Guttenberg ( ) is a town in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In the 2020 Census, it was the most densely populated incorporated municipality in the United States, as well as one of the most densely populated municipalities worldwide, with of land area.Guide to State and Local Census Geography, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 26, 2017. Only four blocks wide north to south, Guttenberg has been variously ranked as the ninth-smallest municipality in the state (based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau)New Jersey: 2010 – Population and Housing Unit Counts – 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed November 11, 2012. or as the state's seventh-smallest municipality (based on data from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection).Astudillo, Carla. "The 10 tiniest towns in New Jersey (they're really small)", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 1, 2016, updated May 16, 2019. Accessed March 5, 2020. "We used square mile data from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to rank the ten municipalities with the smallest area size.... 7. Guttenberg The town of Guttenberg, named after inventor of the printing press Johannes Gutenberg, is not only the seventh-smallest municipality in New Jersey, but it is also the most-densely populated municipality in the United States."
As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 12,017, an increase of 841 (+7.5%) from the 2010 census count of 11,176, which in turn reflected an increase of 369 (+3.4%) from the 10,807 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. As of the 2010 Census, almost one-fifth of the town's population resided in the Galaxy Towers, a trio of residential skyscrapers overlooking the Hudson River.DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 more information2010 Demographic Profile Data for Census Tract 150.01, Hudson County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 18, 2016.2010 Census – Census Tract Reference Map: Hudson County, NJ, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 17, 2016.Wright, E. Assata.; and LaMarca, Stephen. "Some of this year's biggest stories: Hurricane, elections, scandals, and teacher tenure made local news this year". Year in Review: The Hudson Reporter, December 25, 2011, Page 16. Accessed February 18, 2015. "The Galaxy Towers, a luxury waterfront condominium complex that contains most of the population of Guttenberg, has continually made headlines in 2011."
The current population growth and density in Guttenberg represents a significant change since 1983, when it was described by The New York Times, as "an old community of two-story row houses, small stores and light industry."DePalma, Anthony. "In New Jersey; In Tiny Guttenberg, A City Within A City", The New York Times, July 3, 1983. Accessed February 18, 2015. Based on data from the 2017 Population Estimates Program showing that the town had a population density of , the highest in the state, Dave Sheingold of Northjersey.com described Guttenberg as "America's most crowded place".Sheingold, Dave. "America's most crowded place: Hudson County's town of Guttenberg",The Record, June 13, 2018. Accessed July 4, 2023. "Welcome to the town of Guttenberg, N.J., the most crowded municipality in the United States. Guttenberg — a tiny rectangle in Hudson County where roughly 11,700 residents cram inside two-tenths of a square mile — is so densely populated that if the people were arranged evenly within the municipal borders, each one would get a mere 466 square feet."
History
Guttenberg was formerly a farm owned by William Cooper, sold in 1853 to a group of New Yorkers, who had formed the Weehawken Land and Ferry Association.Acts of the Eighty-Second Legislature of the State of New Jersey, p. 199. Accessed November 12, 2019. Like nearby Union Hill, it was subdivided and lots were sold mostly to Germans. The company ran two ferries, the Hultz and the Flora, which crossed the Hudson from the landings at the foot of Bulls Ferry Road, Pleasant Valley, Fort Lee, and Spring Street in Manhattan.
Guttenberg was formed as a town on March 9, 1859, from portions of North Bergen Township, but remained as a part of the township that was not fully independent. Guttenberg became part of Union Township when it was formed on February 28, 1861, and became fully independent as of April 1, 1878.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 146. Accessed April 24, 2012. The municipality takes its name from Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the European version of the printing press,Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 146. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed August 31, 2015. though other sources indicate that the name derives from "good village" in German.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 31, 2015.Herman, Jennifer. New Jersey Encyclopedia, p. 281. State History Publications, 2008. . Accessed January 30, 2018. "Name is a German word for 'good village.'"
Galaxy Towers, developed by Prudential Insurance Company, were built in the late 1970s on Boulevard East. The three octagonal skyscrapers rise and contain 1,075 apartments.Rand, Ellen. "New Jersey Housing; The Demise of a Luxury Complex", The New York Times, June 8, 1980. Accessed November 12, 2019. "Guttenberg - When The Galaxy opened for occupancy some four years ago, it was touted as the "ultimate" in luxury living along the Palisades."
Geography Guttenberg is located atop the Hudson Palisades, south of Woodcliff and the Racetrack Section in North Bergen and north of West New York. To the east the town shares a border the New York City borough of Manhattan (Upper West Side) in the Hudson River.Areas touching Guttenberg, MapIt. Accessed March 29, 2020.Hudson County Map , Coalition for a Healthy NJ. Accessed March 29, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019. Its western border is Kennedy Boulevard. Bergenline Avenue, the commercial corridor of North Hudson, runs north and south through the town, and is the heart of "Havana on the Hudson".Trillin, Calvin. "U.S. Journal: Union City, N.J. – Observations While Eating Carne Asada on Bergenline Avenue", The New Yorker, June 30, 1975. Accessed July 27, 2014.Gray, Jerry. "Hudson County a Harbinger of a New Hispanic Influence". The New York Times, February 23, 1991. Accessed July 27, 2014.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town had a total area of 0.24 square miles (0.62 km2), including 0.19 square miles (0.50 km2) of land and 0.05 square miles (0.12 km2) of water (20.00%). The town is four blocks long, and takes less than a minute to drive through.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Guttenberg town, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)3,4852,6222,42632.25%23.46%20.19%Black or African American alone (NH)3073303432.84%2.95%2.85%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)71370.06%0.12%0.06%Asian alone (NH)7798031,0647.21%7.19%8.85%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1430.01%0.04%0.02%Other race alone (NH)39521220.36%0.47%1.02%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)3181071842.94%0.96%1.53%Hispanic or Latino (any race)5,8717,2457,86854.33%64.83%65.47%Total10,80711,17612,017 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Guttenberg had a population of 12,017. The median age was 38.1 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.9 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,920 households in Guttenberg, of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.7% were married-couple households, 23.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 5,142 housing units, of which 4.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.6%.
The census counted 4,149 residents (34.5%) who were not Hispanic or Latino.
2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 11,176 people, 4,473 households, and 2,684 families in the town. The population density was 57,116.0 per square mile (22,052.6/km2). There were 4,839 housing units at an average density of 24,730.2 per square mile (9,548.4/km2). The racial makeup was 67.44% (7,537) White, 4.80% (537) Black or African American, 0.91% (102) Native American, 7.32% (818) Asian, 0.04% (4) Pacific Islander, 14.25% (1,593) from other races, and 5.23% (585) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 64.83% (7,245) of the population.
Of the 4,473 households, 27.5% had children under the age of 18; 37.6% were married couples living together; 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 40.0% were non-families. Of all households, 32.5% were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.12.
20.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 93.0 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $49,981 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,219) and the median family income was $53,945 (+/− $9,457). Males had a median income of $50,227 (+/− $8,459) versus $32,089 (+/− $6,483) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,239 (+/− $8,416). About 14.8% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.7% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Guttenberg town, Hudson County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 15, 2012.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census there were 10,807 people, 4,493 households, and 2,619 families residing in the town. The population density was 56,012.0 inhabitants per square mile (21,961.1/km2; 87.5 per acre), making it the most densely populated municipality in The United States, with over twice the density of New York City. There were 4,650 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 64.98% White, 3.81% African American, 0.38% Native American, 7.30% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 16.42% from other races, and 7.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 54.33% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Guttenberg town , United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 16, 2011.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 – Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Guttenberg town, Hudson County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 15, 2012.