Paterson ( ) is the largest

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Passaic County Passaic County ( or ) is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's eighth-most-populous 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 ...

.New Jersey County Map

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...

. Accessed July 10, 2017. As of the 2020 United States census, Paterson was the state's third-most-populous municipality,Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission is an independent body within the New Jersey state government under the auspices of ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022. with a population of 159,732. an increase of 13,533 (+9.3%) from the 2010 census count of 146,199, which in turn reflected a decline of 3,023 (-2.0%) from the 149,222 counted in the 2000 census. The

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

Population Estimates Program The Population Estimates Program (PEP) is a program of the U.S. Census Bureau that publishes annual population estimates and estimates of birth, death, and international migration rates for people in the United States. In addition to publishing t ...

calculated a population of 156,452 for 2023, making it the 168th-most populous municipality in the nation.Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 20,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2023 Population: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023

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 ...

, released May 2024. Accessed May 30, 2024. A prominent

mill town A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more List of types of mill#Manufacturing facilities, mills or factories, often cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe ...

within the New York–New Jersey metropolitan area, Paterson has been known as Silk City for its once-dominant role in

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

production during the latter half of 19th century.Thomasch, Paul
"Irene another blow to struggling New Jersey city"

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

, September 1, 2011. Accessed January 24, 2012. "Nicknamed the 'Silk City' for its 19th-century silk factories, Paterson has a place in labor history as the site of a six-month strike in 1913 by the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

, or 'Wobblies,' who were viewed as a threat to capitalism at a time when the United States had a radical labor movement." It has since evolved into a major destination for

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 ...

immigrants as well as for immigrants from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

, and

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

. Paterson has the nation's second-largest per capita

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

population."Robert Menendez, New Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair: 'No Daylight Between US, Israel On My Watch'"
''

The Algemeiner The ''Algemeiner Journal'', known informally as ''The Algemeiner'', is a newspaper based in New York City that covers American and international Jewish and Israel-related news. It is widely read by Hasidic Jews. History Gershon Jacobson, a ...

'', March 13, 2013. Accessed January 27, 2015. "JNS.org asked Menendez if his public support for the Jewish community and for Israel in any way has conflicted with his work in diverse New Jersey communities such as Paterson, a city that is home to the second-largest Muslim population in the U.S. as well as a mosque, the Islamic Center of Passaic County, whose leader, Mohammad Qatanani, is allegedly a member of Hamas."

History

The area of Paterson was inhabited by the Algonquian-speaking Native American

Acquackanonk tribe The Acquackanonk were a Lenape group whose territory was on the Passaic RiverIndian Tribes of Hudson's River; Ruttenber, E.M.; Hope Farm Press, 3rd ed, 2001, in northern New Jersey. They spoke the same dialect ( Unami) and shared the same totem ...

of the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

, also known as the Delaware Indians. The land was known as the

Lenapehoking Lenapehoking () is widely translated as ' homelands of the Lenape', which in the 16th and 17th centuries, ranged along the Eastern seaboard from western Connecticut to Delaware, and encompassed the territory adjacent to the Delaware and lower ...

. The Dutch claimed the land as

New Netherlands New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

, followed by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

as the

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial history of the United States, Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherla ...

.Scott, William Winfield
"The Founding of Passaic 250 years ago"
, Passaic County Historical Society, September 1, 1929. Accessed January 27, 2015.

Establishment

In 1791,

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

(1755/57–1804), first

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

, helped found the

Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures The Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.) or Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures was a private state-sponsored corporation founded in 1791 to promote industrial development along the Passaic River in New Jersey i ...

(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 The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

in America. Paterson was named for William Paterson, statesman, signer of the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

and

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

, who signed the 1792 charter that established the Town of Paterson.

Architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

and

city planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...

Pierre L'Enfant Pierre "Peter" Charles L'Enfant (; August 2, 1754June 14, 1825) was a French-American artist, professor, and military engineer. In 1791, L'Enfant designed the baroque-styled plan for the development of Washington, D.C., after it was designated ...

(1754–1825), who had earlier developed the initial plans for

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 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 A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

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. The city was reincorporated on March 14, 1861.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 210. Accessed May 30, 2024.

Industrial growth

The Great Falls and a system of water raceways that harnessed the falls' power provided power for the mills in the area until 1914 and fostered growth of the city. The district originally included dozens of mill buildings and other manufacturing structures associated with the textile industry and, later, the firearms, silk, and

railroad locomotive A locomotive is a rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for longer and heavier freight trains ...

manufacturing industries. In the latter half of the 19th century, silk production became the dominant industry and formed the basis of Paterson's most prosperous period, earning it the nickname "Silk City." In 1835, Samuel Colt began producing firearms in Paterson, but within a few years he moved his business to

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

. Later in the 19th century, Paterson was the site of early experiments with submarines by Irish-American inventor

John Philip Holland John Philip Holland (; February 24, 1841August 12, 1914) was an Irish marine engineer who developed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the US Navy, USS Holland (SS-1) and the first Royal Navy submarine, ''Holland 1''. Early lif ...

. Two of Holland's early models—one found at the bottom of the Passaic River—are on display in the

Paterson Museum Paterson Museum is a museum in Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. Founded in 1925, it is owned and run by the city of Paterson and its mission is to preserve and display the industrial history of Paterson. It is lo ...

, housed in the former

Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works was a manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives based in Paterson, New Jersey, Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. Between its founding in 1832 and its acq ...

near the Passaic Falls. Behind Newark and New York, the brewing industry was booming in Paterson in the late 1800s. Braun Brewery, Sprattler & Mennell, Graham Brewery, The Katz Brothers, and Burton Brewery merged in 1890 to form Paterson Consolidated Brewing Company. Hinchliffe Brewing and Malting Company, founded in 1861, produced 75,000 barrels a year from its state-of-the-art facility at 63 Governor Street. All the breweries closed during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

. The city was a mecca for immigrant laborers, who worked in its factories, particularly Italian weavers from the Naples region. Paterson was the site of historic labor unrest that focused on the six-month-long

Paterson silk strike of 1913 The 1913 Paterson silk strike was a work stoppage involving silk mill workers in Paterson, New Jersey. The strike involved demands for establishment of an eight-hour day and improved working conditions. The strike began on February 1 1913 but d ...

that demanded the

eight-hour day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses of working time. The modern movement originated i ...

and better working conditions. It was defeated, with workers returning at the end of the strike without having negotiated any changes. In 1919, Paterson was one of eight locations bombed by self-identified anarchists. File:Paterson NJ 1880.jpg, A view of Paterson File:Paterson, New Jersey ca. 1911 (cropped).jpg, The central business district of Paterson at the intersection of Market and Main Streets, 1911

Post–World War II era

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Paterson played an important part in the aircraft engine industry. By the end of the war, however, urban areas were in decline; Paterson was no exception. Beginning in the late 1960s, the city suffered high unemployment rates and

white flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...

. According to the New Jersey Historical Commission, Paterson’s industrialism ended “as the economy and technological needs of the United States changed. By 1983, Paterson was the fifth poorest city in the United States. The town that had called itself Silk City, the Iron City, and the Cotton City, was in economic ruin”. Once millwork and production left the city, Paterson’s poverty became reminiscent of what occurred in the towns surrounding the Appalachian Mountains once the coal mining industry ended. In 2020, 25.2% of Paterson residents lived in poverty. Competition from malls in upscale neighboring towns like Wayne and

Paramus Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H, ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...

forced large chain stores out of Paterson's downtown. With the decline of the city's industrial base, small businesses became the city's most prominent businesses. But the city still attracts many immigrants, who have revived its economy, especially through small businesses. The downtown area has been struck by massive fires several times, most recently on January 17, 1991. In this fire, almost an entire city block was engulfed in flames due to an electrical fire in the basement of a bar at 161 Main Street. Firefighter John A. Nicosia lost his life in the fire. A plaque honoring his memory was later placed on a wall near the area. The area was so badly damaged that most of the burned buildings were demolished, with an outdoor mall standing in their place. The most notable of the destroyed buildings was the Meyer Brothers department store, which closed in 1987 and had since been parceled out. Paterson includes numerous locations listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, including museums, civic buildings such as

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, Hinchliffe Stadium, Public School Number Two and the Danforth Memorial Library, churches ( Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church), individual residences, such as

Lambert Castle Lambert Castle, originally called Belle Vista, is located within the Garret Mountain Reservation in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey. The building was built in 1892 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 19 ...

, and districts of the city, such as the Paterson Downtown Commercial Historic District, the Great Falls/Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures Historic District and the

Eastside Park Historic District Eastside Park is a residential neighborhood in the Eastside of Paterson, New Jersey. The Eastside Park section of the city is generally defined as the area of the city bordered by Vreeland Avenue and East 33rd Street (both part of the "oldYork ...

. In August 2011, Paterson was severely affected in the aftermath of

Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth tropical cyclone naming, named storm, first hurricane, and first major ...

, particularly by flooding of 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 ...

, where waters rose to levels unseen for 100 years, leading to the displacement of thousands and the closure of bridges over the river. Touring the area with

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

Administrator Craig Fugate, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary

Janet Napolitano Janet Ann Napolitano (; born November 29, 1957) is an American politician, lawyer, and academic administrator. She served as president of the University of California from 2013 to 2020, on the faculty at the Goldman School of Public Policy at t ...

declared, "This is as bad as I've seen, and I've been in eight states that have been impacted by Irene." The same day, President Obama declared New Jersey a

disaster area A disaster area is a region or a locale that has been heavily damaged by either natural, technological or social hazards. Disaster areas affect the population living in the community by a dramatic increase in expense, loss of energy, food and se ...

. File:Paterson, New Jersey - Textiles. Bachelor shacks in outskirts of Paterson, on "Molly Jan Brook." About 20 men live... - NARA - 518622.jpg, A

Hooverville Hoovervilles were shanty towns built during the Great Depression by the homeless in the United States. They were named after Herbert Hoover, who was President of the United States during the onset of the Depression and was widely blamed for it. T ...

for the unemployed on the outskirts of Paterson, 1937 File:Downtown-paterson-nj2.jpg, Downtown, Paterson, New Jersey

Geography

Paterson is in the southern part of Passaic County, which is near the north 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 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

, which runs through Paterson (see map ''at left)''. 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 ...

(GSP) cuts across the south of Paterson, near

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area.L ...

. The

winds northeast past Totowa into Paterson, where the river then turns south to

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 16th-most-populous municipality,Newark, further south. According to the

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

, 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 An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Riverside and Totowa. The city borders the municipalities of Clifton,

Haledon Haledon ( ) is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,052, an increase of 734 (+8.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,318, which in turn reflected an i ...

, Hawthorne,

Prospect Park Prospect Park may refer to: Businesses * Prospect Park (production company), entertainment production company *Prospect Park Productions NZ, theatre company based in Dunedin, New Zealand Places New Zealand * Prospect Park, New Zealand, a portion ...

, Totowa and Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) in Passaic County; and both Elmwood Park (formerly East Paterson) and Fair Lawn in

Bergen County Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Paterson Museum Paterson Museum is a museum in Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. Founded in 1925, it is owned and run by the city of Paterson and its mission is to preserve and display the industrial history of Paterson. It is lo ...

of Industrial History at

is situated in the Historic District.

Downtown Paterson Downtown Paterson is the main commercial district of Paterson, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The area is the oldest part of the city, along the banks of the Passaic River and its Great Falls. It is roughly bounded by Inters ...

is the main commercial district of the city and was once a shopping destination for many who lived in

North Jersey North Jersey, also known as Northern New Jersey, comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. As a distinct toponym, North Jersey is a colloquial one rather than an a ...

. 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 Paterson City Hall is located at 155 Market Street in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey. The building is located on a block in Downtown Paterson bordered by Market Street on the north, Colt Street to the east, Ellison Street to the south, and ...

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 Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, capital of the silk industry in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. The former Orpheum Theatre located on Van Houten Street has been converted to a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

by the Islamic Foundation of New Jersey. The massive structure, now known as Masjid Jalalabad, can accommodate 1,500 worshipers. As with many other old downtown districts in the United States, Downtown Paterson suffered as shoppers and retailers moved to the

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

shopping malls of the region. Many historic buildings are in disrepair or are abandoned after years of neglect. In addition, Downtown Paterson is an

Urban Enterprise Zone An urban enterprise zone is an area in which policies to encourage economic growth and development are implemented. Urban enterprise zone policies generally offer tax concessions, infrastructure incentives, and reduced regulations to attract invest ...

. The city has, in recent years, begun initiatives in hopes of reviving the downtown area with the centerpiece being the Center City Mall, constructed on a large parking lot spanning Ward Street from Main to Church Streets and features retail, entertainment, and commercial space. Downtown Paterson is located in the city's 1st Ward. Eastside Park Historic District consists of about 1,000 homes in a variety of architectural styles, including

Tudors The House of Tudor ( ) was an English and Welsh dynasty that held the throne of England from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd, a Welsh noble family, and Catherine of Valois. The Tudor monarchs ruled the Kingdom of Engl ...

, Georgian colonials,

Victorians Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian litera ...

, Italianate villas and Dutch colonials. It is located east of downtown. Once the home of the city's industrial and political leaders, the neighborhood experienced a significant downturn as industry fled Paterson. In recent years,

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

has begun to occur in the neighborhood and some of the area's historic houses have been restored. The Eastside Park Historic District is a state and nationally registered historic place. The jewel of the neighborhood is Eastside Park and the mansions that surround it. This section of Paterson once had a large

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

population that reached 40,000 at its peak; a

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

still remains. Eastside Park and what is commonly known as the Upper Eastside are located in Paterson's 3rd Ward.Master Plan
City of Paterson, March 2014. Accessed July 26, 2023. East River Section is a section that is referred to by locals roughly bordering Riverside at 5th Avenue and extending south to Broadway, sandwiched in by Madison Avenue to McClean Boulevard (Route 20). However, the neighborhood's layout unofficially extends to the "Paterson-Newark/Hudson Route" of River Road in the Paterson-Memorial Park section of Fair Lawn whose house addresses are in alignment with the now-defunct Jewish synagogue on the corner of 33rd Street and Broadway, which connects Paterson to Newark/Hudson, and at one time was the main route through River Drive, which starts in Elmwood Park and rides north to south along the East Bank of the Passaic River in Paterson's original county. Built when Paterson was still Bergen County, River Drive changes to River Road in the greater Eastside Sections of Upper Eastside-Manor Section, East River, and Riverside Sections, and turns into Wagaraw Road north of 1st Avenue / Maple Avenue in the old Bunker Hill extension of Columbia Heights in Fair Lawn an indication of not only entering the Industrial Section but also entering the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains in Hawthorne. River Drive then turns into East Main Street to indicate that you have entered the Northside Section. The East River neighborhood which was and still maintains its "blue-collar" working-class identity, was at one time known for its large Jewish community, as well as a Neapolitan/Italian population and more recently other Mediterranean and Adriatic Europeans, Caribbean and South Americans, and other modern immigrant groups from all over the world, as well as African-Americans. Manor Section is a residential neighborhood in Paterson. It is located east of East 33rd Street, north of Broadway, and southwest of Route 20 and the

. The Manor section of Paterson is located in the city's 3rd Ward. The layout and culture of the Manor Section also extends into the neighboring Lyncrest and Rivercrest sections of Fair Lawn, with all the addresses aligning themselves to the now-defunct Jewish Temple, located at the corner of 33rd and Broadway.

South Paterson South Paterson is a neighborhood of Paterson, New Jersey, United States. The neighborhood holds a large Arab-American population with a growing number of immigrants from the Middle East. The diverse neighborhood, with significant Turkish, Arab ...

, also known as Little Istanbul or Little Ramallah, is a diverse neighborhood with a growing number of immigrants from the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, with significant Turkish and

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

communities. The neighborhood is located in the 6th Ward, east of Main Street and west of West Railway Avenue. A majority of the city's Arabs live in this section of Paterson. Many of the retail shops and restaurants cater to this community. The neighborhood is characterized by

Halal ''Halal'' (; ) is an Arabic word that translates to in English. Although the term ''halal'' is often associated with Islamic dietary laws, particularly meat that is slaughtered according to Islamic guidelines, it also governs ethical practices ...

meat markets which offer goat and lamb, and shop signs are in Arabic. South Paterson's Arab community is mostly made up of Jordanians,

Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...

,Cowen, Richard
"Paterson's Palestinians celebrate annual flag-raising at City Hall"
''

The Record The Record may refer to: Music * The Record (Fear album), ''The Record'' (Fear album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear * The Record (Boygenius album), ''The Record'' (Boygenius album), a 2023 studio album by the indie rock supe ...

'', May 18, 2014. Accessed August 5, 2014.

Syrians Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine Arabic, Levantine and Mesopotamian Arabic, Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The culture of Syria, cultural ...

, and Lebanese. Lakeview is situated in the southern part of the city, and is a

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

neighborhood. Interstate 80 runs north of this district. Lakeview is home to the Paterson

Farmers Market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...

, where many people from across North Jersey come to buy fresh produce. The neighborhood is roughly 65% Hispanic, although it also has a significant Filipino presence. Lakeview also shares some of the same characteristics as neighboring Clifton as they both share a neighborhood bearing the same name. The Lakeview section of Paterson is located in the city's 6th ward. Hillcrest is a largely residential,

enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

, to the west of the downtown area. Its borders' limits are Preakness Avenue to the east, Cumberland Avenue to the west, and Totowa Avenue along with West Side Park and the Passaic River to the south. Hillcrest is one of Paterson's most desirable neighborhoods. The neighborhood is very diverse having significant Italian, Arab, and Asian populations. The Hillcrest section of Paterson is located in the city's 2nd Ward. People's Park is a neighborhood located north of 23rd Avenue and south of Market Street. Twenty-First Avenue, or "La Veinte y uno", as it is known by most of Paterson's Spanish-speaking community, is located in the People's Park section of Paterson. It is an active and vibrant retail strip featuring a variety of shops and services catering to a diverse clientele. Twenty-First Avenue used to have a large

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

population. Although there is still a significant Italian presence left in the neighborhood, it also has a large first-generation

population, particularly Colombian. Wrigley Park is a neighborhood that has suffered from years of poverty, crime, and neglect. It is mostly

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

. Poverty, crime, open-air drug markets, prostitution, vacant lots, and boarded-up windows are all common in this area. However, new houses are being built, and crime has dropped in recent years. This neighborhood is located north of Broadway. It is also known as the '4th Ward'. It was named for a Paterson paper manufacturing family. Sandy Hill is a neighborhood in the Eastside located roughly west of Madison Avenue, north of 21st Avenue, south of Park Avenue, and east of Straight Street. Due to Paterson's significant population turn-over, this neighborhood is now home to a large and growing Hispanic community, mostly first-generation

Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...

. The Sandy Hill section of Paterson is located in the city's 5th Ward.

Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. On December ...

Park, which was originally known as Sandy Hill Park, is located in this neighborhood. Part of the 5th Ward is called Near Eastside by residents to differentiate it from the Eastside Park Historic District to its immediate east. Northside, located north of Downtown, suffers from many of the social problems facing the Wrigley Park neighborhood, but to a lesser extent. This neighborhood borders the boroughs of

and

and is known for its hills and sweeping views of the

New York City skyline {{Location map+ , Manhattan#New York City , float= center , width= 280 , caption = Location of all skyscrapers in New York City taller than {{convert, 650, ft, m, 0 , alt= , places = { ...

. The Northside section of Paterson is located in the city's 1st Ward. Totowa section is a large neighborhood located west of the

, southwest of West Broadway and northeast of Preakness Avenue. As the name implies, it borders the town of Totowa. It is mostly

but with an increasing

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

community, mainly

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

i. Many Bengali grocery and clothing stores are located on Union Avenue and the surrounding streets. Masjid Al-Ferdous is located on Union Avenue, which accommodates the daily Bangladeshi pedestrian population. A large

presence remains in this neighborhood. Many

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian and other

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

restaurants and businesses are located on Union Avenue. Colonial Village and Brooks Sloate Terraces are located in this neighborhood. The Totowa Section is located in parts of the 1st and 2nd Wards of Paterson. Stoney Road is Paterson's southwesternmost neighborhood, bordering Woodland Park to the south and Totowa across the

to the west. This neighborhood is home to Pennington Park, Hayden Heights,

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), better known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First?". Abbott and Cos ...

Pool, the Levine reservoir, Murray Avenue, Mc Bride Avenue, and Garret Heights. A strong

presence remains in this neighborhood. The Stoney Road section of Paterson is located in the city's 2nd Ward. Riverside is a larger neighborhood in Paterson and, as its name suggests, is bound by the

to the north and east, separating the city from Hawthorne and Fair Lawn. Riverside is a

working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

neighborhood. The neighborhood is mostly residential with some industrial uses. Madison Avenue cuts through the heart of this district. Route 20 runs through the eastern border of Riverside, providing an easy commute to Route 80 East and

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 ...

. This section is ethnically diverse with a growing Hispanic community concentrating mostly north and along River Street. Many

Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...

make their home in the East 18th Street and River Street areas. River View Terrace is located in this neighborhood. Riverside is located in parts of the 3rd and 4th Wards of Paterson. Bunker Hill is a mostly industrial area west of River Street and east of the Passaic River. Westside Park is located off Totowa Avenue and is best known as the site of the Holland submarine, Fenian Ram, which was built from 1879 to 1881 for the

Fenian Brotherhood The Fenian Brotherhood () was an Irish republican organisation founded in the United States in 1858 by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny. It was a precursor to Clan na Gael, a sister organisation to the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). Membe ...

. It became the target of graffiti artists because the fence surrounding it was too low and too close to the submarine itself. The sub is now located in

. The local Bangladeshi community commemorates

International Mother Language Day International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual observance held on 21 February to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. First announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999, it was formally reco ...

at a '' shaheed minar'' (martyr's monument) built in the park in 2015. File:Paterson City Hall 2008 jeh.jpg,

, April 2008 File:Passaic falls.jpg, The Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson File:Paterson new jersey.jpg, Paterson's skyline, showing the canyon of the

in the foreground. The area along the river was formerly the site of most of the mills that flourished throughout Paterson's history. File:ICPCNJ.png, The

Islamic Center of Passaic County The Islamic Center of Passaic County is a mosque and Islamic cultural center in Paterson, New Jersey, located on Derrom Ave. It is one of the largest mosques in New Jersey. History In 1990, the Islamic Center of Passaic County was established ...

in Paterson File:HOUSE IN THE INNER CITY OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY. THE INNER CITY TODAY IS AN ABSOLUTE CONTRADICTION TO THE MAIN STREAM... - NARA - 555903.jpg, House in Paterson's inner city, 1974 File:Paterson from Garrett Mountain.jpg,

and the east side of Paterson from the Garrett Mountain Reservation

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool to cold winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Paterson has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated ''Cfa'' on climate maps. Despite the size of the city, it has no weather reporting station, and thus, no historical climate data. Paterson uses Newark's airport for its local weather.

Demographics

According to then-Mayor Jose Torres, Paterson had 52 distinct ethnic groups in 2014. By 2020, Paterson had the second-largest

population in the United States by percentage. Paterson's rapidly growing

Bangladeshi American Bangladeshi Americans () are American citizens with Bangladeshi origin or descent. Bangladeshi Americans are predominantly Bengali-speaking Muslims. Since the early 1970s, Bangladeshi immigrants have arrived in significant numbers to become o ...

Turkish American Turkish Americans () or American Turks are Americans of ethnic Turkish origin. The term "Turkish Americans" can therefore refer to ethnic Turkish immigrants to the United States, as well as their American-born descendants, who originate eith ...

Arab American Arab Americans ( or ) are Americans who trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants from the Arabic-speaking countries. In the United States census, Arabs are racially classified as White Americans which is defined as "A person ha ...

,via

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

"Muslims could prove key in choosing next U.S. president"
''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'', October 8, 2004. Accessed July 17, 2011. "... Paterson, which is the nation's second-largest Arab-American community after the Dearborn, Mich.-area."

Albanian American Albanian Americans () are Americans of full or partial Albanian ancestry and heritage in the United States. They trace their ancestry to the territories with a large Albanian population in the Balkans and southern Europe, including Albania, Ital ...

Bosnian American Bosnian Americans are Americans whose ancestry can be traced to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The vast majority of Bosnian Americans immigrated to the United States during and after the Bosnian War which lasted from 1992–95. Nevertheless, many Bosni ...

Dominican American Dominican Americans (, ) are Americans who trace their ancestry to the Dominican Republic. The phrase may refer to someone born in the United States of Dominican descent or to someone who has migrated to the United States from the Dominican R ...

, and Peruvian American communities are among the largest and most prominent in the United States, the latter owing partially to the presence of the

Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a ...

. Paterson's

population has been estimated at 25,000 to 30,000. Paterson has become a prime destination for one of the fastest-growing communities of

Dominican Americans Dominican Americans (, ) are Americans who trace their ancestry to the Dominican Republic. The phrase may refer to someone born in the United States of People of the Dominican Republic, Dominican descent or to someone who has migrated to the U ...

, who have become the city's largest ethnic group. The Puerto Rican population has established a highly significant presence as well.

2020 census

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 146,199 people, 44,329 households, and 32,715 families in the city. 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 . There were 47,946 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 34.68% (50,706)

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 ...

, 31.68% (46,314) Black or African American, 1.06% (1,547) Native American, 3.34% (4,878) Asian, 0.04% (60)

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 ...

, 23.94% (34,999) from other races, and 5.26% (7,695) from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any race were 57.63% (84,254) of the population. Of the 44,329 households, 38.7% had children under the age of 18; 35.4% were married couples living together; 29.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 26.2% were non-families. Of all households, 21.0% were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.24 and the average family size was 3.71. 27.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.9 males.

Same-sex couples A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries ...

headed 290 households in 2010, a decline from the 349 counted in 2000. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

showed that (in 2010

inflation-adjusted In economics, nominal value refers to value measured in terms of absolute money amounts, whereas real value is considered and measured against the actual goods or services for which it can be exchanged at a given time. Real value takes into acco ...

dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $34,086 (with a margin of error of ±$1,705) and the median family income was $39,003 (±$2,408). Males had a median income of $30,811 (±$825) versus $28,459 (±$1,570) 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 city was $15,543 (±$467). About 24.1% of families and 26.6% 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 39.0% of those under age 18 and 25.4% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 149,222 people, 44,710 households, and 33,353 families residing in the city, for a

of 17,675.4 per square mile (6,826.4/km²).Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Paterson city, New Jersey
,

. Accessed January 13, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 – Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Paterson city, Passaic County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed January 13, 2013. Among cities with a population higher than 100,000, Paterson was the second most densely populated large city in the United States, only after

. There were 47,169 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 32.90%

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 ...

, 13.20%

, 0.60% Native American, 1.90% Asian, 0.06%

, 27.60% from other races and 6.17% from two or more races. Latino people of any race were 50.1% of the population. The majority of Latinos are Puerto Rican 14%, Dominican 10%,

Peruvian Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...

5% and Colombian 3%. There were 44,710 households, out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% 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, 26.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.25 and the average family size was 3.71. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,127, and the median income for a family was $32,983. Males had a median income of $27,911 versus $21,733 for females. The

for the city was $13,257. About 19.2% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the

, including 29.0% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.

Ethnic groups

Waves of Irish, Germans,

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, and Jews settled in the city in the 19th century. Italian and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

immigrants soon followed. As early as 1890,

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

n, Lebanese and

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

immigrants also arrived in Paterson. In a book called ''The Shortest History of Migration'', the economist

Ian Goldin Ian Andrew Goldin (born 1955) is a South African-born British professor at the University of Oxford in England, and was the founding director of the Oxford Martin School. Goldin is currently the director of the Oxford Martin Research Programmes ...

explains the concept of

chain migration Chain migration is the social process by which immigrants from a particular area follow others from that area to a particular destination. The destination may be in another country or in a new location within the same country. John S. MacDon ...

or network migration by noting that 90% of Dutch migrants from South Holland to the United States settled in three American towns, one of which was Paterson. In addition to many African Americans of Southern heritage, more recent immigrants have come from the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. Paterson's black population increased during the Great Migration of the 20th century, but there have been Patersonians of African descent since before the Civil War. However, Paterson's black population declined between the years 2000 and 2010, consistent with the overall

return migration Return migration refers to the individual or family decision of a migrant to leave a host country and to return permanently to the country of origin. Research topics include the return migration process, motivations for returning, the experience ...

of African Americans from northern New Jersey back to the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. A house once existing at Bridge Street and Broadway was a station on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. It was operated from 1855 to 1864 by abolitionists William Van Rensalier, a black engineer, and Josiah Huntoon, a white industrialist. There is a memorial located at the site. Many second- and third-generation

Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans (), most commonly known as Puerto Rico#Etymology, Boricuas, but also occasionally referred to as '':es:Anexo:Gentilicios de Puerto Rico#Lista general, Borinqueños'', '':es:Anexo:Gentilicios de Puerto Rico#Lista general, Borincan ...

have called Paterson home since the 1950s, including an estimated 10,000 who participated in the 2014 mayoral election, which was won by Jose "Joey" Torres, a

Puerto Rican American Stateside Puerto Ricans (), also ambiguously known as Puerto Rican Americans (, ), or Puerto Ricans in the United States, are Puerto Ricans who reside in the mainland United States. Pursuant to the Jones–Shafroth Act, all Puerto Ricans bo ...

who was one of three Hispanic candidates vying for the seat.Loboguerrero, Cristina; translated from Spanish by Carlos Rodríguez-Martorell, Carlos
"Three Hispanic Candidates Vie For Paterson, NJ Mayor"
, Voices of NY from ''

El Diario La Prensa ''El Diario Nueva York'' is the largest and the oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the United States. Published by ImpreMedia, the paper covers local, national and international news with an emphasis on Latin America, as well as human-i ...

'', May 12, 2014. "Puerto Rican José 'Joey' Torres, who was the mayor from 2002 to 2010, seeks to regain the seat after losing it to Jeffery Jones in the past election. Torres and the current City Council President Andre Sayegh are the main favorites to unseat Jones in the May 13 election. The other Latino candidates are both Dominican: María Teresa Feliciano is a newcomer in politics, and Councilman Rigo Rodríguez was recently charged with electoral fraud." Today's

immigrants to Paterson are primarily Dominican,

vian,

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

n, Mexican, and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

n, with a resurgence of Puerto Rican migration as well. In 2014, more than 600 business people attended the annual Statewide Hispanic

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

of New Jersey Convention in Paterson. Western Market Street, sometimes called

Little Lima Little Lima is a Peruvian enclave in Downtown Paterson, New Jersey, United States, and the largest Peruvian enclave outside of South America, home to approximately 10,000 Peruvian immigrants, by U.S. Census Bureau estimates. New Jersey's Peruv ...

by tourists, is home to many Peruvian and other Latin-American businesses. In contrast, if one travels east on Market Street, a heavy concentration of Dominican-owned restaurants, beauty salons, barbershops, and other businesses can be seen. The Great Falls Historic District, Cianci Street, Union Avenue, and 21st Avenue have several Italian businesses. To the north of the Great Falls is a fast-growing

i population. Park Avenue and Market Street between Straight Street and Madison Avenue are heavily Dominican and Puerto Rican. Main Street, just south of downtown, is heavily Mexican with a resurgent Puerto Rican community.
Accessed May 18, 2019. Broadway, also called Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, is significantly black, as are the Fourth Ward and parts of Eastside and Northside, although Paterson's African American population is declining.

Costa Ricans Costa Ricans (, colloquially known as ''Ticos'') are the citizens of Costa Rica, a multiethnic, Spanish-speaking nation in Central America. Costa Ricans are predominantly Mestizos, other ethnic groups people of Indigenous, European, African, and ...

and other Central American immigrant communities are growing in the Riverside and Peoples Park neighborhoods. Main Street between the Clifton border and Madison Avenue is heavily Turkish and Arab. 21st Avenue in the People's Park section is characterized by Colombian and other Latin American restaurants and shops. According to a Colombian newspaper, since 2022, Paterson has become the home of almost 200 Colombian immigrants from Manatí, a small town in Colombia. Every summer, Patersonians conduct an African American Day Parade, a Dominican Day Parade, a Puerto Rican Day Parade, a Peruvian Day Parade, and a

Turkish-American Turkish Americans () or American Turks are Americans of ethnic Turkish origin. The term "Turkish Americans" can therefore refer to ethnic Turkish immigrants to the United States, as well as their American-born descendants, who originate eith ...

Day Parade; budget cuts in 2011 have forced parade organizers to contribute to cover the costs of police and other municipal services. Paterson is widely considered the capital of the Peruvian

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

in the U.S. Little Lima, a Peruvian enclave in

, is the largest Peruvian enclave outside of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, home to approximately 10,000 Peruvian immigrants.Cowen, Richard
"Peruvian chefs in Paterson have Eva's kitchen to thank"
''

'', May 18, 2019. Accessed November 14, 2020. "Paterson has an estimated 10,000 Peruvian immigrants, according to the U.S. Census, which make it the largest Peruvian enclave in the United States."Harrison, Karen Tina
"Savor City; Paterson, the one-time Silk City, is a Great Falls of ethnic eating."
''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United St ...

'', July 13, 2019. Accessed November 14, 2020. "Turkish, Syrian, Lebanese, Egyptian, and Palestinian immigrants, among others, share a grand mosque, Masjid Jalalabad, in the renovated, once-endangered 1921 Orpheum Theater. A long stretch of Main Street in the South Paterson neighborhood amounts to a Jersey souk, or market, encompassing all kinds of shops and Middle Eastern eateries." Paterson has named an area bordered by Mill, Market, Main, and Cianci streets "Peru Square". Paterson's rapidly growing Peruvian community celebrates what is known as

Señor de los Milagros The Lord of Miracles (), also known as Christ of Miracles, is a Catholic title of Jesus Christ that is associated with a painting of Christ crucified venerated in Lima, Peru. The image was painted during the 17th century by Benito or Pedro D ...

("Our Lord of Miracles" in English) on October 18 through 28th each year and every July participates in the annual Passaic County Peruvian Day Parade, which passes through Market Street and Main Street in the Little Lima neighborhood of

. In the 2000 Census, 4.72% of residents listed themselves as being of Peruvian American ancestry, the third-highest percentage of the population of any municipality in New Jersey and the United States, behind East Newark with 10.1% and Harrison with 7.01%. The community includes both

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

speakers. Paterson is home to the third-largest Dominican-American Community in the United States, after New York City and

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...

. In the 2000 Census, 10.27% of residents listed themselves as being of

ancestry, the eighth highest percentage of the population of any municipality in the United States and the third-highest percentage in New Jersey, behind

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in northeastern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", re ...

's 18.81% and Union City's 11.46%. Paterson renamed a section of Park Avenue in Sandy Hill to Dominican Republic Way to recognize the Dominican community, which is the largest Hispanic community in the city. Paterson is home to the largest Turkish-American immigrant community in the United States (known as Little Istanbul) and the second largest

Arab-American Arab Americans ( or ) are Americans who trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants from the Arabic-speaking countries. In the United States census, Arabs are racially classified as White Americans which is defined as "A person ha ...

community after

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Dearborn borders Detroit to the south and west, roughly west of downtown Detroit. In the 2020 United States ...

. Paterson has been also nicknamed ''

Little Palestine Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

'' and contains a neighborhood with the same name in

, with an Arab American population estimated as high as 20,000 in 2015, serving as the center of Paterson's growing

Syrian American Syrian Americans () are Americans of Syrian descent or background. The first significant wave of Syrian immigrants to arrive in the United States began in the 1880s. Many of the earliest Syrian Americans settled in New York City, Boston, and Det ...

Villeneuve, Marina; and Seasly, John
"Nearly 100 gather for Paterson candlelight vigil honoring Syrian refugees"
, ''

'', September 5, 2015. Accessed December 6, 2016.Adely, Hannan
"Paterson embraces Syrian refugees as neighbors"
, ''

'', December 1, 2015. Accessed December 6, 2016. and

Palestinian American Palestinian Americans () are Americans who are of full or partial Palestinian descent. There are around 160,000 Palestinian American refugees according to the 2023 American Community Survey, making up around 0.05% of the U.S. population. Th ...

populations. The Paterson-based Arab American Civic Association was reported in 2014 to have an Arabic language program in the

Paterson Public Schools The Paterson Public Schools (PPS) is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Paterson, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district is one of 31 former Abbott distric ...

that served 125 students at School 9 on Saturdays. Paterson is also home to the largest Circassian immigrant community in the United States. The Greater Paterson area, which includes the cities of Clifton and Wayne and the boroughs of

North Haledon North Haledon (pronounced North HAIL-don) is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,927, an increase of 510 (+6.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,417 ...

, Totowa, Woodland Park, and Little Falls, is home to the nation's largest North Caucasian population, mostly Circassians,

Karachays The Karachays or Karachais ( or ) are a North Caucasian- Turkic ethnic group primarily located in their ancestral lands in Karachay–Cherkess Republic, a republic of Russia in the North Caucasus. They and the Balkars share a common orig ...

, and small Chechen and

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...

i communities. Reflective of these communities, Paterson and Prospect Park public schools observe

Muslim holidays There are two main holidays in Islam that are celebrated by Muslims worldwide: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The timing of both holidays are set by the lunar Islamic calendar, which is based upon the cycle of the moon, and so is different from the ...

. Paterson has incorporated a rapidly growing

community, which was estimated in 2024 to number 15,000, the largest in the United States outside New York City. Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman was ultimately certified as the winner of the 2012 city council race in the Second Ward, making him North Jersey's first Bangladeshi-American elected official.

Economy

Portions of the city are part of an

(UEZ), one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. The city was selected in 1994 as one of a group of 10 zones added to participate in the program. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the UEZ, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125%

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

rate (half of the % rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in September 1994, the city's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in September 2025. The UEZ program plays a pivotal role in the city's economic revitalization.

Arts and culture

The ''Paterson Literary Review'' has been published annually by the Poetry Center at

Passaic County Community College Passaic County Community College (PCCC) is a public community college in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Campuses PCCC has four campuses located throughout the county it serves. The main campus is located in Paterson, New Jersey, and ...

, and edited by Maria Mazziotti Gillan, since 1979. Though it also includes prose and reviews, PLR is most well-known for its submitted poetry — having published works by notable poets such as

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of th ...

, Philip Levine, William Stafford, and

Sonia Sanchez Sonia Sanchez (born Wilsonia Benita Driver; September 8, 1934) is an American poet, writer, and professor. She was a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement and has written over a dozen books of poetry, as well as short stories, critical essays ...

. Since 2018, Paterson has hosted an annual Paterson Poetry Festival, which includes poetry performances from rising and established artists, workshops, panels,

open mic An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, often taking place at night (an open mic night), in which audience members may perform on ...

s, and contests like a

slam Slam, SLAM or SLAMS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional elements * S.L.A.M. (Strategic Long-Range Artillery Machine), a fictional weapon in the ''G.I. Joe'' universe * SLAMS (Space-Land-Air Missile Shield), a fictional anti-ball ...

face-off. From 2018 through 2022, the festival was held on the stairs of the Passaic County Court House in downtown Paterson; in 2023, the festival was held at the amphitheater in Woodland Park's Rifle Camp Park. Paterson has a significant parks and recreation system, including larger areas such as Eastside, Westside, and Pennington Parks, as well as neighborhood parks such as Wrigley, Robert Clemente, and People's. The

Great Falls of the Passaic The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. One of the United States' largest waterfalls, it played a significant role in the early industr ...

are part of the national park system. The

, in the Great Falls Historic District, was founded in 1925 and is owned and operated by the city of Paterson. Its mission is to preserve and display the industrial history of the city. Since 1982, the museum has been housed in the Thomas Rogers Building on Market Street, the former erecting shop of

, a major 19th-century manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives. Belle Vista, locally known as

, was built in 1892 as the home of Catholina Lambert, the self-made owner of a prominent silk mill in Paterson. After Lambert's death in 1923, his family sold the building to the city, which in turn sold it to the County of Passaic a few years later. The county used the building for administrative offices, and in 1936, provided one room to the fledgling Passaic County Historical Society to serve as its historical museum. As time went by the museum grew, room by room until the entire first floor became the historical museum. In the late 1990s, the Castle underwent a multi-million-dollar restoration and all four floors of the building were developed into a museum and library. Today, Passaic County remains the owner of the building and supports the facilities' operation; however, the Passaic County Historical Society is solely responsible for the operation and management of Lambert Castle Museum with its historical period rooms, long-term and changing exhibition galleries, educational programs for elementary and middle-school students, and research library/archive. Above Lambert Castle stands a observation tower, located at the peak of Garret Mountain, which while technically standing in Woodland Park, was constructed when the property was considered part of Paterson. The tower is part of the

Garret Mountain Reservation Garret Mountain Reservation (also spelled Garrett) is a park located on First Watchung Mountain (Garret Mountain) in Paterson and Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) in southern Passaic County, New Jersey. In 1967, it was designated a Nat ...

and renovations were completed in 2009 to restore the tower to the original condition as built in 1896 by Lambert, who used the tower to impress guests with its view of the

. Attempts were being made to fund the restoration of the Paterson Armory as a recreation and cultural center, but the building was destroyed by fire before these could bear fruit.

Athletics

From 1932 to 1933, Paterson constructed

Hinchliffe Stadium Hinchliffe Stadium is a 7,500-seat baseball stadium located in Paterson, New Jersey. The stadium is located atop the Great Falls of the Passaic River, and is part of the surrounding National Historical Park. The stadium, built in 1932, was close ...

, an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

stadium.Hinchliffe Stadium
National Trust for Historic Preservation. Originally called City Stadium, it was renamed in honor of Mayor John V. Hinchliffe and his uncle John Hinchliffe.Alfred M. Martin & Alfred T. Martin, ''The Negro Leagues in New Jersey: A History'' (McFarland, 2008), pp. 21-23. The

New York Black Yankees The New York Black Yankees were a professional Negro league baseball team based in New York City; Paterson, New Jersey; and Rochester, New York. Beginning as the independent Harlem Stars, the team was renamed the New York Black Yankees in 1932 an ...

of the Negro National League played at the stadium from 1933 to 1937 and from 1939 to 1945. Professional football teams, including the Paterson Panthers,

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...

, and

Jersey City Giants {{Infobox Minor League Baseball , name = Jersey City Giants , founded = 1937 , city = Jersey City, New Jersey , misc = , logo = , uniformlogo = , class level = , past ...

, played here. The stadium was also a venue for other professional and high school athletic competitions, boxing matches, fireworks displays, and music concerts. The comedy team of

Bud Abbott William Alexander "Bud" Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known as the straight man in the comedy duo Abbott and Costello. Early life Abbott was born in Asbury Park, New Jer ...

and

performed at Hinchliffe before boxing matches (Abbott was from the coastal New Jersey city of Asbury Park and Costello was a Paterson native).Malinconico, Joe
"Paterson's Hinchliffe Stadium is a keystone in the history of Negro Leagues baseball"
''Paterson Press'', October 3, 2018. The stadium was acquired by Paterson Public Schools since 1963 and closed in 1996. It has fallen into disrepair, although preservation and restoration efforts have taken place. The stadium is one of two surviving

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...

stadiums, the other being

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

Rickwood Field Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest existing professional baseball park in the United States. It was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team-owner Rick Woodward and has served as the home park ...

. Hinchliffe Stadium is listed on the

. As of 2022, the stadium is home to the

New Jersey Jackals The New Jersey Jackals are a professional baseball team based in Paterson, New Jersey. The Jackals compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the East Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was founded in 1998 by Floyd Hall and is ...

minor league baseball team.

Media

WPAT (AM) 930 has been licensed to Paterson since 1941. 93.1 FM was added in 1957. Paterson is also the

city of license In U.S., Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American broadcast ...

for the Spanish-language

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...

network's flagship station

WXTV-DT WXTV-DT (channel 41) is a television station licensed to Paterson, New Jersey, United States, serving as the Univision outlet for the New York City area. It is one of two flagship stations of the Spanish-language network (the other being WLT ...

, channel 41, whose studios are located on Frank W. Burr Boulevard in

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. The town is know for their pancake throwing contest held ...

. WXTV-DT serves the New York City area.

Government

Local government

The City of Paterson operates within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under a Plan-D Mayor-Council form of government, which was adopted in 1974 in a change from a 1907 statute-based form.''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 The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...

, March 2013, p. 151. The city is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form. Under the Mayor-Council plan, the Mayor is the chief executive and is responsible for administering the City's activities. The Mayor is elected

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 ...

for a four-year term by the citizens and is responsible for them. The mayor enforces the charter and the ordinances and laws passed by the City Council. The Mayor appoints all department heads including the business administrator, with the advice and consent of the Council and may remove any department heads after giving them notice and an opportunity to be heard. With the assistance of the business administrator, the Mayor is responsible for the preparation of the municipal budget. The Mayor submits the budget to the Council along with a detailed analysis of expenditures and revenues. The Council may reduce any item or items in the budget by a majority vote but can only increase an item by a two-thirds vote. The City Council is comprised of nine members. Of these, six are elected through the use of the ward system, where candidates run to represent a certain area of the city. The other three seats are elected using the

system, where each candidate is voted upon by the entire voting population of the city. Municipal elections are held in even-numbered years, are

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

, and take place on the second Tuesday in May. The six members of the City Council representing their wards are elected in the same years as presidential elections, while the mayoral election and the at-large Council elections are held in the same years as the mid-term Congressional elections. , the Mayor of Paterson is Andre Sayegh, whose term of office ends June 30, 2026. The previous mayor was Jane Williams-Warren, who was serving on an interim basis following the resignation of José "Joey" Torres.Mayor
City of Paterson. Accessed July 11, 2022. Torres was in his third non-consecutive term as Mayor of Paterson, having first been elected by defeating incumbent Martin G. Barnes in 2002 and then winning re-election in 2006 against Lawrence Spagnola. After losing his bid for a third consecutive term by a margin of 600 votes to City Council President Jeffery Jones in 2010, Torres defeated Jones in a rematch four years later. Torres pleaded guilty to corruption charges in September 2017 that required him to leave office and to serve a prison term of five years. According to city law, the President of the City Council is the next in line to succeed a Mayor who is removed from office for any reason and serves as Acting Mayor until the next election, unless the Council appoints someone else to fill the post within 30 days of the creation of the vacancy. City Council President Ruby Cotton immediately became Mayor upon Torres' resignation and served until September 29, when the council voted 5–4 to appoint Williams-Warren, a former city clerk, as interim mayor until the May 2018 municipal election. Members of the City Council are Council President Shahin Khalique (Second Ward; 2024), Council Vice President Alex Mendez (Third Ward; 2024), Alaa "Al" Abdelaziz (Sixth Ward; 2024), Ruby N. Cotton (Fourth Ward; 2024), Maritza Davila (at-large; 2026), Michael Jackson (First Ward; 2024), Lilisa Mimms (at-large; 2026), MD Forid Uddin (at-large; 2026) and Luis Velez (Fifth Ward; 2024).City Council , Council Members , City Ordinances
City of Paterson. Accessed January 21, 2024. "The City of Paterson Municipal Council was created as a result of a 1974 decision to change its form of government from a 1907 statute-based form, to a Faulkner Act Plan-D Mayor-Council Form.... The Mayor-Council plan consisted of a Mayor and Nine (9) Council members, Six (6) of the members that sit on the Municipal Council represent the Six Wards of the City. The three (3) remaining members are members At-Large. The Municipal Council has the responsibility of reviewing and approving Municipal legislation. Under the Mayor-Council plan, the Mayor is the chief executive and is responsible for administering the City's activities. The Mayor is elected for a four (4) year term by the citizens and is responsible for them."''Passaic County 2021 Directory''

Passaic County, New Jersey Passaic County ( or ) is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's eighth-most-populous county,

, updated as of April 2021. Accessed July 1, 2022.2022 Paterson Municipal Election May 10, 2022 Official Results

, updated May 18, 2022. Accessed July 11, 2022.May 12, 2020 Summary Report Passaic County Official results

, updated May 20, 2020. Accessed July 11, 2022. In July 2018, Alaa "Al" Abdelaziz was selected to fill the Sixth Ward seat expiring in June 2020 that had been held by Andre Sayegh until he stepped down to take office as mayor. In the November 2018 general election, Abdelaziz was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.2018 General Election November 6, 2018 Summary Report Passaic County Official Results
,

, updated November 30, 2018. Accessed January 1, 2019. In 2018, the city had an average property tax bill of $8,087, the lowest in the county, compared to an average bill of $10,005 in Passaic County and $8,767 statewide. The 2020 election for Paterson's Third Ward city council was invalidated after allegations of voter fraud vote-by-mail. More than 24% of ballots failed to meet the standard for mail-in ballots. In March 2025, Mayor Andre Sayegh declared Paterson "the capital of Palestine in the United States."

Federal, state and county representation

Paterson is located in the 9th Congressional District Plan Components Report

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington ...

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 35th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019. Prior to the 2010 Census, Paterson had been part of the , a change made by the

that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
, p. 62, New Jersey

. Accessed May 22, 2015.

Politics

In the 2020 presidential election, Democrat

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

won 38,453 votes (80.3%) to Republican

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

’s 9,053 (18.9%) among 47,876 votes cast (representing a turnout of 55.7% among 85,932 registered voters). Four years earlier, Democrat

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

won 40,697 votes (89.8%) to Trump’s 3,999 (8.8%) among 45,336 votes cast (representing a turnout of 55.8% among 81,282 registered voters).

Emergency services

The City of Paterson is served by the Paterson Police Department. The

Paterson Fire Department The Paterson Fire Department provides fire protection, hazardous materials services, and emergency medical services to the city of Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic Co ...

, headed by Chief Brian McDermott, operates out of seven fire stations with a total of 400 employees and is also responsible for the city's

emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...

division and ambulance units. The department is part of the Metro USAR Strike Team, which consists of nine North Jersey fire departments and other emergency services divisions working to address major emergency rescue situations. In addition to local services, Paterson is home to the Passaic County Sheriff's Office Courts Division in the Passaic County Courthouse and Correctional Division in the Passaic County Jail. The jail, originally constructed in 1957, can accommodate 1,242 inmate beds. In April 2011, Paterson laid off 125 police officers, nearly 25% of the total force in the city, due to severe budget constraints caused by a $70 million deficit. At the same time, the

Guardian Angels A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role i ...

, a New York City–based volunteer citizen safety patrol organization, began operating in Paterson at the invitation of the Mayor. St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center is a large institution providing comprehensive emergency services as well as non-emergency medical care to Paterson and the surrounding community.

State takeover of police department

The

New Jersey Attorney General The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confi ...

took over control of the Paterson Police Department on March 27, 2023, after the fatal police shooting of Najee Seabrooks. Attorney General

Matthew Platkin Matthew J. Platkin (born 1986 or 1987) is an American attorney serving as the attorney general of New Jersey since 2022. Early life and career A resident of Montclair, New Jersey, Platkin was raised in Florham Park, New Jersey, and Morristown, Ne ...

criticized the "revolving door" of police leadership in Paterson, which has resulted in dysfunction within police ranks and a lack of trust in local law enforcement. Platkin's comments alluded to the challenges created by frequent turnover at the top of the police department and the negative impact it has had on community relations. Mayor Sayegh has fired two police chiefs: Troy Oswald in 2020 and Mike Baycora in 2022.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the city had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Passaic 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 ...

. By road, Paterson is served directly by

, as well as State Routes 4, 19, and 20. The

U.S. Route 46 U.S. Route 46 (US 46) is an east–west U.S. Highway completely within the state of New Jersey, and runs for . The west end is at an interchange with Interstate 80 (I-80) and Route 94 in Columbia, Warren County, on the ...

, State Routes 3, 17, 21, and

208 Year 208 ( CCVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Geta (or, less frequently, year 961 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 208 for this year ...

are also nearby and serve as feeder roads to the community. Paterson also served as the terminus for numerous major secondary roads in northern New Jersey.

Paterson Plank Road Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic, Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen and Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey. The route, originally laid in the colonial era, conn ...

linked the city to Jersey City and eventually, the Hudson River waterfront in Hoboken, while the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike connected the city with Sussex County along what is now parts of State Route 23.

Public transportation

The city is served by the

NJ 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. I ...

Main Line

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

service to

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; ) is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's popula ...

, with the station located in

. Plans are being developed for a new commuter rail service on the existing NYS&W line, which is currently single-tracked. The Passaic-Bergen Rail Line plans to have five stops in Paterson. Bus service to locations in Passaic,

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

and

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...

counties is provided by

, making the city a regional transit hub. The Broadway Bus Terminal, also in downtown, is the terminus for many NJ Transit bus lines. Service to and from the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving ab ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

is offered on the 151,

161 Year 161 ( CLXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Aurelius (or, less frequently, year 914 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 161 for this ye ...

and the 190, by the

171 Year 171 ( CLXXI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Herennianus (or, less frequently, year 924 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 171 ...

to the

George Washington Bridge Bus Station The George Washington Bridge Bus Station is a commuter bus terminal at the east end of the George Washington Bridge in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The bus station is owned and operated by the Port Author ...

Washington Heights, Manhattan Washington Heights is a neighborhood in the northern part of the Borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is named for Fort Washington (Manhattan), Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the Bennett Park (Ne ...

, on the 72 to Newark, with local service provided on the 74, 702,

703 __NOTOC__ Year 703 ( DCCIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar, the 703rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 703rd year of the 1st millennium, the 3rd year of the 8th century, and the ...

, 704,

707 707 may refer to: * 707 (number), a number * 707 (band), an American rock band * AD 707, a year in the 8th century * 707 BC, a year in the 8th century BC * The 7 July 2005 London bombings, a terrorist attack * 707th Special Mission Unit, a mili ...

712 __NOTOC__ Year 712 ( DCCXII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar, the 712th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 712th year of the 1st millennium, the 12th year of the 8th century, and the 3r ...

722 Year 722 ( DCCXXII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 722 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for nami ...

, 744,

746 Year 746 ( DCCXLVI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 746 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for nami ...

, 748, and

770 __NOTOC__ Year 770 ( DCCLXX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 770 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe ...

routes. Many buses stop at or near City Hall, going to various points in the area, including New York and the neighboring communities. Private, independent jitney buses ( guaguas or dollar vans) connect Paterson with neighboring communities along Route 4 and provide transportation to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal and George Washington Bridge Bus Station in Manhattan. These buses run at high frequency but do not have formal, published schedules.

Education

The

serve students in

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

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 district ''Abbott'' districts are school districts in New Jersey that are provided remedies to ensure that their students receive public education in accordance with Constitution of New Jersey, the state constitution. They were created in 1985 as a resul ...

s statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases cha ...

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 The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (commonly referred to as NJSDA or SDA) is the State agency responsible for fully funding and managing the new construction, modernization and renovation of school facilities projects in 31 New Jersey s ...

. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of 51 schools, had an enrollment of 27,601 students and 2,053.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 13.4:1.District information for Paterson Public School District

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. District enrollment in Paterson surged at the start of the 2015–16 school year, creating a public school enrollment of 700 students higher than expected and putting the school district in a situation of needing to hire teachers rapidly not long after the district had laid off 300 positions. In 2011, all of Paterson's high schools were changed to theme schools, as part of a goal to give students a better choice in areas they wanted to pursue. Among the 594 students who took the SAT in 2013, the mean combined score was 1120 and there were 19 students (3.2% of those taking the exam) who achieved the combined score of 1550 that the

College Board The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an asso ...

considers an indicator of college readiness, a decline from the 26 students (4.3%) who achieved the standard the previous year. Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology is a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

serving 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

. Other charter schools include Community Charter School of Paterson (K–8), John P. Holland Charter School (K–8) and Paterson Arts and Science Charter School (K–7). In 2021, Governor Murphy announced the approval of a new charter school, Brilla NJ, to be opened in 2023. It was the first approved charter in his first term as governor. The city is host to the state's annual robotics competition held at

. The North Jersey Robotics Competition was created to place high educational merit on the students of Paterson. The competition draws schools from around New Jersey. Three events make up the meet which takes place on two different days. The competition's tenth-anniversary event in 2011 was won by Paterson's Panther Academy. Blessed Sacrament School and St. Gerard Majella School are elementary schools that operate under the auspices of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson The Diocese of Paterson () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in North Jersey, northern New Jersey. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese ...

. In the face of declining enrollment and financial difficulties, Paterson Catholic High School, the city's last remaining Catholic high school, was closed by the Diocese of Paterson. Paterson hosts the main campus of

, established in the 1970s, which serves 13,000 students at its main campus and at satellite programs in

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 16th-most-populous municipality,Wanaque and at the Public Safety Academy.

Sister cities

Sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

of Paterson include: *

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from 'old' and 'city') is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 821 315 (Odunpazari + Tebebasi), with a metropolitan population of 921 630. The city is l ...

, Turkey, May 22, 2002 *

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...

, France *

Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, India *

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...

, Palestine *

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

, Gujarat, India * Yulin,

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

, China

Friendship

There is a pact of friendship with the town of

Montescaglioso Montescaglioso (Montese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Matera, Basilicata, southern Italy. The economy is mostly based on agriculture, including production of renowned oil and wine, as well as traditional food. Historically, it ...

(

Matera Matera (, ; Neapolitan language, Materano: ) is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera in the regions of Italy, region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic (10th mi ...

Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...

, Italy), as testified by mutual naming of two streets in their city centers. Paterson was a place of Italian emigration from the late nineteenth century to the 1970s and today houses a large community of citizens of Montescaglioso who emigrated in those years.Twenty-First Avenue: Place of Conjunction
(),

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

. "Italians from that town found their way to Paterson and settled in the 21st Avenue area earlier in this century. This population increased over the years, at least in part because of the Italian practice of

. The Paterson Montese community was fed by renewed immigration after World War II, from about the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, when immigration from Italy to the United States slowed considerably as a result of vastly improved economic conditions in Italy." *"Avenue Paterson" in Montescaglioso *"Montescaglioso Street" in Paterson The San Rocco Society was founded in Paterson, an association whose main purpose is to maintain sales relationships with the Italy, and in some ways the traditions.

In popular culture

Literature

* Paterson is the subject of

William Carlos Williams William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963) was an American poet and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism. His '' Spring and All'' (1923) was written in the wake of T. S. Eliot's '' The Waste Land'' (1922). ...

' five-book epic poem ''

Paterson Paterson may refer to: People *Paterson (surname) *Paterson (given name) Places Australia *Paterson, New South Wales * Paterson River, New South Wales *Division of Paterson, an electoral district in New South Wales * Paterson, Queensland, a loc ...

'', a cornerstone work of modern American poetry. * Paterson is also mentioned in the twelfth line of Part 1 of

's poem ''

Howl Howl most often refers to: * Howling, an animal vocalization in many canine species * "Howl" (poem), a 1956 poem by Allen Ginsberg Howl or The Howl may also refer to: Film * '' The Howl'', a 1970 Italian film * ''Howl'' (2010 film), a 2010 Am ...

''. In the novel ''

On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagoni ...

'' by Ginsberg's friend

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian ...

, the protagonist Sal Paradise lives with his aunt in Paterson. Kerouac may have chosen Paterson as a stand-in for his hometown of

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

, also a mill town with a waterfall. * Paterson is the setting of many of

Junot Díaz Junot Díaz ( ; born December 31, 1968) is a Dominican American writer, creative writing professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a former fiction editor at '' Boston Review''. Central to Díaz's work is the immigrant experience ...

's short stories and novels, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao ''The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao'' is a 2007 novel written by Dominican American author Junot Díaz. Although a work of fiction, the novel is set in New Jersey in the United States, where Díaz was raised, and it deals with the Dominican ...

'', and

John Updike John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tar ...

's 1997 novel ''

In the Beauty of the Lilies ''In the Beauty of the Lilies'' is a 1996 novel by John Updike. It takes its title from a line of the abolitionist song "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." The novel received the 1997 Ambassador Book Award for Fiction. In ''The New York Times'' ...

.'' * ''The Poisoned Glass'' (2019) by Kimberly Tilley is the true story of the murder of 17-year-old immigrant Jennie Bosschieter in October 1900. (true crime/non-fiction/American history). Jennie worked in the silk mills of Paterson. She was given absinthe spiked with a lethal amount of a date rape drug by four prominent citizens, who were later the defendants in a sensational murder trial in 1901.

Films

* The controversial arrest and conviction of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, whose conviction was overturned in 1985, was dramatized in the 1999

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...

film, '' The Hurricane'', and was partially shot in the city. The lyrics of the

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

song "Hurricane" include "In Paterson that's just the way things go / If you're Black you might as well not show / Up on the street / Unless you want to draw the heat". The film '' Lean on Me'', while sensationalized, is based on events that occurred in Paterson's Eastside High School. ''

Alice, Sweet Alice ''Alice, Sweet Alice'', originally titled ''Communion'', is a 1976 American Psychological horror (film and television), psychological horror slasher film directed by Alfred Sole, written by Sole and Rosemary Ritvo, and starring Linda Miller (act ...

'' (1976) with

Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby (1978 film), Pretty Baby ...

was filmed entirely in Paterson, the director's hometown, as was ''

State Property State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...

''. Its sequel, ''

State Property 2 ''State Property 2'' is a 2005 American crime film directed by Damon Dash and produced and distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment. A sequel to 2002's '' State Property'', the film stars rap artists and other musicians such as Cam'ron, The Dipl ...

'', and ''

Far from Heaven ''Far from Heaven'' is a 2002 historical romantic drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert and Patricia Clarkson. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where Moore won the ...

'', ''

The Preacher's Wife ''The Preacher's Wife'' is a 1996 American Christmas fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston (in her last film released during her lifetime), and Courtney B. Vance. It is a remake of ...

'' and '' Purple Rose of Cairo'' are among other films that were partially shot in Paterson. The city was also a filming location for the 1995 drama film, ''

New Jersey Drive ''New Jersey Drive'' is a 1995 crime drama film written and directed by Nick Gomez and executive produced by Spike Lee. The film is about joyriding teenagers in 1990s Newark, New Jersey, then known as the "car theft capital of the world". The ...

'', which is primarily based on Newark's automobile theft rate at the time, with the city being considered "the car theft capital of the world". * The 2016 film ''

'', directed by

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician. He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...

, is set in Paterson and was largely filmed there. The movie is about a bus driver named Paterson who writes poetry in his free time.

Comedy

often referred to his hometown of Paterson in his comedy routines with

. The plot of the June 28, 1945, episode of the

Abbott & Costello Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in t ...

radio show is about the City of Paterson inviting him back for "Lou Costello Day" to launch a new

garbage scow A garbage scow is a large watercraft used to transport refuse and waste/garbage across waterways. It is often in the form of a barge which is towed or otherwise moved by means of tugboats; however, many are also self-propelled. They are most commo ...

. Three Abbott and Costello films had their world premieres at the Fabian Theater in Paterson, which could accommodate a crowd of 3,000: ''

One Night in the Tropics ''One Night in the Tropics'' is a 1940 musical film notable as the film debut of Abbott and Costello. They are listed as supporting actors but have major exposure with five of their classic routines, including an abbreviated version of " Who's o ...

'' (1940), ''

Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion ''Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion'' is a black and white 1950 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is set in the French Sahara with the heroes having joined the Fren ...

'' and ''

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale with ancient origins. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition :File:Round about our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments, 4th edn, 1734.pdf, On C ...

'' (1952). Costello was honored with a larger-than-life statue in Federici Park in 1992.

TV

The Great Falls were featured in the first season of the HBO crime drama ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'', both in the

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

and in the episode '' Pax Soprana'' as the place where

Junior Soprano Corrado John "Junior" Soprano Jr., portrayed by Dominic Chianese, is a fictional character from the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. Usually referred to as "Junior" or "Uncle Jun" (pronounced “June”), he is the Boss of the DiMeo crime famil ...

's friend's grandson committed suicide after taking poor designer drugs; as a favor, Junior Soprano had

Mikey Palmice This is a list of characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.'' Main characters Cast table Main character biographies Tony Soprano Jennifer Melfi Carmela Soprano Christopher Moltisanti ...

and another individual toss the dealer, Rusty Irish, off the bridge over the falls. Other locations throughout the city were used in the series, as much of the show was shot on location in North Jersey.

Music

The New Jersey–based band Suit of Lights pays tribute to Paterson in their song "Goodbye Silk City". The 1983 music video "

Two Tribes "Two Tribes" is an anti-war song by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records on 4 June 1984. The song was later included on the album '' Welcome to the Pleasuredome''. Presenting a nihilistic, gleeful lyri ...

" by

Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English pop band that formed in Liverpool in 1980. They comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Mark O'Toole (bass), Brian Nash (guitar) and Peter Gill (drums). Johnson and Ruther ...

makes reference to Paterson in its opening sequence.

Inventions

* The first marketable revolver was produced in Paterson by

Samuel Colt Samuel Colt (; July 19, 1814 – January 10, 1862) was an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman who established Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company and made the mass production of revolvers commercially viable. Col ...

starting in 1836, and was known as the

Colt Paterson The Colt Paterson revolver was the first commercial repeating firearm employing a revolving cylinder with multiple chambers aligned with a single, stationary barrel. Its design was patented by Samuel Colt on February 25, 1836, in the United ...

. * The first steam-powered and first electric-powered model trains were both invented in Paterson. Eugene Beggs made the first steam-powered train in the city around 1871. Beggs' employee, Jehu Garlick, invented the first electric-powered model train that consisted of a tinplate toy locomotive with four aluminum wheels. A 2016 exhibit at the

New Jersey State Museum The New Jersey State Museum is located at 195-205 West State Street in Trenton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The museum's collections include natural history specimens, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, and cultural history and fin ...

titled "Toy World" highlighted the history of New Jersey's toy-making industry and prominently featured Paterson's contribution to the history of toys.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Paterson include: ( (B) denotes that the person was born in Paterson). * Tom Acker (1930–2021), MLB pitcher who played for four seasons with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

Jorge Acosta Jorge Acosta (born May 29, 1964) is a Colombian-born American retired Association football, soccer Striker (association football), forward. He spent most of his career in the lower U.S. divisions, as well as four in the Colombian first division. ...

(born 1964), retired Colombian-born American soccer forward who earned 12 caps with the U.S. national team in 1991 and 1992 *

Jimmie Adams James B. Adams (October 4, 1888 – December 19, 1933) was an American silent-screen comedian and actor. Career In 1921, Adams starred in two-reel comedies for Educational Pictures and Al Christie. The slightly built, pencil-mustached Adams ...

(1888–1933), silent-screen comedian and actor * Mike Adams (born 1981), pro football player for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

Adeva Adeva (born Patricia Daniels) is an American singer. She had a string of successful house and R&B hits in the late 1980s to early 1990s, including "Warning!", "I Thank You" and "Respect" (all three of which reached number 17 in the UK Singles C ...

(born 1960),

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

and R&B vocalist *

Nelson Algren Nelson Algren (born Nelson Ahlgren Abraham; March 28, 1909 – May 9, 1981) was an American writer. His 1949 novel '' The Man with the Golden Arm'' won the National Book Award and was adapted as the 1955 film of the same name. Algren articulate ...

(1909–1981), author best known for his novel ''The Man with the Golden Arm (novel), The Man with the Golden Arm'' * Henry C. Allen (New Jersey politician), Henry C. Allen (1872–1942), politician who represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives 1905–1907 * Bruce Arians (born 1952), former head coach of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers * Jillian Armenante (born 1968), television and film actress, known for playing the role of Donna Kozlowski on ''Judging Amy'' (B) * Gerald Ash (born 1942), electrical engineer at Bell Labs, whose research focused on routing problems (B) * Sisto Averno (1925–2012), guard and linebacker who played in the NFL for the original Baltimore Colts (1947–50), Baltimore Colts (1950), the New York Yanks (1951), Dallas Texans (NFL), Dallas Texans (1952) and the Indianapolis Colts#The NFL Baltimore Colts, Baltimore Colts (1953–1954) * Vincent Baggetta (born 1944), actor best known for his title role in the 1978–79 television series, ''The Eddie Capra Mysteries'' * Samm Sinclair Baker (1909–1997), author/coauthor of many how-to and self-help books, most notably ''The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet'' which he coauthored with Dr. Herman Tarnower (B) * Nathan Barnert (1838–1927), businessman and politician; twice elected as the Mayor of Paterson * Lawrence Barrett (1838–1891), leading actor of the 19th century * Charles K. Barton (1886–1958), politician; served in the New Jersey Senate 1943–1948 (B) * Charles D. Beckwith (politician), Charles D. Beckwith (1838–1921), represented New Jersey's 5th congressional district 1889–1891; mayor of Paterson 1885–1889 * Candace Beinecke (born 1946/1947), Senior Partner of Hughes Hubbard & Reed, where in 1999 she became the first female head of a major New York firm * Alexander Berzin (scholar), Alexander Berzin (born 1944), Buddhist scholar, translator and teacher focusing on the Tibetan tradition * Jeffrey Bewkes (born 1952), CEO, President, and Chairman of the Board of Time Warner * Jacob Bigeleisen (1919–2010), chemist who worked on the Manhattan Project on techniques to extract uranium-235 from uranium ore (B) * Chauncey Black (singer), Chauncey Black (born 1968), singer with the vocal group Blackstreet * Glenn Borgmann (born 1950), former professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox (B) * Jennie Bosschieter (1882–1900), woman who was raped and murdered, as an early victim of the date rape drug chloral hydrate which caused her death * Joseph Brain (academic), Joseph Brain (born 1940), physiologist and environmental health researcher (B) * Bill Braun, auto racer * Pete Bremy (born 1952), rock bass player best known for his associations with Vanilla Fudge and Cactus (American band), Cactus (B) * Gaetano Bresci (1869–1901), weaver and anarchist, assassinated Italian king Umberto I * Johnny Briggs (baseball), Johnny Briggs (born 1944), former Major League Baseball player * Mark Brown (linebacker born 1980), Mark Brown (born 1980), NFL linebacker who played for the New York Jets * Edna Buchanan (born 1939), journalist and writer best known for her crime mystery novels * Rubin Carter, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (1937–2014), boxer whose triple murder conviction was later overturned, subject of the

song "Hurricane (Bob Dylan song), Hurricane" and the movie ''The Hurricane (1999 movie), The Hurricane'' * Federico Castelluccio (born 1964), Italy, Italian-born actor, most known for portraying Furio Giunta on the Home Box Office, HBO series ''

'' * Frank Catania (born 1941), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the New Jersey's 35th legislative district, 35th Legislative District 1990–1994 (B) * Ersilia Cavedagni (1862–?), Italian-American anarcha-feminist activist, writer, and editor * Joe Louis Clark, Joe Clark (1938–2020), educator and former principal of Eastside High School, depicted by Morgan Freeman in the movie '' Lean on Me''Janet Maslin, Maslin, Janet
"Movie Review: ''Lean on Me''"
''The New York Times'', March 3, 1989. Accessed January 24, 2012. "And Morgan Freeman manages it in ''Lean on Me,'' in which he plays Joe Clark, the controversial high-school principal from Paterson, N.J." *Stockton B. Colt (1863–1937), architect (B) *

(1906–1959), comedian, actor and producer and part of the comedy duo Abbott and Costello (B) * Pat Costello (producer), Pat Costello (1902–1990), actor, Television producer, producer, stunt double and the brother of Lou Costello, who was the executive producer for ''The Abbott and Costello Show'' (B) * Christos M. Cotsakos (born 1948), former CEO of E*TRADE (B) * Ernestina Cravello (1880–1942), Italian Americans, Italian-American Anarcha-feminism, anarcha-feminist activist during the late 19th and early 20th centuries * Sunda Croonquist, comic and actress * Victor Cruz (American football), Victor Cruz (born 1986), wide receiver for the NFL Super Bowl championship team, the New York Giants * Joe Cunningham (baseball), Joe Cunningham (1931–2021), former MLB first baseman and outfielder who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators (1961–71), Washington Senators (B) * Joan Wadleigh Curran (born 1950), visual artist, painter and printmaker (B) * Frank Davenport (1912–1995), politician; Sheriff of Passaic County and served one term in the New Jersey Senate (B) * Anthony Davis (composer), Anthony Davis (born 1951), pianist and composer (B) * Richard W. DeKorte (1936–1979), politician; member of the New Jersey General Assembly (B) * Andrew Derrom (1817–1892), military officer, inventor, civil engineer, and industrialist * Bob DeVos (born 1946), jazz guitarist (B) * William L. Dill (1874–1952), jurist who served on the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals; politician; Democratic nominee for

in 1928 and 1934 * Larry Doby (1923–2003), Baseball Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player and manager who broke the Baseball color line, color barrier in the American League * Eric Downing (born 1978), NFL player * Henry Drucker (1942–2002), political scientist and university fund-raiser (B) * Jacqueline Dubrovich (born 1994), Olympic Foil (fencing), foil Fencing, fencer (B) * Lou Duva (1922–2017), boxing trainer, manager, and promoter, member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame * Randy Edelman (born 1947), film and TV score composer (B) * Barry Edelstein (born 1965), theatre director, author, and educator; Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California (B) * W. Cary Edwards (1944–2010), politician; Attorney General of New Jersey 1986–1989 (B) * Eddie Einhorn (1936–2016), television executive, part-owner of the Chicago White Sox * Derrick Etienne Jr., Derrick Etienne (born 1996), professional soccer player for the New York Red Bulls * William W. Evans Jr. (1921–1999), politician who served as Mayor of Wyckoff, New Jersey, Wyckoff and in the New Jersey General Assembly; candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 1968 (B) * George Feifer (1934–2019), journalist, novelist, and historian, known for his autobiographical novels chronicling life in the Soviet Union (B) * Laurie Fendrich (born 1948), artist, writer and educator best known for her geometric abstract paintings (B) * John A. Ferraro (1946–2010), actor, academic, stage director, and television director * Helene Fortunoff (1933–2021), businessperson who headed Fortunoff (B) * J. John Fox (–1999), judge known for his central role in the founding of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (B) * Sidney Geist (1914–2005), artist who was known for his sculpture and his art criticism (B) * Abe Gelbart (1911–1994), mathematician, founding dean of the Belfer Graduate School of Science at Yeshiva University, namesake of the International Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel *

(1926–1997), writer and Beat Generation poet * Teresa Giudice (born 1972), reality show participant on ''The Real Housewives of New Jersey'' * Abraham Godwin (soldier), Abraham Godwin (1724–1777), captain of Marines USS Lady Washington (1776), USS ''Lady Washington'' in 1776 * Abraham Godwin (1763–1835), member of the New Jersey General Assembly 1802–1806 * Abraham Godwin Jr. (1791–1849), member of the New Jersey General Assembly 1821–1832 * Parke Godwin (journalist), Parke Godwin (1816–1904), journalist (B)Stauffer, David McNeely
''American Engravers Upon Copper and Steel: Biographical sketches, illustrated. Index to engravings described with check-list numbers and names of engravers and artists''
p. 107. Grolier Club of the City of New York, 1907. Accessed September 6, 2017. "Godwin, Abraham – Born in what is now Paterson, N.J., July 16, 1763; died there Oct. 5, 1835; he was the son of Abraham Godwin and Phebe Cool.... He was the father of the late editor and author. Parke Godwin. who was born in Paterson, N.J., in 1816." * Percy Goetschius (1853–1943), teacher of the theory of musical composition (B) * Shotsie Gorman (born 1951), tattoo artist, painter, sculptor and poet (B) * Bill Haast (1910–2011), snake and venom specialist, director of Miami Serpentarium Laboratories (B) * Alen Hadzic (born 1991), former épée fencer, banned for life for sexual misconduct (B) * Thomas Hagan (born ), one of the men convicted for the assassination of Malcolm X * Joseph Haj, actor, eighth artistic director of the Guthrie Theater *

(1755/57–1804), first

; helped found the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.) that helped establish Paterson around the Great Falls * Keith Hamilton (American football), Keith Hamilton (born 1971), NFL defensive tackle who spent his entire 12-season career with the New York Giants * Larry Hand (born 1940), defensive end and defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions 1965–1977 (B) * The Happenings, pop music group created in the 1960s * Donald Hayden (1937–2014), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the New Jersey's 35th legislative district, 35th Legislative District from 1994 to 1996, and on the Paterson city council (B) * Gerald Hayes (born 1980), linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals * Jon Herington (born 1954), guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and session musician (B) * Ureli Corelli Hill (1802–1875), music conductor and founder of the New York Symphony Orchestra * Garret A. Hobart (1844–1899), Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, President of the New Jersey Senate and the 24th Vice President of the United States, serving under President William McKinley * Kendall Holt (born 1981), light welterweight boxer who held the WBO junior welterweight championship 2008–09 * Michael Hossack (1946–2012), drummer, member of the Doobie Brothers * William Hughes (U.S. senator), William Hughes (1872–1918), lawyer and politician who represented New Jersey's sixth congressional district (from 1903 to 1905 and 1907 to 1912) and served as United States Senator from New Jersey (from 1913 to 1918) * Michael Jace (born 1962), actor who appeared in ''The Shield'' * Ameer Jackson (born 1994), American professional basketball player (B) * Charlie Jamieson (1893–1969), Major League Baseball player * Henry Janowitz (1915–2008), Professor Emeritus of Gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, known for his contributions into inflammatory bowel diseases (B) * Morris Janowitz (1919–1988), sociologist and professor who made major contributions to sociological theory, the study of prejudice, urban issues and patriotism (B) * Charles Samuel Joelson (1916–1999), lawyer and politician who served on the Paterson City Council and as the Representative for New Jersey's 8th congressional district 1961–1969 * Devhonte Johnson, Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor and coach (B) * Jemal Johnson (born 1985), former professional soccer player, most known for his spell with English EFL League One, League One side Milton Keynes Dons F.C., MK Dons (B) * Maxine Jones (born 1966), singer, member of En Vogue * Ron Cephas Jones (born 1957), actor known for ''This is Us'', ''Mr. Robot'' and ''Across the Universe (film), Across The Universe'' * Just Blaze (born 1978), hip hop music producer * Alfred E. Kahn (1917–2010), economist and deregulation advocate * Carla A. Katz (born 1959), labor leader who served as president of Local 1034 of the Communications Workers of America 1999–2008 * Joseph Keller (1923–2016), mathematician who specialized in applied mathematics (B) * King Kelly (1857–1894), Major League Baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame * Bernard Kerik (born 1955), former New York City Police Commissioner * Joseph Kipley (1848–1904), Superintendent (police), Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department 1897–1901 (B) * Gabriel Kolko (1932–2014), historian, author (B) * Garret Kramer, author and performance coach (B) * Vincent R. Kramer (1918–2001), United States Marine Corps Colonel (United States), colonel who was a guerrilla warfare expert and was awarded the Navy Cross during the Korean War (B) * Peter Kreeft (born 1937), philosopher at Boston College and The King's College (New York), The King's College and author of numerous popular books of Christian philosophy, Christian theology, theology, and Christian apologetics, apologetics (B) * Sally Kornbluth (born 1960), Cell biology, cell biologist and academic administrator, serving as the 18th List of presidents of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B) * Jim Lampley (basketball), Jim Lampley (born 1960), professional basketball center (basketball), center who played for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1986–87 season * Sue Ane Langdon (born 1936), actress (B) * Frank Lautenberg (1924–2013), politician who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate (B) * Jaynee LaVecchia (born 1954), Justice who has served on the

since 2000 (B) * John L. Leal (1858–1914), physician and water utility sanitary adviser; responsible for the installation of the first drinking water chlorine disinfection system in the United States * Walt Levinsky (1929–1999), big band and orchestral player, composer, arranger, and bandleader * Son Lewis (born 1951), blues singer and guitarist (B) * John LoCascio (born 1991), defenseman for the Rochester Rattlers in Major League Lacrosse * David P. Long (born 1975), academic administrator, professor and Roman Catholic Canon law, canonist (B) * Adrienne Mancia (1927–2022), curator best known for her work with the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Academy of Music * Don Martin (cartoonist), Don Martin (1931–2000), cartoonist for ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' magazine * Edward L. Masry (1932–2005), attorney whose firm was behind the case featured in ''Erin Brockovich (film), Erin Brockovich'' (B) * Frank Mattiace (born 1961), former professional American football, football nose tackle and coach (B) * Markis McDuffie (born 1997), professional basketball player for Napoli Basket (2016), Napoli Basket of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A * Thomas McEwan Jr. (1854–1926), represented New Jersey's 7th congressional district from 1895 to 1899 * Edward McNamara (1884–1944), Broadway and Hollywood actor who was discovered while working as a police officer in Paterson (B) * Verna Mersereau (1896–1935), dancer and actress who performed on stage and screen (B) * George Middleton (playwright), George Middleton (1880–1967), playwright (B) * Gemar Mills, author and speaker, who was the youngest ever principal of Malcolm X Shabazz High School when he took the job at age 27 * Susan Misner (born 1971), actress who has appeared on films and television, including roles in ''One Life to Live'', ''The Bronx Is Burning'', ''Rescue Me (U.S. TV series), Rescue Me'' and ''Chicago (2002 film), Chicago'' * Joe Mooney (musician), Joe Mooney (1911–1975), jazz and pop accordionist, organist, and vocalist, who went blind at the age of 10 * Paul H. Mussen (1922–2000), Developmental psychology, developmental psychologist who described stages of child psychological development (B) * Greg Olsen (American football), Greg Olsen (born 1985), former tight end for the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks (B) * Kenny Parker (born 1946), former American football defensive back who played in the NFL for the New York Giants (B) * Vincent N. Parrillo, professor of sociology at William Paterson University * Patricia Peardon (1923/24-1993), actress who originated the title role in the Broadway play ''Junior Miss'' (B) * Simon Perchik (1923–2022), poet * Joseph D. Pistone (born 1939), FBI agent and author who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family, as described in the film ''Donnie Brasco (film), Donnie Brasco'' * Robert Pitofsky (1929–2018), lawyer and politician who was the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission from 1995 to 2001 (B) * Bucky Pizzarelli (1926–2020), jazz guitaristRipmaster, Terence
''Mel Bay presents Bucky Pizzarelli: a life in music''
p. 31. Mel Bay Publications, 1998. . Accessed March 13, 2012. "Even with his busy and successful career, Bucky never forgot his roots in Paterson. His sons, John and Martin, are still listed in Paterson's #248 American Federation of Musicians Directory." * John Pizzarelli (born 1960), jazz guitarist and singer * Martin Pizzarelli (born 1963), jazz double-bassist * David Prater (1937–1988), of the soul duo Sam & Dave * Amos H. Radcliffe (1870–1950), Mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, 1916–1919; represented New Jersey's 7th congressional district 1919–1923 * Prince Randian (1871–1934), sideshow performer * Zoogz Rift (1953–2011), musician, painter and professional wrestling personality (B) * Lori L. Robinson, United States Army Major general (United States), major general serving as the 80th Commandant of the United States Military Academy * Sarah-Nicole Robles (born 1991), actress and voice actress, best known for providing the voice of Luz Noceda in the Disney Channel animated series ''The Owl House'' * George Rochberg (1918–2005), classical composer (B) * Frederick Reines (1918–1998), Nobel Prize-winning physicist who co-discovered the neutrino * Frankie Ruiz (1958–1998), salsa music singer (B) * John Ryle (manufacturer), John Ryle (1817–1887), industrialist and capitalist; known as the "father of the United States silk industry", starting the first silk mill in 1839 * Mary Danforth Ryle (1833–1904), philanthropist who donated millions to various city institutions, notably the Danforth Memorial Library * Kathryn Salfelder (born 1987), classical composer (B) * Nicholas Samra (born 1944), eparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Melkite Catholic Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, Eparchy of Newton in the United States, elected in 2011 (B) * Kathryn Scola (1891-1982) screenwriter known for the pre-code film Baby Face (film), Baby Face (1933), and the adaptation of the Dashiell Hammett novel The Glass Key (1935 film), The Glass Key (1935). * Dave Scott (American football), Dave Scott (born 1953), former American football offensive lineman who played in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons * Louis Scott (runner, born 1889), Louis Scott (1889–1954), gold medal winner at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm * Omar Sheika (born 1977), former professional boxer and multiple time super middleweight world title challenger * Marcel Shipp (born 1978), running back for the Arizona Cardinals * Rocco Silano (born 1962), magician and author * Dave Sime (1936–2016), Olympic medal-winning Sprint (running), sprinter * Jack Wilkinson Smith (1873–1949), painter (B) * John Spencer (actor), John Spencer (1946–2005), actor, best known for his role as Leo McGarry, the White House Chief of Staff on the television program, television drama ''The West Wing (TV series), The West Wing'' * John A. Spizziri (born 1934), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1972 to 1978 (B) * Bill Stern (botanist), Bill Stern (1926 –2021), botanist (B) * Sol Stetin (1910–2005), labor union leader * Lewis Atterbury Stimson (1844–1917), surgeon who was the first to perform a public operation in the United States using Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, Joseph Lister's antiseptic technique (B) * J. Michael Straczynski (born 1954), science-fiction writer, creator and writer for ''Babylon 5'' (B) * Jesse Talbot (1805–1879) Hudson River School painter, Associate Member of the National Academy of Design, and friend to Walt Whitman. Talbot lived in Paterson in the late 1840s and painted some of his major works there * Kazbek Tambi (born 1961), Seton Hall University women's soccer team head coach and retired U.S. soccer midfielder; member of the United States men's national soccer team, U.S. Olympic soccer team at the Football at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 Summer Olympics; spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League (1968–84), North American Soccer League, four in the Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–92), Major Indoor Soccer League and one in the American Soccer League (1988–1989), American Soccer League; former United States women's national under-17 soccer team, United States U-17 women's soccer team coach * Albert Tangora (1903–1978), holder of the speed record for typing on a manual typewriter * Joe Taub (1929–2017), businessman who joined his brother Henry Taub and Frank Lautenberg in building the payroll company Automatic Data Processing; later was part of an investment group that acquired the New Jersey Nets (B) * Tim Thomas (basketball), Tim Thomas (born 1977), NBA basketball player * Dante Tomaselli (born 1969), horror film screenwriter, director, and composer (B) * Robert Torricelli (born 1951), politician, former representative of New Jersey in the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives (B) * Sammy Turner (born 1950), singer who was popular in the late 1950s (B) * Gregory Van Maanen (born 1937), artist * Ed Van Put (1936–2024), fisherman, author and conservationist (B) * Elizabeth Vargas (born 1962), American Broadcasting Company, ABC news anchor (B) * Bruce Vilanch (born 1948), six-time Emmy Award-winning comedy writer, actor and songwriter * Floyd Vivino, "Uncle" Floyd Vivino (born 1951), comic and star of ''Uncle Floyd Show'', the longest-running broadcast and cable TV show in New Jersey; appeared in film ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' * Jerry Vivino (born 1954), musician (B) * Jimmy Vivino (born 1955), musician, guitarist, member of The Max Weinberg 7 * Fetty Wap (born 1991), rapper and singer * William Wadsworth Evans (1887–1972), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1919 to 1924 (B) * Carter Warren (born 1999), American football Tackle (gridiron football position), offensive tackle who played for the New York Jets * Darryl Watkins (born 1984), professional basketball player who played collegiately at Syracuse University, Syracuse * Patrick Warburton (born 1964), actor, best known for his roles in ''Seinfeld'' and ''Family Guy'' (B) * Bernie Wayne (1919–1993), composer best known for "Blue Velvet (song), Blue Velvet" * Joseph Weber (1919–2000), physicist who gave the earliest public lecture on the principles behind the laser and the maser and developed Weber bars, the first gravitational wave detectors (B) * Carl Weinrich (1904–1991), classical organist known for his recitals and recordings of Baroque music, Baroque organ music (B) * Wheeler & Woolsey, Bert Wheeler (1895–1968), of the comedy duo Wheeler & Woolsey * Alice White (1904–1983), film actress * K'Waun Williams (born 1991), cornerback who has played in the NFK for the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos *

(1883–1963), important modern 20th-century poet; author of the poem "

" * Donald R. Yennie (1924–1993). theoretical physics, theoretical physicist (B) * Jerry Zaks (born 1946), stage and television director and actor * Giuseppe Zangara (1900–1933), assassin of Chicago mayor Anton Cermak, though President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt may have been his intended target * Herb Zarrow (1925–2008), magician who created the Zarrow shuffle (B) * Paul Zukerberg (born 1957), lawyer, activist and politician (B)Suderman, Alan
"The Weed Candidate"
''Washington City Paper'', March 6, 2013. Accessed August 6, 2014. "The son of a self-taught musician who was a big wheel on the bar mitzvah and Jewish wedding circuit in Paterson, N.J., Zukerberg moved to D.C. 30 years ago to go to law school at American University."

References

External links

City of Paterson, New Jersey (official site)centercitypaterson.com
*[http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/paterson/ ''Working in Paterson: Occupational Heritage in an Urban Setting''] An ethnographic study from the

. Oral history interviews and photographs from a study of working life in Paterson conducted in 1994. Accessed August 28, 2009. {{Authority control Paterson, New Jersey, 1851 establishments in New Jersey Arab-American culture in New Jersey Albanian-American history Cities in New Jersey Cities in Passaic County, New Jersey County seats in New Jersey Faulkner Act (mayor–council) New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zones Populated places established in 1851 Hispanic and Latino American culture in New Jersey World War II Heritage Cities North Jersey

History

Establishment

Industrial growth

Post–World War II era

Geography

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Ethnic groups

Economy

Arts and culture

Athletics

Media

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Politics

Emergency services

State takeover of police department

Transportation

Roads and highways

Public transportation

Education

Sister cities

Friendship

In popular culture

Literature

Films

Comedy

TV

Music

Inventions

Notable people

See also

References

External links