Union City

CHAPTER

Chapters · Union City

Union City — Havana on the Hudson, woven into America's fabric

“Embroidery Capital of the United States.”

Perched atop the Hudson Palisades, Union City packs more than 68,000 residents into just 1.29 square miles, making it one of the most densely populated cities in the nation. Born from a 1925 merger of two mill towns, it became world-famous for embroidery and, decades later, for the vibrant Cuban and Latino community that reshaped its streets and soul.

Join the Chamber Explore local businesses

1925

Incorporated

68,589

Residents (2020 Census)

1.29 mi²

Total area

53,294

People per square mile

About the town

A city built tall, not wide

Union City occupies just 1.29 square miles atop the Hudson Palisades, yet it is home to more than 68,000 people — one of the highest population densities of any city in the United States. Five bordering towns and the New York skyline frame a community defined by closeness, geographic and cultural.

Among the most densely populated cities in the United States, atop the Palisades
Bisected by NJ Route 495, with NJ Transit buses into the Port Authority Bus Terminal
A proud Cuban-American and Latino identity earned it the nickname "Havana on the Hudson"

See it on the Territory Map

New Jersey’s Gold Coast waterfront, across the Hudson from Manhattan

Union City is part of New Jersey’s Gold Coast, along the Hudson.

Our history

The story of Union City

1925

Two towns become one

Union City was incorporated on June 1, 1925 through the merger of Union Hill and West Hoboken Township, two industrial communities that had grown up along the Palisades since the mid-1800s.

Early 1900s

The Embroidery Capital

German, Swiss, and Austrian immigrants brought Schiffli lace machines to the area's solid bedrock, and Union City became the "Embroidery Capital of the United States," producing the bulk of the nation's embroidery for decades.

1960s–today

Havana on the Hudson

After Fidel Castro's rise in 1959, large numbers of Cuban exiles settled in Union City, giving it one of the nation's largest Cuban communities and its enduring nickname.

Signature landmark

Bergenline Avenue

Running the length of the city, Bergenline Avenue is the longest commercial avenue in New Jersey, lined with hundreds of restaurants, bakeries, and shops reflecting more than two dozen nationalities. Long nicknamed "the Miracle Mile," it remains the beating commercial heart of North Hudson.

★ New Jersey's longest continuous commercial corridor.

Community & culture

What makes Union City unique

Bergenline Avenue

New Jersey's longest commercial avenue, home to hundreds of restaurants, cafes, and markets serving Cuban, Dominican, Ecuadorian, and Colombian kitchens.

The Passion Play

Union City hosts the longest continuously running Passion Play in the United States, staged at the Park Performing Arts Center since 1915.

A Latino cultural capital

Waves of Cuban immigration made Union City a lasting center of Cuban-American and broader Latino life, culture, and cuisine in the New York metro area.

Hometown notables

People of Union City

Bob Menendez

Former Union City mayor and U.S. Senator

W.S. Merwin

Pulitzer Prize-winning U.S. Poet Laureate

Otis Davis

1960 Olympic gold-medal sprinter

Otto Messmer

Creator of Felix the Cat

The Union City Chapter

Local roots, regional reach

The Union City Chapter connects the town’s businesses to the full network of the Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce — hands-on and local, with the marketing, events, and advocacy of the wider regional chamber behind you.

Main-street retail, restaurants & family-owned shops
Professional, medical & financial services
A verified listing and a voice in the community

Become a member Browse the directory

Chapter contact

Gold Coast Chamber — Union City

📍 607 Anderson Ave, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010

📞 (201) 335-0088

✉️ info@goldcoastchamber.org

Serving Union City businesses. Chapter leadership — Chair, Vice Chair, Events & Outreach Coordinators — to be announced.

Do business in Union City

Join the Union City Chapter of the Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce and connect your business to the entire Hudson waterfront.

Join the Chamber All chapters