[24] West New York was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on July 8, 1898, replacing Union Township, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier.

[25][26] West New York underwent a massive growth at the beginning of the 20th century, driven by development of textile industries that made North Hudson the "Embroidery Capital of the United States".

[28][29] Throughout the 1960s, West New York had an influx of Cuban émigrés to the area,[30] leading it to once being called Havana on the Hudson; the city has a majority Hispanic population.

[35][36][37] One of 41 municipalities statewide where a majority of residents do not speak English as their primary language, Spanish is spoken at home by more than half of the residents of West New York, according to data from the United States Census Bureau's 2012-2016 American Community Survey data.

The town had 83.6% of residents not speaking English as their dominant language, the second highest in the state.

[44] The 2010 United States census counted 49,708 people, 18,852 households, and 11,783 families in the town.

[46] As of the 2000 United States census, there were 45,768 people, 16,719 households, and 11,034 families residing in the town.

[42][43] As of the 2000 Census, West New York was ranked as #52 on a list of cities with the highest percentage of renters.

[47] 80.1% of West New York residents lived in renter-occupied housing units, vs. 33.8% nationwide.

West New York's Urban Enterprise Zone, one of seven established by legislation in 1996, covers portions of Bergenline Avenue from 49th to 67th Streets.

West New York was selected in 1996 as one of a group of seven zones added to participate in the program.

An influential citizen named Henry Kohlmeier who lived there objected to the noise created by horse-drawn public coaches, which led to the route being transferred one block west to what is now Bergenline Avenue (formerly Lewis Street), which runs parallel to Palisade Avenue, and which remains the city's main commercial thoroughfare.

[54] In 1898, the Brooklyn Bridegrooms played two games at the West New York Field Club Grounds.

[57] In 2011, Formula One announced plans to host a street race on a 3.2-mile (5.1 km) in West New York and Weehawken called Grand Prix of America, which would begin in June 2013.

[8][60] As of May 2023[update], the five members of the West New York Board of Commissioners are Mayor Albio Sires, Marcos Arroyo, Victor Barrera, Marielka Diaz and Adam Parkinson, all serving concurrent terms of office ending May 15, 2027.

[65] At the town council's reorganization meeting, the five commissioners unanimously voted to appoint Roque to a four-year term as Mayor of West New York.

[72] 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).

[142] West New York's Emergency Medical Services was among the many Hudson County agencies that responded to the January 2009 crash of US Airways Flight 1549, for which they received accolades from the survivors.

[145] The only significant roads directly serving West New York are county highways.

The 181 and 188 routes offer service to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal.

[149][150][151] The Bergenline Avenue station[152] of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail is located at the city line with Union City, while the Weehawken Port Imperial station[153] is located on the Weehawken waterfront at the foot of Pershing Road near the NY Waterway ferry terminal.

[154] Jitney commuter buses operate along Bergenline Avenue, providing service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, the Newport Centre and other local destinations.

New York City's LaGuardia Airport is 13.5 miles (21.7 km) away in Queens via the Lincoln Tunnel.

[159] River View Observer is a monthly newspaper that covers the Hudson County waterfront market.

In the late 2000s, West New York, Weehawken, Union City and North Bergen came to be dubbed collectively as "NoHu", a North Hudson haven for local performing and fine artists, many of whom are immigrants from Latin America and other countries, in part due to lower housing costs compared to those in nearby art havens such as Hoboken, Jersey City and Manhattan.