Harrison is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the western part of Hudson County in the U.S. state of

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

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...

. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, and is located from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Once considered "the beehive of industry", the town is undergoing a residential and economic renewal, particularly along the

Passaic River The Passaic River ( or ) is a river, approximately long, in North Jersey, northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburb ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 19,450, an increase of 5,830 (+42.8%) from the 2010 census count of 13,620, which in turn reflected a decrease of 804 (−5.6%) from the 14,424 counted in the 2000 census. The Population Estimates Program calculated a population of 22,182 for 2024.

History

Colonial era to 19th century

The area that is now Harrison was the southernmost part of the land grant awarded to William Sandford in 1668. When that grant was divided in 1671 between Sandford and his uncle, Nathaniel Kingsland of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, Sandford's share included Harrison. While Sandford and his family established a plantation on the northern portion of his tract, there is no evidence they developed any significant part of Harrison. Upon his death in 1691, Sandford's land passed to his wife, Sarah Sandford (née Whartman). Upon her death , she passed most of the land, including Harrison, to her son William (). In 1729, William transferred the southern parts of his upland to three of his sons, John, Robert and Peter, each receiving a lot that included a portion of Harrison's upland. John and Robert sold their lots to members of the Schuyler family in 1733 and 1736, respectively, and migrated westward, John to Newark and Robert to Pine Brook. The disposition of Peter's lot is not known, but no further record of him is found in or near Harrison. A road to the Hudson Waterfront was completed in 1750, named for Douwe's Ferry which it met at its eastern end to cross the Hackensack River. In 1790 the state legislature decided that "public good would be served by a 64-foot road from Paulus Hook to Newark Courthouse". By 1795, a bridge over the Hackensack long and another over the Passaic long (at the site of the Bridge Street Bridge) were built creating an uninterrupted

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...

connection. It is now known as the Newark-Jersey City Turnpike. In 1826, the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

formed Lodi Township from the southern portion of New Barbadoes Neck in Bergen County. Since Lodi Township was part of Bergen County, matters dealing with the county government and courts had to be taken to Hackensack. In 1840, the inhabitants of Lodi Township joined with present-day Secaucus,

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, and Union City and petitioned for the creation of a new county due to the great distance which the petitioners had to travel to reach the county seat in Hackensack. This appeal resulted in the creation of Hudson County and the first mention of Harrison occurs in the law which was passed on April 13, 1840. Harrison Township was thereby established.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography,

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

, 1969. p. 146. Accessed May 28, 2024.History
Town of Harrison. Accessed February 28, 2023. The first committee meeting of the Township of Harrison was held on April 16, 1840, and it is widely accepted that Harrison was named for President

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

, who was elected that year.

19th century to present

Union Township (now Lyndhurst) was created as of February 19, 1852, from portions of the township and became part of Bergen County. General N. N. Halstead succeeded in getting the necessary laws passed in Trenton and on April 8, 1867, Kearny became a separate Township from land that was a part of Harrison, which included East Newark at the time; East Newark later seceded from Kearny, establishing their own Borough. On March 25, 1869, Harrison town was incorporated, replacing the township. While campaigning for re-election in 1912, President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

told residents gathered for a rally that "you have reason to be proud of this Hive of Industry", from which was coined the town's motto, "The Beehive of Industry", which is still used today.Jones, Richard G
"As Newark Neighbor Moves Toward Rebirth, Some Pains Are Felt"
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', February 21, 2007. Accessed December 15, 2011. "It was a sobering descent from the days when Harrison, which juts into the Passaic River just across from Newark, was the city where the likes of R.C.A., Otis Elevator and Thomas A. Edison helped forge the town's motto: 'Beehive of Industry.'" The town's proximity to rail lines and a large waterfront made Harrison favorably situated for trade. Some of the industries which called Harrison home included the Edison Lamp Works, Worthington Pump and Machinery, the RCA Company, the Peter Hauck Brewery, Driver-Harris Company, Crucible Steel Company, Otis Elevator, Hartz Mountain, Remco Industries, Nopco Chemical and Hyatt Roller Bearing. As the U.S. moved into the 20th century, these facilities played a major role in the development of new products for both the private and public sector, peaking during World War II. The small town of about only 14,000 residents had more than 90,000 workers commuting into it on a daily basis. In the 21st century the town is undergoing a transformation from a manufacturing center to a residential and service sector town.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town had a total area of 1.33 square miles (3.44 km²), including 1.21 square miles (3.14 km²) of land and 0.12 square miles (0.30 km²) of water (8.72%). Unincorporated communities located partially or completely within Harrison include Manhattan Transfer. The town borders the municipalities of East Newark and Kearny in Hudson County; and Newark across the

in Essex County.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 19,450 people, and 7,888 households. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 16,061.1 persons per square mile. The racial makeup was 38.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 19.8% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 11.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.4% of the population. The median househould income for Harrison was $68,494.00.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 13,620 people, 4,869 households, and 3,262 families in the town. The

was 11,319.3 per square mile (4,370.4/km²). There were 5,228 housing units at an average density of 4,344.9 per square mile (1,677.6/km²). The racial makeup was 58.30% (7,941)

, 2.18% (297) Black or African American, 0.56% (76) Native American, 16.28% (2,217) Asian, 0.01% (2)

, 18.48% (2,517) from other races, and 4.19% (570) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 44.18% (6,017) of the population. Of the 4,869 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18; 44.2% were married couples living together; 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 33.0% were non-families. Of all households, 22.1% were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.23. 20.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 105.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 105.7 males.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 14,424 people, 5,136 households, and 3,636 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,254 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 66.10%

, 0.98%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.40% Native American, 11.89% Asian, 0.03%

, 15.96% from other races, and 4.65% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 36.97% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Harrison town, New Jersey
,

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

. Accessed November 12, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 – Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Harrison town, Hudson County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 12, 2012. As of the 2000 census, 7.22% of Harrison's residents identified themselves as being of Chinese ancestry. This was the fifth-highest percentage of people with Chinese ancestry in any place in New Jersey with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. There were 5,136 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.27. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,350, and the median income for a family was $48,489. Males had a median income of $33,069 versus $26,858 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $18,490. About 10.1% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Harrison is governed under the

Town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 9 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and Town Council, all of whom are elected on a partisan basis as part of the November general elections. A mayor is elected directly by the voters

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

to a four-year term of office. The Town Council includes eight members who are elected to serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with one seat from each of the town's four wards up for vote one year, one seat from each of the four wards up the next year and then two years with no elections.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 142. The town is divided into four electoral wards, with each ward represented by two council members, with a total of eight council members on the Town Council. Each ward is divided into three districts (except for the 1st Ward, which has two districts), for a total of 11 electoral districts. The head of the government is the mayor. The mayor chairs the Town Council and heads the municipal government. The Mayor may both vote on legislation before the council and veto ordinances. The Mayor's veto can be overruled by ¾ of the Town Council voting to overrule the veto. Town Council meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm (except in July and August, when no meetings are held, at the call of the chairman), in Council Chambers, which is located on the second floor of the Town Hall at 318 Harrison Avenue. Public Caucus Meetings are held at 6:30 pm. , the Mayor of Harrison is Democrat James A. Fife, who is serving a term of office ending December 31, 2022. Members of the Harrison Town Council are Laurence M. Bennett (D, 2022; Ward 3), Maria J. Camano (D, 2023; Ward 1), Michael T. Dolaghan (D, 2023; Ward 4), James P. Doran (D, 2022; Ward 4), Jesus R. Huaranga (D, 2022; Ward 1), Ellen Mendoza (D, 2022; Ward 2), Delfim Sarabando (D, 2023; Ward 3 – appointed to serve an unexpired term) and Eleanor Villalta (D, 2023; Ward 2).Mayor and City Council
Town of Harrison. Accessed February 28, 2023.2022 Municipal Data Sheet
Town of Harrison. Accessed May 22, 2022.Elected Officials
Hudson County, New Jersey Clerk. Accessed May 1, 2022.General Election November 2, 2021 Official results
Hudson County, New Jersey, updated November 17, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.Hudson County General Election November 3, 2020 Official Results
Hudson County, New Jersey Clerk, updated November 19, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.Hudson County General Election 2018 Statement of Vote November 5, 2019
Hudson County, New Jersey Clerk, updated November 13, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020. Harrison had one of the longest-serving mayors in United States history, Frank E. Rodgers, who was first elected in 1946, defeating incumbent Frederick J. Gassert who had served for 16 years, and served for 48 years, from 1947 to 1995, being elected to 24 two-year terms. He also served two terms in the New Jersey State Senate, from 1978 to 1984.Nieves, Evelyn
"Our Towns; 24 Terms Are Enough, Harrison Mayor Decides"
, ''

'', March 29, 1994. Accessed July 9, 2016. While serving a term scheduled to end on December 31, 2014, longtime Mayor Raymond McDonough died on February 12, 2014, after suffering a heart attack at town hall. Later that month, the town council selected James Fife, a former Harrison High School principal, to complete term of McDonough's seat as mayor, which he had held since 1995.Staff
"Harrison picks ex-principal Fife to succeed McDonough as mayor"
, '' The Jersey Journal'', February 26, 2014. Accessed August 2, 2014. "Former Harrison High School Principal James A. Fife was selected by the Harrison Town Council yesterday to succeed Raymond J. McDonough as mayor. McDonough, who had been mayor since 1995, suffered a massive heart attack in his Town Hall office Feb. 12 and died." In 2018, the town had an average property tax bill of $11,109, the highest in the county, compared to an average bill of $8,767 statewide. In February 2022, the Town Council selected Delfim Sarabando from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fille the Ward 3 council seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by Francisco Nascimento until he stepped down from office.

Federal, state, and county representation

Harrison is located in the 8th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report
, New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 29th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,454 registered voters in Harrison, of which 3,207 (58.8%) were registered as Democrats, 312 (5.7%) were registered as Republicans and 1,934 (35.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

received 78.4% of the vote (2,699 cast), ahead of Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

with 20.0% (689 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (54 votes), among the 3,473 ballots cast by the town's 5,940 registered voters (31 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 58.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 68.0% of the vote (2,347 cast), ahead of Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

with 30.0% (1,036 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (38 votes), among the 3,453 ballots cast by the town's 5,827 registered voters, for a turnout of 59.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

received 64.8% of the vote (2,142 ballots cast), outpolling Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

with 34.1% (1,128 votes) and other candidates with 0.3% (16 votes), among the 3,306 ballots cast by the town's 5,411 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 61.1. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

received 53.2% of the vote (896 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 45.2% (762 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (27 votes), among the 1,718 ballots cast by the town's 6,032 registered voters (33 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 28.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 69.0% of the vote (1,542 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 24.8% (554 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 3.9% (87 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (30 votes), among the 2,234 ballots cast by the town's 5,225 registered voters, yielding a 42.8% turnout.

Emergency services

Police

In the 1870s, the township was patrolled by Phillip Mulligan and four constables. In 1878, Mulligan was eventually appointed "Police Justice" and in 1885, an ordinance was passed to regulate and establish a police department. In 1891, the first police officers were appointed under the 1895 ordinance. Michael Rodgers (father of Mayor Frank E. Rodgers) was among those appointed. He eventually became the first chief of police. On March 28, 1897, Officer John J. Clark was electrocuted while investigating a downed power line, becoming the first Harrison police officer to die in the line of duty. A plaque at police headquarters is dedicated in his memory. The Harrison Police Department is presently led by Chief of Police David Strumolo, who was sworn in March 2018. The department currently consists of 39 members, down from a one-time high of 67 officers in the 1990s. The department consists of several divisions; Administrative, Patrol, Detective, Traffic Safety, Street Crimes, and Community Policing. The department participates in National Night Out, and various cultural and civic events, as well as "meet and greets." The department was among the many Hudson County agencies that responded to the January 2009 crash of Flight 1549, for which they received accolades from the survivors. The Harrison Police Department is recognized as an "accredited police agency" by the New Jersey Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission and the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police.

Fire

The Harrison Fire Department operates out of a fire station located at 634 Sussex Street and operates a fire apparatus fleet of three engines, one ladder, and several support units and spares. Due to cutbacks, the HFD usually is able to staff one engine with three members and one ladder with three members and one tour commander on duty. The HFD has a table of organization of 29 firefighters. In April 2013, officials from neighboring municipalities and fire departments expressed their frustration at the stresses placed on their firefighters in covering fires in Harrison. Currently Harrison is staffing two engines and one ladder 24/7. *Engine 1 (spare) 1994 Emergency-One Sentry 1250/750 *Engine 2 2020 Pierce Enforcer 1500/750 *Engine 3 2006 Emergency-One Typhoon 1500/720/10/20 *Ladder 1 2018 Pierce Arrow 107' Tillered Aerial *Ladder 2 (spare) 1991 Duplex/LTI 110' Tillered Aerial *Battalion Chief 2019 Ford Explorer Interceptor •Deputy Chief 2013 Ford Expedition

EMS

As of January 1, 2014, Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC) EMS provides 9-1-1 ambulance service to the city of Harrison and nearby East Newark. As part of the agreement, MONOC pays a $1,500 monthly fee for its use of the firehouse on Cleveland Avenue that had previously been used by Harrison Emergency Management Services.

Education

The Harrison Public Schools serves students in

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in ''Abbott v. Burke'' which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 2,409 students and 166.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.5:1.District information for Harrison Public Schools
,

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed April 1, 2020. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the

) are Harrison Early Childhood Program (grades Pre-K3 and Pre-K4), Lincoln Elementary School with 620 students in grades Pre-K to 3, Hamilton Intermediate School with 307 students in grades 4–5, Washington Middle School with 438 students in grades 6–8, and Harrison High School with 692 students in grades 9–12. Holy Cross School of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark operated until 2009, when it merged into Mater Dei Academy in Kearny; the merged school closed in 2012.

Civic organizations

Harrison Lions Club was chartered on July 25, 1951. The Harrison Club is part of Multiple District 16 (New Jersey) which is part of Lions Clubs International (LCI), the world's largest service organization. The club supports and provides financial aid to the district, state, and international sight projects and is also involved in community programs.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the town had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Hudson County and by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...

. Interstate 280 runs through the center of the town. Westward, I-280 leads to Route 21, the

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a Controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May, New Jersey, Cape May north to the New York ...

, and Interstate 80. Eastward, it leads to Route 7 and the New Jersey Turnpike. Replacement of Interstate 280's partial access in central Harrison with service roads, a new interchange, and an overpass (to improve access to Harrison Avenue, the PATH station, and Sports Illustrated Stadium, and to give north–south passage to local street traffic) is in the planning stages.

Public transportation

The Harrison station on the PATH

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

system offers service to Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and New York City. The station was built in 1913 and relocated to its present location in 1936. A major reconstruction for the Harrison Station was approved on March 28, 2012, and construction started in January 2013. The completion target, originally scheduled for April 2017, was tentatively moved to 2018; the expansion of the station was completed on June 15, 2019. The

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 ...

, built in the 19th century by the Pennsylvania Railroad and now owned by Amtrak, carries NJ Transit trains, and passes through the city on the same alignment as the PATH. There was a stop on the Northeast Corridor in Harrison, but it was eliminated due to the ease of picking up trains in Newark at Penn Station. Harrison is served by buses operated by several bus companies. NJ Transit offers service within New Jersey on the 30, 40 routes. The closest airport in New Jersey with scheduled passenger service is

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 ...

, located away in Newark and Elizabeth.

Harrison Waterfront Development Plan

The Harrison Waterfront Redevelopment Plan invited developers to submit plans that capitalize on the presence of the Harrison PATH Station and the Passaic River within a area that covers 35% of the whole town. The Plan seeks to unite the developers' proposals with a design theme that includes motifs from Harrison's industrial, cultural, and environmental history as a means of fostering a new identity for Harrison that provides a variety of mixed-use, transit-oriented, pedestrian-scale development that will make Harrison a regional destination.

Sports Illustrated Stadium

Harrison is the location of Sports Illustrated Stadium, home of the New York Red Bulls of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

and Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League. After years of construction delays, the stadium opened on March 20, 2010, with an exhibition game against the

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian club

Santos FC Santos Futebol Clube () is a Brazilian sports club based in Vila Belmiro, a ''bairro'' in the city of Santos, São Paulo, Santos. It plays in the Campeonato Paulista, the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo's premier State football lea ...

. The soccer-specific stadium (SSS) was constructed at a cost of $200 million and has a capacity of approximately 25,000, with a natural grass field, featuring a full wavy translucent European-style roof that covers all of the seats in the stadium but not the field. The stadium sits alongside the Passaic River with a view of the New York and Newark skyline, and is accessible via public transportation at the PATH train station in Harrison.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Harrison include: * Angelo M. "Chubby" Cifelli (born 1939), singer, songwriter, musician. who had a 1967 hit with "Tell it to the Rain" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons * Dave D'Errico (born 1952), former professional soccer player * Samuel Taylor Darling (1872–1925), pathologist and bacteriologist * Sam Dente (1922–2002), major league baseball shortstop from 1947 to 1955 * Bhairavi Desai, founding member of the Taxi Workers Alliance in New York * Jack Dunleavy (1879–1944), Major League Baseball outfielder and pitcher from 1903 to 1905 * Bernard Epstein (1920–2005), mathematician and physicist who wrote several widely used textbooks on mathematics * Robert Firth (1918–1984),

United States federal judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. S ...

* Tom Florie (1897–1966),

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

forward who played in both the first and second American Soccer Leagues, winning two National Challenge Cup titles and was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986 * Daisy Fuentes (born 1966), model, actress and former MTV VJ * Joe Gardi (–2010), head football coach at

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a Private university, private research university in Hempstead, New York, United States. It originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University and became an independent college in 1939. Comprising ten schools, includ ...

for 16 seasons, from 1990 to 2005, where he compiled a record of 119–62–2 * Kevin Gilmore (1949–1970), college football player who was a member of the 1970 Marshall University football team and died in the crash of Southern Airways Flight 932. His body was not identified and his presumed remains are buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery * Fred A. Hartley Jr. (1902–1969), served ten terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

where he represented the New Jersey's 8th and New Jersey's 10th congressional districts * Marty Kavanagh (1891–1960), Major League Baseball infielder from 1914 to 1918 * Beverly Kenney (1932–1960), jazz singer who recorded six albums before her suicide * Ray Lucas (born 1972), former NFL quarterback who played for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, among other teams * Edward F. McDonald (1844–1926), represented New Jersey's 7th congressional district from 1895 to 1899 * Patrick "Paddy" McGuigan (–1938), bare-knuckle boxer who was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame * Matt Pinfield (born 1961), music personality and TV host, best known for being a video deejay on MTV and VH1 * Henry Pogorzelski (1922–2015), mathematician best known for his work on

Goldbach's conjecture Goldbach's conjecture is one of the oldest and best-known list of unsolved problems in mathematics, unsolved problems in number theory and all of mathematics. It states that every even and odd numbers, even natural number greater than 2 is the ...

, the still-unsolved problem of whether every even number can be represented as a sum of two

prime number A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a Product (mathematics), product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime ...

s * Tab Ramos (born 1966), retired soccer midfielderMifflin, Lawrie
"Doing a Star Turn for the Home Team, at Last"
, ''

'', August 18, 1996. Accessed September 11, 2013. "Giants Stadium is a short trip up the turnpike from Old Bridge, where Mr. Ramos lives with his wife, Amy – a former North Carolina State University soccer player like her husband – and their 16-month-old son, Alex. And it's just a few miles from where he grew up, in Harrison and Kearny, towns that have been soccer hotbeds for generations." * Frank E. Rodgers (1909–2000), politician who as Mayor of Harrison for 48 years from 1946 to 1995, having been elected to 24 consecutive two-year terms in office and placing him among the longest-serving mayors in U.S. history * Fred Shields (1912–1985), soccer player for the United States at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

in Berlin who was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1968 * Omar Sowe (born 2000),

player who plays as a forward for New York Red Bulls II in the USL Championship * Joe Stripp (1903–1989), Major League Baseball third baseman from 1928 to 1938 * Aloysius Michael Sullivan (1896-1980), poet, magazine editor, radio announcer and author, best known for his collection of poems ''Songs of the Musconetcong'' * Bill Summers (1895–1966), umpire in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

who worked in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

from 1933 to 1959 * George Tintle (1892–1975), soccer goalie elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1952George J. Tintle
, National Soccer Hall of Fame. Accessed December 30, 2007.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 1840 establishments in New Jersey Populated places established in 1840 Town form of New Jersey government Towns in New Jersey Towns in Hudson County, New Jersey