Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town’s population was 16,264, reflecting an increase of 333 (+2.1%) from the 15,931 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,870 (+13.3%) from the 14,061 counted in the 1990 Census.

Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county’s municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and transportation uses, as well as protected areas.

Secaucus is a derivation of the Algonquian words for “black” (seke or sukit) and “snake” (achgook), or “place of snakes”, or sekakes, referring to snakes.

Sikakes, once an island, was part of the territory purchased by Director-General of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant in 1658. The territory was part of what is considered to be the oldest municipality in the state of New Jersey which was first chartered in 1660 as Bergen in the province of New Netherland and, in 1683, became Bergen Township.

Settlement had begun by at least 1733 by the Smith family, whose namesake Abel I. Smith Burial Ground is part of the lore of Secaucus.

Secaucus was originally formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 12, 1900, from portions of North Bergen. On June 7, 1917, Secaucus was incorporated as a town, replacing Secaucus borough, based on the results of a referendum held on June 5, 1917.

Secaucus was originally an agricultural community specializing in flowers. It later became known for its pig farms in the first half of the 20th century. In the early 1900s the town was home to approximately 55 pig farms, which housed nearly 250,000 pigs, which outnumbered humans 16 to 1. These farms served the meat demands of Newark and New York, and made the farmers wealthy. Many of them were local politicians, most notably pork peddler Henry B. Krajewski, who ran for New Jersey senator, three times for governor and twice for U.S. President. The town’s pig farms, rendering plants, and junk yards gave the town a reputation for being one of the most odorous in the New York metropolitan area. In the 1950s the pig farms began to dwindle, partially due to construction on the New Jersey Turnpike, which would carry tourists who would not appreciate the odor. In 1963, debris from the demolition of Pennsylvania Station was dumped in the Secaucus Meadowlands. In later decades Secaucus became more of a commuter town. In a non-binding referendum in 1969, 90% of voters in Secaucus chose to leave Hudson County and join Bergen County, as that county was more similar in character and had lower taxes. However, only the state has the authority to change county lines, so it never came to fruition. Today it remains the most suburban town in Hudson County.

On February 9, 1996, two NJ Transit commuter trains collided at Bergen Junction in Secaucus when a train operating on the Bergen Line ran a signal and sideswiped a train running on the Main Line. The accident occurred during the morning rush hour just south of the current Secaucus Junction station. With three fatalities, the incident is NJ Transit’s deadliest accident and was the first to involve fatalities of the passenger and crew on NJ Transit.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Secaucus as its 182nd best place to live in its 2010 rankings of the “Best Places To Live” in New Jersey, after ranking the borough 11th in its 2008 rankings.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town had a total area of 6.599 square miles (17.090 km²), including 5.822 square miles (15.078 km²) of land and 0.777 square miles (2.012 km²) of water (11.77%).

At the southern end of Secaucus is Snake Hill (officially known as Laurel Hill), an igneous rock diabase intrusion jutting up some 150 feet (46 m) from the Meadowlands below, near the New Jersey Turnpike.

Being partly surrounded by the Hackensack Meadowlands, Secaucus provides opportunities to observe the recovery of natural marshes in the town’s post-industrial, post-agricultural age. Some marsh areas in the northeast part of town have been filled to provide a new commercial area, and some to build footpaths for nature walks with signs illustrating birds and other wildlife to be seen there. It has the most open “green” space in of any town in Hudson County.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the town include:

• County Avenue – from Municipal Building to Secaucus Junction
• Harmon Cove – along the Hackensack River and Meadowlands Turnpike
• Harmon Meadow – site of Mill Creek Mall and Meadowlands Convention Center
• Laurel Hill
• Little Snake Hill
• Mill Creek Marsh
• North End – north of New Jersey Route 3; home of Secaucus High School, Schmiddt’s Woods, and Mill Creek Marsh
• Riverbend – a wetlands preserve at the meander in the Hackensack River
• Secaucus Junction – NJ Transit’s central rail hub
• Secaucus Plaza Central Business District at Paterson Plank Road south of Route 3
• Snake Hill – site of Laurel Hill County Park

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 16,264 people, 6,297 households, and 4,112 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,793.7 per square mile (1,078.7/km²). There were 6,846 housing units at an average density of 1,175.9 per square mile (454.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 68.40% (11,125) White, 4.11% (668) Black or African American, 0.20% (32) Native American, 20.40% (3,318) Asian, 0.04% (6) Pacific Islander, 4.38% (713) from other races, and 2.47% (402) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.60% (3,025) of the population.

Source: Wikipedia