IOTL, Jersey City was incorporated in 1820. In 1869, an attempt was made to merge all towns in Hudson County east of the Hackensack river into it. Hudson City and Bergen City voted in support and were amalgamated into the now larger city in 1870. Greenville joined up three years later, and thus its present borders were met.
However, the city could have been larger. West Hoboken voted against joining. Thus, the town of Union and Union Township (separate entities) could not join Jersey City, despite voting in favor, because the new city would then have two discontinuous parts.
The vote in West Hoboken wasn't close by any means (only 27% voted in favor) but the overall number of voters was low (351), so a swing was possible. If West Hoboken had voted differently, the areas now in the cities of Union City and West New York would have become annexed into Jersey City, leaving Hoboken and Weehawken as coastal enclaves. In 1930, assuming demographics worked out similarly, it would have had around 412,000 people. After that it's difficult to say, because OTL's Jersey City entered a period of decline, while Union City and West New York have continued to grow and urbanize. In OTL the three cities combined have around 348,000 people now however.
But what if things spun even further? According to the original plan, all current municipalities in the county but Kearney, Harrison, and East Newark would have become part of the mega-Jersey City. Opposition was fairly strong in all of them (no more than 30% voted for annexation anywhere), but only 12% voted for annexation in Greenville, and a majority supported it only three years afterward. A larger Jersey City will presumably have more pull to bring in smaller neighbors as time passes (but before suburbanization). If Jersey City reached these borders, by 1930 (assuming similar development) the population would have hit 610,000, and the population would still be around 550,000 today.
Obviously it will still always be in the shadow of New York. But with a bit better growth, due to the combined city planning, it should end up outstripping Newark in population even during Newark's heydey, even if it gets only the more minimal expansion outlined above. When industrial decline sets in, it should hold up better as IOTL, meaning it will become the major city of New Jersey.
Anyway, any experts in the region care to chime in?
However, the city could have been larger. West Hoboken voted against joining. Thus, the town of Union and Union Township (separate entities) could not join Jersey City, despite voting in favor, because the new city would then have two discontinuous parts.
The vote in West Hoboken wasn't close by any means (only 27% voted in favor) but the overall number of voters was low (351), so a swing was possible. If West Hoboken had voted differently, the areas now in the cities of Union City and West New York would have become annexed into Jersey City, leaving Hoboken and Weehawken as coastal enclaves. In 1930, assuming demographics worked out similarly, it would have had around 412,000 people. After that it's difficult to say, because OTL's Jersey City entered a period of decline, while Union City and West New York have continued to grow and urbanize. In OTL the three cities combined have around 348,000 people now however.
But what if things spun even further? According to the original plan, all current municipalities in the county but Kearney, Harrison, and East Newark would have become part of the mega-Jersey City. Opposition was fairly strong in all of them (no more than 30% voted for annexation anywhere), but only 12% voted for annexation in Greenville, and a majority supported it only three years afterward. A larger Jersey City will presumably have more pull to bring in smaller neighbors as time passes (but before suburbanization). If Jersey City reached these borders, by 1930 (assuming similar development) the population would have hit 610,000, and the population would still be around 550,000 today.
Obviously it will still always be in the shadow of New York. But with a bit better growth, due to the combined city planning, it should end up outstripping Newark in population even during Newark's heydey, even if it gets only the more minimal expansion outlined above. When industrial decline sets in, it should hold up better as IOTL, meaning it will become the major city of New Jersey.
Anyway, any experts in the region care to chime in?
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