Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark. It is the county seat of Hudson County and the county's largest city, both by population and by area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had 292,449 people. That is an increase of 44,852 (+18.1%) from the 2010 census count of 247,597. (The Population Estimates Program calculated a population of 302,013 for 2025.) As of 2020, more than 40 languages were spoken in over 52% of households. Also, 42.5% of residents were born outside the United States. This makes the city the most ethnically diverse in the United States.

Jersey City is the third most-populous city in the New York metropolitan area. It sits between two bodies of water. The Hudson River and Upper New York Bay are on its east side. The Hackensack River and Newark Bay are on its west side. The city is a port of entry with 30.7 miles (49.4 km) of waterfront and many railroad connections. It is an important transportation center. It is also a hub for distribution and manufacturing for the Port of New York and New Jersey. Port Jersey is the city's intermodal freight transport facility and container shipping terminal. The Holland Tunnel, the PATH rapid transit system, NJ Transit bus service, and NY Waterway ferry service all connect the city across the Hudson River with Manhattan.

The area was settled by the Dutch in the 17th century as Pavonia. Later it was called Bergen. It was the first permanent settlement, the first local government, and the oldest town in what became the state of New Jersey. The area came under English control in 1664. Jersey City became a city in 1838. In 1851 it joined with Van Vorst Township. On May 3, 1870, Jersey City joined with Bergen City and Hudson City to form "Greater Jersey City." This followed a special election in 1869 that had majority support in the county. Greenville Township joined in 1873. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, Jersey City had grown into a busy port city on New York Harbor. The city's official motto, "Let Jersey Prosper," appears on its seal and flag. It refers to a border dispute with New York City in the 1800s.

Jersey City is home to several colleges and universities, including Kean Jersey City, Saint Peter's University, and Hudson County Community College. As the county seat, it has the Hudson County Courthouse and the Frank J. Guarini Justice Complex. Places to visit around the city include the Loew's Jersey Theatre, White Eagle Hall, the Liberty Science Center, Ellis Island, Mana Contemporary, and the Museum of Jersey City History. Large parks include Liberty State Park, Lincoln Park, and Berry Lane Park.

Redevelopment of the Jersey City waterfront has made the city one of the largest centers for banking and finance in the United States. This has led to the district and city being nicknamed Wall Street West. Since the 1990s, Jersey City has also been a place where artists and hipsters like to live. The city is close to Manhattan and has a growing scene of arts, food, and nightlife. Because of this, apartment rents have become some of the highest in the United States. In response, the city has made rules that require developers to include affordable housing units in their projects. In 2023 and 2025, Travel + Leisure ranked Jersey City as the best place to live in New Jersey.

History

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Jersey City, New Jersey.

Main article: Bergen, New Netherland

The land that is now Jersey City was part of Lenapehoking, where the Lenape lived. In 1609, Henry Hudson sailed along the river that was later named the North River. He claimed the region for the Netherlands. In 1630, the Dutch set up a land grant on the west bank of the Hudson River. Dutch settlers later built homes at Communipaw and Harsimus Cove. In 1661, the village of Bergen was started. It is considered the first permanent settlement in what would become New Jersey. In 1664, the English took over the area, and the land became part of New Jersey. Jersey City grew into a busy port and railroad city. In 1820, the city was officially made a city. In 1838, it became fully independent of Bergen and was given its present name. In 1804, Alexander Hamilton helped start a company. It helped lay the groundwork for the modern city.

Further information: Battle of Paulus Hook and New York and New Jersey campaign

In 1870, many towns in Hudson County joined together to form the present city. In 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated just off the city's shores. Many immigrants came to the city and found work at its docks, railroads, and factories. From 1917 to 1947, Frank Hague led the city. After World War II, Jersey City lost many residents and jobs. Later, in the 1980s, the city began to grow and improve again. On September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center affected the city and its people. On March 13, 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Jersey City.

Geography

Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County and the second-most-populous city in New Jersey. The United States Census Bureau says the city covers 21.13 square miles (54.74 km²). About 6.39 square miles of that is water. In the 1990 census, it had the smallest land area of the 100 most populous cities in the United States.

The Hudson River and Upper New York Bay separate the city from Manhattan and Brooklyn, which are in New York State, to the east. Secaucus, North Bergen, Union City, and Hoboken are to the north. To the west, across the Hackensack River and Newark Bay, are Kearny and Newark. Bayonne is to the south. Most of Ellis Island belongs to Jersey City, after a 1998 U.S. Supreme Court case, New Jersey v. New York. Liberty Island is surrounded by Jersey City waters. The city is close to Manhattan and has many mass transit connections, so it is sometimes called New York City's sixth borough.

The city sits on the peninsula known as Bergen Neck. It is long from north to south, following the ridge of Bergen Hill, where the Hudson Palisades rise. The first European settlements grew into each other instead of spreading out from one center. This, along with the topography, shaped the neighborhoods.

The city has a humid subtropical climate that is very close to a humid continental climate, like New York City and Newark. Summers are hot and humid. Winters are usually cool to cold, with a moderate amount of snow.

The city is divided into six wards. Neighborhoods include Bergen-Lafayette, once called Bergen City, and McGinley Square to the north, near Liberty State Park. Downtown Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and the New Jersey Palisades. It has historic areas like Van Vorst Park and Hamilton Park. Newport and Exchange Place are waterfront areas that have been redeveloped. They have many of the tallest buildings in the city. The Heights sits on top of the Palisades in the north end. Journal Square is a busy central business district and is home to the Journal Square Transportation Center.

Greenville is on the south end, where many strictly Orthodox Jews and young families have settled. In December 2019, a shooting at a market in Greenville took the lives of some people. The West Side, along West Side Avenue, is home to Kean Jersey City and Saint Peter's University.

The planned Bayfront project will be a mixed-use development. It will be built on a cleaned-up former industrial brownfield site along the Hackensack River.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, Jersey City had 292,449 residents. The population density was 19,835.1 people per square mile (7,658.4/km²). This was an increase of 44,852 residents (18.1%) from the 2010 census count of 247,597. Some people thought the 2010 count was too low, so the city hired an outside firm to challenge the results. Based on American Community Survey estimates from 2014 to 2018, about 86.5% of residents had finished high school, and 44.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. About 18.7% of residents lived below the poverty line. From 2005 to 2023, Jersey City led New Jersey and the Northeastern United States in building new homes. In 2024, it ranked third in the New York metropolitan area for new apartment building, behind only Brooklyn and Manhattan, and ahead of Queens. The city has also passed rules to add affordable housing and protect renters. One rule is a tenant right to counsel law, which gives free legal help to renters facing eviction who earn less than 80% of the area's median income. In 2025, Jersey City became the first town in New Jersey to stop landlords from using AI-driven software to set rent prices.

Main articles: India Square, Indians in the New York City metropolitan area, and Filipinos in the New York metropolitan area

Jersey City has been called "one of the most diverse cities in the world." For several years, it has been ranked as the most ethnically diverse city in the United States. It is a major port of entry for immigration to the United States and a major employment center near Manhattan. In 2017, the city became a "sanctuary city." In 2020, it became the first town in the United States approved for offering free legal services to immigrants through the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) Recognition and Accreditation Program. In 2025, the Trump Administration sued the city over its sanctuary policies. These policies reduce deportations of undocumented immigrants who have no criminal records. Mayor Steven Fulop said he would not be "bullied" and promised to fight the federal government. The city's largest Hispanic group is Stateside Puerto Ricans. Cuban Americans hold a festival at Exchange Place on the downtown waterfront. Asian Americans make up about a quarter of the population. India Square, also known as "Little India", "Little Bombay", or "Little Gujarat", has the most Asian Indians in the Western Hemisphere. Indian Americans made up 10.9% of the city's population in 2010, the highest share of any major U.S. city. Filipino Americans make up 6.2% of residents, and the Five Corners district is a well-known Little Manila. The city's Arab Americans are concentrated here, led by Egyptian Americans, including the largest population of Coptic Christians in the United States. Jersey City also has a growing Orthodox Jewish community, centered in the Greenville neighborhood. Nearly 59.6% of residents are religious, and 46.2% of them are Catholic or Christian. Jersey City is considered one of the most LGBT-friendly communities in New Jersey. The Hudson Pride Connections Center in Journal Square is the largest LGBTQ+ social services center in the state.

Main article: Same-sex marriage in New Jersey

Economy

Jersey City is one of the biggest job centers in New Jersey. It has over 100,000 jobs in both private and public organizations. Many jobs are in the financial and service sectors. There are also jobs in shipping, logistics, and retail. From 1995 to 2003, the city led the 100 largest U.S. cities in job growth and poverty reduction. Wages in the inner city grew by 4.7%. From 2020 to 2021, the number of workers rose from 140,000 to 151,000. IT and tech jobs made up 15.5% of the new jobs.

The city's tax base grew by $136 million in 2017. This made it the largest city tax base in New Jersey. By 2024, the tax base was worth over $57 billion.

In 2026, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) opened the NJ BASE innovation center at Harborside. It aims to attract international companies in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and fintech. The Hudson River waterfront, from Exchange Place to Newport, is known as Wall Street West. It has over 13,000,000 square feet of Class A office space. It is the state's largest office market. One-third of private sector jobs in the city are in financial services. Of these, more than 60% are in the securities industry, 20% are in banking, and 8% are in insurance.

Jersey City is home to the headquarters of the National Stock Exchange, Verisk Analytics, and Lord Abbett, a privately held money management firm. Computershare, ADP, IPC Systems, and Fidelity Investments also operate there. Fintech firms such as Revenued and Bluevine are based there too. In 2014, Forbes moved its headquarters to the district. RBC Bank moved 900 jobs to 30 Hudson Street. In 2015, JPMorgan Chase moved 2,150 jobs from Manhattan to Newport. In 2020, American International Group leased space at 30 Hudson St. The Bank of Montreal renewed its lease in 2024. That same year, Bank of America leased about 550,000 square feet at Newport Tower.

The city has five data centers that support its tech and fintech industries. In 2024, Jersey City was ranked the 5th top tech city in the United States. In 2020, Merck & Co spin-off Organon International leased space through WeWork.

In 2021, the Liberty Science Center broke ground on SciTech Scity. This life science campus focuses on research and development. Its anchor tenants include Sheba Medical Center, RWJBarnabas Health, Bristol Myers Squibb, EY, and Nokia Bell Labs. The campus also has a STEM public high school run by the Hudson County Schools of Technology. The biotechnology firm EpiBone moved from Brooklyn to Exchange Place in 2023. In 2024, RegenLab USA followed. It makes devices for cell therapy. That same year, biopharmaceutical company Eikon Therapeutics moved into office space at Harborside.

In 2025, AI and IT company Hexaware Technologies took a whole floor for its global headquarters. Cloud-native IT consultancy Zoi North America also opened its U.S. headquarters downtown. In 2026, Pharmaceutical company Compass Pathways opened its U.S. headquarters at Exchange Place.

Jersey City has also become a leader in the sports betting industry. BetMGM and Caesars Sports Book have headquarters at Exchange Place. FanDuel, Draft Kings, and Fanatics have offices in the city. New Jersey has a long history of legalized gambling. Because of this, the city has become an extension of the gaming industry in Atlantic City.

Jersey City has several shopping districts. These include traditional main streets such as Central, Danforth, Newark, and West Side Avenues. Lower Newark Avenue in Downtown Jersey City became a three-block pedestrian plaza in 2022. Journal Square is a historic commercial and business district. It includes Bergen Square, McGinley Square, India Square, the Five Corners, and part of the Marion Section. The city has two malls. They are Newport Centre Mall, a regional indoor shopping mall, and Hudson Mall. Parts of the city are in an Urban Enterprise Zone. In these areas, shoppers pay a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate.

The city's central location and its rail and road connections have made it an important distribution center. Sysco is based there. Tropicana opened a packaging and sales facility at Greenville Yard in 1991. The facility was supplied by the "Juice Train" from Bradenton, Florida. It supplies the Northeast and Canada with orange juice. Evergreen Marine Corporation moved its U.S. headquarters back to Jersey City from Morristown in 2003. In 2011, DeBragga & Spitler moved its operations to Bergen-Lafayette. The company was once a large meat supplier in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. In 2013, Imperial Dade opened a distribution center on U.S. Route 1/9 Truck. Goya Foods was previously based in neighboring Secaucus. In 2015, it opened a headquarters with a warehouse and distribution center in Jersey City. In 2019, Nuts.com moved to Exchange Place. In 2024, CVS Health leased space at HRP Hudson Logistics Park in the Croxton section. In 2025, DHL Express moved its Manhattan service center there too. Also in 2025, Daylight Transport opened a shipping terminal in The Heights.

Port Jersey is an intermodal freight transport facility. It has a container terminal on the Upper New York Bay, in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It sits along the border with Bayonne. Its Greenville Yard was built in the early 1900s by the Pennsylvania Railroad. New York New Jersey Rail, a switching and terminal railroad, operates the only car float in New York Harbor between Jersey City and Brooklyn. A major post-panamax shipping facility is at the center of the port. It is operated by CMA CGM. In 2024, it received new cranes that can serve twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels. Iron Mountain opened a secure shredding facility in Jersey City in 2006. From 2008 to 2013, the city was one of nine in New Jersey eligible for Urban Transit Hub tax credits. These were pro-rated.

VF Corporation moved workers to Newport in 2014. In 2015, Jackson Hewitt moved its national headquarters from Parsippany to Exchange Place. IT Cosmetics was acquired by L'Oréal in 2016. It expanded its Newport headquarters in 2017. That same year, Tory Burch moved offices to Newport. In 2022, Oishii, a vertical farming company, moved its headquarters to Jersey City. The sports memorabilia company Collectors Holdings is owned by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen. In 2022, it leased space at Harborside 3. In 2023, Whole Foods Market moved its Northeast headquarters from Englewood Cliffs to Harborside. In 2025, Technogym moved its U.S. headquarters from Fairfield, Connecticut to Jersey City. Also in 2025, Casio America Inc. leased space at Harborside 5.

Notable landmarks

Main article: List of Registered Historic Places in Hudson County, New Jersey

See also: List of public art in Jersey City, New Jersey

The Statue of Liberty National Monument, Ellis Island and Liberty Island is close to the New Jersey shoreline. The Liberty Science Center is a large science museum and learning center in Liberty State Park. The Peter Stuyvesant Monument by J. Massey Rhind honors Peter Stuyvesant and the start of the settlement of Bergen, New Netherlands in 1660. The Katyń Memorial by Polish-American artist Andrzej Pitynski at Exchange Place is the first memorial of its kind raised on American soil. It honors people who died in the Katyń Forest tragedy. The Lincoln the Mystic by James Earle Fraser honors Abraham Lincoln at the entrance to Lincoln Park.

The Colgate Clock, promoted by Colgate-Palmolive as the largest in the world, faces Lower New York Bay and lower Manhattan. It can be seen from Battery Park. It was put up in 1924 to replace a smaller one that was moved to a plant in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The Loew's Jersey Theatre in Journal Square is one of five Loew's Wonder Theatres built in the 1920s. It is the only one outside New York City. The Van Wagenen House, also called the "Apple Tree House," was built in 1740. It is one of the oldest buildings in Jersey City. It is said that George Washington met the Marquis de Lafayette here in 1779 during the Revolutionary War. The White Eagle Hall is a restored historic theater built in 1910. It once served as the practice gym for the Saint Anthony High School Friars basketball team. The Jersey City 9/11 Memorial honors Jersey City residents who died in the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center. Its site was a triage area during the '9/11 boatlift' operation, where people were sorted by how badly they were hurt. Later, it became a staging area for rescue work. The Empty Sky memorial, designed by Jessica Jamroz and Frederic Schwartz, is in Liberty State Park. It honors New Jerseyans who died in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the September 11 attacks. The Statue of Mary McLeod Bethune, designed by Alvin Petit, is the first statue in Jersey City to honor an African American woman.

Art and culture

Jersey City has a lot of art. In 2011, The Atlantic magazine ranked it the 10th most artistic city in the United States. In 2020, residents voted to create the Arts and Culture Trust Fund. This fund helps local arts groups and artists and provides more arts classes for young people. Jersey City was the first city in New Jersey to set up a special tax to support the arts. A 2023 study by Americans for the Arts found that in 2022, the city's arts and culture work brought in $46 million and supported 532 jobs.

See also: Hudson County Exhibitions

The Jersey City Free Public Library is the largest city library system in New Jersey. Visitors can also visit the Museum of Jersey City History, the Liberty Science Center at Liberty State Park, and the Jersey City Museum. The city has places for live shows, including White Eagle Hall, the Loew's Jersey Theatre, and the New Jersey Symphony. The symphony will open its first permanent home in 2026 in the Powerhouse Arts District.

Parks

As of 2025, Jersey City has 109 parks. These include city parks, county parks, state parks, and federal park land. About 12% of the city's land is used for parks and recreation. The national median is 15%. Even so, Jersey City has more park space than any other city in New Jersey. Every resident lives within a 10-minute walk of a park. The national average is 57%. In 2016, residents voted to create the Open Space Trust Fund. This fund pays for parks, open spaces, and historic sites. Because of these efforts, Jersey City ranked 31st out of the 100 most populous cities in the 2025 Trust for Public Land Park Score.

Some of the parks are Berry Lane Park, the largest city park at 17.5 acres (7.1 ha), and Lincoln Park, the largest county park at 273.4 acres (110.6 ha). Liberty State Park is the largest urban park in the state. It covers 1,212 acres (490 ha) and is the most visited state park in New Jersey, with about 4.5 million visitors each year. The Statue of Liberty National Monument, which includes Ellis Island, is run by the National Park Service. It sits in New York Harbor. Along the eastern waterfront is the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. This 18.5-mile (29.8 km) linear park runs from the George Washington Bridge to the Bayonne Bridge. The Hackensack River Greenway is an 18-mile (29 km) walkway that is being built along the county's western waterfront. Finished parts can be found at Droyer's Point, Lincoln Park, and Skyway Park.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Jersey City, New Jersey

In media

Jersey City is part of the New York media market. Because of this, many New York newspapers, such as The New York Times and the Daily News, are sold or delivered there. The Daily News ran a large printing and delivery center at Liberty Industrial Park from 1993 to 2022. As of 2025, the city no longer has a daily print newspaper. The Jersey Journal was the city's daily paper from 1867, and it was once based at Journal Square. It stopped publishing in 2025. Local news now comes from outlets such as the Jersey City Reporter, which is part of The Hudson Reporter group and has been online-only since 2023, and NJ.com. WSNR 620 AM is a commercial station licensed to Jersey City. WFMU 91.1 FM is the longest-running freeform radio station in the United States, and it moved to the city in 1998.

Jersey City appears in many books. Judy Blume's Then Again, Maybe I Won't (1971) is a coming-of-age story set there. Richard Price's Clockers (1992) uses a fictional New Jersey city called "Dempsey," which was inspired by Jersey City. In N. K. Jemisin's The City We Became (2020), the city's human avatar becomes the honorary "sixth borough" of New York City.

The city has also been a home for film for a long time. The first film studio in the city was built in 1910 by Pathé Exchange. The Jersey City Armory has been used as a temporary film studio. Many movies and shows have been filmed in the city, including The Godfather, The Sopranos, and Joker, which shows the city as Gotham City. The Golden Door Film Festival has been held in the city since 2011.

Government

Further information: Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is run under the Faulkner Act (mayor–council) system of city government. This system is used by 71 of the state's 564 towns and cities. The mayor and a nine-member city council lead the city. Six council members are chosen from wards and three are chosen at-large. All of them serve four-year terms and are elected on a non-partisan basis. The mayor is James Solomon. The county is led by the Hudson County Executive and a Board of County Commissioners. The city is split between New Jersey's 31st and 32nd legislative districts in the New Jersey Legislature. Before the 2011 reapportionment, which came after the 2010 census, the city was also part of the 33rd district.

For the 119th United States Congress, parts of the city are in New Jersey's 8th congressional district, represented by Rob Menendez. Other parts are in New Jersey's 10th congressional district, represented by LaMonica McIver of Newark. The state's two United States Senate members are Democrats Cory Booker of Newark and Andy Kim of Moorestown. Most voters in the city are Democrats, but many are Unaffiliated and some are Republicans. Democrats have won the city's vote in recent presidential elections. These include the 2012 presidential election, when Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney. The city also voted in the 2008 presidential election and the 2004 presidential election. John McCain and John Kerry won those elections in their years. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Barbara Buono won the city against Chris Christie. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Jon Corzine won the city against Christie and Chris Daggett.

The Jersey City Fire Department has 667 uniformed firefighters. It is the largest municipal fire department in the state. It works with other North Jersey fire departments as part of the Metro USAR Strike Team. The Jersey City Police Department has more than 950 sworn officers. Emergency Medical Services are provided by the Jersey City Medical Center, which is run by RWJBarnabas Health. The Jersey City ((/wiki/911_(emergency_telephone_number))) Call Center is based at the city's Public Safety Headquarters.

Education

Jersey City has several colleges and universities. Kean Jersey City is a state public university on the West Side of the city. It is part of Kean University. The school was once called New Jersey City University (NJCU). It started in 1927 as a school for training teachers. A. Harry Moore School opened in the 1930s. It was one of the first public schools in the United States built for students with many disabilities. Since 1963, it has been part of the Kean Jersey City campus. Saint Peter's University is a private Jesuit university on the West Side. The Society of Jesus started it in 1872 as "Saint Peter's College." It was a liberal arts college in the Paulus Hook neighborhood. Hudson County Community College is a public community college in Journal Square. It offers classes that help students go on to a bigger university. Rutgers University offers MBA classes through the Rutgers Business School at Harborside Financial Center. New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) offers M.S. programs in artificial intelligence, computer science, data science and cyber security. These are taught at the Ying Wu College of Computing at 101 Hudson Street in Exchange Place.

The Jersey City Public Schools teach students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts in New Jersey. These districts were created after a decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke. Now it is called an "SDA District" under the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. In the 2021–22 school year, the district had 39 schools and 27,134 students. The student–teacher ratio was 12.9 to 1, based on FTE teachers. Its high schools include William L. Dickinson High School, James J. Ferris High School, Infinity Institute, Innovation High School, Liberty High School, Lincoln High School, Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School and Henry Snyder High School. Information about enrollment comes from the National Center for Education Statistics. Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School was ranked first among New Jersey public high schools in a September 2010 cover story of New Jersey Monthly magazine. In 2011, a survey by Newsweek named it the 41st best high school in the United States. William L. Dickinson High School opened in 1906. It is the city's oldest high school. It is a four-story Beaux-Arts building. Other schools include Academy I Middle School and the Hudson County Schools of Technology. This school also has campuses in North Bergen and Secaucus. Its Jersey City campus includes County Prep High School. The city also has 12 charter schools. These schools run under a charter from the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark runs a group of Catholic schools across the city. These include Hudson Catholic Regional High School. Saint Dominic Academy and St. Peter's Preparatory School are private schools with religious ties. St. Mary High School closed in June 2011 because fewer students were enrolling. St. Anthony High School was known for its success under Bob Hurley. It closed in June 2017. Catholic elementary schools include Sacred Heart School and Saint Aloysius Elementary Academy. In 2015, Our Lady of Czestochowa School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education. Another private high school is Stevens Cooperative School. Kenmare High School operates through the York Street Project.

Transportation

Many people in Jersey City use public transit. About 46.6% of commuters ride public transit, and 8.2% walk to work. Among U.S. cities with 100,000 or more people, only New York City has more public transit riders, and Jersey City is ahead of Washington, D.C.

The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail is one of the most popular ways to get around the city. Jersey City has 13 of its 24 stations. The PATH train runs 24 hours a day and has four stations in the city. It goes to Hoboken Terminal, Midtown Manhattan, Lower Manhattan, and Newark Penn Station. At Newark Penn Station, people can connect to Amtrak. Newark Liberty International Airport is the closest airport to the city. It is owned and run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Buses serve many parts of the city, Hudson County, and nearby towns. Ferries run by NY Waterway carry people between Jersey City and Manhattan. In 2020, the city began an on-demand transit service with Via Transportation. Bike riders can use Citi Bike, which started in 2015. Cars travel on roads such as the Holland Tunnel and the Pulaski Skyway. The city has many bike lanes and is known as one of the most walkable cities in the world. In 2022, there were no traffic deaths on the streets the city owns and cares for.

Further information: Aviation in the New York metropolitan area

Further information: List of bridges, tunnels, and cuts in Hudson County, New Jersey

Hospitals and healthcare

As of 2026, Jersey City has one hospital. Jersey City Medical Center (JCMC) is a large hospital with 352 beds. It is a Level II Regional Trauma Center and a teaching hospital. It sits on a 15-acre campus in Downtown Jersey City. The campus includes Wilzig Hospital, the Provident Bank Ambulatory Center, the Cristie Kerr Women's Health Center, and the Abercrombie Guild Pediatric Emergency Department. This emergency department is the only pediatric ED in Hudson County. The hospital is part of RWJBarnabas Health, which is New Jersey's largest network of independent hospitals and healthcare facilities. It is the city's largest medical center and its oldest hospital, dating back to 1868. By the 1940s, it had become one of the largest healthcare centers in the world. From 1956 to 1968, it was the first home of the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry. That school came before the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in Newark.

Jersey City Medical Center at Greenville is an outpatient medical center and urgent care run by JCMC in the Greenville section. It opened in 2015 in the former Greenville Hospital. That building first opened in 1898 as the "German Hospital and Dispensary of Hudson County." Greenville Hospital closed in 2008 because of state budget cuts. Later, from 2009 to 2011, it was used as the home of JCMC's EMS. The Englewood Health ZT Systems Outpatient Center opened in 2022. It is run by Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in Journal Square. Heights University Hospital, formerly called Christ Hospital, was a private for-profit hospital with 376 beds in the Jersey City Heights. It was founded in 1872 and was first connected to the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. In November 2025, the hospital closed, except for its emergency room. That emergency room closed on March 14, 2026. Saint Francis Hospital was founded in 1864 by the Society of the Sisters of St. Francis. It built its first hospital building in 1870, across from Hamilton Park. The hospital closed in 2005 and the building was turned into apartments.

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Jersey City, New Jersey

Sister cities

Jersey City has sister cities in many countries. The year in brackets shows when each friendship began.

• Cusco, Peru (1988)
• Karpathos, Greece (1992)
• Changwon, South Korea (1993)
• New Delhi, India (1993)
• Ahmedabad, India (1994)
• Nantong, China (1994)
• Changsha, China (1995)
• Ozamiz, Philippines (1995)
• Jerusalem, Israel (1997)
• Oviedo, Spain (1998)
• Sant'Arsenio, Italy (1999)
• Kolkata (Calcutta), India (2001)
• Saint John's, Antigua and Barbuda (2002)
• Palatka, Florida, United States (2016)
• Gomoa West District, Ghana (2018)
• Indrawati, Nepal (2018)
• General Santos, Philippines (2018)
• Beit Shemesh, Israel (2022)