 | ||
West Hudson is the collective name of the municipalities of Kearny, Harrison and East Newark located west of the Hackensack River and east of the Passaic River in Hudson County in northeastern New Jersey. The Passaic River separates it from Newark and Belleville, and the Hackensack River separates it from Jersey City, the county seat. Residential districts are concentrated along the banks of the Passaic, while along the Hackensack there is more industry, brownfields, or protected areas of the New Jersey Meadowlands known as the Kearny Meadows or the Kearny Marsh
The area was known as Meghgectecock (spellings include masgichteu-cunk) by the Lenape people who lived there at the time of European coloniazation, meaning where May-apples grow, from a moist-woodland perennial that bears edible yellow berries and used to describe the lobe of land between and the confluence of the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers at Newark Bay. (Contemporary: masgichteu meaning may apple )
It was part of the area called Achter Col by New Netherlanders in the province of New Netherland during the 17th century. It was later given the name New Barbadoes Neck by British colonialists, and was originally part of Essex County. In 1710 it was made part of New Barbadoes Township, and part of Bergen County. It became part of Hudson County formed in 1840.
Portion of the Morris Canal ran through Kearny Point, unused portions which remain today. West Hudson is criscrossed with rail passenger and freight rail lines, including those of Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and PATH, the last of which maintains a station at Harrison, at the site of the former Manhattan Transfer. The Kearny Connection is a major rail junction. The proposed high-speed rail line known as the Gateway Project will traverse the area and includes the replacement of the Portal Bridge.
The West Hudson towns and Newark, particularly the Ironbound across the Passaic have had a long tradition of soccer. Kearny's nickname, "Soccer Town, UUSA" comes from tradition that originated in the mid-1870s, when thousands of Scottish and Irish immigrants settled there after two Scottish companies, Clark Thread Company and Nairn Linoleum, opened.. The Newark Portuguese were one of the many teams. The Red Bulls Stadium is in Harrison.