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Fort
Lee is named as a result of George Washington and named after
General Charles Lee, who camped in this area, defending
New York City
. George Washington and his troops actually walked on a road which
is called
Main Street
in
Fort Lee
. In fact, it was during
Washington
's retreat from
Fort Lee
in November 1776 that Thomas Paine composed his pamphlet, "The
American Crisis", which began with the recognized phrase,
"These are the times that try men's souls". The
George
Washington
Bridge
, which connects
New Jersey
to the
Washington
Heights
neighborhood in uptown
Manhattan
,
New York
City, has its western terminus located in
Fort Lee
. Prior to 1904
Fort Lee was part of
Ridgefield
. Actually Fort Lee separated from
Ridgefield
and gained their independence on May 16, 1894. Fort Lee was first
officially incorporated as a borough in
Bergen
County
on March 29, 1904.
In
recent years, Fort Lee has seen a surge of residents of Korean
origin which has led to the conversion of much of the town into a
large Koreatown, similar to Chinatowns of such cities as New York
and San Francisco in that many traditional Korean stores and
restaurants may be seen in Fort Lee, and the hangul letters of the
Korean alphabet are as common as signs in English in parts of the
downtown area.
The
rapid increase of the Korean population has seen the decline of many
other immigrant communities once centered in Fort Lee, notably the
Greek and Italian communities, once quite large but now all but
extinct. Luxury high-rises built near the
George
Washington
Bridge
have attracted many
New York City
residents to the city as well, as Fort Lee offers some relief from
the stresses and prices of living in
New York City
. A sizable Russian immigrant community has also sprung up in recent
years, also attracted by the urban setting of
Fort Lee
.
The character of
Fort Lee and
Bergen
County
drastically changed in the 1930's because of the addition of the
George
Washington
Bridge
. This growth is shown by an increase in population.
Bergen
County
's population in 1939 totaled 375,000 people. By 1960 it increased
to 780,255 people. Prior to the
George
Washington
Bridge
being built, Fort Lee was a very quiet community isolated from its
big sister
New York
. The completion of the
George
Washington
Bridge
and the access it provided made Fort Lee one of the most populated
communities in
Bergen
County
. Seen as a better way of life, many people migrated from
New York
to
Fort Lee
in an effort to raise their children in a more quite, less hectic
environment. We are now seeing their second and third generations
growing up in town.
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