Newark, New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey

Introduction to Newark, New Jersey

Newark, located in northeastern New Jersey, just 8 miles west of New York City, is the largest city in the state. Settled in 1666, Newark was an important site in the Revolutionary War and developed as a transportation and manufacturing center after the war. The development of canals and railroads accelerated industrial growth, with beer, jewelry and leather goods among the leading industries. The city was a shipbuilding center during World War I and a popular center for jazz music in the middle of the 20th century.

Today, Newark has a diverse population of around 275,000 and is home to leading corporations. Now an insurance center, with Prudential headquartered there, Newark sells more insurance than any city except Hartford. It remains a major transportation hub, with one of the country's busiest airports (Newark International Airport) and seaports. The city ranked #9 on Inc Magazine's "Best Cities for Doing Business in America" list.

Newark Culture

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center downtown, opened in 1997, offers great acoustics for musical performances of all kinds, from orchestras to hip hop. The Newark Museum has fine collections of American and international art. A new Smithsonian-affiliated Museum of African-American music is scheduled to be built in Newark's Lincoln Park neighborhood in 2006. For additional cultural and entertainment attractions, New York City is just minutes away and Philadelphia is just over an hour away.

Newark Sports and Leisure

There are plenty of rooting options for the sports fan nearby. Newark has minor league baseball's Newark Bears, who play home games at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium. Just 7 miles away in East Rutherford, Continental Airlines Arena is home to the NBA's New Jersey Nets and the NHL's New Jersey Devils. East Rutherford is also the site of Giants Stadium, which hosts home games of the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets, as well as Major League Soccer's New York/New Jersey MetroStars. For more big league action, a short drive to New York offers major league baseball's Yankees and Mets, the NBA's Knickerbockers and the NHL's Rangers and Islanders. And it's just a little more than an hour's drive to Philadelphia, home of the NFL's Eagles, baseball's Phillies, the NBA's 76ers and the NHL's Flyers.

Newark Outdoors

Freshwater fishing is available within the city at Branch Brook Park Pond and Verona Park Lake. Mountain Creek in Vernon, named one of the top 7 water parks in the country by the Washington Post, uses mountainous terrain to access the many slides and tunnels, including one 99-foot drop. Other popular and accessible New Jersey destinations are the summertime beach scene at Asbury Park and Cape May and the year-round indoor and outdoor fun of Atlantic City. Newark has many local courses and is accessible to nationally ranked courses such as Pine Hill (NJ, about an hour away), Bethpage (Farmingdale, NY, an hour away) and Bulle Rock (Havre de Grace, MD, 2 hours away). In the winter, skiing is accessible in Pennsylvania resorts.

Newark at Night

Newark, once one of America's great jazz cities, is still home to many clubs offering musical entertainment. Nightlife in Newark offers its own array of restaurants and bars (with more in Montclair and other neighboring towns), plus the added option of a short trek to the Big Apple.

High Points

Newark strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in New Jersey):

Category	Trophy
Public Transportation Use (vs. Peers)	Top 3%
Racial Diversity (vs. Peers)	Top 4%
Affordability of Rents (vs. State)	Top 6%
Affordability of Property Taxes (vs. State)	Top 15%
Walking and Biking to Work (vs. State)	Top 16%

Comparative Profile of Newark, NJ

Comparing Newark to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in New Jersey (State):

Ratings range from (lowest) to (highest).

The People

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Racial Diversity
Children Under 5 Years Old
Female Share of the Population
Male Share of the Population
Senior Citizens
Age of the Population
Well-Paid Single Men

Families

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Average Household Size
Portion of People Married

Wealth

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
People in Middle Class or Better
Median Family Income
People Above Poverty
College Educated Adults

Commute & Sprawl

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Public Transportation Use
Walking and Biking to Work
Short Commute Times
Working at Home

Housing

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals
Affordability of Rents
People Living Alone
Housing Recently Built
Affordability of Property Taxes
Seasonal and Vacation Housing

Crime

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Low Property Crime
Low Violent Crime

Newark Almanac

Newark Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

• Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
• Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

Newark Population (2000)

(From 2000 Census, as reported by individuals)

Political Contributions (2004)

Money donated by Newark residents to parties and candidates for the 2004 elections.

by Political Party

by Presidential Candidate

Neighborhood and Nearby Area Names

According to the US Postal Service, Newark, its neighborhoods, and/or surrounding areas are also referred to as:

Note that not all alternate names are acceptable for use in US Post Office addresses.

Nearby Cities and Towns

Newark Hospitals

SAINT MICHAEL'S MEDICAL CENTER
(Voluntary non-profit - Church)
111 CENTRAL AVENUE
(973) 877-5000
Emergency Service: Yes

UMDNJ UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
(Government - State)
150 BERGEN ST
(973) 972-4300
Emergency Service: Yes

SAINT JAMES HOSPITAL
(Voluntary non-profit - Church)
155 JEFFERSON ST
(973) 589-1300
Emergency Service: Yes

COLUMBUS HOSPITAL
(Voluntary non-profit - Church)
495 NORTH 13TH ST
(973) 268-1400
Emergency Service: Yes

NEWARK BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER
(Voluntary non-profit - Private)
201 LYONS AVE
(973) 926-7011
Emergency Service: Yes

Starbucks in Newark

Newark High Schools (2004)

BARRINGER
90 PARKER ST
973-268-5125
Serves 1,960 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 15.9

EAST SIDE
238 VAN BUREN ST
973-465-4900
Serves 1,489 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 12.5

WEST SIDE HIGH
403 SOUTH ORANGE AVE
973-733-6977
Serves 1,404 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 15.7

MALCOLM X SHABAZZ HIGH
80 JOHNSON AVE.
973-733-6760
Serves 1,298 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 13

WEEQUAHIC
279 CHANCELLOR AVE
973-705-3900
Serves 1,026 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 14.3

CENTRAL
100 SUMMER ST
973-733-6897
Serves 896 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 11.2

RENAISSANCE ACADEMY
200 WASHINGTON STREET
973-733-6795
Serves 732 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 73.2

ESSEX CTY V N 13TH ST NWK
300 N 13TH ST
973-483-5466
A Vocational School
A Title I school.
Serves 715 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 12.1

WEST MARKET STREET CENTER
91 WEST MARKET STREET
973-622-1100
A Vocational School
A Title I school.
Serves 712 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 14

TECHNOLOGY HIGH
223 BROADWAY
973-481-5962
Serves 602 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 10.2

SCIENCE HIGH
40 RECTOR ST
973-733-8689
Serves 573 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 13.3

ARTS
556 M. L. KING BLVD.
973-733-7391
Serves 564 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 13.1

UNIVERSITY HIGH
55 CLINTON PL
973-374-3190
A Title I school.
Serves 513 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 11.2

NORTH STAR ACADEMY CS OF NEWARK
10 WASHINGTON PLACE
973-642-0101
A charter school.
A Title I school.
Serves 268 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 9.5

WEST KINNEY ALTERNATIVE H
301 WEST KINNEY ST
973-733-7018
A Non-traditional School
Serves 105 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 2.8

GATEWAY ACADEMY SCHOOL
200 WASHINGTON STREET
973-733-6823

Read and Post in Our Forum

Read about and discuss Newark and other places in New Jersey

NEW: Community Comments below!