Ethnically diverse and easily accessible by light rail, the West Side district is the bridge between the Hackensack Riverfront and the rest of the city. People flock to its Shopping District along West Side Avenue and to Lincoln Park, a large expanse of open space fronting the Hackensack River. Lincoln Park is one of the largest public recreational areas in the city, with 11 baseball diamonds, 6 football fields, 18 tennis courts, a swimming pool, a quarter-mile track and a lake used for miniature yacht races and ice skating.

New Jersey City University's West Side campus is also located here (bounded by Route 440, West Side Avenue and Carbon Place).