Though we often focus on the spectacular New York City skyline to the east, Jersey City's western shore has an attraction all its own. The Hackensack Riverfront district is an up-and-coming center of economic and community growth. Route 440, the city's major north-south thoroughfare on the west side, brings shoppers to huge retail centers like the Hudson Mall, hikers to the wild open spaces of Lincoln Park, and athletes and students to New Jersey City University's Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex on the Newark Bay.

The Hackensack River runs for 32 miles from its headwaters in Rockland County, New York south to the Newark Bay. In the past, the benefits of the salt marshes and wetlands that border the river—which provide wildlife habitat, help prevent flooding and filter pollutants—were not well understood. They were sometimes viewed as waste places and filled in to build houses, sports arenas and industrial facilities.

Today, largely through the long-term efforts of local communities and environmental groups like the Hackensack Riverkeeper, these ecological treasures are being protected and rehabilitated. Former industrial sites on the shores of the Hackensack River are now being revitalized, helping to make this special part of Jersey City one of its finest success stories.