Everything about New Jersey Palisades totally explained
» For other uses, see Palisades (disambiguation).
The Palisades, also called the
New Jersey Palisades or the
Hudson Palisades (some portions are also referred to as
Bergen Hill), are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower
Hudson River in northeast
New Jersey and southern
New York in the
United States. The cliffs stretch north from
Jersey City approximately 20 mi (32 km) to near
Nyack, New York. They rise nearly vertically from near the edge of the river, ranging in height between 350 ft (107 m) and 550 ft (168 m). The cliffs are among the most dramatic
geologic features in the vicinity of
New York City, forming a
canyon of the Hudson north of
Fort Lee, as well as providing a dramatic vista of the New York City skyline from the opposite bank of the Hudson.
Geology
»
The cliffs are the margin of a
diabase sill, formed approximately 200 million years ago at the close of the
Triassic Period by the intrusion of molten
magma upward into
sandstone. The molten material cooled and solidified before reaching the surface. Subsequent water erosion of the softer sandstone left behind the columnar structure of harder rock that exists today. The cliffs are approximately 300 ft (100 m) thick in sections and were probably originally 1,000 ft (300 m) high, approximately two to three times as high as they're today.
History
The
Lenape called the cliffs "We-awk-en", meaning "rocks that look like rows of trees" (
Weehawken, New Jersey, which sits at the top of the cliffs across from
Manhattan, takes its name from the Lenape word).
Palisade is derived from the same root as word
pale, ultimately from the Latin word
palus, meaning stake. From this comes the figurative meaning of 'boundary'.
In the 19th century, the cliffs were subject to widespread quarrying for
railroad ballast, leading to local efforts to preserve the cliffs. A section of the cliffs north of Fort Lee were subsequently purchased by
John D. Rockefeller, who donated them to the State for permanent preservation. The land is now a part of
Palisades Interstate Park, a popular destination for
hiking and other outdoor recreational activities, that also includes
Harriman-
Bear Mountain State Park,
Minnewaska State Park Preserve and several other parks and historic sites in the region.
In June of 1983, the Palisades were designated a
National Natural Landmark by the National Parks Service.
The term
cliffhanger was created on the Palisades, when the popular silent movie serial
The Perils of Pauline used locations around Fort Lee, then a major movie capital.
Crossings of the Palisades
This list runs from south to north. The south end of the Palisades is subjective.
Popular culture
Marvel Comics supervillain The Owl had his base, "The Aerie", in the New Jersey Palisades.
The New Jersey Palisades are referenced in the Thursday song "War All The Time". "Standing on the edge of the Palisades cliffs in the shadow of the skyline."
The Palisades are referenced in the "Where's Johnny?" episode of The Sopranos, in which a disgruntled Tony Soprano suggests that his Uncle Junior, demented and prone to wandering off, can wander off the cliffs.
The Palisades are referenced in a verse by rapper Ja Rule in the 2002 hit "Always on Time" featuring Ashanti: "And I'm just outside of Jersey, past the Palisades."
Billy Joel references them in his song "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)" from the album Turnstiles: "I've seen the lights go out on Broadway/I saw the Empire State laid low/And life went on beyond the Palisades."
Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams (a lower-Hudson Valley band) begins their song, "Alice in Space" with the lyrics, "Ridin' the Palisades up to her place..."
Further Information
Get more info on 'New Jersey Palisades'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://new_jersey_palisades.totallyexplained.com">New Jersey Palisades Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
