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Settled in 1666 by Puritans from New Haven Colony, Newark is one of the oldest cities in the United States. Its location at the mouth of the Passaic River, where it flows into Newark Bay, has made the city's waterfront an integral part of the Port of New York and New Jersey.
- Overview
- History
- The contemporary city
Newark, city and port, Essex county, northeastern New Jersey, U.S. It lies on the west bank of the Passaic River and on Newark Bay, 8 miles (13 km) west of lower Manhattan Island, New York City. Newark was incorporated as a city in 1836. Pop. (2010) 277,140; Newark-Union Metro Division, 2,147,727; (2020) 311,549; Newark Metro Division, 2,280,061.
Puritans migrating from Connecticut founded Newark in 1666 on land purchased from Delaware Indians. The settlement, first named Pesayak Towne and later New Milford, was probably renamed for the home of the Reverend Abraham Pierson, who went there from Newark-on-Trent, England. Another version holds that the name was of biblical significance (New Ark). Newark became the seat of Essex county (1682) and was chartered as a township in 1693.
After the American Revolution, Newark became (c. 1790) noted for leather tanning, jewelry, and shoe manufacturing. The shoe industry profited greatly from the inventiveness of Seth Boyden, who, regarded by Thomas Edison as one of the greatest American inventors, came to Newark from Massachusetts in 1815 and developed a process for making patent leather (1818). He is credited as the first producer of malleable cast iron (1826) and as a developer of an improved, larger strawberry. There is a statue of him in Washington Park. Newark’s other industrial pioneers included the Reverend Hannibal Goodwin, who patented a flexible film for motion pictures (1887), and Edward Weston, who invented electrical measuring instruments (1888).
Newark’s proximity to New York City places it within the country’s most highly industrialized and populous area. The city is the largest in New Jersey and is a leading industrial centre. Its manufactures are highly diversified and include electronic equipment, leather goods, chemicals, rubber, jewelry, furniture and fixtures, textiles, industrial machinery, and foodstuffs. Printing, publishing, and the insurance business are also significant. Newark is a transportation centre and a major East Coast distributing point. Newark International Airport is one of the world’s busiest, since it serves both Newark and the New York City area. The Port of Newark, started in 1915, is now leased and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Located in Newark are the New Jersey Institute of Technology (1881), the Newark campus of Rutgers University, a branch of Seton Hall University (1856; Roman Catholic), Essex County College (1968), and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (1956). Near the city centre is Military Park, used as a drill ground in colonial times and now the site of a bronze group of figures, The Wars of America, by Gutzon Borglum. Branch Brook, a county park, is noted for its Japanese cherry trees. In front of the county courthouse, designed by Cass Gilbert, is a seated statue of Abraham Lincoln, also by Borglum. Historic buildings include Trinity Cathedral (1733), used as a hospital during the Revolution; House of Prayer (1850), with its older stone rectory, Plume House (1710); and the First Presbyterian Church (1790). Adjacent to and part of the Newark Museum of Art (which has a variety of exhibits) is the Ballantine House (1880s), a restored Victorian mansion. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC; 1997), across from Military Park, is a multipurpose venue with fine acoustics and a mix of small and large performance spaces; it is home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Several blocks away, near City Hall (1908) and the Depression-era Newark Penn Station (which serves Amtrak, subway, and commuter trains), is the Prudential Center (2007), venue for the New Jersey Devils ice-hockey team and host to other sports and entertainment events.
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- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Audrey Wilson
- Branch Brook Park. Visit website Get directions. This 360-acre park is Essex County's first and largest public park. Branch Brook Park, created in 1895, contains what is said to be the most extensive assortment of cherry blossom trees in the US.
- Krueger-Scott Mansion. Get directions. A worthy listing on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places, the Krueger-Scott Mansion is located on Martin Luther King Jr.
- Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Visit website Get directions. Styled in French Gothic Revival architecture, the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart is an awe-inspiring Newark building.
- Lincoln Park. Get directions. The Lincoln Park neighborhood in Morris County was named after President Abraham Lincoln. It has many historical Revolutionary War landmarks, including John Dods House and Tavern.
Ras J. Baraka is the 40th Mayor of the City of Newark. A native of Newark, whose family has lived in the City for more than 80 years, Mayor Baraka’s progressive approach to governing has won him accolades from grassroots organizations to the White House. With a forward-thinking agenda that reduced crime to its lowest levels in five decades ...
Jan 5, 2024 · Address: 1 Center St, Newark, NJ 07102, United States. 7. Manu’s Sushi Lounge. Credits: Manu’s Kitchen Bar And Sushi Lounge / Facebook. Manu’s Sushi Lounge. For those planning a family eat-out, visiting Manu’s Sushi Lounge is one of the best things to do in Newark, NJ.
Newark's Essex County Park System is the oldest county park system in the United States. It includes both Weequahic Park, New Jersey's oldest public golf course, and Branch Brook Park, home to the USA's largest collection of cherry blossom trees.