Greenville, situated on the southern tip of Jersey City, stretches from the Tidal Basin of the Hudson River on its east to the Hackensack River/Route 440 on its West, with Culver Avenue as its northern border.
Greenville’s principal shopping corridor has historically been located in the area surrounding Danforth Avenue, Old Bergen Road and Cator Avenue. In the late 1990s, Danforth Plaza, a new shopping area, was established on the western edge of Danforth Avenue near the Route 440 intersection.
There are several residential communities in Greenville. The older section of single-family homes, is located on the eastern edge of the area. It is adjacent to the Greenville Yards, formally a Conrail Penn Central area rail yard, now home to several distribution center and other economic uses. In the early 1960s, “Country Village” was built along the area’s western edge, with blocks of two-family attached and detached houses created in a curved pattern to allow for winding streets. Several senior citizen mid-rise building were also constructed during the 1960s. The latest residential growth occurred in the late 1990s with the creation of Franklin Village adjacent to Our Lady of Mercy (OLM) church and school. In the year 2000, close to 37% of all housing units in the Greenville area were owner-occupied, a proportion above the 27% citywide average.
A U.S. Government Army Base is located in Caven Point on the eastern edge of Greenville along the Hudson River. At one point during WWII, the base housed more than 4,000 soldiers, and was used as a camp for Italian war prisoners. Its mile-long pier once accommodated Department of Defense battleships and may still be seen jutting out into the Hudson River.
In the mid-1990s, the U.S. Department of Defense closed part of the base and sold it to the City for $1.00. Developed as the Caven Point Athletic Complex, it is currently home to several athletic facilities. The military facility is still used by the Army as well as by the Jersey City Police Department and several other police departments for motorcycle training. Port Liberté, a high end gated residential community, and a private golf course are just east of the Caven Point Athletic Complex.
