Town guide · Union County
Living in Linden, NJ
Linden is a city in southeastern Union County with a downtown built around its train station on Wood Avenue, direct NJ Transit trains to New York Penn Station, and quick access to the Turnpike and Route 1/9.
Linden is a city of about 11.4 square miles in southeastern Union County, with 43,738 residents at the 2020 Census. It sits about 13 miles southwest of Manhattan and borders Elizabeth, Roselle, Cranford, Clark, Rahway and Winfield in Union County, plus Carteret and Woodbridge in Middlesex County, with Staten Island across the Arthur Kill.
Linden Township was formed in 1861 from parts of Elizabeth, Rahway and Union Township, and the present City of Linden was incorporated in 1925. The name is said to come from linden trees brought from Germany. Most of the residential streets are in the northwestern part of the city, while the land along the Arthur Kill is mostly zoned industrial.
Neighborhoods and areas
Why people choose Linden
Commute
Linden station on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Lines, with direct trains to New York Penn Station.
Transit Village
Named a Transit Village by NJDOT in 2010, with downtown centered on Wood Avenue.
Housing mix
Single-family homes, many two-family houses and apartment buildings, much of it built before 1960.
Living in Linden
Getting around
Linden station, at the Wood Avenue overpass downtown, is on NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Lines, with direct trains to Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction and New York Penn Station, and Northeast Corridor trains south to Trenton. NJ Transit buses 112 and 115 run to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. By car, the New Jersey Turnpike crosses the east side of the city, Linden is the western end of I-278, U.S. Route 1/9 and Route 27 run through town, and the Garden State Parkway is just west of the city line. Newark Liberty Airport is about 15 minutes away.
Parks and outdoors
City parks include Memorial Park, John Russell Wheeler Park, Al Kalla Park, St. Marks Park, Tremley Park, Veterans Memorial Park and Woodrow Wilson Memorial Park. Wheeler Park has a skatepark and an 11,000 square foot spray park that opened in 2019, and Memorial Park, between Wood Avenue and Lower Road, has a newer skatepark. Hawk Rise Sanctuary, created with New Jersey Audubon, is a bird sanctuary and nature trail on the Rahway River, and the Park Drive entrance of Union County's Warinanco Park connects to Linden.
Downtown and everyday life
Downtown Linden is centered on Wood Avenue around the train station, and the Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade hosts outdoor concerts and performances. The Linden Cultural and Heritage Committee organizes craft bazaars, street fairs, concerts and plays. The Linden Free Public Library is at 31 East Henry Street, and LindenTV is the city's own channel.
Schools
Linden Public Schools serve PreK through 12th grade in 11 schools: eight elementary schools for PreK to 5th grade, Myles J. McManus and Joseph E. Soehl Middle Schools for grades 6 to 8, and Linden High School, which also offers an alternative school and vocational programs.
History and landmarks
Rail service reached the area in 1836. The stop was called Wheat Sheaf, after the nearby Wheatsheaf Inn, until Ferdinand Blancke bought the land around it in 1865 and named it Linden, and the former Pennsylvania Railroad station house still stands on the New York-bound side. General Motors built cars at its Linden Assembly plant from 1937 to 2005, and during World War II its Eastern Aircraft division built about 3,600 Wildcat fighters at what is now Linden Airport, a city-owned general aviation field off Route 1/9. The Bayway Refinery sits along the Elizabeth border.
Homes in Linden
Linden has about 16,000 housing units. About 45% are single-family detached homes and about 26% are in two-unit buildings, so two-family houses are a big part of the market, with the rest in townhouses and apartment buildings. More than half the housing was built before 1960, and about 10% since 2000. Sunnyside, west of St. Georges Avenue and named for the former Sunnyfield Golf Club, is one of the main residential areas.
Linden questions buyers ask
What county is Linden, NJ in?
Union County. Linden sits in the southeastern corner of the county, on the Middlesex County line and the Arthur Kill.
Is there a train station in Linden?
Yes. Linden station on Wood Avenue downtown is served by NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Lines, with direct trains to Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction and New York Penn Station.
Can I take a bus from Linden to Manhattan?
Yes. NJ Transit routes 112 and 115 run from Linden to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Which school district serves Linden?
Linden Public Schools, PreK through 12th grade: eight elementary schools, two middle schools and Linden High School.
How much are property taxes in Linden, and when are they due?
The state's 2025 figures put Linden's average residential tax bill at $9,832, with an effective tax rate of 2.037 per $100 of market value (in 2024 the average bill was $9,392, below the Union County average of $12,047). Taxes are paid quarterly, due February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1. Your bill depends on your home's assessment, so check the city's tax records for a specific address.
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Top photo: Linden City Hall by Mr. Matté, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.