Located in the center of the city, the compact McGinley Square district is the home of St. Peter's College, a Jersey City institution for over a century. Stately mansions from an earlier era and renovated apartment buildings line the streets around the St. Peter's Campus, including Kennedy Boulevard and Montgomery Street. McGinley Square also includes the Jersey City Armory, an Army National Guard training facility and community center used for after-school recreational activities, art exhibits and other local events.

McGinley Square's shopping district, centered on Montgomery Street and Bergen Avenue, draws bargain hunters from all over the city. New Jersey Transit buses link the district to the rest of the city, and make it easy to connect to the light rail system and PATH subway to New York City.