Eight new coordination polymers, namely, [Co(L)(H₂O)₂] (1), [Ni(L)(H₂O)₃] (2), [Cu(L)] (3), [Cd(L)]·0.5H₂O (4), [Mn(L)]·0.5H₂O (5), [Cu₂(L)₂(4,4′-bpy)(H₂O)₂] (6), [Cd₂(L)₂(4,4′-bpy)(H₂O)₂] (7), and [Mn(L)(2,2′-bpy)(H₂O)] (8), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions, where H₂L = 3-carboxy-1-(4′-carboxy-benzyl)-2-oxidopyridinium, 4,4′-bpy = 4,4′-bipyridine, and 2,2′-bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine. Their structures are established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. In compounds 1, 2 and 8, the L anions bridge the metal cations to generate 1D chains. Adjacent chains are further linked by hydrogen-bonding interactions to yield 2D supramolecular layers. Compound 6 also exhibits a 1D chain structure. Neighboring chains are further extended into 2D supramolecular layers via π–π interactions. Compounds 3 and 7 display similar 2D layers. Compounds 4 and 5 are isomorphous and show the same 3D 6-connected framework with the 4¹²6³ topology. The coordination modes of the L anion have been discussed in detail. For compound 4, the luminescent sensing properties for small molecules were investigated. In addition, the variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility of compound 5 was also studied.