Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 38,577. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region. Hoboken is also the location of the first recorded baseball game in the United States, and of the Stevens Institute of Technology, one of the oldest technological universities in the United States. Hoboken was first settled as part of the Pavonia, New Netherland colony in the 17th century. During the early nineteenth century the city was developed by Colonel John Stevens, first as a resort and later as a residential neighborhood. It became a township in 1849 and was incorporated as a city in 1855. Its waterfront was an integral part of New York Harbor's shipping industry and home to major industries for most of the 20th century. The character of the city has changed from a blue collar town to one of upscale shops and condominiums.