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According to tradition, the city derived its name from Bayonne in France. It is said that French Huguenots settled there some time before New Amsterdam was founded. However, there are no historical records to prove this; the more likely story is that, when the land was purchased for real estate speculation, they called it Bayonne because it is on the shores of two bays, Newark and New York, hence Bay-on, or "on the Bays."
Bayonne is located at 40°39'60" North, 74°7'4" West (40.666552, -74.117680)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.1 km² (11.2 mi²). 14.6 km² (5.6 mi²) of it is land and 14.6 km² (5.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 50.04% water.
Government
Former Mayors
Mayors have been governing the community ever since the year Bayonne was established in 1869.
The first mayor of Bayonne was Henry Meigs who served from 1869-1879.
The mayor with the longest term in office was Dennis P. Collins, who served from 1974-1990.
Bert J. Daily served two unconsecutive terms from 1927-1931 and 1943-1947.
Kenneth Kopacz (D, District 1-- Bayonne and parts of Jersey City; 2026, Bayonne),
William O'Dea (D, District 2-- western parts of Jersey City; 2026, Jersey City),
Vice Chair Jerry Walker (D, District 3-- southeastern parts of Jersey City; 2026, Jersey City),
Yraida Aponte-Lipski (D, District 4-- northeastern parts of Jersey City; 2026, Jersey City),
Chair Anthony L. Romano Jr. (D, District 5-- Hoboken and adjoining parts of Jersey City; 2026, Hoboken),
Fanny J.Cedeno (D, District 6-- Union City; 2026, Union City),
Caridad Rodriguez (D, District 7-- West New York (part), Weehawken, Guttenberg; 2026, West New York),
Robert Baselice (D, District 8-- North Bergen, West New York (part), Seacaucus (part); 2026, North Bergen), and
Albert Cifelli (D, District 9-- East Newark, Harrison, Kearny, and Secaucus (part); 2026, Harrison).
Hudson County's constitutional officers are:
Clerk E. Junior Maldonado (D, Jersey City, 2027),
Sheriff Frank Schillari, (D, Jersey City, 2025)
Surrogate Tilo E. Rivas, (D, Jersey City, 2027) and
Register Jeffery Dublin (D, Jersey City, 2026).
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 61,842 people, 25,545 households, and 16,016 families residing in the city. The population density is 4,241.1/km² (10,992.2/mi²). There are 26,826 housing units at an average density of 1,839.7/km² (4,768.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 78.64% White, 5.52% African American, 0.17% Native American, 4.14% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 7.46% from other races, and 4.02% from two or more races. 17.81% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 25,545 households out of which 28.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% are married couples living together, 15.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% are non-families. 32.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.10.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $41,566, and the median income for a family is $52,413. Males have a median income of $39,790 versus $33,747 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,553. 10.1% of the population and 8.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.9% of those under the age of 18 and 11.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Transportation
Transportation around the city is a large asset to the community. Walking and driving an automobile are the most widely used forms of transportation in the city. Because a majority of the citizens do not drive, bus transportation is provided on three main streets of the city: Broadway, Kennedy Blvd. and Avenue C. The Broadway line runs solely through Bayonne city limits, while bus lines on Avenue C and Kennedy Boulevard run to various end points in Jersey City.
Due to Bayonne's size and density, walking is the preferred means of transportation, although this is rapidly changing due to a build-out of former industrial sites along Bayonne's coast.
The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, which was completed in the year 2000, has been a popular form of transportation which currently has stops throughout Bayonne, through Jersey City and Hoboken and finally Weehawken. Stations in Union City will be completed in the near future.
Facts
The main street in Bayonne is known as Broadway, after the avenue in New York City. It was originally named Avenue D, since it is bounded on either side by Avenues C and E.
Standard Oil began its initial operations in Bayonne when John D. Rockefeller bought a kerosene works on the eastern shore. It eventually encompassed all of the Saltersville section of Bayonne; Avenues J and K are all that remain.
Bayonne was a bedroom community and shore resort for the wealthy and elite as late as 1889. The La Tourette Hotel on the southern shore along Kill Van Kull was its centerpiece.
The Bayonne Bridge and some of the downtown streets were filmed for the making of Spielberg's War of the Worlds.
Plans for television tower
After the collapse of the World Trade Center there were some plans for the constructions of a 609.6 metre high TV tower at Bayonne. These plans seemed to be cancelled.
