Moving to Union City: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Union City means moving to one of the most densely populated cities in the United States, with a real, genuine Cuban-American cultural identity and a Manhattan commute built entirely on buses, not rail.
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Learn moreA genuinely extreme population density
Union City's population density (54,967 people per square mile) ranks 2nd of New Jersey's 565 municipalities, behind only neighboring Guttenberg, and made it the single most densely populated US city over 50,000 residents as of the 2010 Census. Expect a real, walkable, apartment- and rowhouse-dominated urban fabric, not a suburban single-family-home town.
A real, distinct Cuban-American cultural anchor
Union City is genuinely known as "Havana on the Hudson" -- historically home to the largest concentration of Cuban-Americans in the US outside Miami, following major immigration waves after the Cuban Revolution and the 1980 Mariel boatlift. Bergenline Avenue, the commercial spine shared with West New York, is lined with real Cuban- and broader Latino-owned restaurants and small businesses.
A bus-based, not rail-based, Manhattan commute
Union City has no PATH or Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station of its own within city limits -- unlike neighboring Hoboken, Jersey City, and Bayonne. The real, genuine transit strength is a dense NJ Transit bus network (routes including 123, 129, 154, 156, 159) reaching the Port Authority Bus Terminal via the Lincoln Tunnel in well under 30 minutes on many routes, aided by genuine proximity (~6.45 miles) to Manhattan.
A real structural flood-risk advantage
Union City sits atop the Hudson Palisades ridge -- a real, genuine structural distinction from Hoboken's and Jersey City's low-lying waterfront flood exposure. This is a real advantage worth factoring into a relocation decision, though New Jersey's broader statewide tax and insurance costs still apply.
Key takeaways
- Union City's density (54,967/sq mi) ranks 2nd in New Jersey and was the highest of any US city over 50,000 as of the 2010 Census.
- A real, genuine Cuban-American and broader Latino cultural identity anchors the city, especially along Bergenline Avenue.
- The real Manhattan commute is bus-based (NJ Transit via the Lincoln Tunnel), not rail-based -- no PATH or light-rail station sits within city limits.
- Union City's elevated Palisades position carries a real, structural flood-risk advantage over low-lying Hudson County waterfront neighbors.
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