Weehawken, New Jersey

Weehawken, New Jersey
Township
Township of Weehawken
Weehawken on the Hudson River, as viewed from Midtown Manhattan (Javits Center in foreground).
Weehawken highlighted in Hudson County. Inset: Location of Hudson County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Weehawken, New Jersey
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Hudson
Incorporated	March 15, 1859
Government
• Type	Faulkner Act (Council-Manager)
• Body	Township Council
• Mayor	Richard F. Turner (term ends June 30, 2018)
• Manager	James V. Marchetti
• Clerk	Rola Dahboul
Area
• Total	1.477 sq mi (3.826 km2)
• Land	0.796 sq mi (2.063 km2)
• Water	0.681 sq mi (1.764 km2)  46.10%
• Rank	453rd of 566 in state 7th of 12 in county
Elevation	3 ft (0.9 m)
Population  (2010 Census)
• Total	12,554
• Estimate  (2014)	13,870
• Rank	194th of 566 in state 10th of 12 in county
• Density	15,764.6/sq mi (6,086.7/km2)
• Rank	13th of 566 in state 7th of 12 in county
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP codes	07086-07087
Area code(s)	201/551
FIPS code	3401777930
GNIS feature ID	0882224
Website	www.weehawken-nj.us

Weehawken is a township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 12,554, reflecting a decline of 947 (-7.0%) from the 13,501 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,116 (+9.0%) from the 12,385 counted in the 1990 Census.

Name

The name Weehawken is generally considered to have evolved from the Algonquian language Lenape spoken by the Hackensack and Tappan. It has variously been interpreted as "maize land", "place of gulls", "rocks that look like trees", which would refer to the Palisades, atop which most of the town sits, or "at the end", among other suggested translations.

Three U.S. Navy ships have been named for the city. The USS Weehawken, launched on November 5, 1862, was a Passaic-class monitor, or ironclad ship, which sailed for the Union Navy during the American Civil War, encountered battles at the Charleston, South Carolina coast, and sank in a moderate gale on December 6, 1863. The Weehawken was the last ferry to The West Shore Terminal on March 25, 1959 at 1:10 am, ending 259 years of continuous ferry service. Weehawken Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village was the site of a colonial Hudson River ferry landing.

The name and the place have inspired mention in literature such as in The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, in Carl Sandburg's Pulitzer Prize–winning book of poetry, Cornhuskers. in the song "Dig You Later (A Hubba, Hubba, Hubba!)" made popular by Perry Como (Well now you're really talkin', you're no square. / You can't be from Weehawken, hmm hmm, Delaware), and in the American painter Edward Hopper's East Wind Over Weehawken.

History

Weehawken was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1859, from portions of Hoboken and North Bergen. A portion of the township was ceded to Hoboken in 1874. Additional territory was annexed in 1879 from West Hoboken.

The township's written history began in 1609 when Henry Hudson, on his third voyage to the New World, sailed down what was later named The North River on the Half Moon and weighed anchor in Weehawken Cove. At the time it was the territory of the Hackensack and Tappan, of the Turtle Clan, or Unami, a branch of the Lenni Lenape. They were displaced by immigrants to the province of New Netherland, who had begun to settle the west bank of the Hudson at Pavonia in 1630. On May 11, 1647, Maryn Adriansen received a patent for a plantation (of 169 acres) at Awiehaken. In 1658, Director-General of New Netherland Peter Stuyvesant negotiated a deal with the Lenape to purchase all the land from "the great rock above Wiehacken", west to Sikakes (Secaucus) and south to Konstapels Hoeck (Constable Hook). In 1661, Weehawken become part of Bergen when it (and most of northeastern New Jersey) came under the jurisdiction of the court at Bergen Square.

Alexander Hamilton fights his fatal duel with Aaron Burr.

In 1674, New Netherland was ceded to the British, and the town became part of the Province of East Jersey. John Luby, in 1677, acquired several parcels comprising 35 acres (140,000 m²) along the Hudson. Most habitation was along the top of the cliffs since the low-lying areas were mostly marshland. Descriptions from the period speak of the dense foliage and forests and excellent land for growing vegetables and orchard fruits. As early as 1700 there was regular, if sporadic ferry service from Weehawken. In 1752, King George II made the first official grant for ferry service, the ferry house north of Hoboken primarily used for farm produce, and likely was sold at the Greenwich Village landing that became Weehawken Street.

File:Hamiltonmonumentmap.jpg

Map (1841) showing Dea's Point, the original Hamilton Monument, and Highwood, the estate of James Gore King.

During the American Revolutionary War, Weehawken was used as a lookout for the patriots to check on the British, who were situated in New York and controlled the surrounding waterways. In fact, in July 1778, Lord Stirling asked Aaron Burr, in a letter written on behalf of General George Washington, to employ several persons to "go to Bergen Heights, Weehawk, Hoebuck, or any other heights thereabout to observe the motions of the enemy's shipping" and to gather any other possible intelligence. Early documented inhabitants included a Captain James Deas, whose stately residence at Deas' Point was located atop a knoll along the river. Lafayette had used the mansion as his headquarters and later Washington Irving came to gaze at Manhattan.

Not far from Deas' was a ledge 11 paces wide and 20 paces long, situated 20 feet (6.1 m) above the Hudson on the Palisades. This ledge, long gone, was the site of 18 documented duels and probably many unrecorded ones in the years 1798–1845. The most famous is the duel between General Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury, and Colonel Aaron Burr, sitting third Vice President of the United States, which took place on July 11, 1804. It was re-enacted on July 11, 2004, the 200th anniversary of the fatal duel, by descendants of Hamilton and Burr. In the mid-19th century, James G. King built his estate Highwood on the bluff that now bears his name, and entertained many political and artistic figures of the era, including Daniel Webster.

Ferries departing the West Shore Railroad's Weehawken Terminal, pre-1900

With the ferry, the Hackensack Plank Road (a toll road that was a main artery from Weehawken to Hackensack), and later, the West Shore Railroad, built during the early 1870s, the waterfront became a transportation hub. The wealthy built homes along the top of the New Jersey Palisades, where they might flee from the sweltering heat of New York, and breathe the fresh air of the heights. Weehawken became the playground of the rich during the middle to late 19th century. A series of wagon lifts, stairs, and even an elevator designed by the same engineer as those at the Eiffel Tower (which at the time was the world's largest) were put in place to accommodate the tourists and summer dwellers. The Eldorado Amusement Park, a pleasure garden, drew massive crowds.

Geography

Weehawken is part of the New York metropolitan area. Situated on the western shore of the Hudson River, along the southern end of the New Jersey Palisades across from Midtown Manhattan, it is the location of the western terminus of the Lincoln Tunnel. Weehawken is one of the towns that comprise North Hudson, sometimes called NoHu in the artistic community.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 1.477 square miles (3.826 km²), including 0.796 square miles (2.063 km²) of land and 0.681 square miles (1.764 km²) of water (46.10%).

As the emergent Palisades define Weehawken's natural topography, so too the Lincoln Tunnel (which cuts the town in half) looms as an inescapable man-made feature. Geographically, Weehawken has distinct neighborhoods: Downtown, The Heights, Uptown (which includes Kingswood Bluff known as "The bluffs"), and The Waterfront, which since the 1990s has been developed for transportation, commercial, recreational and residential uses. Though some are long abandoned (e.g., Grauert Causeway), there are still several outdoor public staircases (e.g., Shippen Steps) throughout the town, and more than 15 "dead-end" streets. At its southeastern corner is Weehawken Cove which, along with the rail tracks farther inland, defines Weehawken's border with Hoboken. Its northern boundary is shared with West New York. Traversing Weehawken is Boulevard East, a scenic thoroughfare offering a sweeping vista of the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline. Local zoning laws prohibit the construction of high-rise buildings that would obstruct sight-lines from higher points in town. In a 1999 decision that blocked the development of a pair of waterfront towers that would have stood 160 feet (49 m), a judge cited the panoramic vistas from Weehawken as "a world-class amenity that encourages people to live, work and locate businesses in the area".

The turn of the 20th century saw the end of the large estates, casinos, hotels, and theaters as tourism gave way to subdivisions (such as Highwood Park and Clifton Park) and the construction of many of the private homes still seen in town. This coincided with the influx of the Germans, Austrians, and Swiss, who built them and the breweries and embroidery factories in nearby Union City and West New York. While remaining essentially residential, Weehawken continued to grow as Hudson County became more industrial and more populated. Shortly after the First World War, a significant contingent of Syrian immigrants from Homs (a major textile center in its own right) moved into Weehawken to take advantage of the burgeoning textile industry.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	280		—
1870	597		113.2%
1880	1,102		84.6%
1890	1,943		76.3%
1900	5,325		174.1%
1910	11,228		110.9%
1920	14,485		29.0%
1930	14,807		2.2%
1940	14,363		−3.0%
1950	14,830		3.3%
1960	13,504		−8.9%
1970	13,383		−0.9%
1980	13,168		−1.6%
1990	12,385		−5.9%
2000	13,501		9.0%
2010	12,554		−7.0%
2014 (est.)	13,870		10.5%
Population sources: 1860-1920 1860-1870 1870 1880-1890 1890-1910 1890-1900 1910-1930 1930-1990 2000 2010

2010 Census

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $62,435 (with a margin of error of +/- $6,887) and the median family income was $90,903 (+/- $17,797). Males had a median income of $53,912 (+/- $7,426) versus $50,129 (+/- $3,238) for females. The per capita income for the township was $45,206 (+/- $5,011). About 10.1% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 13,501 people, 5,975 households, and 3,059 families residing in the township. The population density was 15,891.3 people per square mile (6,132.7/km²). There were 6,159 housing units at an average density of 7,249.4 per square mile (2,797.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 73.05% White, 3.58% African American, 0.20% Native American, 4.67% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 13.94% from other races, and 4.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.64% of the population.

There were 5,975 households, out of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.8% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the township the population was spread out with 16.6% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 42.4% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $50,196, and the median income for a family was $52,613. Males had a median income of $41,307 versus $36,063 for females. The per capita income for the township was $29,269. About 9.3% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Weehawken, with a population density about equal to that of Jersey City, is among the most densely populated municipalities in the United States.

Economy

Weehawken has a retail district along Park Avenue (its boundary with Union City) and large office and apartment/townhouse developments along the Hudson River. Weehawken is a mostly residential community, but has a business district at Lincoln Harbor between the Lincoln Tunnel and Weehawken Cove. UBS, Swatch Group USA, Hartz Mountain Telx (colocation center) are among the corporations which maintain offices in the neighborhood, which also hosts a Sheraton Hotel.

Sports

Formula One announced plans in 2011 to host a street race on a circuit stretching 3.2 miles (5.1 km) in Weehawken and West New York called Grand Prix of America, that was planned to have its first event in June 2013. The three-day event was anticipated to attract 100,000 people and bring in approximately $100 million in economic activity.

Points of interest

Though the panoramic view (from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to George Washington Bridge) may be its most famous attraction, Weehawken is also home to other sites of historic, aesthetic, and engineering importance:

• The city's main commercial thoroughfare is Park Avenue, which is populated mostly by locally-owned stores, eateries and bars.
• Hamilton Park, on Boulevard East is located at the site of the former Eldorado Amusement Resort.
• King's Bluff, a historic district at "the end of the Palisades", includes many homes in an eclectic array of architectural styles.
• The Weehawken Water Tower on Park Avenue was built in 1883 as part of the Hackensack Water Company Complex, and inspired by Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. The Tower is cited on the Federal Maritime Chart as the "Red Tower", and serves as a warning to ships traveling south along the Hudson that they are approaching New York Bay.
• The former North Hudson Hospital is located on Park Avenue.
• Hackensack Plank Road, an early colonial thoroughfare, climbs from Downtown to The Heights and further north.
• The "Horseshoe" on Shippen Street is a cobbled double hairpin street leading to Hackensack Plank Road and Shippen Street Steps, at the bottom of which is located Weehawken's original town hall, and is the site of a planned historical museum.
• Hackensack Number Two, a reservoir previously part of Hudson County's water system along with #1 (demolished), in the Gregory/Highpoint Historic District, is named for the river from which water was pumped into them.
• The Lincoln Tunnel Approach and Helix is the eight-lane circular viaduct that leads into the Art Deco style Lincoln Tunnel Toll Plaza. Nearby are the Ventilation Towers at Lincoln Harbor.
• The Weehawken Public Library, which built between 1904 and 1910 as the home the son of William Peter Sr., wealthy brewer/beer baron of the William Peter Brewing Company, is located at 49 Hauxhurst Avenue. It opened as a library in 1942, and underwent renovations from 1997 to 1992.
• The Atrium, which is home to Hudson River Performing Arts Center-sponsored events.
• NY Waterway's Weehawken Port Imperial Ferry Terminal, a state-of-the-art facility opened in 2006, is located at the site of the United Fruit Company, which was the largest banana import facility in the nation from the time of its opening in 1952.
• The West Shore Railroad Tunnel, carved through the cliffs, is now used for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail.
• 9/11 Memorial on the Hudson River Walk at Ferry Boulevard near the end of Pershing Road. It consists of two trident-shaped beams that served as supports for the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

• 
  View from Hamilton Park
• 
  Water Tower
• 
  Public Library
• 
  9/11 Memorial

Hamilton Memorial

1935 bust of Alexander Hamilton

Historical marker of the Burr-Hamilton duel in Weehawken

Weehawken dueling grounds historical marker (2004)

The Alexander Hamilton Memorial in Hamilton Park, was the first memorial to the Burr-Hamilton duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. It was constructed in 1806 by the Saint Andrew Society, of which Hamilton had been a member. A 14-foot (4.3-m) marble cenotaph, consisting of an obelisk, topped by a flaming urn and a plaque with a quote from Horace, surrounded by an iron fence, was constructed approximately where Hamilton was believed to have fallen. Duels continued to be fought at the site, and the marble was slowly vandalized and removed for souvenirs, leaving nothing remaining by 1820. The tablet itself did survive, turning up in a junk store and finding its way to the New York Historical Society in Manhattan, where it still resides.

From 1820 to 1857, the site was marked by two stones, with the names Hamilton and Burr, placed where they were thought to have stood during the duel. When a road from Hoboken to Fort Lee was built through the site in 1858, an inscription on a boulder where a mortally wounded Hamilton was thought to have rested—one of the many pieces of graffiti left by visitors—was all that remained. No primary accounts of the duel confirm the boulder anecdote. In 1870, railroad tracks were built directly through the site, and the boulder was hauled to the top of the Palisades, where it remains today, located just off the Boulevard East. In 1894, an iron fence was built around the boulder, supplemented by a bust of Hamilton and a plaque. The bust was thrown over the cliff on October 14, 1934 by vandals, and the head was never recovered; a new bust was unveiled on July 12, 1935.

The plaque was stolen by vandals in the 1980s, and an abbreviated version of the text was inscribed on the indentation left in the boulder, which remained until the 1990s, when a granite pedestal was added in front of the boulder, and the bust was moved to the top of the pedestal. New markers were added on July 11, 2004, the 200th anniversary of the duel.

Government

Weehawken Town Hall

Local government

Weehawken operates within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Council-Manager form of municipal government. The governing body consists of a five-member council elected to serve four-year terms of office on a concurrent basis in non-partisan elections held in May. Two council members are elected from the township at-large and the remainder are chosen from each of three wards. The council selects a mayor from among its members in a reorganization meeting held in the first week of July after the election.

As of 2015, the mayor of Weehawken is Richard F. Turner (at large), who has served as mayor for 25 years and first became mayor in 1990 after Stanley Iacono didn't run for re-election. Other members of the Township Council are Carmela Silvestri-Ehret (1st Ward), Rosemary J. Lavagnino (2nd Ward), Robert J. Sosa (3rd Ward) and Robert E. Zucconi (at large), all serving terms of office expiring on June 30, 2018.

James V. Marchetti is the Township Manager.

Federal, state and county representation

Weehawken is located in the 8th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 33rd state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Weehawken had been part of the 13th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 8th congressional district is represented by Rob Menendez (D, Jersey City). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and George Helmy (Mountain Lakes, term ends 2024).

For the 2024–2025 session, the 33rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Brian P. Stack (D, Union City) and in the General Assembly by Julio Marenco (D, North Bergen) and Gabe Rodriguez (D, West New York). Template:NJ Governor

Hudson County is governed by a directly elected County Executive and by a Board of County Commissioners, which serves as the county's legislative body. As of 2024, Hudson County's County Executive is Craig Guy (D, Jersey City), whose term of office expires December 31, 2027. Hudson County's Commissioners are:

Kenneth Kopacz (D, District 1-- Bayonne and parts of Jersey City; 2026, Bayonne), William O'Dea (D, District 2-- western parts of Jersey City; 2026, Jersey City), Vice Chair Jerry Walker (D, District 3-- southeastern parts of Jersey City; 2026, Jersey City), Yraida Aponte-Lipski (D, District 4-- northeastern parts of Jersey City; 2026, Jersey City), Chair Anthony L. Romano Jr. (D, District 5-- Hoboken and adjoining parts of Jersey City; 2026, Hoboken), Fanny J.Cedeno (D, District 6-- Union City; 2026, Union City), Caridad Rodriguez (D, District 7-- West New York (part), Weehawken, Guttenberg; 2026, West New York), Robert Baselice (D, District 8-- North Bergen, West New York (part), Seacaucus (part); 2026, North Bergen), and Albert Cifelli (D, District 9-- East Newark, Harrison, Kearny, and Secaucus (part); 2026, Harrison).

Hudson County's constitutional officers are: Clerk E. Junior Maldonado (D, Jersey City, 2027), Sheriff Frank Schillari, (D, Jersey City, 2025) Surrogate Tilo E. Rivas, (D, Jersey City, 2024) and Register Jeffery Dublin (D, Jersey City, 2024). Template:Hudson Freeholder District 7

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 7,335 registered voters in Weehawken, of which 3,717 (50.7%) were registered as Democrats, 850 (11.6%) were registered as Republicans and 2,753 (37.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 15 voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 74.7% of the vote (3,692 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 23.6% (1,169 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (83 votes), among the 4,969 ballots cast by the township's 7,995 registered voters (25 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 62.2%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 72.4% of the vote (3,895 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 26.1% (1,406 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (52 votes), among the 5,381 ballots cast by the township's 8,230 registered voters, for a turnout of 65.4%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 65.0% of the vote (3,250 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 33.8% (1,688 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (26 votes), among the 4,997 ballots cast by the township's 7,293 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 68.5.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 55.5% of the vote (1,407 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 42.2% (1,070 votes), and other candidates with 2.4% (60 votes), among the 2,637 ballots cast by the township's 8,135 registered voters (100 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 32.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 69.9% of the vote (2,209 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 25.1% (792 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 3.8% (119 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (27 votes), among the 3,161 ballots cast by the township's 7,220 registered voters, yielding a 43.8% turnout.

Public safety

Further information: North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue

Weehawken Volunteer First Aid and the Weehawken Police Department were among the many Hudson County agencies that responded to the January 2009 crash of Flight 1549, for which they received accolades from the survivors.

Education

The Weehawken School District serves public school students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2011-12 school year, the district's three schools had an enrollment of 1,232 students and 106.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.55:1. Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Daniel Webster School (480 students in PreK through 2nd grade), Theodore Roosevelt School (339 students in grades 3–6), and Weehawken High School (413 students in grades 7–12). The school system is known for its small classes and high ratings.

The Woodrow Wilson Arts Integrated School (grades 1-8), located in Weehawken, is part of the Union City School District.

The Weehawken Public Library has a collection of approximately 43,000 volumes and circulates 40,600 items annually. and is a member of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System. The landmark building, extensively renovated and updated in 1999, is home to the Historical Commission.

Transportation

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 16.08 miles (25.88 km) of roadways, of which 13.35 miles (21.48 km) were maintained by the municipality, 1.30 miles (2.09 km) by Hudson County and 1.43 miles (2.30 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Route 495 travels east-west between the Lincoln Tunnel and the New Jersey Turnpike with interchanges for Route 3 and U.S. Route 1/9.

Public transportation

The Port Imperial stop on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail.

Public transportation in Weehawken is provided by bus, ferry, and light rail.

Bus service is provided along busy north-south corridors on Park Avenue, Boulevard East and Port Imperial Boulevard by New Jersey Transit (NJT) and privately operated jitneys within Hudson County, and to Manhattan and Bergen county.

NJT 123, 126, 128, 156, 158, 159, 165, 166, 168 originate/terminate at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. NJT 23 and 89 travel between Nungessers and Hoboken Terminal, where transfer is possible to PATH and NJT commuter rail. NJT 84 and 86 travel between Nungessers and Journal Square or Pavonia/Newport in Jersey City. NJT 68 and 67 provide minimal peak service from Lincoln Harbor to the Jersey Shore.

Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) service is available westbound to Bergenline and Tonnelle Avenue and southbound to Hoboken, Jersey City and Bayonne at Lincoln Harbor and Weehawken Port Imperial, where transfer to NY Waterway ferries to Midtown and Lower Manhattan is possible. New York Waterway headquarters are located at Port Imperial.

In 2013, a planned regional bike share system was announced by the Mayors of Weehawken and two cities to its south.

Media and culture

Original town hall at foot of Shippen Street steps undergoing renovation and transformation to local history museum

Weehawken is located within the New York media market, with most of its daily papers available for sale or delivery. The Jersey Journal is a local daily paper covering news in the county. Local weeklies include the free bilingual paper, Hudson Dispatch Weekly, (named for the former daily Hudson Dispatch), the Hudson Reporter, the Spanish language El Especialito. and the River View Observer.

The Weehawken Sequence, an early 20th-century series of approximately 100 oil sketches by local artist John Marin, who worked in the city, is considered among, if not the first, abstract paintings done by an American artist. The sketches, which blend aspects of Impressionism, Fauvism and Cubism, have been compared to the work of Jackson Pollock.

The Hudson Riverfront Performing Arts Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to build a world-class performing arts center on the waterfront. Since 2004, it has presented both indoor and outdoor events at Lincoln Harbor.

On the Fox Channel animated television series, Futurama, Weehawken is the home of the former DOOP headquarters.

Notable people

See also: Category:People from Weehawken, New Jersey

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Weehawken include

• Ed Alberian (1920–1997), entertainer, whose credits include early television's Clarabell the Clown on the Howdy Doody Show, The Beachcomber Bill Show, and Let's Have Fun.
• Adele Astaire (1896–1981), Fred Astaire's elder sister, dancer and entertainer in vaudeville, on Broadway and the West End.
• Fred Astaire (1899–1987), Hollywood actor/dancer.
• Francis Bitter (1902–1967), son of Karl Bitter, physicist known for his research with magnets and long career at MIT.
• Karl Bitter (1867–1915), sculptor, established atelier in town, where he lived and worked until his death.
• John H. Bonn (1829–1991), founder of North Hudson County Railway.
• Helen Castillo, fashion designer and cast member of season 12 of the reality television series Project Runway; was born and raised in Weehawken
• Franck de Las Mercedes (born 1972), postmodern artist.
• John Diebold (1926–2005), computer scientist, considered to be an automation evangelist.
• John J. Eagan (1872–1956), a Democrat who represented New Jersey's 11th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1913 to 1921.
• John Erskine (1879–1951), educator and author, who reflects on the town in The Memory of Certain Persons.</ref>
• Edward Feigenbaum (born 1936), computer scientist who collaborated on the development of the first expert system Dendral.
• Peter Fiordalisi (1904–1988), modern artist whose work was inspired by the New Jersey Palisades.
• Janet Hamill (born 1945), poet and spoken word artist.
• Barry Harris (born 1929), jazz pianist and educator.
• Glenn Hauman (born 1969), writer, artist, editor and electronic publisher.
• Robert Hilferty (1959–2009), journalist, filmmaker and AIDS activist.
• Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter (1897–1982), director of the Central Intelligence Agency (1947–1950).
• Bob Kennedy (1928-1991), defensive back and halfback who played in the All-America Football Conference for the Los Angeles Dons.
• James G. King (1791–1853), businessman and politician who represented New Jersey's 5th congressional district from 1849 to 1851.
• Nica de Koenigswarter née Rothschild, (1913–1988), known as the "bebop baroness" for her patronage of many jazz musicians.
• Lori Majewski, entertainment writer, communications strategist and consultant.
• John Marin (1870–1953), modern American artist.
• Trade Martin (born 1945), composer, songwriter, and producer.
• Steven Massarsky (1948–2007), lawyer and businessman who founded Voyager Communications.
• Thelonious Monk (1917–1982), jazz pianist.
• William E. Ozzard (1915–2002), New Jersey Senate president, 1963.
• Kate Pierson (born 1948), vocalist and one of the lead singers and founding members of The B-52's.
• William Ranney (1813-1857), painter best known for his depictions of Western life, sporting scenery, historical subjects and portraiture..
• Dan Resin (1931–2010), actor known as Dr. Beeper in the film Caddyshack, and as the Ty-D-Bol man in toilet cleaner commercials.
• Henry Reuterdahl (1870-1925), Swedish-American painter highly acclaimed for his nautical artwork.
• Jerome Robbins (1918–1998), choreographer, famous for West Side Story and many works for the New York City Ballet.
• Wilbur Ross (born 1937), investor known for restructuring failed companies in industries such as steel, coal, telecommunications, foreign investment and textiles.
• Gerard Schwarz (born 1947), conductor, currently with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
• Theodore Seltzer (died 1957), manufacturer of Bengay.
• Kenneth Steiglitz, professor of computer science at Princeton University.
• Frank Tashlin (1913–1972), film director, whose credits include The Glass Bottom Boat and The Alphabet Murders.
• Amani Toomer (born 1974), wide receiver who played for the New York Giants.
• Percie Vivarttas, architect notable for Temple Beth-El in Jersey City.
• Josef von Sternberg (1894–1969), film noir director who built a home in the 1940s that was sold in 1958 to Nica de Koenigswater.
• Derrick Ward (born 1980), running back who played for the New York Giants.
• Daniel Webster (1782–1852), statesmen.
• Grant Wright (1885–1935), cartoonist, illustrator and painter.

See also

• Bergen, New Netherland
• Bergen Township
• Burr-Hamilton duel
• Gateway Region
• Gold Coast, New Jersey
• Hudson River Waterfront Walkway
• New Jersey Palisades
• North Hudson, New Jersey
• Weehawken Reporter
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hudson County, New Jersey

External links

• Official website
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Weehawken" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.