Originally settled by Germans in 1851, early immigrants left Manhattan in search of affordable land and open space. At the turn of the century Union City became home to many Irish and Italian Immigrants, and Italians remained the dominant population until the late 1960's.
Union City, located in northern New Jersey's Hudson County, is situated directly across the Hudson river from Manhattan. Union City is the most densely populated city in the United States (42,000 residents per square mile), with a student population that is 95% Spanish speaking. In the 1950's the ethnic make-up changed dramatically from Italian to Cuban as the city became home to the many refuges who fled Castro's rise to power. Union City continues to have the largest concentration of Cuban-Americans outside of Miami, hence its nickname, "Havana on the Hudson." Once a day a bus, known locally as "La Cubana," leaves the city and makes the long journey to Miami.
In recent years, the Latino population has diversified. The city has become home to immigrants from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico. Families who make the long journey to Union City come with the intent of giving their children a better way of life. Many adults arrive with limited formal education (according to the 1990 census, about half of the officially reported adult population has completed high school); schooling is important for the community precisely because it represents an opportunity for a better way of life
