Weehawken is a township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township’s population was 12,554, reflecting a decline of 947 (-7.0%) from the 13,501 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,116 (+9.0%) from the 12,385 counted in the 1990 Census.

The name Weehawken is generally considered to have evolved from the Algonquian language Lenape spoken by the Hackensack and Tappan. It has variously been interpreted as “maize land”, “place of gulls”, “rocks that look like trees”, which would refer to the Palisades, atop which most of the town sits, or “at the end”, among other suggested translations.

Three U.S. Navy ships have been named for the city. The USS Weehawken, launched on November 5, 1862, was a Passaic-class monitor, or ironclad ship, which sailed for the Union Navy during the American Civil War, encountered battles at the Charleston, South Carolina coast, and sank in a moderate gale on December 6, 1863. The Weehawken was the last ferry to The West Shore Terminal on March 25, 1959, at 1:10 am, ending 259 years of continuous ferry service.

The name and the place have inspired mention in multiple works of popular culture.

In 1674, New Netherland was ceded to the British, and the town became part of the Province of East Jersey. John Luby, in 1677, acquired several parcels comprising 35 acres (140,000 m²) along the Hudson. Most habitation was along the top of the cliffs since the low-lying areas were mostly marshland. Descriptions from the period speak of the dense foliage and forests and excellent land for growing vegetables and orchard fruits. As early as 1700 there was regular, if sporadic ferry service from Weehawken. In 1752, King George II made the first official grant for ferry service, the ferry house north of Hoboken primarily used for farm produce, and likely was sold at the Greenwich Village landing that became Weehawken Street.

During the American Revolutionary War, Weehawken was used as a lookout for the patriots to check on the British, who were situated in New York and controlled the surrounding waterways. In fact, in July 1778, Lord Stirling asked Aaron Burr, in a letter written on behalf of General George Washington, to employ several persons to “go to Bergen Heights, Weehawk, Hoebuck, or any other heights thereabout to observe the motions of the enemy’s shipping” and to gather any other possible intelligence. Early documented inhabitants included a Captain James Deas, whose stately residence at Deas’ Point was located atop a knoll along the river. Lafayette had used the mansion as his headquarters and later Washington Irving came to gaze at Manhattan.

Not far from Deas’ was a ledge 11 paces wide and 20 paces long, situated 20 feet (6.1 m) above the Hudson on the Palisades. This ledge, long gone, was the site of 18 documented duels and probably many unrecorded ones in the years 1798–1845. The most famous is the duel between General Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury, and Colonel Aaron Burr, sitting third Vice President of the United States, which took place on July 11, 1804.; this duel was re-enacted on its 200th anniversary (July 11, 2004) by descendants of Hamilton and Burr. Three years earlier, a duel was held at this spot between Philip Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton’s son) and George Eacker; Phillip Hamilton, who had been defending his father’s honor, suffered a fatal wound in his hip and his left arm and died two days later on November 24, 1801. In the mid-19th century, James G. King built his estate Highwood on the bluff that now bears his name, and entertained many political and artistic figures of the era, including Daniel Webster.

With the ferry, the Hackensack Plank Road (a toll road that was a main artery from Weehawken to Hackensack), and later, the West Shore Railroad, built during the early 1870s, the waterfront became a transportation hub. The wealthy built homes along the top of the New Jersey Palisades, where they might flee from the sweltering heat of New York, and breathe the fresh air of the heights. Weehawken became the playground of the rich during the middle to late 19th century. A series of wagon lifts, stairs, and even a passenger elevator designed by the same engineer as those at the Eiffel Tower (which at the time was the world’s largest) were put in place to accommodate the tourists and summer dwellers. The Eldorado Amusement Park, a pleasure garden which opened in 1891, drew massive crowds.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,554 people, 5,712 households, and 2,913 families residing in the township. The population density was 15,764.6 per square mile (6,086.7/km²). There were 6,213 housing units at an average density of 7,801.9 per square mile (3,012.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 71.85% (9,020) White, 4.83% (606) Black or African American, 0.49% (61) Native American, 8.16% (1,024) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 10.76% (1,351) from other races, and 3.91% (491) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.27% (5,055) of the population.

Source: Wikipedia