The cities, towns, boroughs, and villages of New Jersey may be placed
in six groups: first, those in the New York City Metropolitan District;
second, places lying just outside the Metropolitan District of New
York; third, Trenton and the towns of the Upper Delaware Valley;
fourth, places in the Philadelphia Metropolitan District; fifth, places
in the southern part of the state, near Delaware Bay; sixth, cities and
towns on the Atlantic coast.
=Metropolitan District of New York.=--The following are the chief
cities of New Jersey in the Metropolitan District of New York: Newark,
Jersey City, Hoboken, Bayonne, Paterson, Elizabeth, and Perth Amboy.
=Newark and its Environs.=--Newark, in 1910, had a population of
347,469 and in 1920 of 414,216. It is the largest city in the state
and fifteenth in the United States. It was settled in 1666 by settlers
from Connecticut. It is located on the Passaic River and Newark Bay
and has a frontage on the river and bay of eleven miles. It has water
communication with New York Bay by way of Newark Bay and Kill van Kull.
The United States government has dredged a channel in the bay three
hundred fifty feet wide by twenty feet deep. This great improvement
and improvements made by the city at great expense will greatly
increase the commerce of the city. The city enjoys excellent railroad
facilities. Nine railroads including the great trunk lines have
fourteen stations in the city. It is directly connected with the city
of New York by passenger trains which pass through the Hudson tunnels.
It has numerous banks, fine office buildings, and large department
stores. Many trolley lines which radiate from it bring to it the trade
of the many neighboring cities.
Newark is the first city in the state in the variety of its
manufactures and in the value of its manufactured products. It is
eleventh among the cities of the United States in the value of such
products. Its great progress in manufactures is due to an early start,
to the stimulus given by the opening of the Morris Canal and by
railroad and water transportation. It has a large number of important
industries which include smelting and refining, the making of shoes,
leather goods of all kinds, hats, jewelry, iron, steel, and brass
products of all kinds, watch cases, paints and varnishes, clothing,
electrical machinery and appliances, automobile supplies, tinware,
advertising novelties, celluloid products, trunks, fertilizers, furs,
brewery products, and cigars.
[Illustration: Storage-battery factory, West Orange]
Newark has an excellent supply of water which is drawn from the valley
of the Pequannock River in the northern part of the Passaic basin,
twenty-six miles from the city.
Surrounding Newark are many important cities and towns which reflect
the social, commercial, and industrial influences of that city as
well as those of New York. Among these are =Belleville=, =Nutley=,
=Montclair=, =Glen Ridge=, =Bloomfield=, =Orange=, =East Orange=,
=West Orange=, =South Orange=, =Irvington=, and =Summit=. These are
all largely residential towns whose location and abundance of eligible
sites for homes are attractive. They are all exceptionally active in
providing educational facilities. They are all closely connected with
Newark and the city of New York by many railroad and trolley lines.
In most of them land is in such demand for residential purposes, that
it cannot be used profitably for manufacturing purposes, so that
this industry is naturally discouraged. In some of them, however,
especially those nearest to Newark, large industrial establishments
have grown up. =Belleville=, just north of Newark, has long been noted
for its industrial activity and is rapidly growing in importance in
this respect. Nutley, farther to the north, is well known as a town
of beautiful homes. =Montclair=, located on the slope of the Orange
Mountains, is noted for its beautiful scenery, its commanding view of
many square miles of surrounding country with many populous cities, and
its multitude of beautiful homes, and is the home of one of the state
normal schools. =Glen Ridge= and =Bloomfield=, similarly situated,
are also characterized by their fine dwellings. Bloomfield contains
many extensive manufacturing establishments. Among the products are
electrical lamps and appliances, woolen and worsted goods, colored
labels, cream separators, chemicals, rubber goods, and iron and steel
products. Besides being an attractive center for residences. =Orange=
is a very productive industrial center. Its principal industry is
the manufacture of hats. =East Orange= has long been famous because
of its superior attractiveness for dwelling purposes and is filled
with beautiful homes. While the high cost of land does not invite
manufactures, several large industries are located here. Electrical
motors and generators, surgical appliances, electrical appliances,
machinery, lamps, and hats are manufactured in large quantities.
=West Orange= is noted for the manufacture of phonographs, phonograph
records, moving picture instruments and films, and storage batteries.
Hats are also extensively manufactured. =South Orange= and =Summit=
are most attractive residential places, and are developing rapidly
along this line rather than in the line of manufactures. Summit has
an important silk industry. =Irvington=, while long known as a town
devoted to residences, is feeling the industrial impulse of Newark,
of which it is a suburb, and is rapidly becoming a manufacturing
center of great importance. Its industries are varied and include the
production of castings, graphite products, tools, cutlery, and gold,
silver, and platinum products. Across the Passaic River from Newark
are =East Newark=, =Harrison=, and =Kearney=, the last including
=Arlington=. These municipalities are located in Hudson County and are,
therefore, officially connected with Jersey City as its county seat.
But they are much nearer Newark, with which they are closely connected
by industrial and commercial ties. They are prosperous manufacturing
centers with industries of national importance. In =East Newark= the
most important manufactures are sewing thread and shade rollers. In
Harrison the industries are varied and the products include iron and
steel, incandescent lamps, steam pumps, roller bearings, elevators,
steel and tin toys, electric wire, trunks, brass products, tools,
metal novelties, castings, and machinery. In =Kearney= the important
manufactures are linoleums, yarns, twine, glue, oils, fertilizers,
ships, and castings.
[Illustration: Jersey City as seen from the Hudson]
=Jersey City and its Environs.=--A long narrow peninsula lies between
the Hudson River and New York Bay on the east, and the Hackensack
River and Newark Bay on the west. On this peninsula are located many
prosperous cities. On the southern half, which is in Hudson County, is
found the most densely populated part of the state, with many large
cities of great industrial and commercial importance.
=Jersey City=, the largest of this group, had, in 1910, a population of
267,779, and in 1920, according to the United States Census, 297,864.
It is the second city of the state in size, and twenty-first in the
United States. Parts of it were occupied by the Dutch soon after New
York was settled, but the first permanent government was established
in 1660 at Bergen, which is now a part of the city. Here were also
established the first school and the first church in the state. It is
located on New York Bay and the Hudson River and extends westward from
these waters to Newark Bay and the Hackensack River. It has a frontage
on tidal waters of about twelve miles and has therefore unexcelled
facilities for transportation by vessels of any size to all the
seaports of the world. Thirteen railroads have terminals in the city.
Besides these, there are eleven other passenger and freight stations
in the city. Here the railroads bring the products of all parts of the
country directly to the ships which sail to all parts of the world.
The city is connected directly with the city of New York by railroads
which pass through tunnels under the Hudson. Numerous trolley lines
connect the different parts of the city with each other and with other
parts of the state. There are nineteen banks and trust companies.
In manufacturing, Jersey City ranks second in the state. Its great
commercial and industrial growth is due to its nearness to New York, to
its connection with that city by ferries and railroad tunnels, by which
passengers and freight are carried to the heart of the city of New York
in a few minutes, and to the abundance of facilities for all kinds of
transportation. The most important products are sugar, printers' type,
soaps and perfumes, meats, silks and embroideries, graphite products,
lead pencils, tobacco, cigars, iron, steel and brass products, fire
hose, rubber goods, soups, watches, chemicals, electrical supplies,
heating and lighting apparatus, rope, and paints and varnishes.
The water used by the city is of excellent quality and is brought from
the basin of the Rockaway River in the northern part of the state. The
city has eight municipal parks and one county park, containing nearly
two hundred fifty acres. The city maintains a normal school for the
training of its teachers and has an excellent public library.
Besides being an active industrial center it is a residential city.
Many thousands whose occupations are in the city of New York live in
Jersey City.
North of Jersey City and adjacent to it is =Hoboken=. It is the most
densely populated city in the state. It has connections with several
railroads, and one of the great trunk lines has its terminal station
here. The steamships of several of the most important transatlantic
lines, including Scandinavian and Dutch, dock in Hoboken. Hoboken is
connected with the city of New York by the Hudson River tunnels and by
ferries and with other cities of the state by many trolley lines. Its
manufacturing industries include shipbuilding and repairing and the
making of lead pencils, surveying and nautical instruments, marine
engines and boilers, silk goods, furniture, and wall paper. Here is
located the well-known Stevens Institute of Technology.
North of Hoboken and Jersey City are several cities and towns which
are very important industrially and are rapidly growing in population.
Their nearness to these cities and to each other makes their industries
and interests similar. These are =West Hoboken=, =Union=, =West New
York=, =North Bergen=, =Weehawken=, =Guttenberg=, and =Secaucus=. These
are all populous and thriving communities. There are many valuable
industries, among which the manufacture of silks and embroideries is
the most important. This section leads the state in the manufacture
of embroideries and is second only to Paterson in that of silk goods.
Other industries are machine shops, marine construction, and the
manufacture of pianos, lamps, lard, and rubber goods. In =Secaucus=
vegetable gardening is important.
South of Jersey City lies the city of =Bayonne=, which is the third
city of the state in the value of manufactured products. Its frontage
on New York Bay on the east, Newark Bay on the west, and Kill van
Kull on the south, gives it exceptional facilities for deep-water
transportation. It has, besides, ample railroad facilities. It is the
most important center for the refining of petroleum in the world.
The oil is brought in pipe lines from the oil fields of Pennsylvania
and Ohio to the refineries, from which the many refined products are
carried to all parts of the world. There are many other extensive
industries, of which the following may be mentioned: the manufacturing
of steam boilers, iron, steel, and bronze products, cottonseed oil,
nickel and copper products, borax, insulated wire, and silk goods.
The northern part of the peninsula, which is in Bergen County, contains
many attractive towns which are largely residential in character. Among
them are =Englewood= and =Fort Lee=. =Edgewater= on the Hudson at the
foot of the Palisades has important industries. The chief products are
sugar and sirups.
=Paterson and Neighboring Cities and Towns.=--Paterson, located at the
Falls of the Passaic River, had a population in 1920 of 135,866 and
is the third city of the state in size. The founding of the city was
suggested by Alexander Hamilton, who foresaw the value of the power
generated by the falls and made plans to use it for manufacturing
purposes. Its great growth as a manufacturing center is largely due to
this power. In the value of its manufactures, it is the fifth among the
cities of the state. Its most important industry is the manufacture of
silk products of all kinds. In this industry it stands first among the
cities of the country. It has many other extensive industrial plants,
which include machine shops, foundries, rolling mills, locomotive
works, dyeing establishments, and thread and cordage mills.
=Passaic=, located on the Passaic River a few miles southeast of
Paterson, is specially noted for its manufacture of woolen and worsted
goods, in which it is the first city of the state. It has other
extensive industries, including the manufacture of handkerchiefs
and other cotton goods, rubber goods, belting and packing material,
machinery, metal, leather and silk goods, and print and chemical works.
Passaic is, besides, an attractive residential city.
[Illustration: Docks at Hoboken. The principal port of embarkation and
debarkation of United States troops in the World War]
Northeast of Passaic is =Hackensack= on the Hackensack River, which
is a prosperous residential town. Between Paterson and Passaic are
=Clifton=, a growing manufacturing town, =Lodi=, with its extensive
dyeing industry, and =Garfield= with its large establishments for the
manufacture of woolen and worsted goods, waxed paper, embroideries,
and yarns. Southwest of Paterson is =Little Falls=, whose principal
manufactures are carpets and rugs. =Rutherford=, =Hasbrouck Heights=,
=Ridgewood=, and =Westwood= are towns in this section which are
specially inviting to residents.
=Elizabeth and Neighboring Towns.=--Elizabeth is one of the oldest
towns in the state. It was settled in 1664 and was the residence of
Sir Philip Carteret, the first Governor of New Jersey. It is most
favorably situated for both manufacturing and residential purposes. Its
location on Arthur Kill and Newark Bay gives it deep water connection
through Kill van Kull with New York Bay, and it has besides ample
railroad facilities. It has many industries, the largest of which, and
the largest of its kind in the world, is the manufacture of sewing
machines. Other industries are the manufacture of iron and steel
products of all kinds, and of electrical appliances, tanning, printing,
and shipbuilding. It has always been popular as a place of residence
with many whose business is in New York.
=Rahway=, a few miles southwest of Elizabeth, is a flourishing city
whose chief industries are the manufacture of felt, cereals, steel
products, clothing, music boxes, and printing and book binding.
=Roselle=, =Roselle Park=, =Cranford=, and =Westfield= are attractive
residential towns west of Elizabeth, with excellent educational
facilities. =Garwood=, in this vicinity, is an important manufacturing
town.
=Perth Amboy and Neighboring Towns.=--Perth Amboy was settled in 1684
and alternated with Burlington as the meeting place of the New Jersey
assembly after the union of the provinces in 1702. Its great industrial
activity has increased its population by more than 100 per cent in the
last fifteen years. Its rapid industrial growth is due to its location
at the mouth of the Raritan River and on Raritan Bay and Arthur Kill,
as well as to its railroad facilities, and to the extensive deposits
of clay which are found here. The development of these has led to the
establishment of large manufacturing plants whose products are terra
cotta, earthenware, and tile of all kinds. Other important industries
are the refining of gold, silver, copper, and lead, the preparation of
vaseline, boat building, the shipping of coal, and the manufacture of
cigars, insulated wire, chemicals, and steel products. It is the fourth
city in the state in the value of manufactured products.
Near Perth Amboy are =Metuchen=, =Woodbridge=, =South Amboy=,
=Sayreville=, and =South River=, which are populous towns and have
extensive industries similar to those of Perth Amboy. In =Woodbridge=
the output of fire brick is specially important. In =Sayreville= and
=South River= special attention is given to the manufacture of building
brick. In all there is considerable shipping of clays to other points.
Many varied industries are found in Carteret to the northeast of
Woodbridge.
=Places on the Outskirts of the Metropolitan District of New
York.=--Lying just beyond the New York City Metropolitan District, yet
feeling its influence more and more as the facilities for communication
are increased, are a number of important towns.
=Morristown=, in Morris County, is famous because of Its Revolutionary
associations. It is distinctively a residential town, which possesses
great municipal and educational advantages. =Madison= is another
residential town, whose peculiar and most important industry is the
cultivation of roses. =Boonton= and =Dover= have picturesque locations
and are industrially active. Their chief products are boilers,
furnaces, hosiery, iron, hats, and silk goods.
In Union County is =Plainfield=, which is well known on account of its
residential advantages, its unexcelled schools, and its industrial
importance. Its principal manufactures are printing presses, electrical
appliances, garments, machine tools, and machine shop products. =North
Plainfield= is a residential suburb.
=Somerville= is an attractive and prosperous town with industries which
manufacture clothing, laces, and iron pipe. =Bound Brook= is at the
junction of three trunk line railroads and is located on the Raritan
Canal. It is therefore an active industrial center. At =Finderne=,
between Somerville and Bound Brook, are large asbestos works.
=New Brunswick=, which was built up about the ferry established here in
1697, is situated on the Raritan River and at the eastern end of the
Raritan Canal, and enjoys superior facilities for water and railroad
transportation. Its most extensive industry is the manufacture of
surgical dressings. Other manufactured products are machinery, woolen
goods, iron and steel products, automobiles, cigars, and wall paper.
Here is situated Rutgers College, which includes the State Agricultural
College and Experiment Station. The State Home for Boys is located at
=Jamesburg=. =Keyport=, with its fisheries and growing manufacturing
industries, is situated on lower New York Bay and has rail and water
connections with that city. =Freehold= is always associated with the
battle of Monmouth. It has important canning and rug-making industries.
=Trenton and the Towns of the Upper Delaware Valley.=--Trenton, the
capital of the state since 1790, was settled about 1679. Here occurred
the Battle of Trenton, which is commemorated by an imposing monument.
It is situated on the Delaware at the head of navigation. The Delaware
and Raritan Canal passes through the city. It thus has the advantage
of transportation by water and railway. The water power developed by
the Falls of the Delaware encouraged the establishment and growth of
the city's industries, but these have grown so extensive that they
do not rely upon it. In the neighborhood of Trenton are deposits of
clay which were the basis of the pottery industry. It has forty-eight
potteries and in this industry it is rivaled by only one city in the
United States. The local clay is now used very little. The better
grades of pottery require the finer clays which are obtained from
England, France, and some states of this country. It manufactures
more sanitary earthenware than any other city in the country. Other
extensive industries are automobile factories, iron and steel works,
machine shops, foundries, rubber works, woolen mills, watch factories,
and oilcloth and linoleum factories.
The state and city acting together have created a large public park
which extends along the Delaware River and includes the grounds around
the state capitol. The trade of the surrounding country makes the city
a thriving business center.
Northeast of Trenton is =Princeton=, memorable as the scene of the
Battle of Princeton and rich in historic associations. Here is located
Princeton University, founded in 1746.
=Lambertville=, on the Delaware northeast of Trenton, is a prosperous
town with considerable water power, whose principal industries are
rock quarries, rubber works, and canning factories. =Pennington=
and =Hopewell= in the interior are industrious canning centers. At
=Phillipsburg=, on the Delaware, opposite the mouth of the Lehigh,
five railroads meet. It is the western terminus of the Morris Canal.
These transportation facilities make it a strongly industrial town. Its
principal products are air compressors and rock drills, horseshoes,
canisters, iron pipe, boilers, and silks. The principal cement works of
the state are located near Phillipsburg. =Belvidere=, on the Delaware
above Phillipsburg; =Washington=, =Hackettstown=, and =Blairstown=, in
the interior, are popular residential towns. In =Washington= pianos
and organs, and in =Hackettstown= saws and leather, are the chief
industrial products. In =Hackettstown= and =Blairstown= well-known
educational institutions are located. =Newton= is located in the
picturesque mountain region of Sussex County. Here dairy farming is
important. Its chief manufactures are shoes, silks, and dyeing.
=Flemington= and =High Bridge=, in Hunterdon County, though not located
in the Delaware Valley, are near it. They are important centers of
trade in agricultural sections with growing industries. =High Bridge=
is in the heart of the peach-growing section and has large steel works.
So also =Franklin Furnace=, in Sussex County, is in the Wallkill Valley
and is the center of the zinc-mining industry.
=Camden and Neighboring Cities and Towns.=--In this group are included
the towns which are located in the southwestern part of the state and
which are usually considered as belonging to the Metropolitan District
of Philadelphia or are near it. All are vitally affected by its
stimulating commercial and industrial impulse.
The largest city of this group is =Camden=, on the Delaware opposite
Philadelphia, founded about 1680 and known in colonial days as
Cooper's Ferry. It shares with Philadelphia the advantages of the
deep-water route to the ocean through the Delaware River and Bay.
It owes Its first industrial impulse to the opening of the Camden
and Amboy Railroad. From It many railroads radiate to all parts
of the state and one crosses the Delaware to Pennsylvania. Direct
communication with Philadelphia is maintained by ferries. More rapid
communication will soon be obtained when the proposed tunnels under
the Delaware are completed. Its industries, which are of the most
varied character, have increased with astonishing rapidity. The most
extensive are the manufacture of talking machines and shipbuilding.
Here the largest battleships and merchant vessels can be built. One of
the shipbuilding plants is the largest in the country. Other extensive
industries are foundries, machine shops, woolen mills, chemical works,
factories for the manufacture of cigars, paints, candies, leather,
licorice, linoleum, writing pens, and the preparation of soups.
[Illustration: Canning factory, filling and capping cans, Camden]
[Illustration: Camden, Philadelphia, and vicinity]
Northeast of Camden, on the Delaware, are =Riverside= and =Beverly=,
which are important centers of manufacture and of truck farming.
Farther up is =Burlington=, which was settled in 1677 and was the
capital of West Jersey. It has ample facilities for transportation by
rail and water. Its interests are both agricultural and manufacturing.
Its principal products are shoes, iron pipe, and hardware.
=Bordentown=, the southwestern terminus of the Delaware and Raritan
Canal, also has excellent transportation facilities. Its most important
industries are the canning of vegetables and the manufacture of yarns
and clay products. In the interior, the old town. =Mount Holly=,
is rich in agricultural products and has industries which produce
hosiery, shoes, and tapestry goods. East and southeast of Camden are
=Merchantville=, =Moorestown=, =Collingswood=, and =Haddonfield=, which
are distinctively residential towns, but in which vegetable raising is
an important industry.
=Gloucester=, on the Delaware south of Camden, is a growing industrial
center. Its products are yarns, paper, and gas mantles. It has
communication with Philadelphia by ferries, which transport the produce
of the rich truck and fruit farms of the surrounding country to that
city. =Woodbury= is a prosperous residential town with industries which
make pianos and glass bottles. Next to the southward are Swedesboro,
=Glassboro=, and =Clayton=, whose principal industrial activities are
connected with the making of glass and the raising and canning of
vegetables and fruits.
=Towns near Delaware Bay.=--Farther south on the outskirts of the
Philadelphia Metropolitan District are the very active business
and industrial center, =Salem=, settled by the Quakers in 1675,
=Bridgeton=, =Vineland=, and =Millville=.
In these towns the glass factories are extensive and make all kinds
of glass articles. In =Bridgeton= and =Millville= many persons are
employed in the mining and shipping of glass sand. Molding sand is also
a product. In and surrounding these towns are large areas of farm land
devoted to the raising of all kinds of vegetables, berries, and tree
fruits for the markets. Great quantities of these are preserved in the
many large canning factories which are located in them. =Vineland=
produces much bottled grape juice. These towns have also diversified
industries of other kinds.
In =Cape May Court House= the important industrial activities are the
making of glass bottles and the raising of berries and other fruits.
=Cities and Towns on the Atlantic Coast.=--Along the Atlantic coast are
many cities and towns which are popular health and pleasure resorts.
The many railroads which connect them with the large cities have made
them convenient of access so that thousands of people visit them in the
summer time.
The largest of these is =Atlantic City=, which is the largest seaside
resort in the country and is devoted entirely to the entertainment of
visitors. It is said to contain more than one thousand hotels. Its
permanent population numbers somewhat more than 50,000, but in the
summer time its population is estimated at about 300,000. It has a
climate favorable to those who are convalescing from illness or seek to
recuperate their health. On this account it is a popular resort during
the entire year. It has a superior school system and all the other
facilities and institutions which mark the progressive city. =Long
Branch=, farther north, is the oldest resort on the coast. Another
resort of many years standing is =Cape May City=. Other well-known
resorts are =Ocean City=, =Point Pleasant=, =Sea Girt=, =Manasquan=,
=Spring Lake=, =Belmar=, =Ocean Grove=, =Asbury Park=, =Sea Bright=,
and =Atlantic Highlands=. =Red Bank=, with its many attractive country
homes, is situated on the Navesink and is classed as a seaside resort.
=Lakewood=, among the pines of Ocean County, is a popular winter health
resort.