| The Gold Coast | |
|---|---|
| Counties | Hudson and Bergen |
| Area | |
| • Total | 137.529 km2 (53.1 sq mi) |
| • Land | 95.571 km2 (36.9 sq mi) |
| • Water | 41.958 km2 (16.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 650,860 |
| • Density | 6,456.68/km2 (16,722.79/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
The Gold Coast of New Jersey includes various cities on the Hudson River's west bank across from Manhattan. The name, coined by real estate promoters in the 1980s, is rarely used outside the context of real estate marketing.
Part of the New York metropolitan area, the area has a population of about 650,000 and includes cities in Hudson and Bergen. From south to north, they are:
If it were incorporated into a single city, the Gold Coast would be the 19th-most populous in the country and would be the smallest by area of the most populous 50. Its communities remain fragmented, due in part to New Jersey's long history of home rule local government. Within these communities exist distinct neighborhoods and shopping districts, formed in part due to isolation caused by Hudson River inlets, the cliffs of the New Jersey Palisades and rail lines. North Bergen, which stretches across the Palisades from the Hudson River to the Hackensack at its northern section, is the 2nd-hilliest U.S. city, behind San Francisco.[1]
The Gold Coast is ethnically diverse. Jersey City is the most racially diverse city on the East Coast of the United States, and the 21st-most-diverse in the country.[2] As of 2007, six other cities on the Gold Coast were on the list of the 100 cities (with a population over 5,000) with the highest percent of foreign-born residents: West New York (65.2%), Union City (58.7%), Palisades Park (57.0%) Guttenberg (48.7%), Fairview (48.4%) and Fort Lee (44.7%).[3] North Hudson has the second largest Cuban American population in the United States behind Miami.[4] New Jersey and Florida are the only states with cities with more than 5% Cuban American populations. West New York, North Bergen, Union City, North Bergen, Guttenberg and Weehawken have Cuban American populations between 8.75% (Weehawken) and 19.64% (West New York).[5]
The Gold Coast is extremely dense, with a population density greater than that of the 20 largest U.S. cities.[6] Of the 250 largest cities in the world by population density only six have a higher population density than the Gold Coast [7] Union City, New Jersey is the most densely populated U.S. city with more than 50,000 people.[8]