Hoboken

ho-bo'ken, a city of New Jersey. It is situated on the Hudson River north of Jersey City and opposite New York. It had a population in 1910 of 70,351. It is the terminus of several railways. There are extensive wharves, coal yards, lumber yards, and other terminal facilities. The term hobo, applied to the genus of tramps, is said to be an abbreviation for Hoboken. It was applied by New Yorkers to the rough characters that were likely to collect in such a suburb. The name Hoboken, itself, is somewhat akin to the Western word pipestone. The Indians obtained stone in that vicinity for their tobacco pipes.