[39][40] The area was settled by the Dutch in the 17th century as Pavonia and later established as Bergen; the first permanent settlement, local civil government and oldest municipality in what became the state of New Jersey.

[49] Shortly after, another house was built at Harsimus Cove in 1634 and became the home of Cornelius Henrick Van Vorst, who had succeeded Bout as superintendent, and whose family would become influential in the development of the city.

On September 15, 1655, Pavonia was attacked as part of a Munsee occupation of New Amsterdam called the Peach War that saw 40 colonists killed and over 100, mostly women and children, taken captive and held at Paulus Hook.

On January 10, 1658, Stuyvesant "re-purchased" the scattered communities of farmsteads that characterized the Dutch settlements at Pavonia: Communipaw, Harsimus, Paulus Hook, Hoebuck, Awiehaken, Pamrapo, and other lands "behind Kill van Kull".

Ahead of the Revolutionary War, Van Vorst declared himself a patriot and in 1774 was appointed to one of the committees of correspondence, representing Bergen County and attended a meeting in New Brunswick to elect delegates to the Second Continental Congress.

[68] In 1776, even before the war, General George Washington ordered American patriots to construct several forts to defend the western banks of the Hudson River, one of which was located at Paulus Hook.

In mid-summer 1779, a flamboyant 23-year-old Princeton University graduate, Major Henry Lee, recommended to General Washington a daring plan for the Continental Army to attack the fort, in what became known as the Battle of Paulus Hook.

The information provided by Tuers confirmed what Washington had suspected of Arnold and led to the arrest, trial, conviction and hanging of co-conspirator John André for treason and stopped the plot to surrender West Point.

They laid out the city squares and streets that still characterize the neighborhood, giving them names also seen in Lower Manhattan or after war heroes (Grove, Varick, Mercer, Wayne, Monmouth and Montgomery among them).

Under the provision, five freeholders (including Varick, Dey, and Radcliff) were to be chosen as "the Board of Selectmen of Jersey City", thereby establishing the first governing body of the emerging municipality.

On Bergen Hill, the Hilton-Holden House, named after noted abolitionist and astronomer David Le Cain Holden, was a "station" for fugitive slaves to stop over and seek refuge and is one of the last remaining in Jersey City.

Whittier House led to several social reforms and city "firsts" such as free kindergarten, a dental clinic, a visiting nurse service, a milk and medical dispensary, diet kitchen for mothers and babies and a playground.

Designed by Daniel W. Langton and Charles N. Lowrie, the 273.4 acres (110.6 ha) park was mostly built on undeveloped wetlands and woodlands known as "Glendale Woods" stretching from the boulevard to the Hackensack River.

Originally elected as a candidate supporting reform in governance, the Jersey City History website says his name is "synonymous with the early twentieth century urban American blend of political favoritism and social welfare known as bossism".

[111][112] Hague's time as mayor was also marked by his direct influence in the construction of several important infrastructure, educational, open space, healthcare and public works projects that became functional civic landmarks that define the city to this day.

The extension connected Jersey City and the Holland Tunnel to the main trunk of the Turnpike via the Newark Bay Bridge and at an estimated cost of $2,765 per foot, it was deemed the "world's most expensive road".

[118] By the 1970s the city experienced a period of urban decline spurred on by deindustrialization that saw many of its wealthy residents leave for the suburbs, due to rising crime, civil unrest, political corruption, and economic hardship.

The idea for the park dated back to the late 1950s and it's creation was advocated for and spearheaded by several Jersey City residents; Audrey Zapp, Theodore Conrad, Morris Pesin and J. Owen Grundy.

One place is Jackson Hill, Jersey City Historic Downtown is an area of mostly low-rise buildings to the west of the waterfront that is highly desirable due to its proximity to local amenities and Manhattan.

[89] The southern border of The Heights is generally considered to be north of Bergen Arches and the Depressed Highway, while Paterson Plank Road in Washington Park is its main northern boundary.

[233] In 2023, the biotechnology firm EpiBone, a company that grows bone and cartilage for skeletal reconstruction, announced it would move from Brooklyn to Jersey City and lease 28,089 sq ft (2,609.6 m2) of lab space at 95 Greene Street, a purpose built life science facility at Exchange Place.

[234] The following year in 2024, RegenLab USA, which manufactures devices for the production of regenerative cell therapy, announced that they would also move from Brooklyn to Jersey City and lease 15,792 sq ft (1,467.1 m2) of lab space in the same facility.

[249] In 2022, the sports memorabilia company, Collectors Holdings, owned by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, leased 130,000 sq ft (12,000 m2) of space for its authentication and grading services at Harborside 3 along the Hudson River Waterfront.

For many years after it was the practice gym of the historic national powerhouse St. Anthony High School Friars basketball team led by Hall of Fame Coach Bob Hurley.

Saint Peter's University features the 200-seat Roy Irving Theatre at Dinneen Hall and the 400-seat "cabaret-style" performing arts space at the Mac Mahon Student Center.

[309] The Ghost of Uncle Joe's is an annual weekend long music festival fundraiser that takes place in October and benefits The Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery.

Started in 2010 and named after Uncle Joe's, a popular former rock club in Downtown Jersey City, performances are held at the cemetery and the festival is Halloween themed and features a mix of local musicians covering well known artists and bands.

[327][328] The Jersey City Armory has been used as a temporary film studio due to its large floor space and ceiling height for several film projects, including Chazz Palminteri's A Bronx Tale, the Faye Dunaway thriller Eyes Of Laura Mars, Laura Brannigan's music video "Self-Control",[329] Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry,[330] Terry Kinney's Diminished Capacity,[331] A Perfect Murder by Andrew Davis.,[332] and Jim Jarmusch's, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

[450] St. Anthony High School, a prep basketball powerhouse known for its success under Bob Hurley and his 26 state championships in 39 years as a coach, closed in June 2017 due to declining funding and enrollment.

[462][463] Kenmare High School is operated through the York Street Project as part of an effort to reduce rates of poverty in households headed by women, through a program that offers small class sizes, individualized learning and development of life skills.