Jersey City is one of the largest cities in the United States, and has a rich history. It was founded in 1630 by colonists of New Amsterdam due to the locations unique geography. The city was granted its first charter in 1806, and was incorporated as a township on February 22, 1870.

Jersey City is one of the oldest cities in New Jersey, having been established in 1630 by New Netherland Director-General Peter Stuyvesant. It was given a municipal charter in 1854. In 1874 the city became the first large city to establish a board of education.

The population grew rapidly after World War II and reached a peak of 344,040 in 1980. Today the population has declined, and is estimated to be about 285,000. It is currently the second largest city after Newark in New Jersey.

Population Growth and More

Jersey City in 1999 was the 16th most populous U.S. city with a population of 282,892.(Population Rank: 16) During the 1960s and 1970s, Jersey City's population grew at a steady rate of about 2 percent per year. This rapid population growth was mainly because many people from New York City moved to Jersey City to find employment as a result of the 1964 riots that affected that city.

Because of the immigration wave, Jersey City's racial makeup changed during this period from 74 percent white in 1960 to 69 percent white and 22 percent black in 1970. By 1980 its ethnic makeup had changed to 42 percent Italian, 8 percent German, 7 percent Puerto Rican, 7 percent Irish and 5 Chinese. In 1990 it had become only 5 Chinese and 81 white. The population declined during the 1980s, from 281,000 in 1980 to about 263,000 in 1990. This decline was mainly caused by middle-class families leaving the city and moving to suburbs.

When was Jersey City Founded?

Jersey City was founded in 1630 by settlers from New Amsterdam. They began building a town at Bergen Square and first named it Nieuw-Amsterdam (New Amsterdam). The governor of New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant, didn't want the British to know that the Dutch were settling there and ordered the town be renamed New Orange.

In 1660, a military post was established to protect the settlers from Indian attacks. This became Fort Amsterdam in 1673, and the town around it was called Bergen. Bergen was eventually incorporated into Jersey City in 1838.

How was Jersey City Named?

In 1660, a military post was established and built around Bergen Square to protect the settlers from Indian attacks. It was named Fort Amsterdam. The name was changed to Jersey City in 1857 and officially adopted in 1961.

How Did Jersey City Grow?

In 1674, the English took over New Amsterdam with the Dutch losing by default. Both the Dutch and English were allowed to settle in New Jersey, but there was a lot of hostility between them. As a result, in 1688 the English gained control over the entire state. The government ruled that everyone had to be either Dutch or English. This didn't last long because during the American Revolution (1775-1783), many people wanted their independence from England.

In 1764, King George III gave the city of Newark to his brother, William Morris as a gift for supporting him during the American Revolution. In 1765, Newark became the county seat of Essex County.

In 1808, a portion of Bergen Township was added to Jersey City. It was a small area between the Hudson River and Second Avenue that included what is now Liberty State Park and most of the northeast part of today's Jersey City. In 1831, in an attempt to stop urbanization, Bergen Township was split into three parts. One part became Brooklyn, one became Jersey City as we know it today, and the other became Union City.

In 1853, a bridge was built across the Hudson River. From that point on until today, Jersey City became an important port for commerce.

Hub of commerce

Jersey City has remained an important port city and has remained a manufacturing center as well. In the late 19th century, immigrants from Europe settled here and made Jersey City one of the most diverse cities in America