Bergenline Avenue
Havana on the Hudson
Miracle Mile
Facing north at 32nd Street in Union City
Facing north at 32nd Street in Union City
Part of CR 721
Length4.4 mi (7.1 km)[1]
LocationHudson County, New Jersey
Nearest metro stationBergenline Avenue
(Hudson–Bergen Light Rail)
Coordinates40°45′13″N 74°02′29″W / 40.7535°N 74.0415°W / 40.7535; -74.0415
South end2nd Street in Union City
Major
junctions		 CR 693 in North Bergen
North endAnderson Avenue in Fairview

Bergenline Avenue is a major commercial district in the North Hudson section of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The north–south streets passes through Union City, West New York, Guttenberg, and North Bergen. Its southern end is at Union City's Second Street, the north boundary of Washington Park. From there north to 47th Street, the street is one-way southbound; New York Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard serve northbound traffic. Between 48th and 49th Streets, elevators on the west side provide access to the underground Bergenline Avenue station of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. After passing through West New York and Guttenberg and into North Bergen, the street meets North Hudson Park, running along its west side from 79th Street to the Bergen County line through the community of Nungesser's and crosses Kennedy Boulevard. The northernmost 0.04 miles (0.064 km) of the route from Kennedy Boulevard to the Bergen County line is designated as County Route 721. North of the county line the street name becomes Anderson Avenue, which is the major commercial district for Fairview, Cliffside Park, and Fort Lee.

Route description

Currently the longest commercial avenue in the state, boasting over 300 retail stores and restaurants, many of which became the outlet for Cuban entrepreneurs who had immigrated to Union City,[2] and West New York, for which the thoroughfare became known as "Havana on the Hudson".[3] Also known as the "Miracle Mile", Bergenline's largest concentration of retail and chain stores begins at the intersection of 32nd Street and continues north until 92nd Street in North Bergen, and while it is a narrow one-way, southbound street throughout most of Union City, it becomes a four lane, two-way street at 48th Street, just one block south of the town's limit. It is used as the route for local parades,[4][5] including the annual Memorial Day Parade,[6] Cuban Day Parade,[7] and Dominican-American Parade.[8]

The street is also a major transportation corridor, served by New Jersey Transit buses to local points (22, 22X, 84, 86, and 89) and to the Port Authority Bus Terminal (156 and 159) and George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal (181) in Manhattan. The portion along the west side of North Hudson Park sees almost 300 buses in each direction on a normal weekday, an average of one every five minutes.[9]

History

Bergenline Avenue then and now: Facing south toward 32nd Street, circa 1900 (left), and in 2010 (right).

Originally, Bergenline Avenue was the width of a cowpath, and was not regarded as a business center. Street car tracks were expected to be laid on Palisade Avenue, where the Union Hill's Town Hall was located. However, an influential citizen named Henry Kohlmeier, who had just built his residence on Palisade Avenue, did not wish to be disturbed by the noise of the passing cars, and proposed that the tracks be laid on Bergenline Avenue, two blocks to the west, and before those who would have objected to this became aware of this change, the motion was approved.[10] The continuous line of retail stores that appeared Bergenline Avenue made it a major shopping thoroughfare for North Hudson County, one of the leading shopping centers in Northern New Jersey,[11] and the longest commercial avenue in the state.[5]

By the early part of the twentieth century, Bergenline Avenue was an Italian-American strip, but by 1981 it was predominantly Cuban.[12] By the early 2000s it remained the heart of the Cuban-American community in North Hudson, and home to many other Hispanics.[13] Among members of that community, it earned the nickname La Avenida.[14]

Notable residents

  • Esther Salas, the first Hispanic woman to serve as a United States magistrate judge in the District of New Jersey, and the first Hispanic woman to be appointed a U.S. District Court judge in New Jersey.[15]
  • Erick Morillo (1971–2020), DJ and music producer known for the single "I Like to Move It", grew up in an apartment at 1406 Bergenline. That portion of Bergenline, between 14th and 15th Streets, was renamed in his honor on October 12, 2012.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Google (January 15, 2017). "Bergenline Avenue" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  2. ↑ Perez-Stable, Marifeli (December 3, 2009). "That other Cuban community". The Miami Herald.
  3. ↑ Sietsema, Robert (December 13, 2016). "A Food Crawl Through Havana on the Hudson". Eater.
  4. ↑ Staab, Amanda (May 10, 2009). "Attracting shoppers to Summit Ave." The Union City Reporter. pp. 3 and 11.
  5. 1 2 Cullen, Deanna (March 6, 2011). "Is end near for biz districts (and 3.5 % sales tax)?". The Hudson Reporter. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Union City Memorial Day parade is today". NJ.com. May 27, 2010
  7. ↑ Mestanza, Jean-Pierre (June 4, 2011). "Cuban Day Parade and Festival set for tomorrow in North Hudson". NJ.com.
  8. ↑ Mestanza, Jean-Pierre (October 14, 2010). "Dominican-American Parade to fill Bergenline Avenue with music, fun". NJ.com.
  9. ↑ New Jersey Transit – Bus Archived February 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ Twentieth Anniversary: 1919 - 1939 West Hoboken Post No. 14 Union City, New Jersey. The American Legion. Department of New Jersey. p. 31
  11. ↑ Galland, Frank (1947). North Hudson Kiwanis Club: History and Directory: Silver Anniversary: 1922 — 1947. Hudson County, New Jersey: North Hudson Kiwanis Club. p. 67.
  12. ↑ Ferretti, Fred Ferretti (December 30, 1981). "New York, New Year, Old Delights". The New York Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  13. ↑ Wayne Parry (December 8, 2005). "Menendez Inspires Pride in Cuban-Americans". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  14. ↑ Gettleman, Jeffrey (February 5, 2006). "ON POLITICS; A Cuban Revolution, Only It's in New Jersey". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  15. ↑ Sanabria, Santo. "Local roots". The Union City Reporter. July 24, 2011. pages 1 and 12
  16. ↑ Machcinski, Anthony J (October 12, 2012). "House music superstar Erick Morillo returns to Union City for emotional street naming ceremony". NJ.com.
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