[18] 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.

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.

[23] Weehawken Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village was the site of a colonial Hudson River ferry landing.

The township's written history began in 1609, when Henry Hudson, on his third voyage to the New World, sailed down what was later named the North River on the Half Moon and anchored in Weehawken Cove.

They were displaced by immigrants to the province of New Netherland, who had begun to settle the west bank of the Hudson at Pavonia in 1630.

In 1658, Director-General of New Netherland Peter Stuyvesant negotiated a deal with the Lenape to purchase all the land from "the great rock above Wiehacken", west to Sikakes (Secaucus) and south to Konstapels Hoeck (Constable Hook).

Descriptions from the period speak of the dense foliage and forests and excellent land for growing vegetables and orchard fruits.

[29] Weehawken was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature, on March 15, 1859, from portions of Hoboken and North Bergen.

[30] 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.

[36]) Phillip, 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.

[35] 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.

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.

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)[23] were put in place to accommodate the tourists and summer dwellers.

[40] This coincided with the influx of the Germans, Austrians, and Swiss, who built them and the breweries and embroidery factories in nearby Union City and West New York.

[46] Though some are long abandoned (e.g., Grauert Causeway), there are still several outdoor public staircases (e.g., Shippen Steps) throughout the town and more than 15 "dead-end" streets.

Traversing Weehawken is Boulevard East, a scenic thoroughfare offering a sweeping vista of the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline.

[47] Local zoning laws prohibit the construction of high-rise buildings that would obstruct sight-lines from higher points in the township.

[48][49] In a 1999 decision that blocked the development of a pair of waterfront towers that would have stood 160 feet (49 m), a judge cited the panoramic vistas from Weehawken as "a world-class amenity that encourages people to live, work and locate businesses in the area".

[50] In 2021, the development company Roseland donated 14.5 acres (5.9 ha) of land on the Palisades cliff face to the town in order to preserve its beauty and its history.

[66] Weehawken has a retail district along Park Avenue, which represents its boundary with Union City and large office and apartment/townhouse developments along the Hudson River.

[75] The 2013 race was dropped from the calendar, with Formula One President and CEO Bernie Ecclestone stating that the promoters were in breach of contract and that new proposals from other parties would be welcome.

A 14-foot (4.3-m) marble cenotaph, consisting of an obelisk, topped by a flaming urn and a plaque with a quote from Horace, surrounded by an iron fence, was raised about where Hamilton was believed to have fallen.

[96] From 1820 to 1857, the site was marked by two stones, with the names Hamilton and Burr, placed where they were thought to have stood during the duel.

When a road from Hoboken to Fort Lee was built through the site in 1858, an inscription on a boulder where a mortally wounded Hamilton was thought to have rested—one of the many pieces of graffiti left by visitors—was all that remained.

In 1870, railroad tracks were built directly through the site and the boulder was hauled to the top of the Palisades, where it remains today,[97] located just off the Boulevard East.

[118] For the 2024–2025 session, the 33rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Brian P. Stack (D, Union City) and in the General Assembly by Julio Marenco (D, North Bergen) and Gabe Rodriguez (D, West New York).

[201][202][203] Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) service is available westbound to Bergenline and Tonnelle Avenue and southbound to Hoboken, Jersey City and Bayonne at the Lincoln Harbor station[204] and Port Imperial station,[205] where transfer to NY Waterway ferries to Midtown and Lower Manhattan is possible.

The Jersey Journal was a 157-year-old local daily paper covering news in the county that ceased online and print publication on Sunday February 2, 2025.