East Orange

Sister cities

• Chiayi City

History

East Orange had its origins in Connecticut's New Haven Colony. In 1666, a group of 30 of New Haven's families traveled by water to found "a town on the Passayak" River. They arrived on territory now encompassing Newark, the Oranges, and several other municipalities. The area was situated in the northeast portion of a land grant conveyed by King Charles II of England to his brother James, Duke of York. In 1664, James conveyed the land to two proprietors, Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. Since Carteret had been Royal Governor of the Isle of Jersey, the territory became known as New Jersey. East Orange was initially a part of Newark and was originally known as Newark Mountains. On June 7, 1780, the townspeople of Newark Mountains officially voted to adopt the name Orange. At the time, there was a significant number of people in favor of secession from Newark. However, this would not occur until November 27, 1806, when the territory now encompassing all of the Oranges was finally detached. On April 13, 1807, the first government was elected, but not until March 13, 1860, was Orange officially incorporated as a city. Immediately, the new city began fragmenting into smaller communities, primarily because of local disputes about the costs of establishing paid police, fire, and street departments. South Orange was organized on January 26, 1861; Fairmount (later to become part of West Orange) on March 11, 1862; East Orange on March 4, 1863; and West Orange (including Fairmount) on March 14, 1863. East Orange was reincorporated as a city on December 9, 1899, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier. East Orange was known, at one time, for the shade trees that lined the city's residential streets. This is still evident today, as many of the tall…

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 3.93 square miles (10.17 km2), all of which was land. Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Ampere and Brick Church. East Orange is officially divided into five wards, but is also unofficially divided into neighborhoods, still with many well maintained streets and homes. * Ampere: Anchored by the now defunct train station of the same name, The Ampere section was developed on land owned by Orange Water Works, after the construction of the Crocker Wheeler Company plant spurred development in the area. The station was named in honor of André-Marie Ampère, a pioneer in electrodynamics and reconstructed as a new Renaissance Revival station in 1907 and 1908. Roughly bounded by the Ampere North CDP in Bloomfield to the north, Lawton Street and Newark to the east, 4th Avenue to the south, and North Grove Street to the West. * Greenwood (Teen Streets): So named after Greenwood Avenue and the "teen" streets that run through it. It is often grouped together with Ampere. This area was severely disturbed by the construction of Interstate 280 and the Garden State Parkway. The Grove Street station of the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad was located at Grove and Main streets. Roughly bounded by 4th Avenue to the North, North 15th Street/Newark to the east, Eaton Place/NJ Transit Morris & Essex Lines, and North Grove Street to the eest. * Presidential Estates: Recently designated due to the streets in this area being named after early presidents of the United States. There are many large well kept homes situated on streets lined with very old, very large shade trees in this neighborhood that are characteristic of the northern…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  99,127
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  90,941
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  86,030
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  84,836
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  76,387
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  67,485
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  66,385
• White-throated Sparrow

  Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  65,306

Largest nearby schools

• North Star Academy Charter School
  Other · NEWARK · 6,352 students · 26.9:1 ratio
• TEAM Academy Charter School
  Other · NEWARK · 6,096 students · 22.6:1 ratio
• East Side High School
  High · NEWARK · 2,255 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• West Orange High School
  High · WEST ORANGE · 2,151 students · 11.4:1 ratio
• Livingston High School
  High · LIVINGSTON · 2,066 students · 11:1 ratio
• Bloomfield High School
  High · Bloomfield · 2,029 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• Great Oaks Legacy Charter School
  Other · Newark · 2,012 students · 19.9:1 ratio
• Montclair High School
  High · MONTCLAIR · 1,968 students · 13.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-08-05
  1 km N of Hillsdale, New Jersey
• M 3 — 2025-08-03
  0 km W of Little Ferry, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-05-24
  6 km E of Califon, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-05-01
  1 km NW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-04-27
  7 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-04-10
  5 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey