Why Hoboken is no Longer an Island (The Rise and Fall of Hoboken N.J.)

Hoboken was originally an island, surrounded by the Hudson River on the east and tidal lands at the foot of the New Jersey Palisades on the west. It was a seasonal campsite in the territory of Hackensack, a land of the Lenni-Lenape, who used the serpentine rock found there to carve pipes. Hoboken lies on the west bank of the Hudson River between Weehawken and Union City on the north and Jersey City's “county seat” on the south and west. Directly across the Hudson River are the Manhattan, New York City neighborhoods of West Village and Chelsea. The city of Hoboken had a total area of 2.011 square miles, of which 1.275 square miles of it is land and 0.736 square miles of it is water. Hoboken has had its ups and downs and is rich in history. Today we will discuss the rise and fall of Hoboken.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Hoboken was originally an island
00:53 Inhabited by the Lenni-Lenape
01:55 Henry Hudson first European to lay claim to the area
03:53 Colonel John Stevens bought this portion of New Jersey
05:30 Colonel John Stevens the inventor
07:11 Hoboken in during World War I
08:06 Inventing the Turtle Club
08:59 first officially recorded baseball game
09:49 The opening of Sybil’s cave
10:30 Pop Culture of Hoboken
12:02 A complete economic downturn in the 70’s
14:26 The highest public transportation use of any city
15:40 Closing: The upturn of Hoboken

IT’S HISTORY - Weekly tales of American Urban Decay as presented by your host Ryan Socash.

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» CREDIT
Scriptwriter - Camrin Dekis,
Editor - Sebastian Ripoll,
Host - Ryan Socash

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» NOTICE
Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only - always reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Events of factual error / mispronounced word/spelling mistakes - retractions will be published in this section.

[gedsonnascimento]

I arrived in Hoboken in 64th, not spoke a word of inglish from Brazil. Went to school from gramma to high school. Had to came back to Brazil in 1970 but í miss Hoboken. What i'am today is thanks to what the city furnished me. Thanks to hoboken and the USA. GOD bless America.

[frankfilippelli]

I’ve always said Hoboken is one of NJ’s most interesting and valuable cities. Such a large cultural enclave in such a small footprint it’s absolutely incredible.

[bobainsworth]

You forgot, Western Electric, the manufacturing arm of AT&T. When they ( AT&T), broke up in 1983/84, they closed their plants there and put 17% of the work force in Hudson county out of work.

[paulrjones]

I grew up in Bergen County in the 1950's and 1960's. I always enjoyed riding the trains into Hoboken and either taking the ferries or tubes across to NYC. In those days Hoboken was showing its age but has pulled itself up by its bootstraps to the appreciation of everyone. Thank you for the history.

[petercarmeci]

Great video. I grew up there in the 70’s and 80’s. My uncle had a “Social Club” on Second & Adams. He was good friends with Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Roselli. I met them both when I was a kid, and had no clue who they were. Played baseball and football for Hoboken HS in 1988, 89, 90. Good times.

[bagaboiebailey]

My parents (now divorced) had their first apartment in Hoboken, only purchasing the current house in the suburbs in 1999, but from home video footage I've seen it seems that their experiences in the city with each other and their friends throughout the 90s were pleasant and enjoyable.
Today I am going to college at Stevens Institute of Technology and taking the train into Hoboken station every day.

[xinpan]

Went to stevens in 17 to 19, all the way from China. Hoboken becomes my second home. Also bought a condo this month and feel so great to become a Hoboken resident. I can finally eat the best pizza and best mutz within 5 mins walk.

[theantmattia]

You should definitely look into the Ford motor plant superfund site in mahwah, nj and the negative effects it had on natives in Stag Hill. Worth a shot to just check ya know 👍.

[skrachvynl]

I just need to point out that the map you show at 4:34 IS NOT HOBOKEN. This is a map of what was then West Hoboken, a different town altogether which merged with the town on Union Hill in 1925 to form current day Union City. What was known as West Hoboken is basically downtown Union City.

[quentinjersey]

Glossed over the 90's until the present: The old industrial waterfront was converted into the walkway shown at the end. A old pier became a public park. The industrial northwest side of town has for the most part been leveled and replaced with luxury rentals and condos. A former mayors father was struck by a car crossing the street sparking a "pedestrian safety initiative" that was recently highlight as a success in the media. Looking ahead, the area around the Ferry will begin redevelopment soon and the city has been focused on creating more open space and parks. Oh and COMPLETELY left out how hurricane Sandy devastated the city in 2012 (and in some ways is still recovering).

[nickpalance]

Went to Stevens in the fall of ‘91 (graduated ‘96… spent way too much time taking the PATH to NYC to finish by ‘95). This is when I truly learned how to parallel park. The 800 block of Castle Point Terrace looks pretty much the same today as then.

[heatheranne]

I would just like to say that your video about Hoboken was amazing and well appreciated. Your explanation and knowledge regarding the grid placement and it's migrations, as well as it's expansions was quite refined and fun to watch! Thank you, and I wish happy holidays to you and your family!

[FVInLPS]

This was an awesome documentary. Thank you for that. I would love to see one about Union City!

[TheFeralBachelor]

Thank you for the history. I've slept on those benches in Hoboken Terminal because we missed the last train to Mendham, NJ. I've taking the PATH to work in midtown, or down to the WTC terminal many times. All good memories.

[FerrisFixes]

Thank you for mentioning the Little Juliana. I worked on a project at Stevens where we completely rebuilt and tested this boat.

[miketartaglio]

Hoboken is not a Lenape name. It was named by Dutch settlers because of its similarity to Hoboken on the Scheldt River in Antwerp (Belgium in the modern age).

[camilopoveda]

Awesome video I’ve lived in Hudson county my whole life I love seeing the old clips and your stories are amazing

[JackSquat]

Having grown up in Jersey City, my family would use the path train to go to New York City or Newark New Jersey on occasion. We would pass through Hoboken where it would always have a distinctive odor. Like the smell of low tide, or rotten eggs. I will never forget it. I can smell it now. I will forever associate Hoboken with that smell. Also this video forgot to mention the infamous restuarant, The Clam Broth House. An occasional celebrity hangout. The owner Arturo was a lovely man.

[daveharrison]

The grid streets designed by Stevens turned out to be very useful for the urban development that would happen later.

[harryschaefer]

Jersey boy here, born in Jersey City in 1948, lived in weehawken for 3 years, then Hillsdale NJ. Elysian fields is atop the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel!