Named for Henry Hudson, the English explorer, the Hudson River winds from the Adirondacks down through New York and forms the boundary between New York and New Jersey. It flows out of Henderson Lake, is joined by the Mohawk River, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean flowing south along the eastern border of New Jersey.

The Hudson is a navigable river for much of its length and can be seen from the waterfronts of Battery Park City at the tip of lower Manhattan, and the Palisades in Alpine, New Jersey. Hoboken, Weehawken, Fort Lee, and Jersey City are bordered by the Hudson.

The Hudson makes it much quicker for commuters traveling from Jersey to Manhattan from the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels as well as the PATH trains running from Jersey City and Hoboken to the World Trade Center and midtown Manhattan.