West New York is a town in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated upon the New Jersey Palisades. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 52,912, an increase of 3,204 (+6.4%) from the 2010 census count of 49,708, which in turn reflected an increase of 3,940 (+8.6%) from the 45,768 counted in the 2000 census.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. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 51,981 in 2022.
With more than of land according to the 2010 census, West New York was the second-most densely populated municipality in the United States, among places with a population above 50,000, behind neighboring Union City.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:... [2nd] West New York, N.J.: 52,815 persons/sq. mile"
History West New York was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on July 8, 1898, replacing Union Township, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 149. Accessed May 30, 2024.Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 306. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed October 15, 2015. West New York underwent a massive growth at the beginning of the 20th century, driven by development of textile industries that made North Hudson the "Embroidery Capital of the United States".Staff. "Commercial Growth in New Jersey Town on Heights has Doubled Population within Last Five Years", The New York Times, December 20, 1914. Accessed September 29, 2014.
The town was populated mainly with Italian Americans and German Americans.Martin, Lydia. "Cuban cool" The Star-Ledger. August 9, 1995; Pages 41 & 54.Juri, Carmen (August 9, 1995). "Jersey's Cuban flavors" The Star-Ledger. pp. 41 and 54. Throughout the 1960s, West New York had an influx of Cuban émigrés to the area,Trillin, Calvin. "Observations while Eating Carne Asada on Bergenline Avenue", The New Yorker, June 30, 1975. Accessed September 29, 2014. leading it to once being called Havana on the Hudson; the city has a majority Hispanic population.
High-rise apartments, some of which place among the tallest buildings in North Hudson, were built along Boulevard East,Norman, Michael. "Palisades: New York's Other West Side", The New York Times, July 4, 1982. Accessed September 29, 2014.Cheslow, Jerry. "Blending Two Cities into One", The New York Times, October 9, 2005. Accessed September 29, 2014. "At John F. Kennedy Boulevard East, known as 'Boulevard East,' the population, housing mix and scenery change abruptly. Mostly New York City professionals and empty-nesters live in towers that soar 30 stories or more over the Palisades, a 450-foot-high belt of cliffs that line the New Jersey side of the Hudson." adding to the population of the town and giving it one of the highest population densities in the country.
Since the 1980s, the Hudson Waterfront, which the Weehawken Terminal had been a part of, has been redeveloped from an industrial to a residential and recreational area, for instance, with the creation of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town had a total area of 1.33 square miles (3.44 km2), including 0.99 square miles (2.58 km2) of land and 0.33 square miles (0.86 km2) of water (25.11%).
The ZIP Code for West New York is 07093. West New York is part of the New York metropolitan area and is at the heart of the North Hudson, New Jersey, region. West New York is bordered on the north by Guttenberg, on the east by the Hudson River, on the south by Union City and Weehawken, and on the west by North Bergen.
West New York is one of North Hudson's communities atop The Palisades above the Hudson River, and home to the highest point in the county.Hudson County High Point, New Jersey, peakbagger.com. Accessed September 29, 2014. Its Hudson Waterfront has been known as Bulls Ferry since before the American Revolutionary War. Bergenline Avenue is its main commercial thoroughfare, while the wide two-way 60th Street is a major cross-town thoroughfare, and site of Town Hall. More than half of U.S. Presidents have streets bearing their name in the town.
The town borders the municipalities of Guttenberg, North Bergen, Union City and Weehawken in Hudson County; and the New York City borough of Manhattan across the Hudson River.Areas touching West New York, MapIt. Accessed March 15, 2020.Hudson County Map , Coalition for a Healthy NJ. Accessed March 15, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
One of 41 municipalities statewide where a majority of residents do not speak English as their primary language, Spanish is spoken at home by more than half of the residents of West New York, according to data from the United States Census Bureau's 2012-2016 American Community Survey data. The town had 83.6% of residents not speaking English as their dominant language, the second highest in the state.Astudillo, Carla. "The 41 N.J. towns where English is not the dominant language", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 10, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed March 15, 2020. "New Jersey is home to 41 towns where English is not the dominant language for the majority of the population. Towns like Union City and West New York are primarily dominated by Spanish speakers, while Korean is the language spoken by more than half of residents in Palisades Park and Englewood Cliffs."
Racial and ethnic composition +West New York town, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)7,0886,5716,64915.49%13.22%12.57%Black or African American alone (NH)6588731,2341.44%1.76%2.33%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4339510.09%0.08%0.10%Asian alone (NH)1,2922,9043,7452.82%5.84%7.08%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)6380.01%0.01%0.02%Other race alone (NH)1001274470.22%0.26%0.84%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)5433796641.19%0.76%1.25%Hispanic or Latino (any race)36,03838,81240,11478.74%78.08%75.81%Total45,76849,70852,912 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, West New York had a population of 52,912. The median age was 36.6 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.9 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 20,544 households in West New York, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.5% were married-couple households, 21.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 21,798 housing units, of which 5.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%.
2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 49,708 people, 18,852 households, and 11,783 families in the town. The population density was 49,341.7 per square mile (19,050.9/km2). There were 20,018 housing units at an average density of 19,870.5 per square mile (7,672.0/km2). The racial makeup was 62.04% (30,839) White, 4.60% (2,289) Black or African American, 1.50% (744) Native American, 6.01% (2,986) Asian, 0.05% (24) Pacific Islander, 20.19% (10,038) from other races, and 5.61% (2,788) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 78.08% (38,812) of the population.
Of the 18,852 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18; 37.6% were married couples living together; 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 37.5% were non-families. Of all households, 29.5% were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.23.
21.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 98.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.8 males.
As of the 2010 United States census, West New York had the third-highest percentage of Hispanics in the state, at 78.1%, accounting for 2.5% of the state's Hispanic population. Though Native Americans comprise less than 1% of the city's population, they doubled in the 2000s, and combined with Union City's Native Americans comprise 38% of the county's Native American population.Cullen, Deanna. "Growing influence: UC and WNY house 6 percent of state's Hispanics", The Union City Reporter, February 13, 2011, pages 1 and 15. Accessed June 12, 2012. "Union City and West New York are each over three quarters Hispanic. In New Jersey, Union City has the highest percentage of people in that group – 84.7 percent. West New York is 78.1 percent Hispanic, coming in at third."
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $44,657 (with a margin of error of ± $2,850) and the median family income was $42,534 (± $3,689). Males had a median income of $36,768 (± $2,414) versus $30,688 (± $1,952) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,419 (± $1,215). About 15.8% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 25.6% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for West New York town, Hudson County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 12, 2012.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census, there were 45,768 people, 16,719 households, and 11,034 families residing in the town. The population density was 44,995.1/mi2 (17,324.6/km2). There were 17,360 housing units at an average density of 17,066.8/mi2 (6,571.3 km2). The racial makeup of the town was 60.09% White, 3.55% African American, 0.67% Native American, 2.93% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 25.16% from other races, and 7.57% from two or more races. 78.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for West New York town, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed November 13, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for West New York town, Hudson County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed November 13, 2012.