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Newark, New Jersey

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

   City of Newark

   Official flag of City of Newark

                                  Official seal of City of Newark
   Flag                           Seal
   Nickname: "The Brick City"
   Map of Newark in Essex County
   Map of Newark in Essex County
   Coordinates: °′40.7352 °′74.1849
   County Essex
   Founded/Incorporated 1666/1836
   Mayor Cory Booker, term of office 2006–2010
   Area
    - City 67.3 km²  (26.0  sq mi)
    - Land 61.6 km²  (23.8 sq mi)
    - Water 5.7 km² (2.2 sq mi)
   Population
    - City (2000) 280,451
    - Metro 2,152,895
   Time zone Eastern Standard Time ( UTC-5)
   Website: http://www.ci.newark.nj.us/

   Newark, nicknamed The Brick City, is the largest city in New Jersey,
   United States, and the county seat of urban Essex County. As of the
   United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 273,546,
   making it the largest municipality in New Jersey. According to the U.S.
   Census Bureau, the city's 2004 population estimate is 280,451, an
   increase of 2.5% from 2000.

   It is located approximately five miles (8 km) west of Manhattan and two
   miles north of Staten Island (both parts of New York City). Its
   location near the Atlantic Ocean on Newark Bay has helped make its port
   facility, Port Newark, the major container shipping port for New York
   Harbour. Together with Elizabeth, it is the home of Newark Liberty
   International Airport, which was the first major airport to serve the
   New York metropolitan area.

History

   The landing of the Puritans in 1666, from the Settlers' Monument,
   Fairmount Cemetery.
   Enlarge
   The landing of the Puritans in 1666, from the Settlers' Monument,
   Fairmount Cemetery.

   Newark was founded in 1666 by Connecticut Puritans led by Robert Treat,
   making it the third-oldest major city in the United States, after
   Boston and New York, though it is not the third-oldest settlement.
   Newark is the city's second name; previously, it was called Milford,
   named for Milford, Connecticut, from which many settlers had migrated.
   The name comes from Newark-on-Trent, a town in England from where some
   of the original settlers arrived.

Colonial era

   Newark was a relatively large town in the colonial era, known for its
   good beer, ciders, and tanned leather goods. In religion, it stayed
   loyal to old Puritan ways longer than the communities of New England,
   and was very receptive to the Great Awakening. When the seminaries at
   Yale and Harvard showed disdain for Great Awakening evangelicalism,
   several Newark ministers led by Aaron Burr (father of Vice President
   Aaron Burr) founded the College of New Jersey, later to be known as
   Princeton, in neighboring Elizabeth.

Industrial era to World War II

   A part of Newark Skyline
   Enlarge
   A part of Newark Skyline

   Newark's rapid growth began in the early 1800s, much of it due to a
   Massachusetts transplant named Seth Boyden. Boyden came to Newark in
   1815, and immediately began a torrent of improvements to leather
   manufacture, culminating in the process for making patent leather.
   Boyden's genius would eventually allow Newark to manufacture almost 90%
   of the nation's leather by 1870, bringing in $8.6 million to the city
   in that year alone. In 1824, Boyden, bored with leather, found a way to
   produce malleable iron. Newark also prospered by the construction of
   the Morris Canal in 1831. The canal connected Newark with the New
   Jersey hinterland, at that time a major iron and farm area. Railroads
   also arrived in 1834 and 1835. A flourishing shipping business
   resulted, and Newark became the area's industrial centre. By 1826,
   Newark's population stood at 8,017, ten times the 1776 number.

   The middle 19th century saw continued growth and diversification of
   Newark's industrial base. The first commercially successful plastic —
   Celluloid — was produced in a factory on Mechanic Street by John Wesley
   Hyatt. Hyatt's Celluloid found its way into Newark-made carriages,
   billiard balls, and dentures. Edward Weston perfected in Newark a
   process for zinc electroplating, as well as a superior arc lamp.
   Newark's Military Park had the first public electric lamps anywhere in
   the United States. Before moving to Menlo Park, Thomas Edison himself
   made Newark home in the early 1870s. He invented the stock ticker in
   the Brick City. In the late 19th century, its industry was further
   developed, especially through the efforts of such men as Seth Boyden
   and J. W. Hyatt. Irish and German migrants moved to the city; the
   Germans established their own newspapers, which other ethnic groups
   have emulated. However, tensions existed between the "native stock" and
   the newer groups.
   Newark Smelting and Refining Works, Ed. Balbach and Sons, c. 1870.
   Enlarge
   Newark Smelting and Refining Works, Ed. Balbach and Sons, c. 1870.

   In the middle 19th century, Newark added insurance to its repertoire of
   businesses; Mutual Benefit was founded in the city in 1845 and
   Prudential in 1873. Prudential, or "the Pru" as generations of
   Newarkers knew it, was founded by another transplanted New Englander,
   John Fairfield Dryden, who found a niche catering to the middle and
   lower classes. Today, Newark sells more insurance than any city except
   Hartford, Connecticut.

   In 1880, Newark's population stood at 136,508; in 1890 at 181,830; in
   1900 at 246,070; and in 1910 at 347,000, a jump of 200,000 in three
   decades. As Newark's population approached a half million in the 1920s,
   the city's potential seemed limitless. It was said in 1927: "Great is
   Newark's vitality. It is the red blood in its veins – this basic
   strength that is going to carry it over whatever hurdles it may
   encounter, enable it to recover from whatever losses it may suffer and
   battle its way to still higher achievement industrially and
   financially, making it eventually perhaps the greatest industrial
   centre in the world".

   Newark was bustling in the early to mid-20th century. Market and Broad
   Streets served as a centre of retail commerce for the region anchored
   by four flourishing department stores like Hahne & Company, L.
   Bamberger and Company, L.S. Plaut and Company, and Kresge's (later
   known as Kmart). "Broad Street today is the Mecca of visitors as it has
   been through all its long history," Newark merchants boasted, "they
   come in hundreds of thousands now when once they came in hundreds."
   Headquarters of the Prudential in late 19th century.
   Enlarge
   Headquarters of the Prudential in late 19th century.

   In 1922, Newark had 63 live theaters, 46 movie theaters, and an active
   nightlife. Dutch Schultz was killed in 1935 at the local Palace Bar.
   Billie Holiday frequently stayed at the Coleman Hotel. By some
   measures, the intersection of Market and Broad Streets — known as the
   "Four Corners" — was the busiest intersection in the United States, in
   terms of cars using it. In 1915, Public Service counted over 280,000
   pedestrian crossings in one thirteen-hour period. Eleven years later,
   on October 26, 1926, a State Motor Vehicle Department check at the Four
   Corners counted 2,644 trolleys, 4,098 buses, 2657 taxis, 3474
   commercial vehicles, and 23,571 automobiles. Traffic in Newark was so
   heavy that the city converted the old bed of the Morris Canal into the
   Newark City Subway, making Newark one of the few cities in the country
   to have an underground system. New skyscrapers were being built every
   year, the two tallest being the 40-story Art Deco National Newark
   Building and the Lefcourt-Newark Building. In 1948, just after World
   War II, Newark hit its peak population of just under 450,000. The
   population also grew as immigrants from South and Eastern Europe
   settled here. Newark witnessed distinctive neighborhoods including a
   large Jewish community concentrated along Prince Street.

   According to legend, the Texas-born artist Robert Rauschenberg
   accidentally left his bus in Newark and spent a week there before he
   realized it wasn't New York City.

Post-World War II era

   Problems existed underneath the industrial hum. In 1930, a city
   commissioner had told a local booster club, the Optimists:

          Newark is not like the city of old. The old, quiet residential
          community is a thing of the past, and in its place has come a
          city teeming with activity. With the change has come something
          unfortunate—the large number of outstanding citizens who used to
          live within the community's boundaries has dwindled. Many of
          them have moved to the suburbs and their home interests are
          there.

   Most New Jerseyans attributed Newark's demise to post-World War II
   phenomena—the 1967 riots; the construction of the New Jersey Turnpike,
   Interstate 280 and Interstate 78; decentralization of manufacturing;
   the G.I. Bill; and the general pro-suburban fiscal order—but Newark's
   relative decline actually began long before that. The city budget fell
   from $58 million in 1938 to only $45 million in 1944, despite the
   wartime boom and an increase in the tax rate from $4.61 to $5.30. Even
   in 1944, before anyone predicted the rise of the Sun Belt or the G.I.
   Bill, planners saw problems on Newark's horizon.

   Some attribute Newark's downfall to its propensity for building large
   housing projects. However, Newark's housing was always a matter of
   concern. The 1944 city-commissioned study showed that 31% of all Newark
   dwelling units were below standards of health, and only 17% of Newark's
   units were owner-occupied. Vast sections of Newark consisted of wooden
   tenements, and at least 5,000 units failed to meet any thresholds of
   being a decent place to live. Bad housing predated government
   intervention in the housing market.

   One theory postulated by Kenneth T. Jackson and others is that Newark,
   having a situation where a poor center was surrounded by middle-class
   outlying areas, only did well when it was able to annex middle-class
   suburbs. When municipal annexation broke down, urban problems developed
   since the middle-class edge was now divorced from the poor centre. In
   1900, Newark's mayor had confidently thought out loud, " East Orange,
   Vailsburg, Harrison, Kearny, and Belleville would be desirable
   acquisitions. By an exercise of discretion we can enlarge the city from
   decade to decade without unnecessarily taxing the property within our
   limits, which has already paid the cost of public improvements." Only
   Vailsburg would ever be added.

   Although numerous problems predated World War II, Newark was hamstrung
   by a number of trends in the post-WWII era. The Federal Housing
   Administration redlined virtually all of Newark, preferring to back up
   mortgages in the white suburbs. Manufacturers set up in lower wage
   environments and could receive larger tax deductions for building an
   entirely new factory in outlying areas than for rehabilitating an old
   factory in a city. Billed as transportation improvements, Interstate
   280, the New Jersey Turnpike, and Interstate 78 harmed Newark as well.
   They directly hurt the city by tearing the fabric of the neighborhoods
   they went though, and indirectly hurt the city because the new
   infrastructure allowed middle-class workers to live in the suburbs and
   commute into the city.

   Despite its problems, Newark did try to remain vital in the postwar
   era. Prudential and Mutual Benefit were successfully enticed to stay
   and build new offices. Rutgers University-Newark and Seton Hall
   University expanded their Newark presences, with the former building a
   brand-new campus on a 23 acre (9 hectare) urban renewal site. The Port
   Authority of New York and New Jersey made Port Newark the first
   container port in the nation and turned swamps in the south of the city
   into Newark Liberty International Airport, one of the ten busiest
   airports in the United States.

   Even though it was not the sole cause of Newark's tragedy, the city
   made some serious mistakes with public housing and urban renewal.
   Across several administrations, the city leaders of Newark saw the
   federal government's offer to pay for 100% of the costs of housing
   projects as a blessing. While other cities were skeptical about putting
   so many poor and socially dysfunctional individuals together and thus
   were cautious in building housing projects, Newark avidly pursued
   federal dollars. Eventually, Newark would have a higher percentage of
   its residents in public housing than any other American city.

   The largely Italian American First Ward was one of the hardest hit by
   urban renewal. A 46-acre (19 hectare) housing tract, labeled a slum
   because it was so dense, was torn down for multi-story Le
   Corbusier-style high rises, to be known as the Christopher Columbus
   Homes. The tract had contained 8th Avenue, the commercial heart of the
   neighborhood. Fifteen small-scale blocks were reduced to three
   "superblocks." The Columbus Homes, never in harmony with the rest of
   the neighbourhood, were abandoned in the 1970s, and were eventually
   torn down in 1994.

   As pesticides and mechanization reduced the need for cheap labor in the
   South, five million blacks migrated to northern cities between 1940 and
   the 1970s. From 1950 to 1960, while Newark saw its overall population
   drop from 438,000 to 408,000, it gained 65,000 non-whites. By 1966,
   Newark had a black majority, a faster turnover than most other northern
   cities had experienced. Evaluating the riots of 1967, Newark educator
   Nathan Wright, Jr. said, "No typical American city has as yet
   experienced such a precipitous change from a white to a black
   majority." The misfortune of the Great Migration and Puerto Rican
   immigration was that Southern blacks and Puerto Ricans were moving to
   Newark to be industrial workers just as the industrial jobs were drying
   up. Newark blacks left poverty in the South to find poverty in the
   North.

   During the 1950s alone, Newark's white population decreased from
   363,000 to 266,000. From 1960 to 1967, its white population fell a
   further 46,000. Though white flight changed the racial composition of
   Newark residents, it did not change the racial composition of political
   and economic power in the city. In 1967, out of a police force of
   1,400, only 150 members were black, mostly in subordinate positions.
   The predominantly white nature of the police force, coupled with its
   penchant for brutality, led it to be seen as an occupying force rather
   than a protective entity. Since Newark's blacks lived in neighborhoods
   that had been white only two decades earlier, nearly all of their
   apartments and stores were white-owned as well. Mayor Addonizio
   offered, without consulting any residents of the neighbourhood to be
   affected, to condemn and raze for the University of Medicine and
   Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) 150 acres (61 hectares) of a densely
   populated black neighbourhood in the central ward. UMDNJ had wanted to
   settle in suburban Madison.

1967 riots

   The poverty and lack of political power contributed to a growing
   radicalization of Newark's black population. On July 12, 1967, a black
   taxi driver named John Smith was arrested and brutally beaten by police
   for illegally passing a double-parked police car and then resisting
   arrest. A crowd gathered outside the police station where he was
   detained. Due to miscommunication, the crowd believed Smith had died in
   custody while in reality he had been transported to hospital via a back
   entrance to the station. This sparked scuffles between blacks and
   police in the Fourth Ward, although the damage toll was only $2,500.
   Subsequent to television news broadcasts on July 13 however, new and
   larger riots took place. Twenty-six people were killed, 1,500 wounded,
   1,600 arrested, and $10 million in property was destroyed. More than a
   thousand businesses were torched or looted, including 167 groceries
   (most of which would never reopen). Newark's reputation suffered
   dramatically. Tens of thousands of whites and middle class blacks moved
   out to the growing suburbs of New Jersey. Middle class areas like
   Weequahic went from middle class white to poor black seemingly
   overnight. It was said, "wherever American cities are going, Newark
   will get there first."

Post-riots

   Semi-abandoned buildings in the riot area, mid 1990s
   Enlarge
   Semi-abandoned buildings in the riot area, mid 1990s

   Newark saw a continued decline in the 1970s and 1980s. Whites continued
   to move out of the city. Middle class blacks followed suit, and certain
   pockets of the city developed as domains of poverty and social
   isolation. Whenever the media of New York needed to find some example
   of urban despair, they traveled to Newark.

   In American Pastoral, a novel by Newark-born author Philip Roth, the
   protagonist Swede Levov says:

          [Newark] used to be the city where they manufactured everything,
          now it's the car theft capital of the world ... there was a
          factory where somebody was making something on every side
          street. Now there's a liquor store on every street — a liquor
          store, a pizza stand, and a seedy storefront church. Everything
          else is in ruins or boarded up.

   In January 1975, an article in Harper's Magazine ranked the fifty
   largest American cities in twenty-four categories, ranging from park
   space to crime. Newark was one of the five worst in nineteen out of
   twenty-four categories, and the very worst in nine. According to the
   article, only 70% of Newarkers owned a telephone. The city ranked
   second worst, St. Louis, was much farther from Newark than the cities
   in the top five were from each other. The article concluded:

          The city of Newark stands without serious challenge as the worst
          [city] of all. It ranked among the worst cities in no fewer than
          nineteen of twenty-four categories, and it was dead last in nine
          of them... Newark is a city that desperately needs help.. In the
          2006 survey, Newark was ranked as the 22nd most dangerous city
          in the United States overall, out of 371 cities included
          nationwide in the 13th annual Morgan Quitno survey.

   Newark did have several achievements in the two and a half decades
   after the riots. In 1968, the New Community Corporation was founded and
   was one of the most successful community building organizations in the
   nation. In 1987, the NCC would own and manage 2,265 low-income housing
   units.
   Broad Street from the Prudential Financial Building.
   Enlarge
   Broad Street from the Prudential Financial Building.

   Newark's downtown also saw growth in the post-riot decades. Less than
   two weeks after the riots, Prudential announced plans to underwrite a
   $24 million office complex near Penn Station, dubbed "Gateway." Today,
   Gateway houses thousands of white-collar workers, though few live in
   Newark. The buildings themselves were not designed with consideration
   for pedestrians. In the mid-1980s, plans were developed to build the
   121-story Grant USA Tower, with 100 stories of offices topped by a
   21-story hotel and atrium, which would have been the world's tallest
   structure, but the developer went bankrupt before it could be built.

   Before the riots, there had been an issue over whether the University
   of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey would be built in the suburbs
   or Newark. The riots and Newark's undeniable desperation made definite
   that the medical school would be in Newark. However, instead of being
   built on 167 acres (676,000 m²), the medical school would be built on
   just 60, part of which was already city owned.

   In politics, Kenneth A. Gibson was elected as one of the first
   African-American mayors in the nation in 1970. The 1970s were a time of
   battles between Gibson and the shrinking white population.

   Gibson admitted that "Newark may be the most decayed and financially
   crippled city in the nation." The higher taxes may have been necessary
   to pay for services like schools and sanitation, but they did nothing
   for Newark's economic base; the CEO of Ballantine's Brewery even
   asserted that Newark's $1 million annual tax bill was the cause of the
   company's bankruptcy.

Newark's "Renaissance"

Downtown

   The New Jersey Performing Arts Center
   Enlarge
   The New Jersey Performing Arts Centre

   The New Jersey Performing Arts Centre, which opened in the downtown
   area in 1997 at a cost of $180 million, is seen by many as the first
   step in the city's road to revival. It has brought some 1.6 million
   people to Newark who might never have visited. NJPAC is known for its
   acoustics and has seen, on its stages, a diverse group of artists
   including Itzhak Perlman, Sarah Brightman, Sting, 'N Sync, Lauryn Hill,
   the Vienna Boys' Choir, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam,
   and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

   Since then, the city has built a baseball stadium for The Newark Bears,
   the city's minor league team (the Riverfront Stadium), a rail
   connection to its airport ( AirTrain Newark), and numerous commercial
   developments in the downtown area. The city is currently constructing
   Newark Arena for the New Jersey Devils, which is expected to be
   completed by August 2007. The Passaic Waterfront downtown is also being
   fixed up to provide citizens with access to the river. The Newark
   Public Library is also in the planning stage of a major renovation and
   expansion.

   Much of the city's revitalization efforts have been focused in the
   downtown area, however adjoining neighborhoods have, in recent years,
   begun to see some signs of development. Nevertheless, the "Renaissance"
   has been unevenly felt across the city and some districts continue to
   have below-average household incomes and higher-than-average rates of
   poverty.

   Since 2000, Newark has actually gained population, its first increase
   since the 1940s. In 2004, its crime rate decreased 56%, though murders
   remain high for a city of its size.

Lincoln Park/The Coast

   The Lincoln Park/Coast neighbourhood is the second district of Newark
   that is seeing large-scale development efforts. The area once referred
   to as The Coast and referred to as Lincoln Park today, was deemed the
   Lincoln Park/Coast Cultural District by the city and future additions
   include the development of a Museum of African American Music, an Arts
   Park, new housing, stores, a restaurant, a nightclub, a music studio
   and a dance studio. This area is already home to the Theatre Cafe and
   the City Without Walls gallery and Symphony Hall, as well as other
   important cultural sites. Symphony Hall is likely to see renovations in
   the near future. After much of the development in the Downtown/Arts
   district and the ongoing need for a link between Newark Penn Station
   and Broad Street Station, the first link of the light rail was built.
   With the development anchored around the museum in the Coast and the
   need for a second link to Newark Airport, this neighbourhood has
   already become a candidate area for a future light rail system with a
   stop for Lincoln Park/Symphony Hall. .

Geography and climate

Geography

   Map of the Newark metropolitan area, including adjacent suburbs
   Enlarge
   Map of the Newark metropolitan area, including adjacent suburbs

   Located at 40° 44' 14" north and 74° 10' 55" west, Newark is 24.14
   square miles (63 km²) in area. It has the second smallest land area
   among 100 most populous cities in the U.S, after neighboring Jersey
   City. The city's altitude ranges from 0 to 273.4 feet (83 m) above sea
   level, with the average being 55 feet (17 m). Newark is essentially a
   large basin sloping towards the Passaic River, with a few valleys
   formed by meandering streams. Historically, Newark's high places have
   been its wealthier neighborhoods. In the 19th and early 20th centuries,
   the wealthy congregated on the ridges of Forest Hill, High Street, and
   Weequahic.

   Until the 20th century, the marshes on Newark Bay were difficult to
   develop. The marshes were essentially wilderness, with a few dumps,
   warehouses, and cemeteries on their edges. In the 19th century,
   Newarkers mourned that a fifth of their city could not be used for
   development. However, in the 20th century, the Port Authority was able
   to reclaim much of the marshland for the further expansion of Newark
   Airport, as well as the growth of the port lands.

   Newark is surrounded by residential suburbs to the west (on the slope
   of the Watchung Mountains), the Passaic River and Newark Bay to the
   east, dense urban areas to the south and southwest, and middle-class
   residential suburbs and industrial areas to the north.

Neighborhoods

   Map of Downtown Newark and environs
   Enlarge
   Map of Downtown Newark and environs

   Newark is New Jersey's largest and second-most diverse city, after
   neighboring Jersey City. Its neighborhoods are populated with people
   from various backgrounds, including African Americans, Puerto Ricans,
   Dominicans, Italians, Spaniards, Jews, Haitians, West Africans, and
   various Latinos such as Brazilians and Ecuadorians, and Newark also has
   a sizable Portuguese population.

   The city is divided into five political wards, which are often used by
   residents to identify their place of habitation. In recent years,
   residents have begun to identify with specific neighbourhood names
   instead of the larger ward appellations. Nevertheless, the wards remain
   relatively homogeneous. Industrial uses, coupled with the airport and
   seaport lands, are concentrated in the East and South Wards, while
   residential neighborhoods exist primarily in the North, Central, and
   West Wards.
   Newark neighborhoods
   Broadway
   Dayton
   Downtown
   Clinton Hill
   Fairmount
   Forest Hill
   The Ironbound
   Mount Pleasant
   Roseville
   Seventh Avenue
   Springfield/Belmont
   University Heights
   Vailsburg
   Weequahic
   West Side

   The geography of the city is such that only the predominantly poor
   Central Ward shares an unbroken border with the downtown area (the
   North Ward is separated from the downtown by Interstate 280 and the
   East Ward is separated by railroad tracks; the South and West Wards do
   not share a border with the downtown area).

   Newark's North Ward is the ridge to the east of Branch Brook Park. The
   still-affluent Forest Hill is in the North Ward, as are heavily Latino
   areas west of Mount Prospect Avenue. The Central Ward is a poor, mostly
   black, area. In the 19th century it was inhabited by Germans. The
   German inhabitants were later replaced by Jews, who were then replaced
   by blacks. Newark built many public housing projects on superblocks in
   the Central Ward in the 19th century; hence, the streets in this ward
   are no longer arranged in a grid. The West Ward comprises the
   neighborhoods of Roseville and Vailsburg. Vailsburg is largely black,
   while Roseville is mainly Latino and Italian American. The South Ward
   comprises poor areas and the middle-class Weequahic district. It was
   the last part of Newark to be developed. At the southern end of the
   ward is Weequahic Park. Finally, the East Ward consists of Newark's
   downtown commercial district, as well as the heavily Portuguese
   Ironbound neighbourhood, where much of Newark's industry was located in
   the 19th century; the area was then poorer than the rest of the city.
   Today, due to the enterprise of its immigrant population, the Ironbound
   is the most commercially successful part of Newark.

Climate

   Flowers in Branch Brook Park
   Enlarge
   Flowers in Branch Brook Park

   Newark has a humid continental climate, although its proximity to the
   ocean has a moderating effect. Temperatures below 0 °F (-18 °C) are
   rare, but temperatures between 10 °F and 20 °F are not uncommon during
   the winter months. The average temperature during the winter ranges
   from 36 °F in December to 33 °F in February. Springs in Newark are
   quite mild, with average temperatures ranging from the 40s °F in March
   to the 70s-80s °F in June. Summers are particularly hot and humid, with
   temperatures remaining in the 80s °F and exceeding 90 °F on some days.
   Heat advisories are not uncommon during the summer months, particularly
   July and August, the hottest months of the year. The city cools off
   during autumn, with temperatures ranging in the 50s °F and 60s °F.

   The city receives precipitation ranging from 3" to 4.5" monthly. Snow
   is not uncommon during the winter.

Demographics

       City of Newark
   Population (1666-2003)
   1666 200 (est.)
   1776 1,000 (est.)
   1800 6,000 (est.)
   1830 10,953
   1850 38,894
   1890 181,390
   1900 246,070
   1910 347,469
   1920 414,524
   1930 442,337
   1940 429,760
   1950 438,776
   1960 405,220
   1980 329,248
   1985 314,000
   1990 275,221
   2000 273,546
   2004 280,451 (est.)

   As of the census^ GR2 of 2000, there are 273,546 people, recent census
   projections show that the population has increased to around 280,000.
   The population density was 11,400/mile² (4,400/km²), or 21,000/mile²
   (8,100 km²) once airport, railroad, and seaport lands are excluded, the
   second-highest in the nation of any city with over 250,000 residents
   (after New York City).

   The racial makeup of the city was 26.52% White or Euro-American, 53.46%
   Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.05%
   Pacific Islander, 14.05% from other races, and 4.36% from two or more
   races. 29.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
   There is a significant Portuguese-speaking community, made up by
   Brazilian and Portuguese ethnicities, concentrated mainly at the
   Ironbound district.

   There were 91,382 households out of which 35.2% had children under the
   age of 18 living with them, 31.0% were married couples living together,
   29.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were
   non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and
   8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The
   average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.43.

   In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of
   18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and
   9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years.
   For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age
   18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

Poverty and disinvestment

   Poverty remains a serious problem in Newark, despite its revitalization
   in recent years. The 1967 riots resulted in a significant population
   loss — attributed to white flight — which continued from the 1970s
   through to the 1990s. The city lost over 100,000 residents between 1960
   and 1990.

   The median income for a household in the city was $26,913, and the
   median income for a family was $30,781. Males had a median income of
   $29,748 versus $25,734 for females. The per capita income for the city
   was $13,009. 28.4% of the population and 25.5% of families were below
   the poverty line. 36.6% of those under the age of 18 and 24.1% of those
   65 and older were living below the poverty line. In 2003, the city's
   unemployment rate was 12%.

Government

Local government

   Effective as of July 1, 1954, the voters of the city of Newark, by a
   referendum held on November 3, 1953 and acting pursuant to the Optional
   Municipal Charter Law (commonly known as the Faulkner Act), adopted the
   Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) Plan C as the form of local government.

   Pursuant to this Plan, nine council members are elected on a
   nonpartisan basis at the regular municipal election or at the general
   election for terms of four years: one council member from each of five
   wards and four council members on an at-large basis. The mayor is also
   elected for a term of four years.

   On March 27, 2006, long-time mayor Sharpe James announced that he would
   not seek a sixth term, preferring to focus on his seat in the New
   Jersey Senate. . On Election Day, May 9, 2006, Newark's nonpartisan
   election took place. Cory Booker, who had lost to James in the 2002
   mayoral race, won with 72% of the vote, soundly defeating Ronald Rice,
   the former Deputy Mayor. Ronald Rice, receiving 23% of the ballots
   cast, was his closest challenger.

   The Municipal Council exercises the legislative power of city
   government. It enacts by ordinance, resolution or motion the local laws
   which govern the people of the city, and is responsible for approval of
   the municipal budget, establishment of financial controls, and setting
   of salaries of elected officials and top appointed administrators. It
   may reduce or increase appropriations requested by the Mayor. By these
   methods the Council decides "what" the city will do about any
   particular matter, and then the Mayor and cabinet members decide "how"
   to do it.

   The Municipal Council also renders advice and consent on the Mayor's
   appointments and policy programs, and may investigate, when necessary,
   any branch of municipal government. The Council also authorizes a
   continuing audit by an outside firm, of all city financial
   transactions.

   As established by ordinance, regular public meetings of the Municipal
   Council are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m., and
   the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Council
   Chamber in City Hall. Exceptions are made for national or religious
   holidays. During July and August only one meeting is held each month. A
   special meeting of the Municipal Council may be called by the President
   or a majority of its members or by the Mayor whenever an emergency
   requires immediate action.

   Members of Newark's Municipal Council are:
     * Oscar S. James II - Council Member, South Ward
     * Augusto Amador - Council Member, East Ward
     * Dana Rone - Council Member, Central Ward
     * Ronald C. Rice - Council Member, West Ward
     * Anibal Ramos Jr. - Council Member, North Ward
     * Donald M. Payne - Council Member-At-Large
     * Carlos M. Gonzales - Council Member-At-Large
     * Luis Quintana - Council Member-At-Large
     * Mildred C. Crump - Council Member-At-Large

Federal, state and county representation

   Newark is in both the Tenth and Thirteenth Congressional Districts and
   is part of New Jersey's 27th, 28th and 29th Legislative Districts.

   New Jersey's Tenth Congressional District, covering portions of Essex
   County, Hudson County, and Union County, is represented by Donald M.
   Payne ( D, Newark). New Jersey's Thirteenth Congressional District,
   covering portions of Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, and Union Counties, is
   now Vacant. The seat had been represented by Robert Menendez ( D), who
   was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the seat vacated by
   Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine. New Jersey is represented in the
   Senate by Frank Lautenberg ( D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (
   D, Hoboken).

   The 27th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is
   represented in the State Senate by Richard Codey ( D, West Orange) and
   in the Assembly by Mims Hackett ( D, Orange) and John F. McKeon ( D,
   West Orange). The 28th legislative district of the New Jersey
   Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Ronald Rice ( D,
   Newark) and in the Assembly by Craig A. Stanley ( D, Irvington) and
   Oadline Truitt ( D, Newark). The 29th legislative district of the New
   Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Sharpe James (
   D, Newark) and in the Assembly by Wilfredo Caraballo ( D, Newark) and
   William D. Payne ( D, Newark). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon
   Corzine ( D, Hoboken).

   Essex County's County Executive is Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. The
   executive, along with the Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all
   county business. Essex County's Freeholders are Freeholder President
   Johnny Jones, Freeholder Vice President Patricia Sebold,
   Freeholder-At-Large Blonnie R. Watson, Freeholder-At-Large Donald M.
   Payne, Jr., Freeholder District 1 Samuel Gonzalez, Freeholder District
   2 D. Bilal Beasley, Freeholder District 3 Carol Y. Clark, Freeholder
   District 4 Linda Lordi Cavanaugh and Freeholder District 5 Ralph R.
   Caputo.

Politics

   On the national level, Newark leans strongly toward the Democratic
   Party. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 86 percent of the vote
   here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 13
   percent.

Political turmoil

   Newark has been marred with episodes of political corruption throughout
   the years. The former mayor, Sharpe James, has been accused of
   wrongdoing during his administration, but his predecessors, Hugh
   Addonizio and Kenneth Gibson, have both had their share of scandals
   during their terms in office.

   Addonizio was mayor of Newark from 1962 to 1970. A son of Italian
   American immigrants, he ran on a reform platform, defeating the
   incumbent, Leo Carlin, who he, ironically, characterized as corrupt and
   a part of the political machine of the era. During the 1967 riots, it
   was found that Addonizio and other city officials were taking kickbacks
   from city contractors. He was convicted of extortion and conspiracy in
   1970, and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison.

   His successor was Kenneth Gibson, the city's first African American
   mayor, elected in 1970. He, too, was indicted on charges of conspiracy
   and misconduct, but was later acquitted.

Sister cities

   Newark has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities
   International, Inc. (SCI):
     * The Gambia Banjul, Gambia
     * Cameroon Douala, Cameroon
     * The Bahamas Freeport, Bahamas
     * Ghana Kumasi, Ghana
     * People's Republic of China Xuzhou, China

Economy

   Panorama of Newark from Harrison
   Enlarge
   Panorama of Newark from Harrison

   Newark has over 300 types of businesses. These include 1,800 retail,
   540 wholesale establishments, eight major bank headquarters (including
   those of New Jersey's three largest banks), and twelve savings and loan
   association headquarters. Deposits in Newark-based banks are over $20
   billion.

   Newark is the third-largest insurance centre in United States, after
   New York City and Hartford. Prudential Insurance and Mutual Benefit
   Companies originated in Newark. The former, the largest insurance
   company in the world, is still headquartered in Newark. Many other
   companies are headquartered in the city, including International
   Discount Telecommunications, New Jersey Transit, Public Service
   Electric and Gas (PSE&G), Verizon, and Horizon Blue Cross and Blue
   Shield of New Jersey.

   Transportation is a growing business in Newark, accounting for 24,000
   jobs in 1996. The service industry is also growing rapidly, as many
   such jobs are replacing those in the manufacturing industry, once
   Newark's primary economy.

   Though Newark is not the industrial colossus of the past, the city does
   have a considerable amount of industry. The southern portion of the
   Ironbound, also known as the Industrial Meadowlands, has seen many
   factories built since World War II, including a large Anheuser Busch
   brewery.

Education

Colleges and Universities

   Newark is the home of Rutgers University - Newark, the New Jersey
   Institute of Technology (NJIT), Seton Hall University School of Law,
   the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (Newark Campus),
   and Essex County College. Most of Newark's academic institutions are
   located in the city's University Heights district. Rutgers-Newark and
   NJIT are in the midst of major expansion programs, including plans to
   purchase, and sometimes raze, surrounding buildings, as well as
   revitalize current campuses. With more students' requesting to live on
   campus, the universities have plans to build and expand several
   dormitories. Such overcrowding is contributing to the revitalization of
   nearby apartments. Nearby restaurants primarily serve college students.
   Well lit, frequently policed walks have been organized by the colleges
   to encourage students to venture downtown.

Public schools

   The Newark Public Schools, a state-operated Abbott school district,
   enrolls approximately 45,000 students, making it the largest school
   system in New Jersey. The city's public schools are among the
   lowest-performing in the state, even after the state government decided
   to take over management of the city's schools in 1995, which was done
   under the presumption that improvement would follow. The school
   district continues to struggle with low high school graduation rates
   and low standardized test scores.

   The total school enrollment in Newark city was 75,000 in 2003.
   Pre-primary school enrollment was 12,000 and elementary or high school
   enrollment was 46,000 children. College enrollment was 16,000.

   As of 2003, 64 percent of people 25 years and over had at least
   graduated from high school and 11 percent had a bachelor's degree or
   higher. Among people 16 to 19 years old, 10 percent were dropouts; they
   were not enrolled in school and had not graduated from high school.

Private schools

   Link Community School is a non-denominational coeducational day school
   located serving approximately 128 students in seventh and eighth
   grades. Saint Benedict's Preparatory School is an all boys Roman
   Catholic high school founded in 1868 and conducted by the Benedictine
   monks of Newark Abbey. Its campus has grown to encompass both sides of
   MLK Jr. Blvd. near Market Street and includes a dormitory for boarding
   students.

Culture

   Newark's Penn Station is a busy commuter and Amtrak hub. The station
   was designed by McKim, Mead, and White
   Enlarge
   Newark's Penn Station is a busy commuter and Amtrak hub. The station
   was designed by McKim, Mead, and White

Architecture and Sculptures

   Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart
   Enlarge
   Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart

   Downtown Newark is not laid out on a grid, giving the downtown area
   character. There are several notable Beaux-Arts buildings, such as the
   Veterans' Administration building, the Newark Museum, the Newark Public
   Library, and the Cass Gilbert-designed Essex County Courthouse. Notable
   Art Deco buildings include several 1920s era skyscrapers, such as 1180
   Raymond Boulevard, the intact Newark Penn Station, and Arts High
   School. Gothic architecture can be found at the Cathedral of the Sacred
   Heart by Branch Brook Park, which is one of the largest gothic
   cathedrals in the United States. It is rumored to have as much stained
   glass as the Cathedral of Chartres. Newark also has two public
   sculpture works by Gutzon Borglum — Wars of America in Military Park
   and Seated Lincoln in front of the Essex County Courthouse.

Museums and Galleries

   The Newark Museum has a first class American art collection, and its
   Tibetan collection is considered one of the best in the world. Through
   January 2006 the Newark Museum is displaying Dominican baseball art and
   African clothing. The city is also home to the New Jersey Historical
   Society, which has rotating exhibits on New Jersey and Newark. The
   Newark Public Library also produces a series of historical exhibits.
   Also through January 2006, the Newark Public Library is exhibiting the
   New Jersey photography of Harry Dorer.
   Ferry Street, just east of downtown is the Ironbound, Newark's vibrant
   Brazilian/Portuguese neighborhood.
   Enlarge
   Ferry Street, just east of downtown is the Ironbound, Newark's vibrant
   Brazilian/Portuguese neighbourhood.

   In February 2004, plans were announced for a new Smithsonian-affiliated
   Museum of African American Music to be built in the city's
   Coast/Lincoln Park neighbourhood. The museum will be dedicated to black
   musical styles, from gospel to rap. The new museum will incorporate the
   facade of the old South Park Presbyterian Church, where Abraham Lincoln
   once spoke. Groundbreaking is planned for winter 2006 with the grand
   opening scheduled for 2007.

   Plans were formalized in November 2004 for a New Jersey Jewish Museum
   at Temple Ahavas Shalom in the Broadway neighbourhood, the last
   synagogue in Newark. The museum will memorialize the Jewish community
   of Newark, which once numbered 60,000 and had fifty shuls.

   Newark is also home to numerous art galleries including City Without
   Walls (cWOW) and Aljira. Aljira is a gallery showing "emerging or
   under-represented artists" located near military park and has recently
   included Khalid Kodi's self-titled work on Darfur. cWOW is another
   important contemporary art gallery in Newark that has been in operation
   since 1975. cWOW is located in The Coast district of Newark, which will
   be home to the new Museum of African-American Music (MOAAM)

Professional sports

   Club Sport Founded League Venue
   Red Bull New York Soccer 1995 Harrison: 2008 MLS: Eastern Conference
   Red Bull Park
   New Jersey Devils Hockey 1974 Newark: 2007 NHL: Eastern Conference
   Newark Arena
   Newark Express Basketball 2005 ABA: Blue Conference Essex County
   College
   Newark Bears Baseball 1998 Atlantic League Riverfront Stadium

   There have been many sports teams in Newark, but the city has spent
   much of its history without a NBA, NHL, MLB, or NFL team. In fact, New
   Jersey is the state with the largest population, without these four
   professional league teams. Newark has a rich history in baseball as it
   was one of the first cities with professional baseball teams. Newark
   had eight National Association of Baseball Players (NABBP) teams,
   including the Newark Eurekas and the Newark Adriatics. Newark was then
   home to the Newark Indians of the International league and then to the
   Newark Peppers of the Federal League, sometimes nicknamed the Newfeds.
   Newark was also home to the Negro League team the Newark Dodgers and
   the Newark Eagles for which the Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium is
   partially named. Although Newark has had a rich history in baseball and
   currently has a minor league team currently, it has never had an MLB
   team. The current Newark minor league team, the revived Newark Bears,
   play at the Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium, a stop on the Newark
   Elizabeth Rail Link. The Bears are part of the independent Atlantic
   League, which also has teams in Atlantic City, Bridgewater Township and
   Camden. Newark had a short-lived NFL franchise named the Newark
   Tornadoes, which folded in 1930. Newark never had a National Hockey
   League, but in August of 2007, when Newark Arena is complete, the New
   Jersey Devils will move to the city. An expansion team for the Major
   Indoor Soccer League will also play in Newark Arena. Although the New
   Jersey Nets have decided against moving to Newark, a professional
   basketball team in the American Basketball Association, the Newark
   Express were introduced to the city in 2005. The team currently plays
   their home games at Essex County College and hope to move to a larger
   venue in the future. In Harrison, across from the Ironbound
   neighbourhood, Red Bull Park is being built for Red Bull New York
   soccer team (formerly the MetroStars). The stadium should be completed
   by June 2008, around the same time as the new Devils arena. In the next
   couple of months, Newark will begin planning a Pedestrian bridge that
   will link the two cities at Minish Park.
   Newark Express Game
   Enlarge
   Newark Express Game

Infrastructure

Transportation

   Newark is a hub of air, road, rail, and ship traffic, making it a
   significant gateway into the New York metropolitan area and the
   Northeastern United States. Newark Liberty International Airport, the
   second-busiest airport in the New York region and the
   fourteenth-busiest in the United States (in terms of passenger
   traffic), saw nearly 32 million travelers in 2004 and processed nearly
   1,000,000 metric tons of freight and mail. Just east of the airport and
   across the New Jersey Turnpike's fifteen lanes of traffic lies Port
   Newark, the fifteenth-busiest port in the world and the largest
   container port on the eastern seaboard. In 2003, the port moved over
   $100 billion in goods.

   The city is served by numerous highways including the New Jersey
   Turnpike ( Interstate 95), Interstate 280, Interstate 78, the Garden
   State Parkway, U.S. Routes 1& 9, U.S. Route 22, and Route 21. Newark is
   connected to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan by the Pulaski
   Skyway, spanning both the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers.

   Local streets in Newark conform to a quasi-grid form, with major
   streets radiating outward (like spokes on a wheel) from the downtown
   area. Some major roads in the city are named after the towns to which
   they lead, including South Orange Avenue, Springfield Avenue, and
   Bloomfield Avenue. These are some of the oldest roads in the city.

   Newark Penn Station, situated just east of downtown, is a major train
   station for the city and the region, connecting the interurban PATH
   system (which links Newark to Manhattan) with three New Jersey Transit
   commuter rail lines and Amtrak service to Philadelphia and Washington,
   D.C. Only one mile north, the Newark Broad Street Station is served by
   two commuter rail lines. The two train stations are linked by the
   Newark Light Rail system, which also provides services from Newark Penn
   Station to the city's northern communities and into the neighboring
   towns of Belleville and Bloomfield. Built in the bed of the Morris
   Canal, the light rail cars runs underground in Newark's downtown area.
   The city's third train station, Newark Liberty International Airport,
   connects the Northeast Corridor to the airport via AirTrain Newark. Bus
   service in Newark is provided by New Jersey Transit, though it is
   notoriously slow and unreliable.

   The Newark-Elizabeth Rail Link is a proposed light rail project that
   will link downtown Newark with neighboring Elizabeth and Newark Liberty
   International Airport. The first section of the light rail link,
   connecting Newark Penn Station with Broad Street Station one mile away,
   began service on July 17, 2006.

Hospitals and health services

   Newark is home to seven hospitals, a remarkable number for a city of
   its size. University Hospital is the principal teaching hospital of the
   New Jersey Medical School and is the busiest Level I trauma centre in
   the state. Newark Beth Israel Medical Centre is the largest hospital in
   the city and is a part of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, the
   state's largest system of hospital and health care facilities. Beth
   Israel is also one of the oldest hospitals in the city, dating back to
   1901. This 669-bed regional facility is also home to the Children's
   Hospital of New Jersey. Other hospitals in Newark include the St. James
   Hospital, St. Michael's Medical Centre, Columbus Hospital, Mount Carmel
   Guild Hospital, and United Hospitals Medical Centre.

Noted Newarkers

     * AJ Calloway - Former host of BET's 106 & Park
     * Avalanche - Freestyle Friday Hall of Famer
     * Jason Alexander - Actor
     * Amiri Baraka - Poet
     * Bill Bellamy - Actor/former MTV VJ
     * William J. Brennan - Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the
       United States
     * Aaron Burr - Politician and Vice President of the United States
     * Betty Carter - Jazz singer
     * Martin Coleman (football) - College Football Player
     * Rah Digga - Rapper
     * Stephen Crane - Author
     * Max Weinberg - Drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and
       The Max Weinberg 7 (On Late Night with Conan O'Brien)
     * Brian De Palma - Film director
     * Allen Garfield - Actor
     * David Donohue - Professional Race Car Driver
     * Faith Evans - Singer
     * Randy Foye - Professional Basketball Player
     * Connie Francis - Singer
     * Fugees - Rap Group
     * Gloria Gaynor - Singer
     * Allen Ginsberg - Poet
     * Savion Glover - Tap Master/Actor
     * Bradford Hayes - Jazz composer/Musician/Educator
     * Whitney Houston - Singer
     * Ice T - Actor/Rapper
     * Young Zee - Rapper
     * Charles Jacobs – Political activist
     * Edward Koch - Former New York City Mayor
     * Andre de Krayewski - Painter
     * Jerry Lewis - Actor
     * Ray Liotta - Actor
     * Richard Matuszewski - Former Professional Tennis Player
     * Miss Nana - Rapper
     * Shaquille O'Neal - Professional Basketball Player
     * Joe Pesci - Actor
     * Keshia Knight Pulliam - Actor
     * Queen Latifah - Actor/Rapper
     * Redman - Rapper
     * Marc Ribot - Musician
     * Joe Rogan - Stand-up Comedian/Television Host ( Fear Factor)
     * Philip Roth - Author
     * Eva Marie Saint - Actor
     * Outsidaz - Rap group
     * Paul Simon - Singer/Songwriter
     * Wayne Shorter - Jazz Composer/Musician
     * Frankie Valli - Singer/Actor
     * Sarah Vaughan - Jazz singer
     * Jack Warden - Actor
     * Gerard and Mikey Way - Musicians, from the Band My Chemical Romance
     * Richard Wesley – Playwright and Screenwriter
     * J.D. Williams - Actor
     * Ian Ziering - Actor ( Beverly Hills 90210)

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