Hackensack is also the home of the former New Jersey Naval Museum and the World War II submarine USS Ling.

Within its borders are the Hackensack University Medical Center, a residential high-rise district about a mile long (along Prospect Avenue between Beech Street and Passaic Street), suburban neighborhoods of single-family houses, stately older homes on acre-plus lots, older two-family neighborhoods, large garden apartment complexes, industrial areas, the Bergen County Jail, a tidal river, Hackensack River County Park, Borg's Woods Nature Preserve, various city parks, large office buildings, a major college campus, the Bergen County Court House, a vibrant small-city downtown district, and various small neighborhood business districts.

The most common explanation is that the city was named for the Native American tribe,[30][31] though other sources attribute it to a Native American word variously translated as meaning "hook mouth", "stream that unites with another on low ground", "on low ground" or "land of the big snake",[32][33] while another version described as "more colorful than probable" attributes the name to an inn called the "Hock and Sack".

In 1666, a deed was confirmed for the 2,260-acre (9.1 km2) tract that had been given earlier by Oratem to Sarah Kiersted in gratitude for her work as emissary and interpreter.

[42] The seal of Bergen County bearing this date includes an image of an agreement between the European settlers and the Native Americans.

The earliest records of the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders date back to 1715, at which time agreement was made to build a courthouse and jail complex, which was completed in 1716.

A raid by British forces against Hackensack on March 23, 1780, resulted in the destruction by fire of the original courthouse structure.

[50] The 1894 act allowed local residents, by petition, to change municipal boundaries at will, setting off fearsome political battles statewide.

[2][3][2][3] The city is bordered by the Bergen County municipalities of Bogota, Hasbrouck Heights, Little Ferry, Lodi, Maywood, Paramus, Ridgefield Park, River Edge, South Hackensack, Teaneck and Teterboro.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Fairmount and North Hackensack.

[60] As the initial destination for many immigrants to Bergen County from around the globe, Hackensack's ethnic composition has become exceptionally diverse.

[77][78] Efforts to create the park date back to a 1979 study that showed that the city had less parkland available to residents than specified by benchmarks.

This maintains professional management and a Citywide perspective through: nonpartisan election, at-large representation, concentration of executive responsibility in the hands of a professional manager accountable to the Mayor and Council, concentration of policy making power in one body: a five-person Mayor and Council.

[4][83][84] Led by Mayor Labrosse, a team of candidates including four incumbents (and one newcomer) won the May 2021 municipal election.

[94] Former Assemblyman Charles "Ken" Zisa served as chief of the Hackensack Police Department from his 1995 appointment to replace John Aletta until May 2010 when he was suspended without pay on charges of official misconduct and insurance fraud.

As of 2025[update], the county executive is James J. Tedesco III (D, Paramus), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.

[107] Bergen County's Commissioners are: Thomas J. Sullivan Jr. (D, Montvale, 2025),[108] Chair Germaine M. Ortiz (D, Emerson, 2025),[109] Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee, 2026),[110] Vice Chair Mary J. Amoroso (D, Mahwah, 2025),[111] Rafael Marte (D, Bergenfield, 2026),[112] Steven A. Tanelli (D, North Arlington, 2027)[113] and Tracy Silna Zur (D, Franklin Lakes, 2027).

[114][115][116][117][118][119][120][121] Bergen County's constitutional officials are: Clerk John S. Hogan (D, Northvale, 2026),[122][123] Sheriff Anthony Cureton (D, Englewood, 2027)[124][125] and Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill, 2026).

[161][162] The First Baptist Church operates Bergen County Christian Academy, a K–12 school that was established in 1972 and is located at Union Street and Conklin Place.

The New Bridge Landing station,[175] located adjacent to the city line in River Edge also serves the northernmost parts of Hackensack, including The Shops at Riverside.

[178] Route 1X jitney of Fordham Transit originates/terminates at the bus terminal with service Inwood, Manhattan via Fort Lee Road.

[citation needed] Spanish Transportation and several other operators provide frequent jitney service along Route 4 between Paterson, New Jersey, and the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.

[184] The Hackensack Ford dealership fire on July 1, 1988, resulted in the deaths of five firefighters after a bowstring truss roof collapsed.

[189] Daytime EMS is provided seven days a week by the Hackensack University Medical Center's ambulance service, overlapping volunteer coverage on weekends.

The following is list of notable people buried in the Church's adjoining cemetery: Bergen County's largest newspaper, The Record, a publication of the North Jersey Media Group, had been headquartered in Hackensack until moving to Woodland Park.

[202] The mall also added an AMC Theatres dine-in movie theater on September 13, 2017, which replaced the former Saks Fifth Avenue store[203] that opened in 1977 and closed down in 2014.

[204] The mall is known for its marble floors and attracts a great many upper-income shoppers from Manhattan and Northern Bergen County.

The former site will be redeveloped as a "transit village" complex associated with the New Bridge Landing station in adjoining River Edge.

[209][210] Other points of interest within the city include the Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack River County Park, Bowler City Bowling Lanes, Borg's Woods Nature Preserve, the Bergen County Court House and the Bergen Museum of Art & Science.

[214] Hackensack has been mentioned in the lyrics of songs by several musical artists, many of whom have lived in New Jersey or New York City.