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is a City in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 3,868.
Lambertville was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1849, from portions of West Amwell Township. The area was reincorporated as a city on March 26, 1872.
Lambertville is located on the Delaware River in the southwestern portion of Hunterdon County. During the 1700s, the City was named after various operators of ferries across the river to Pennsylvania, ultimately becoming known as Coryell's Ferry, after Emanuel Coryell who owned the Ferry. Coryell's Ferry was the western terminus of the New Jersey portion of the York Road (which is now known as U.S. Highway 202) connecting New York City and Philadelphia. The City was named Lambertville in 1814 when the post office was established, in honor of John Lambert, a local resident, who had served as United States Senator and Acting Governor of New Jersey.
The Delaware River and the Delaware and Raritan Canal were instrumental in the prosperity of Lambertville. In June 1834, the opening of the canal was celebrated with a barge ride from Trenton to Lambertville. The canal's completion was not without hardship. 4,000 Irish immigrants were hired to dig the canal with pick and shovel. During the construction an epidemic of cholera broke out and dozens of men were buried along the banks of the canal and the Delaware River.
Since the 1800s, Lambertville, due to its proximity to the canal and the (now defunct) railroad, became a factory town where the range of products produced went from underwear to rubber bands. After the introduction of the automobile (and of course trucks) made the canals and, ultimately, the railroad obsolete, the factories shut down, one by one.
The town lagged for a long time, most definitely the poorer sibling to its sister city, New Hope, Pennsylvania, which lies across the Delaware River. In the 1970s, young people who had grown up in Lambertville but left to make their fortunes returned with a mission—to re-energize their home town. Ultimately, pioneers like the Jonsdottir art gallery, Hamilton Grill (still the city's most renowned restaurant) and the Lambertville Station eatery (a hotel soon followed), the city began to attract artists and other creative types. These days, much of its 18th and 19th century flavor remains—particularly in its houses, many of which have been restored. The town has become a tourist destination, with many shops, galleries, restaurants, and B&Bs. The canal path offers cyclists a place to ride for people of all skill levels.