 2022,[12] ranking the city the 590th-most-populous in the country.[14]

Union City was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 1, 1925, with the merger of Union Hill and West Hoboken Township.[29][30]

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]

  1. ^ Municipal Code, City of Union City. Accessed May 17, 2023.
  2. ^ Robbins, Liz (November 29, 2016). "In 'Havana on the Hudson,' Few Are Left to Celebrate Fidel Castro's Death". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2016.
  3. ^ Bartlett, Kay. "Little Havana on the Hudson", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 28, 1977 Archived at Google News. Accessed March 31, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d 2019 Census Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 1, 2020.
  5. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mayor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ 2023 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, updated February 8, 2023. Accessed February 10, 2023.
  8. ^ City Clerk, City of Union City. Accessed April 10, 2022.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference DataBook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "City of Union City". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  12. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Census2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LWD2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b c Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 50,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2022 Population: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022, United States Census Bureau, released May 2023. Accessed May 18, 2023. Note that townships (including Edison, Lakewood and Woodbridge, all of which have larger populations) are excluded from these rankings.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopEst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2020 and 2021, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  17. ^ Look Up a ZIP code for Union City, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed September 19, 2011.
  18. ^ ZIP codes, State of New Jersey. Accessed August 19, 2013.
  19. ^ Area Code Lookup - NPA NXX for Union City, NJ, Area-Codes.com. Accessed September 14, 2014.
  20. ^ U.S. Census website, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  21. ^ Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed April 1, 2022.
  22. ^ US Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  23. ^ Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference LWD2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  27. ^ 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"
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 148. Accessed May 30, 2024.
  30. ^ Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 14, 2015.
  31. ^ 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."
  32. ^ 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."