It’s official. The number to remember is 07086.
Beginning July 1, every piece of mail addressed to Weehawken should feature the new zip code of 07086, solely established for use and identification for Weehawken.
Sure, some might say, “Big deal.” After all, the new zip code is only one digit shy of the old 07087 zip code Weehawken shared with Union City ever since the postal zip codes were established more than 40 years ago.
However, the introduction of the new zip code, which was officially unveiled at a ceremony at Webster School Friday morning, is the culmination of a pursuit for separate identity in the eyes of the U.S. Postal Service.
Some residents, like local historian Edward Fleckenstein, say the pursuit for postal independence has lasted for as long as 80 years, when Weehawken residents first inquired about the possibility of a separate post office. The push for a separate zip code definitely came into the forefront over the last three years.
Especially with the advent of the Internet, when people punched up the zip code of 07087 on the computer for anything – online shopping, travel directions, geographic identifications – Union City would automatically appear on the screen. Weehawken was simply a forgotten oasis.
Not anymore.
The new zip code will officially go into effect July 1. There will be a grace period of approximately one year in which mail addressed to 07087 will still be accepted and forwarded, but Postal Service officials are hoping that all mail addressed to Weehawken will include the new zip code later this summer.
Weehawken officials said that the announcement will begin a township-wide campaign to inform all residents about the new zip code.
At the official new zip code announcement ceremony, the man most responsible for acquiring the new postal number, Rep. Robert Menendez (D-13th Dist.) addressed everyone and told them of the significance and the painstaking efforts it took to attain a new zip code.
A banner proclaiming the new zip code was unfurled across the school’s auditorium, with the township’s second graders taking part in a presentation in honor of 07086.
“We finally have our own identity,” Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said. “It is long, long overdue. Now, Weehawken residents will be able to receive their mail properly and mail will be directed more properly. It will also preserve the identity of the township for the next millennium.”
Although Turner was sworn to secrecy about the actual new number, he had a feeling that the new zip code would be very similar to the one the city had shared with Union City.
“The Postal Service kind of indicated all along that it wouldn’t be a radical change of a number,” Turner said. “I guess 07086 was available and we got it. The goal was to make it easier for everyone and they were able to give us that zip code.”
Turner also praised the efforts of Menendez.
“The new zip code would have never been done without the intervention of Congressman Menendez,” Turner said. “He made the request to the Postal Service on behalf of his Weehawken constituents and his efforts are what really got the ball rolling. We are forever indebted to the Congressman’s efforts in this campaign to get our own zip code.”
Menendez praised the efforts of everyone involved with attaining the new number.
“Today’s announcement follows several years of advocacy on behalf of the citizens of Weehawken,” Menendez said last week. “We had many discussions with the representatives from the United States Postal Service in an attempt to address the urgency and the need for a new and unique zip code for the people of Weehawken. I’m very pleased to have worked with Mayor Turner and I’m happy to advocate on Weehawken’s behalf.”
Residents received ballots in February asking if they wanted a new zip code. Of the 8,000 surveys sent to 5,000 Weehawken households, Turner said that his office received 1,798 responses. Of the responses received, 1,724 voted in favor of the new zip code, 69 voted against it and five had undetermined responses.
Turner added, “We have one of the oldest communities in Hudson County, becoming incorporated in 1854. We didn’t want to lose our identity to anyone. If it were just mail, then nothing would have ever happened. This only happened because people started using zip codes as a form of geographic identification.”
Turner said that the problems reached a peak when the mail that Menendez’s office tried to send to Weehawken ended up automatically in Union City.
“When mail from the federal governmental offices was going to other locations, that’s when it indeed became a problem,” Turner said. “That’s when we had to do something.”