Newark

Sister cities

• Xuzhou
• Belo Horizonte
• Porto Alegre
• Rio de Janeiro
• Monrovia
• Banjul
• Buenos Aires
• Umuaka
• Ribeira
• Freeport
• Aveiro
• Governador Valadares

History

Newark was settled in 1666 by Connecticut Puritans led by Robert Treat from the New Haven Colony. It was conceived as a theocratic assembly of the faithful, though this did not last for long as new settlers came with different ideas. On October 31, 1693, it was organized as a New Jersey township based on the Newark Tract, which was first purchased on July 11, 1667. Newark was granted a royal charter on April 27, 1713. It was incorporated on February 21, 1798, by the New Jersey Legislature's Township Act of 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. During its time as a township, portions were taken to form Springfield Township (April 14, 1794), Caldwell Township (February 16, 1798; now known as Fairfield Township), Orange Township (November 27, 1806), Bloomfield Township (March 23, 1812) and Clinton Township (April 14, 1834, remainder reabsorbed by Newark on March 5, 1902). Newark was reincorporated as a city on April 11, 1836, replacing Newark Township, based on the results of a referendum passed on March 18, 1836. The previously independent Vailsburg borough was annexed by Newark on January 1, 1905. In 1926, South Orange Township changed its name to Maplewood. As a result of this, a portion of Maplewood known as Ivy Hill was re-annexed to Newark's Vailsburg. The name of the city is thought to derive from Newark-on-Trent, England, because of the influence of the original pastor, Abraham Pierson, who came from Yorkshire but may have ministered in Newark, Nottinghamshire. But Pierson is also supposed to have said that the community reflecting the new task at hand should be named "New Ark" for "New Ark of the Covenant" and some of the colonists saw it as "New-Work", the settlers' new work with God. Whatever the origins, the name was shortened to…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of , including of land and of water (6.72%). The city's altitude ranges from 0 (sea level) in the east to approximately above sea level in the western section of the city. 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 century and early 20th century, 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, as they were essentially wilderness, with a few dumps, warehouses, and cemeteries on their edges. In the 1920s, the city was able to reclaim of marshland for the development of Newark Liberty International Airport, and then later Port Newark. 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. The city is the largest in New Jersey's Gateway Region, which is said to have received its name from Newark's nickname as the "Gateway City". The city borders the municipalities of Belleville, Bloomfield, East Orange, Irvington, Maplewood and South Orange in Essex County; Bayonne, East Newark, Harrison, Jersey City and Kearny in Hudson County; and Elizabeth and Hillside in Union County. Newark is the second-most racially diverse municipality in the state, behind neighboring Jersey City. It is divided into five political wards, which are often used by residents to identify their place of habitation. In recent years, residents have begun…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  191,481
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  180,718
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  162,646
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  156,558
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  154,839
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  143,327
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  141,541
• White-throated Sparrow

  Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  128,181

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