Street for street, Hoboken is as interesting as any city in America. Set just yards across the Hudson from Manhattan, the compact and dense city shelters 50,000 residents who share one square mile. Few square miles anywhere have given the world more. Hoboken's founding family helped win the Revolutionary War, designed the modern railroad, and started a top engineering college. Hoboken's Elysian Fields hosted the first recorded baseball game, its docks sent three million soldiers to Europe during World War I, and its gritty streets reared the famous Frank Sinatra. Formerly a hub of industry and international shipping, contemporary Hoboken is a lively and intimate mix of proud ethnic identities, young families escaping the suburbs, and active, attractive, and socially conscious professionals. Legendary Locals of Hoboken features residents such as Anthony "Stick" Romano, a retired police captain, bar owner, and county politician; Kathy Zucker, a social media wiz who won a Shorty Award for inspiring other mothers; and Jeff Kreisler, a nationally touring satirist, speechwriter, and lecturer.
A New Jersey native, Alan Skontra moved to Virginia during the third grade and spent 20 years down south thinking he had to get back to New Jersey. He moved to Hoboken in 2009 and feels like he is finally home. He has covered news and events for local publications and works as a media strategist for several Hoboken businesses.