New Providence

History

The written history of New Providence begins in 1664 when James, Duke of York and brother to King Charles II, purchased the land that became known as the Elizabethtown Tract from the Lenape Native Americans. Its first European settlers were members of a Puritan colony established in 1720, which was the first permanent settlement of its type. The settlement was originally called "Turkey" or "Turkey Town", due to the presence of wild turkeys in the area. The Presbyterian Church established in 1737 was a focal point for the community, and the lack of serious injuries when the church's balcony collapsed in 1759 was deemed to be an example of divine intervention, leading residents to change the area's name to New Providence. According to local tradition, George Washington spent the night in a local home, which still stands to this day. Supposedly, the local stream, Salt Brook, is named for an incident when the salt supply of the colonial village was dumped into the brook to prevent passing British soldiers from taking it. Ironically, the British Army never crossed the Watchung Mountains into this region. Salt Brook winds through town, starting near the eponymous Salt Brook Elementary School. On April 14, 1794, Springfield Township was formed, which included the present-day township, along with the towns of Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights. Growth continued in the area, and on November 8, 1809, New Providence Township was formed from within Springfield Township. It included what is now Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights. New Providence had long been a semi-dry town, under which there were no bars and no restaurants permitted to sell alcoholic beverages. Retail liquor sales were legal and restaurant-goers may bring their own alcoholic beverages. In…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, New Providence borough had a total area of 3.71 square miles (9.61 km2), including 3.69 square miles (9.55 km2) of land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) of water (0.57%). Much of the Murray Hill neighborhood lies in New Providence, with the remainder in Berkeley Heights; Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names within the borough include Tall Oaks, Johnsons Bridge, and West Summit. The borough lies on the western slope of Second Watchung Mountain. There are several creek beds carved into the landscape, most of which are forks and branches of Salt Brook. These creeks join near the center of town then flow into the Passaic River, along the banks of which Passaic River Parkway is found. Over nine percent of New Providence's land area is permanently protected, publicly owned parkland. Most of this land is wooded floodplain adjacent to the Passaic. Union County owns much of the riverfront parkland and New Providence owns the remainder. There are several borough-owned parks that bracket Salt Brook, including Veterans Memorial Park on South Street, Lions Park on Livingston Avenue, and Clearwater Park near the end of Central Avenue.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  46,787
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  44,395
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  42,131
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  39,343
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  36,329
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  32,292
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  31,203
• White-throated Sparrow

  Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  28,776

Largest nearby schools

• Union High School
  High · UNION · 2,308 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Plainfield High School
  High · PLAINFIELD · 1,925 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Westfield Senior High School
  High · Westfield · 1,818 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• Linden High School
  High · Linden · 1,801 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
  High · SCOTCH PLAINS · 1,510 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• College Achieve Central Charter School
  Other · Plainfield · 1,403 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Rahway High School
  High · RAHWAY · 1,204 students · 12:1 ratio
• Summit High School
  High · SUMMIT · 1,161 students · 10.8:1 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