Essex County, New Jersey
Municipalities
- Township of Belleville
- Township of Bloomfield
- Borough of Caldwell
- Township of Cedar Grove
- City of East Orange
- Borough of Essex Fells
- Township of Fairfield
- Borough of Glen Ridge
- Township of Irvington
- Township of Livingston
- Township of Maplewood
- Township of Millburn
- Township of Montclair
- City of Newark
- Borough of North Caldwell
- Township of Nutley
- City of Orange
- Borough of Roseland
- Township of South Orange
- Township of Verona
- Township of West Caldwell
- Township of West Orange
New Jersey
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Community organizations:
Essex County
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Community organizations:
Belleville
The first Europeans to settle in the area that is now Belleville were the Dutch, who farmed the area in the mid-seventeenth century. The area, along with the rest of New Netherland, came under British control in 1664.
Belleville was made part of the city of Newark when that city was chartered in 1666. It was called Second River until 1797, when its named was changed to Belleville. When Bloomfield was separated from Newark in 1812, Belleville was part of Bloomfield until 1839, when it was incorporated separately. The present town of Nutley was a part of Belleville until 1874, when the northern portion of the town was incofrporated as Franklinville (the name of that town was not changed to Nutley until 1902).
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07109
- Population (2000 census): 35,928
- Area: 3.34 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $48,576
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 8.2% of residents
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Bloomfield
Migrants from New England settled the area now known as Bloomfield in 1666. It was one the original three wards of the Newark settlement, and it was first known as Wardesson. The town was separated from Newark in 1812 and incorporated as Bloomfield, a name the area had taken after the American Revolution in honor of the New Jersey patriot Joseph Bloomfield. When Bloomfield separated from Newark it included the present towns of Glen Ridge, Montclair, Belleville, and Nutley.
Bloomfield was a site of numerous mills in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Water power was available on the Second River, the Third River, and Toney's Brook. Sandstone mined in Bloomfield provided material for the construction of brownstone houses in New York.
Textile manufacturing was a major industry in Bloomfield in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century numerous factories were located in the town, where everything from soft drinks to automobiles were produced.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07003
- Population (2000 census): 47,683
- Area: 5.4 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $53,289
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 5.9% of residents
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History:
- A Brief History of Bloomfield This information is hosted by the Township of Bloomfield.
- Knox's History of Bloomfield,
from the book History of Essex and Hudson Counties, New Jersey, compiled by William H. Shaw, and publised by Everts & Peck in Philadelphia in 1884. This information is hosted by the First Baptist Church of Bloomfield.
- Images of the Morris Canal in Bloomfield. This information is hosted by the First Baptist Church of Bloomfield.
- First Baptist Church's Joseph Bloomfield page
- Route 23 Magazine's Joseph Bloomfield page
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Noteworthy residents of Bloomfield:
Other Bloomfields:
- Bloomfield Campground, Stanislaus National Forest, California
- Town of Bloomfield, Connecticut
- Bloomfield, Indiana
- Bloomfield, Kentucky
- Bloomfield Garden Club, Skowhegan, Maine
- Township of Bloomfield, Michigan
- City of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
- Township of West Bloomfield, Michigan
- Bloomfield, Missouri
- New Bloomfield, Missouri
- Bloomfield, New Brunswick
- Bloomfield, New Mexico
- Village of Bloomfield, New York
- Town of West Bloomfield, New York
- Bloomfield Recreation Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia
- An 1856 map of the Township of Bloomfield, Ohio
- Bloomfield, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Bloomfield, Prince Edward Island
- Bloomfield, Vermont
- Town of Bloomfield, Wisconsin (Walworth County)
- Town of Bloomfield, Wisconsin (Waushara County)
- Bloomfield, Queensland, Australia
- More about Bloomfield, Queensland, Australia
- Bloomfield, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.
- Bloomfield Presbyterian Church, Belfast
- The Bloomfield House in Bath, England, U.K.
- The painter Debra Bloomfield
- The astronaut Michael J. Bloomfield
- The rock and blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield
- Sara Bloomfield, Director of the U.S. Holocaust Museum
- Bloomfield, the film, directed by and starring Richard Harris
- The Bloomfield Series of soils, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA
- Den Undalatum Var Bloomfield (a variety of orchid)
- Bloomfield Courage (a variety of rose)
Caldwell
Settlers from Newark founded Caldwell in the 1740s. Caldwell Township included the communities of Fairfield, North Caldwell, West Caldwell, Verona, and Cedar Grove. The area was named for James Caldwell of Elizabeth, New Jersey, the hero of the American Revolution known as the "Fighting Parson". The borough of Caldwell was incorporated in 1892.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07006
- Population (2000 census): 7,584
- Area: 1.2 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $61,250
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 4.8% of residents
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Cedar Grove
Cedar Grove was settled by Dutch and English farmers in the seventeenth century. The area retained its rural character until after the Second World War. Cedar Grove was part of Verona Township when that municipality was created from Caldwell Township in 1892. It was incorporated as a town separate from Verona in 1908.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07009
- Population (2000 census): 12,300
- Area: 4.35 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $78,863
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 2.0% of residents
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East Orange
East Orange was settled in 1678. Until 1806 it was a part of Newark. It was a part of Orange Township from 1806 until 1863, when it was separated from Orange. East Orange was incorporated as a city in 1899.
Statistics:
- Zip Codes: 07017, 07018, 07019 (P.O. Boxes)
- Population (2000 census): 69,824
- Area: 3.9 square miles
- Median household income (1999 census data): $32,346
- Persons living in poverty (1999 census data): 19.2% of residents
- Additional census data
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Essex Fells
The area now known as Essex Fells was settled by farmers in the eighteenth century. The former Gould family farm was developed in the late nineteenth century by Anthony S. Drexel and John S. Fell. It was one of the first planned suburban communities in the United States. Essex Fells was incorporated in 1902, when it separated from Caldwell Township.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07021
- Population (2000 census): 2,162
- Area: 1.3 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $148,173
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 1.1% of residents
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Fairfield
Fairfield was a part of the Horseneck Tract purchased from the Lenape Indians. It was formerly called Caldwell Township and it included several neighboring municipalities that subsequently separated from the town. In 1964 the remaining portion of Caldwell Township took the name Fairfield Township.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07004
- Population (2000 census): 7,063
- Area: 10.45 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $83,120
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 2.8% of residents
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Glen Ridge
Glen Ridge was incorporated in 1895. It was a part of the town of Bloomfield from 1812 until 1895. Prior to 1812 it was part of the city of Newark. It was included in the original Newark purchase from the Lenape people in 1666.
Glen Ridge took its name in 1883. Over its previous history the area went by several names, among them Chestnut Hill, High Bridge, Honeysuckle, Moffet's, Ridgewood, and Toney Brook Valley.
The town is known for its gaslights.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07028
- Population (2000 census): 7,271
- Area: 1.3 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $105,638
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 3.0% of residents
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Irvington
Irvington was incorporated in 1874.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07111
- Population (2000 census): 60,695
- Area: 2.8 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $36,575
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 17.4% of residents
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Livingston
Livingston was incorporated in 1813.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07039
- Population (2000 census): 27,391
- Area: 14.0 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $98,869
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 1.8% of residents
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Maplewood
Maplewood was incorporated in 1922. Prior to that it was part of South Orange, and prior to being part of South Orange it was part of Orange.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07040
- Population (2000 census): 23,868
- Area: 3.85 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $79,637
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 4.4% of residents
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Millburn
Millburn was incorporated in 1857. Prior to that it was part of Springfield. The Township of Millburn includes the community of Short Hills.
Statistics:
- Zip Codes: 07041 (Millburn), 07078 (Short Hills)
- Population (2000 census): 19,765
- Area: 10.0 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $130,848
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 1.5% of residents
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Montclair
Montclair was incorporated in 1868.
Statistics:
- Zip Codes: 07042 (Montclair), 07043 (Upper Montclair)
- Population (2000 census): 38,977
- Area: 6.3 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $74,894
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 5.6% of residents
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Newark
Newark was first settled in 1666. Much of present-day Essex and Union counties were once part of Newark. It is the largest city in New Jersey.
Statistics:
- Zip Codes:
- 07101 (P.O. boxes)
- 07102 (Downtown, Midtown)
- 07103 (Fairmount, West Side)
- 07104 (North Newark, Forest Hill, Woodside, Riverside, Broadway, Mt. Pleasant, Seventh Avenue)
- 07105 (Ironbound)
- 07106 (Vailsburg)
- 07107 (Roseville)
- 07108 (Clinton Hill, Springfield/Belmont)
- 07112 (Weequahic)
- 07114 (Airport, Dayton, Port Newark)
- Population (2000 census): 273,546 residents
- Area: 23.8 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $26,913
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 28.4% of residents
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North Caldwell
North Caldwell was incorporated in 1898.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07006
- Population (2000 census): 7,375
- Area: 2.9 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $48,249
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 1.2% of residents
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Nutley
Dutch farmers settled in the area that is now Nutley in the mid-seventeenth century. The area, along with the rest of New Netherland, came under British control in 1664. Nutley was made part of the city of Newark when that city was chartered in 1666. It was called Second River until 1797, when its named was changed to Belleville. When Bloomfield was separated from Newark in 1812, Belleville was part of Bloomfield until 1839, when it was incorporated separately. The present town of Nutley was a part of Belleville until 1874, when the northern portion of the town was incorporated as Franklinville. The name of the town was changed to Nutley in 1902.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07110
- Population (2000 census): 27,362
- Area: 3.43 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $59,634
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 4.8% of residents
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Orange
Orange was a major hat manufacturing center in the nineteenth and early-twentieth century.
Statistics:
- Zip Codes: 07050, 07051 (P.O. Boxes)
- Population (2000 census): 32,868
- Area: 2.2 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $35,759
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 18.8% of residents
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Noteworthy residents of Orange:
- Suffragist Lucy Stone
- Baseball player Monte Irvin. Irvin starred in several sports at Orange High School and later went on to a Hall of Fame baseball career playing for the Newark Eagles (in the Negro National League) and the New York Giants (in Major League Baseball, once the color barrier had fallen).
Roseland
Roseland was incorporated in 1908. Prior to that it was part of Livingston Township.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07068
- Population (2000 census): 5,298
- Area: 3.52 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $82,499
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 1.7% of residents
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South Orange
South Orange separated from Orange and was incorporated in 1869. Until 1922 it included the area now known as Maplewood Township. The town is known for its gaslights.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07079
- Population (2000 census): 16,964
- Area: 2.7 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $83,611
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 5.3% of residents
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Noteworthy residents of South Orange:
- Actor & director Zach Braff
- Musician Lauryn Hill
- Actress Elisabeth Shue
- Author Belva Plain
- Journalist Drew Middleton
- Actor Andrew Shue
- Musician Max Weinberg
- Actor Roy Scheider
- Judge Amalya L. Kearse
- Actress Teresa Wright
- Author Judith Viorst
- Author Alfred C. Kinsey
Verona
Verona was first incorporated in 1892, when it separated from Caldwell Township.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07044
- Population (2000 census): 13,533
- Area: 2.77 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $74,619
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 3.3% of residents
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West Caldwell
West Caldwell was incorporated in 1904.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07006
- Population (2000 census): 11,233
- Area: 5.05 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $83,396
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 2.1% of residents
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West Orange
West Orange was incorporated in 1863.
Statistics:
- Zip Code: 07052
- Population (2000 census): 44,943
- Area: 12.15 square miles
- Median household income (1999): $69,254
- Persons living in poverty (1999): 5.6% of residents
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© 2004, 2005, 2006 Richard Stark