Guttenberg is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town’s population was 11,176. Only four blocks wide, Guttenberg is the ninth-smallest municipality in the state[13][20] and the most densely populated incorporated municipality in the United States, as well as one of the most densely populated municipalities worldwide, with 57,116 people per square mile (22,052/km²) of land area.
The population increased by 369 (+3.4%) from the 10,807 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,539 (+30.7%) from the 8,268 counted in the 1990 Census. As of the 2010 Census, about one-fifth of the town’s population resides in the Galaxy Towers, a trio of residential skyscrapers overlooking the Hudson River.
The current population growth and density in Guttenberg represents a significant change since 1983, when it was described by The New York Times, as “an old community of two-story row houses, small stores and light industry.”
Guttenberg was formerly a farm owned by William Cooper, sold in 1853 to a group of New Yorkers, who had formed the Weehawken Land and Ferry Association. Like nearby Union Hill, it was subdivided and lots were sold mostly to Germans. The company ran two ferries, the Hultz and the Flora, which crossed the Hudson from the landings at the foot of Bulls Ferry Road, Pleasant Valley, Fort Lee, and Spring Street in Manhattan.
Guttenberg was formed as a town on March 9, 1859, from portions of North Bergen Township, but remained as a part of the township that was not fully independent. Guttenberg became part of Union Township when it was formed on February 28, 1861, and became fully independent as of April 1, 1878. The city takes its name from Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, though other sources indicate that the name derives from “good village” in German.
Galaxy Towers, developed by Prudential Insurance Company, were built in the late 1970s on Boulevard East. The three octagonal skyscrapers rise 415 feet (126 m) and contain 1,075 apartments.
Guttenberg is located atop the Hudson Palisades, south of Woodcliff and the Racetrack Section in North Bergen and north of West New York. Its western border is Kennedy Boulevard. Bergenline Avenue, the commercial corridor of North Hudson, runs north and south through the town, and is the heart of “Havana on the Hudson”. Its eastern border is the Hudson River, opposite Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town had a total area of 0.243 square miles (0.628 km2), including 0.196 square miles (0.507 km2) of land and 0.047 square miles (0.121 km2) of water (19.24%).
The town is ten blocks long and four blocks wide. It takes less than a minute to drive through.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 11,176 people, 4,473 households, and 2,684 families residing in the town. The population density was 57,116.0 per square mile (22,052.6/km2). There were 4,839 housing units at an average density of 24,730.2 per square mile (9,548.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 67.44% (7,537) White, 4.80% (537) Black or African American, 0.91% (102) Native American, 7.32% (818) Asian, 0.04% (4) Pacific Islander, 14.25% (1,593) from other races, and 5.23% (585) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 64.83% (7,245) of the population.
Source: Wikipedia
