Dayton is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

within the city of Newark in Essex County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. It is part of the city's south ward.

History

The neighborhood is named after

Jonathan Dayton Jonathan Dayton (October 16, 1760October 9, 1824) was an American Founding Father and politician from New Jersey. At 26, he was the youngest person to sign the Constitution of the United States. He was elected to the United States House of Rep ...

(October 16, 1760October 9, 1824), an

American politician In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches share powers: Congress, which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legis ...

from the

and

founding father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

He was the youngest person to sign the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

and a member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

, serving as the fourth

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...

, and later the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

. Dayton was also known for Twin City, a skating rink located on the Newark-Elizabeth border in the area of Virginia Street. St. Thomas Aquinas RC Church is located on Ludlow Street.

Geography

The area is bounded on the north by Peddie Street (for

Thomas Baldwin Peddie Thomas Baldwin Peddie (February 11, 1808 – February 16, 1889) was an American Republican politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1877 to 1879. Earlier he was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly ...

), on the east by

Newark Liberty International Airport Newark Liberty International Airport is a major international airport serving the New York metropolitan area. The airport straddles the boundary between the cities of Newark, New Jersey, Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and E ...

, on the south by

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

, and on the west by Elizabeth Avenue. The main road through the neighborhood is Frelinghuysen Avenue, but it is surrounded by U.S. Route 1/9,

Interstate 78 Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Northeastern United States that runs from I-81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown to western and North Jersey, terminating at the Holland Tunnel entra ...

and

U.S. Route 22 U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a major east–west route and one of the original United States Numbered Highways, founded in 1926. It runs from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jer ...

. Newark City Cemetery and Mount Olivet Cemetery lie at its eastern edge.

Weequahic Park Weequahic Park (; pronounced , or WEEK-wake "when spoken rapidly") is a park located in the List of neighborhoods in Newark, New Jersey#South Ward, South Ward of Newark, New Jersey, USA, designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm, (who also designed Bra ...

, at the neighborhood's western side, is the second largest park in Newark. It includes an lake, Weequahic Golf Course and an old racetrack now used for jogging. It is bisected by US 22 and the larger, southern section of the park (including Weequahic Lake) is easily accessible to Dayton.

Transportation

There is one train station in Dayton,

, served by

New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...

Northeast Corridor Line The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the United States. The service is the successor to Pennsylvania Railroad ...

and

North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a Commuter rail in North America, commuter rail line running from Rahway, New Jersey, Rahway to Bay Head, New Jersey, traversing through the Jersey Shore region. Operated by New Jersey Transit, the line is electr ...

, and

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''

Northeast Regional The ''Northeast Regional'' is an intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. In the past it has been known as the ''NortheastDirect'', ''Acela Regional'', or ''Regional''. It is Amtrak's busie ...

'' and ''

Keystone Service The ''Keystone Service'' is a 195 mile (314 km) regional passenger train service from Amtrak, that operates between the Harrisburg Transportation Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, running along the P ...

''. The station was built in 2001 to connect NJT's commuter lines and

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...

services with the airport's AirTrain system. It opened four years after service was run between terminals on the AirTrain. The station is only a transfer station and not publicly accessible by any roads. In 2024 the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...

, which owns and operates the station, announced that the station would be expanded to include street access via

New Jersey Route 27 Route 27 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It runs from U.S. Route 206 (US 206) in Princeton, Mercer County, northeast to an interchange with McCarter Highway ( Route 21) and Broad Street in Newark, Essex County. ...

(Frelinghuysen Avenue) as well as other facilities for bus service, parking, and drop-off area. A proposal to extend

PATH A path is a route for physical travel – see Trail. Path or PATH may also refer to: Physical paths of different types * Bicycle path * Bridle path, used by people on horseback * Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle * Desir ...

service to the airport may include a station at Dayton.

Lionsgate Newark

In 2022, the city announced that a major new film and television production studio overlooking

and Weequahic Golf Course, to be called

Lionsgate Newark Studios Lionsgate Newark Studios is a 350,000 square foot film and television production studio under construction in Newark, New Jersey. It is located in Dayton in the South Ward on of land overlooking Weequahic Golf Course west of Newark Liberty Inte ...

would open in 2024 on the 15-acre former Seth Boyden housing projects site at 101 Center Terrace in the Dayton section near Evergreen Cemetery. Lionsgate Newark will partner on public relations and community affairs with the

New Jersey Performing Arts Center The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in Downtown Newark in Newark, New Jersey, is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), more than nine million visitors (incl ...

References

{{Coord, 40, 42, 18, N, 74, 12, 27, W, format=dms, display=title, type:city_region:US-NJ Neighborhoods in Newark, New Jersey Jonathan Dayton