Paterson

Sister cities

• Lyon
• Eskişehir
• Ramallah

History

The area of Paterson was inhabited by the Algonquian-speaking Native American Acquackanonk tribe of the Lenape, also known as the Delaware Indians. The land was known as the Lenapehoking. The Dutch claimed the land as New Netherlands, followed by the British as the Province of New Jersey. In 1791, Alexander Hamilton (1755/57–1804), first United States Secretary of the Treasury, helped found the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.), which helped encourage the harnessing of energy from the Great Falls of the Passaic River to secure economic independence from British manufacturers. The society founded Paterson, which became the cradle of the Industrial Revolution in America. Paterson was named for William Paterson, statesman, signer of the Constitution and Governor of New Jersey, who signed the 1792 charter that established the Town of Paterson. Architect, engineer and city planner Pierre L'Enfant (1754–1825), who had earlier developed the initial plans for Washington, D.C., was the first planner for the S.U.M. project. His plan proposed to harness the power of the Great Falls through a channel in the rock and an aqueduct. The society's directors felt he was taking too long and was over budget; he was replaced by Peter Colt, who used a less complicated reservoir system to get the water flowing to factories in 1794. Eventually, Colt's system developed some problems and a scheme resembling L'Enfant's original plan was used after 1846. Paterson was originally formed as a township from portions of Acquackanonk Township on April 11, 1831, while the area was still part of Essex County. It became part of the newly created Passaic County on February 7, 1837, and was incorporated as a city on April 14, 1851, based on the results of a referendum held that day.…

Geography

Paterson is in the southern part of Passaic County, which is near the northern edge of New Jersey, as a county that spans some hilly areas and has dozens of lakes. The county covers a region about . The region is split by major roads, including portions of Interstate 80, which runs through Paterson (see map at left). The Garden State Parkway cuts across the south of Paterson, near Clifton. The Passaic River winds northeast past Totowa into Paterson, where the river then turns south to Passaic town, on the way to Newark, further south. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 8.71 square miles (22.55 km2), including 8.41 square miles (21.79 km2) of land and 0.29 square miles (0.76 km2) of water (3.38%). Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Riverside and Totowa. The city borders the municipalities of Clifton, Haledon, Hawthorne, Prospect Park, Totowa and Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) in Passaic County; and both Elmwood Park (formerly East Paterson) and Fair Lawn in Bergen County. Downtown Paterson is the main commercial district of the city and was once a shopping destination for many who lived in North Jersey. After a devastating fire in 1902, the city rebuilt the downtown with massive Beaux-Arts-style buildings, many of which remain to this day. These buildings are usually four to seven stories tall. Downtown Paterson is home to Paterson City Hall and the Passaic County Courthouse Annex, two of the city's architectural landmarks. City Hall was designed by the New York firm Carrere and Hastings in 1894, and was modeled after the Hôtel de Ville (city hall) in Lyon, France, capital of the silk industry in Europe. The former Orpheum Theatre…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  116,244
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  106,926
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  103,413
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  102,432
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  94,921
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  88,186
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  82,251
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  82,230

Largest nearby schools

• Passaic County Technical Institute
  High · WAYNE · 3,359 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• Clifton High School
  High · CLIFTON · 3,059 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Passaic High School No. 12
  High · Passaic · 2,596 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Eastside High School
  High · PATERSON · 2,323 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• John F. Kennedy High School
  High · PATERSON · 2,053 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Passaic Arts and Science Charter School
  Other · Passaic · 1,946 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• College Achieve Paterson Charter School
  Other · Paterson · 1,305 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Wayne Valley High School
  High · WAYNE · 1,241 students · 10.7:1 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