Why is Bergen the most populated county in NJ?

[Arizona Iced Tea]

Well obviously it has the most people, but my question is why? All of NJ major cities are not located within it (Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Trenton) so what exactly makes it so popular for people to move to?

[Brittain33]

It’s adjacent to 4 large cities (New York City, Jersey City, Newark, and Paterson) and much larger than Hudson or Essex County so built out with dense suburbs where it wasn’t already urban.

On edit: not quite adjacent to Jersey City, but close enough.

[wnwnwn]

Full of suburbs, little forests. Union, Essex and Hudson are smaller. A good part of Passaic Country is still forest.

[King of Kensington]

It's adjacent to NYC and it became a major suburban destination for NYC residents after WWII.  In 1940, Bergen had a population of around 400,000; by 1970, it had grown to 900,000 and was the most populated county in NJ.

[Progressive Pessimist]

It was situated in the perfect white flight location once people started leaving the major cities.

Prior to that it used to be mostly celery or tomato farms. Now it's basically your stereotypical suburban sprawl.

[Ferguson97]

Proximity to NYC.

[ProgressiveModerate]

What others have said plus it's just geographically larger; Hudson and Essex Counties are technically denser but geographically much smaller.