Dutch settlers from Manhattan established a trading post on the Hackensack River in 1647. During the American Revolution, the city served as camping grounds for armies of both sides. In the early 1800's, the city grew as a commercial and shipping center. The city was informally known as Hackensack, after the Ackenack tribe, but officially it was called New Barbados until 1921.Nowadays, Hackensack is a residential and industrial suburb of New York City.

There are several interesting buildings in Hackensack. The First Dutch Reformed Church on the Green was built in 1696 and rebuilt in 1728. The von Steuben House dates from 1739. It is a state historic site and the headquarters of the county historical society. Hacksensack is home to a campus of Farleigh-Dickinson University.

The city boasts companies that manufacture furniture, clothing, machinery and processed foods.

Accommodation and restaurants are available in town. Hackensack is in the northeast of New Jersey, 100 km northeast from Trenton and 340 km northeast from Washington D.C.