According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 3.9 km² (1.5 mi²). 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (43.71%) is water.
Weehawken, as seen across the Hudson River from midtown Manhattan. The Lincoln Tunnel vent towers and the Palisades are visible on the right; the tunnel's access highway, known as the Helix, is on the left.
Though small, Weehawken is very urban, with a population density that is among the highest in the United States and comparable with that of nearby Jersey City. Weehawken is a residential community of primarily one and two family homes (many built during the Edwardian era) and low-rise apartment buildings. It has a retail district along Park Avenue (its boundary with Union City) and large office and apartment/townhouse developments along the Hudson River. A few scattered retail shops and light manufacturing facilities blend into their respective neighborhoods. Local zoning laws prohibit the construction of high-rise buildings that would obstruct sight-lines from higher points in town.
With its unique topography at the emergence of The Palisades, and the construction of the Lincoln Tunnel (which cut the town in half), Weehawken has very distinct geographical neighborhoods: Downtown (or The Shades), The Heights, Uptown (which includes The Bluff), and The Waterfront, which in the 1990's and 2000's has become commercial and residential. Though some are long abandoned (e.g., Grauert Causeway), there are still several outdoor public staircases (e.g., Shippen Steps) throughout the town, and surprising number (more than 15) "dead-end" streets. At its southeastern corner is Weehawken Cove, which along with the rail tracks farther inland, defines Weehawken's border with Hoboken. Traversing Weehawken is JFK Boulevard East (or simply Boulevard East), a scenic thoroughfare atop the cliff of The Palisades offering a sweeping vista of the Hudson and the Manhattan skyline.
