The largest town in the northern county, split in three by its geography: the hilltop along Bergenline Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, Braddock Park with its lake at the top, and a riverfront strip of newer buildings along River Road. North Bergen gives you more space per dollar than the towns between it and the tunnel, and a real park in the middle of it.
North Bergen is the biggest of the North Hudson towns and the one with the most room: a 167-acre county park with a lake on top of the Palisades, Bergenline Avenue running through the middle, and a waterfront on River Road that most of Hudson County has never seen. I show homes here but I do not live here, so I built this day from the places locals rate highest, and I am walking it myself. Every place is real. The map is real. Scroll, and I'll walk you through it. Tap any stop for the full story.
The coffee stop on Bergenline, open from seven, three blocks below the park. A cup and a pastry at the counter and the day is under way.
Breakfast at a panadería that opens at six, a block from the north end of the park. Pan de torta, a plate of eggs, and a pupusa if you are being honest with yourself.
The northern end of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, on the west side of town at the foot of the hill. Most of North Bergen takes the bus to Port Authority; this is the other option, and the one with parking.
From here it is a walk to the NJ Transit bus on Bergenline Avenue at the west edge of the park, or on Boulevard East at the east edge, into Port Authority through the Lincoln Tunnel.
Cuban lunch on the west side, a few blocks from the light rail. Ropa vieja, a Cuban sandwich, and a room that is louder than it needs to be at noon, in a good way.
A barbershop on Broadway, the quieter avenue between Bergenline and Boulevard East, open seven days. Book online or walk in.
The town library branch closest to the park, a block west of Bergenline. The free hour on a rainy afternoon with small children.
The town pool at the top of the hill, for the after-school hours from Memorial Day into September. Membership is by season, with annual passes open to non-residents at a higher rate.
Spanish dinner on Bergenline across from the park, in a room that has been doing this for more than twenty-five years. Go on a Friday for the flamenco.
The dinner at the bottom of the cliff: floor-to-ceiling windows on the Hudson, the Midtown skyline as the wall, and a bar that runs to two on Friday and Saturday.
The other dinner, up the hill on Broadway: a wood-fired Neapolitan pizzeria that is also a proper wine bar, from two women who own it.
Dessert is gelato made from scratch on the machines they brought over from Italy, next door to Tapas de España and across from the park.
Thursdays in the park, May through October, at the Veterans Memorial by the 90th Street entrance. The week's vegetables, then a lap of the lake.
Down the cliff to the river: the walkway runs past the Waterside café, the Harborage and the medical center with nothing between you and the skyline.
And back up to the park for the light going down over Woodcliff Lake, with the city switching on behind the trees on the east side.
Honest footnotes. None of these places pays me or knows I wrote this. I built this North Bergen day from the places locals rate highest and I am walking it myself — tell me what I missed. Hours change; check before you go.
The largest town in the northern county, split in three by its geography: the hilltop along Bergenline Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, Braddock Park with its lake at the top, and a riverfront strip of newer buildings along River Road. North Bergen gives you more space per dollar than the towns between it and the tunnel, and a real park in the middle of it.
North Bergen wraps around the top of the Palisades, with Union City and West New York inside its curve and Guttenberg tucked against its riverfront. It is the largest municipality in the north of the county by land and population, and it is three places at once: the dense hilltop of two-family houses and walk-ups along Bergenline Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, the Tonnelle Avenue corridor and the Meadowlands edge below the cliff to the west, and River Road along the Hudson, where the newer waterfront buildings are.
James J. Braddock North Hudson County Park is the town's centre of gravity: a large county park with a lake, ball fields, a running loop and a farmers market, at the top of Bergenline near the Guttenberg line. The 81st Street library branch and the town pool are a short walk from it.
The commute depends on which of the three pieces you live in. From the hilltop, NJ Transit buses run down Bergenline and Kennedy Boulevard through the Lincoln Tunnel to Port Authority. Tonnelle Avenue has a light-rail station with a large park-and-ride lot for Hoboken and Jersey City. From River Road, the ferry at Port Imperial is a walk or a short bus ride south.
For buyers the hilltop is two-family and small multi-family stock at prices below Weehawken and West New York's waterfront; River Road is newer condominium and rental buildings with garage parking and river views; the Tonnelle side is the most affordable and the most car-dependent. I show all three, and the first question is always which commute you actually have.
Best for: two-family buyers and investors on the hill, condominium buyers who want new construction and parking on River Road, and anyone who wants Braddock Park at the end of the street. Harder for: buyers who need to walk to the PATH or the ferry from every part of town.
The walk above is a real day in North Bergen — coffee, the commute, the park, dinner. Answer four questions and it reorders itself around your morning, or open the route map and follow it yourself.
61,250 people live in North Bergen, where the median age is 40.7 and the average individual income is $41,036.
Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
There is plenty to do around North Bergen — shopping, dining, parks and nightlife. The three scores below rate how easy it is to get around without a car.
Walk Score®, Transit Score® and Bike Score® provided by Walk Score.
The places within walking distance — where to eat, shop, train and get a haircut. Tap a row to find it on the map.
| Name | Category | Distance |
|---|
Places and addresses from OpenStreetMap contributors. Distances are straight-line from the centre of North Bergen. Hours change — check before you go.
Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Daycare through high school, in or next to North Bergen. A starting point for comparison — visit before you decide, and call me about catchment lines, which move.
| Name | Type | Grades | Students |
|---|
Public and charter schools from the NCES Common Core of Data; daycare and pre-school locations from OpenStreetMap contributors.
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