Passaic ( or ) is a

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 Passaic 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 ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 16th-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 70,537, falling behind

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

(ranked 16th in 2010), an increase of 756 (+1.1%) from the 2010 census count of 69,781, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,920 residents (+2.8%) from the 2000 census population of 67,861. The Census Bureau's

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 68,903 for 2023, making it the 552nd-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. Note that townships (including Edison, Lakewood and Woodbridge, all of which have larger populations) are excluded from these rankings. Among cities with more than 50,000 people, Passaic was the fifth-most densely populated municipality in the United States, with more than 22,000 people per square mile. Located north of Newark on 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 ...

, it was first settled in 1678 by Dutch traders, as Acquackanonk Township. The city and river get their name from 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 ...

word "pahsayèk" which has been variously attributed to mean "valley" or "place where the land splits."

History

The city originated from a Dutch settlement on the Passaic River established in 1679 which was called Acquackanonk. Industrial growth began in the 19th century, as Passaic became a textile and metalworking center. A commercial center formed around a wharf at the foot of present-day Main Avenue. This came to be commonly known as Acquackanonk Landing, and the settlement that grew around it became known as the Village of Acquackanonk Landing or simply Acquackanonk Landing Settlement. In 1854 Alfred Speer (later owner of the city's first newspaper and public hall) and Judge Henry Simmons were the principals in a political battle over the naming of village. Simmons wished to keep the old name while Speer wanted to simplify it to Passaic Village. Speer was losing the battle however he convinced the U.S. Postmaster General to adopt the name, and hung a Passaic sign at the local railroad depot. The de facto name change was effective. Passaic was formed as an unincorporated village within Acquackanonk Township (now Clifton) on March 10, 1869. It was incorporated as an independent

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

on March 21, 1871. Passaic was chartered as a city on April 2, 1873.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. The Okonite company owned an industrial site here from 1878 to 1993. It was the company's headquarters and primary manufacturing plant for most of the company's history. Early uses of the company's insulated wires include some of the earliest telegraph cables, and the wiring for

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...

's first generating plant,

Pearl Street Station Pearl Street Station was Thomas Edison's first commercial power plant in the United States. It was located at 255–257 Pearl Street in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City, just south of Fulton Street on a site measuring . The ...

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

. The property was then turned into a furniture factory, whose owners have been attempting to redevelop the property into an upscale mall since 2015. The 1926 Passaic Textile Strike led by union organizer Albert Weisbord saw 36,000 mill workers leave their jobs to oppose wage cuts demanded by the textile industry. The workers successfully fought to keep their wages unchanged but did not receive recognition of their union by the mill owners. Passaic has been called "The Birthplace of Television". In 1931, experimental television station W2XCD began transmitting from DeForest Radio Corporation in Passaic. It has been called the first television station to transmit to the home, and was the first such station to broadcast a feature film. Allen B. DuMont, formerly DeForest's chief engineer, opened pioneering TV manufacturer DuMont Laboratories in Passaic in 1937, and started the

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being first overall in ...

, the world's first commercial television network, in 1946. In 1992, the voters of Passaic Township in Morris County voted to change the name of their municipality to Long Hill Township, to avoid confusion between the City of Passaic and the largely rural community away, as well as association with the more urban city. Passaic is served by two regional newspapers, '' The Record'' and '' Herald News'' which are both owned by the

Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as several ...

company and its predecessor North Jersey Media Group. The city previously had many of its own newspaper companies, among them Speer's ''The Passaic Item'' (1870–1904), the ''Passaic City Herald'' (1872–1899), the ''Passaic Daily Times'' (1882–1887), the ''Passaic City Record'' (1890–1907), the ''Passaic Daily News'' (1891–1929), the ''Passaic Daily Herald'' (1899–1929), and the ''Passaic Herald News'' (1932–1987). The ''Passaic Herald News'' went through several mergers with other Passaic County newspapers to become the current ''Herald News''.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 3.24 square miles (8.39 km²), including 3.13 square miles (8.11 km²) of land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km²) of water (3.33%). Passaic's only land border is with neighboring Clifton, which borders Passaic to the north, south, and west. The namesake

forms the eastern border of Passaic. Four additional neighboring municipalities in southern

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.East Rutherford,

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...

, Rutherford, and Wallington. Passaic and Wallington are connected via the Gregory Avenue, Market Street, and Eighth Street bridges. The city connects with

at both the Monroe and Passaic Street Bridges. The road connection with Rutherford is via the Union Avenue Bridge, which is located on an extension off the northbound lanes of Route 21. One cannot cross from Passaic into East Rutherford by vehicle directly, however, as there is no bridge directly connecting the two municipalities. Drivers wanting to cross from Passaic to East Rutherford must use either the Gregory Avenue Bridge, which is located near Wallington's line with East Rutherford, or the Union Avenue Bridge, where East Rutherford can be accessed via surface streets briefly passing through Rutherford. Passaic is located from New York City, and from Newark Airport.

The city

Passaic has several business districts: Main Avenue begins in Passaic Park and follows the curve of the river to downtown. Broadway runs east–west through the center of the city, ending at Main Avenue in downtown. Main Avenue has many shops, restaurants, and businesses reflecting the city's growing Latino, and declining Eastern European populations in the city. The city is home to several architecturally notable churches, including St. John's

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Church, First

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

of Passaic, and St. John's Episcopal Church.

Passaic Park

Many residents of the Passaic Park section of Passaic are part of Orthodox Jewish communities. With over 1,300 families, estimated at a total population of 15,000, Passaic is one of the state's fastest-growing Orthodox communities. It is home to over 20

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

s and other educational institutions, as well as many

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...

food and other shopping establishments.Berman, Rachel
"Passaic/Clifton - The New Jewish Boom Town"
'' The Jewish Press'', November 22, 2006, backed up by the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

as of February 10, 2008. Accessed June 21, 2015. "To the out-of-towner, it's a place exceedingly dense with Jews and Judaism, with 25 shuls and 2,500 families packed into three square miles, and a buzzing Main Avenue that with its baby carriages and bochurim on Friday afternoons almost resembles Jerusalem. To the Jewish world in general, it's the current It Community, sprawling out at a pace of 80 new families a year, with a reputation for being the fastest growing Jewish community next to Lakewood."Adely, Hannan
"Clifton-Passaic Y gets ready to shut its doors, as donations plummet"
'' The Record'', July 5, 2011. Accessed August 28, 2011. "The Young Men's Hebrew Association formed in Passaic in 1904, adding a women's counterpart the following year, and moved to the 7-acre campus in Clifton in 1976. In that year, the Jewish population in Clifton and Passaic was estimated at 9,000, according to the American Jewish Year Book; in 2010, the figure was 12,000. While the Jewish population has grown, the historic population of Reform and Conservative Jews has been largely replaced by Orthodox practitioners, said local residents and Jewish leaders.... The growth of the Orthodox community can be seen throughout the southern end of Clifton and Passaic, which is home to about 20 Orthodox synagogues and minyans, or prayer groups, and to a cluster of kosher shops and Jewish schools." The Passaic Park section is noted for its large park and large homes of various architectural styles, especially Queen Anne and Tudor. Several

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...

and

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

apartment complexes are also located there including: * Carlton Tower, a condominium of 21 floors, the city's tallest structure * Passaic Towers Apartments, rental across the street from Carlton Tower * Barry Gardens, co-operative garden apartments built following World War II on a portion of the former Barry Estate * Presidential Towers, condominium at 180 Lafayette Ave.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool 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, Passaic 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.

Demographics

Among the speakers of Polish in Passaic are many

Gorals The Gorals (; Goral ethnolect: ''Górole''; ; Cieszyn Silesian dialect, Cieszyn Silesian: ''Gorole''), also anglicized as the Highlanders, are an ethnographic group with historical ties to the Vlachs. The Goral people are primarily found in thei ...

. With over 1,300 families, estimated at a total population of 15,000, Passaic has one of the state's fastest-growing Orthodox Jewish communities. It is home to over 20 yeshivas and other educational institutions, as well as many kosher food and other shopping establishments.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 69,781 people, 19,411 households, and 14,597 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 20,432 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 45.06% (31,440)

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 ...

, 10.64% (7,425) Black or African American, 1.07% (745) Native American, 4.36% (3,040) Asian, 0.04% (27)

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 ...

, 33.37% (23,284) from other races, and 5.47% (3,820) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 71.02% (49,557) of the population. The city's Hispanic population represented the fourth-highest percentage among municipalities in New Jersey as of the 2010 Census. Of the 19,411 households, 42.8% had children under the age of 18; 41.7% were married couples living together; 23.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.8% were non-families. Of all households, 19.5% were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57 and the average family size was 4.02. 31.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 100.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 99.2 males. 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 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 $31,135 (with a margin of error of +/− $1,280) and the median family income was $34,934 (+/− $2,987). Males had a median income of $30,299 (+/− $1,883) versus $25,406 (+/− $2,456) for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,424 (+/− $581). About 25.0% of families and 27.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.9% of those under age 18 and 25.5% of those age 65 or over. Same-sex couples headed 107 households in 2010, a decline from the 142 counted in 2000.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 67,861 people, 19,458 households, and 14,457 families residing in the city of Passaic, New Jersey. The population density was . There were 20,194 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 35.43%

, 13.83%

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

, 0.78% Native American, 5.51% Asian, 0.04%

, 39.36% from other races, and 5.04% from two or more races. The cultural groupings 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 ...

or Latino of any race were 62.46% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Passaic city, New Jersey
,

. Accessed August 14, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Passaic city, Passaic County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed August 14, 2012. As of the 2000 census, 59.3% of residents spoke Spanish at home, while 28.9% of residents identified themselves as speaking only English at home. An additional 2.5% were speakers of Gujarati and 2.4% spoke Polish. There were 31,101 foreign-born residents of Passaic in 2000, of which 79.4% were from Latin America, with 31.3% of foreign-born residents from Mexico and 27.2% from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. There were 19,458 households, of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18, 43.7% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 8.2% of Passaic households were same-sex partner households. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.46 and the average family size was 3.93. The city population comprised 30.8% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,594, and the median income for a family was $34,935. Males had a median income of $24,568 versus $21,352 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,874. About 18.4% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Portions of the city are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone (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 August 1994, the city Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in August 2025. Overseen by the Passaic Enterprise Zone Development Corporation, the program generates $1.2 million annually in tax revenues that are reinvested into the local zone.

Government

Local government

Passaic is governed by the Faulkner Act system of municipal government, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council (Plan B), enacted by direct petition as of July 1, 1973. The city is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form. Under this form of government, the governing body is comprised of a mayor and a city council. The mayor is elected directly by the voters for a four-year term of office. The seven members of the city council serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either three seats (together with the mayoral seat) or four seats up for election in odd-numbered years. Elections 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., ...

, with all positions selected

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 ...

in balloting held in May.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

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

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 154. , Passaic's mayor is Hector Carlos Lora, whose term of office ends June 30, 2025.Mayor's Office
City of Passaic. Accessed July 2, 2022. Lora was appointed in 2016 to fill a vacancy that followed the resignation of Democratic mayor Alex Blanco after he was indicted on federal corruption charges; Lora was the Director of the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders at the time and chose to resign his position and accept an appointment to serve as Mayor and finish the remainder of Blanco's unexpired term. Lora was elected to a full term in 2017. Members of the Passaic City Council are Council President Gary Schaer (term ends 2023), Jose R. "Joe" Garcia (2025), Terrence L. Love (2025), Thania Melo (2023), Chaim M. Munk (2023) and Daniel J. Schwartz (2025), with one seat currently declared vacant.City Council
City of Passaic. Accessed July 2, 2022.''Passaic County 2020 Directory''
Passaic County, New Jersey, April 2021. Accessed July 1, 2022.May 11, 2021 Summary Report Passaic County Official Results
Passaic County, New Jersey, updated May 18, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2022.May 14, 2019 Summary Report Passaic County Official Results
Passaic County, New Jersey, updated June 7, 2019. Accessed July 2, 2022. The seat expiring in June 2023 that had been held by Salim Patel was declared vacant in June 2022, after it was determined that he had missed more council meetings than allowed by statute. In addition to his role as council president, Schaer also holds a seat in the 36th Legislative District of the New Jersey General Assembly. This dual position, often called double dipping, is allowed under a grandfather clause in the state law enacted by the

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

and signed into law by

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 ...

Jon Corzine in September 2007 that prevents dual-office-holding but allows those who had held both positions as of February 1, 2008, to retain both posts. Corruption charges over the past decades have resulted in the federal convictions of two mayors, seven councilman and other public officials, all members of the Democratic Party. Passaic Business Administrator Anthony Ianoco was terminated in February 2011, after he was charged with cocaine possession, following his arrest in Hoboken, where police arrested him after he was caught driving the wrong way in a Passaic city vehicle. Alex Blanco became the first Dominican-American elected as mayor in the United States winning a special election in November 2008 to succeed acting mayor Gary Schaer, who as City Council president automatically moved into the position upon the resignation by previous mayor Samuel Rivera, after Rivera pleaded guilty to corruption charges. Blanco was elected to serve the remainder of Rivera's term, and was re-elected to a full term on May 12, 2009, with 53.1% of votes cast. He won running against Passaic Board of Education member Vinny Capuana. In November 2016, Blanco pled guilty to a single federal count of bribery, agreeing to resign immediately Blanco admitted in court to accepting $110,000 in bribes from two unnamed housing developers in exchange for directing more than $200,000 in HUD funds to a failed low-income housing development. He faced up to 10 years in federal prison upon sentencing, scheduled for February 2017. He was succeeded by Passaic County Freeholder Hector Lora, in an appointment made by the City Council. Blanco is the second consecutive elected mayor of Passaic, and the third in two decades (following Joseph Lipari and Sammy Rivera), to be convicted of or plead guilty to official misconduct charges.

Federal, state, and county representation

Passaic is located in the 9th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report
New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 36th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District
New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019. Prior to the 2010 Census, Passaic had been part of the , a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission 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 League of Women Voters. Accessed May 22, 2015.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 24,227 registered voters in Passaic, of which 8,753 (36.1% vs. 31.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,063 (8.5% vs. 18.7%) were registered as Republicans and 13,408 (55.3% vs. 50.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered to other parties.Voter Registration Summary - Passaic
New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed January 16, 2013. Among the city's 2010 Census population, 34.7% (vs. 53.2% in Passaic County) were registered to vote, including 50.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.8% countywide). In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat

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

received 77.1% of the vote (12,011 cast), ahead of Republican

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

with 22.1% (3,447 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (119 votes), among the 15,755 ballots cast by the city's 27,433 registered voters (178 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 57.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 12,386 votes (72.7% vs. 58.8% countywide), ahead of Republican

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

with 4,012 votes (23.6% vs. 37.7%) and other candidates with 93 votes (0.5% vs. 0.8%), among the 17,033 ballots cast by the city's 25,496 registered voters, for a turnout of 66.8% (vs. 70.4% in Passaic County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat

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

received 9,539 votes (66.3% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican

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

with 4,291 votes (29.8% vs. 42.7%) and other candidates with 62 votes (0.4% vs. 0.7%), among the 14,391 ballots cast by the city's 23,389 registered voters, for a turnout of 61.5% (vs. 69.3% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 59.6% of the vote (4,109 cast), ahead of Republican

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

with 39.1% (2,697 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (88 votes), among the 7,143 ballots cast by the city's 28,209 registered voters (249 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 25.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 5,958 ballots cast (68.7% vs. 50.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 2,319 votes (26.7% vs. 43.2%), Independent Chris Daggett with 124 votes (1.4% vs. 3.8%) and other candidates with 52 votes (0.6% vs. 0.9%), among the 8,672 ballots cast by the city's 24,219 registered voters, yielding a 35.8% turnout (vs. 42.7% in the county).

Education

Public

The Passaic City School District is a comprehensive community

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

serving 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. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of 17 schools, had an enrollment of 14,504 students and 839.8 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 17.3:1.District information for Passaic City 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. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the

) are Vincent Capuana School No. 15 (277; Pre-K), Sallie D. Gamble School No. 16 (465; Pre-K), Thomas Jefferson School No. 1 (788; K–8), George Washington School No. 2 (172; K–1), Mario J. Drago School No. 3 (formerly Franklin School) (803; Pre-K–8), Benito Juárez School No. 5 (472; K–8), Martin Luther King Jr. School No. 6 (1,124; Pre-K–8), Ulysses S. Grant School No. 7 (391; Pre-K–1), Casimir Pulaski School No. 8 (%32; Pre-K–8), Etta Gero School No. 9 (690; 2–8), Theodore Roosevelt School No. 10 (905; Pre-K–8), William B. Cruise Veterans Memorial School No. 11 (1,253; K–8), Daniel F. Ryan School No. 19 (874; Pre-K/2–8), Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy School No. 20 (959; 2–8), Sonia Sotomayor School No. 21 (; Pre-K–5), Passaic Academy for Science and Engineering (702; 6–11), Passaic Preparatory Academy, (701; 6–11) and Passaic High School (2,618; 9–12). Passaic County Community College opened a new campus in the city in September 2008, allowing the college to serve the 15% of students who are local residents of Passaic City. The college's nursing program was relocated to and expanded at the Passaic campus, providing a qualified program to help fill the longstanding nursing shortage.

Private / Religious

St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School is an elementary school founded in 1943 that operates under the supervision 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 ...

and the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. Established in 1895, the Collegiate School is a private coeducational day school located in Passaic which serves students in

through

. The Yeshiva Gedola of Passaic is an institute of

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

ic learning for post-high-school-age men. It is led by

Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and th ...

Rabbi Meir Stern. Passaic has two primary Orthodox K–8 elementary schools, Yeshiva Ketana and YBH of Passaic, each of them has a boys and girls division. Noble Leadership Academy is an Islamic school located downtown, serving students 320 students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade.

Emergency services

Police

In October 2016, Deputy Chief Luis Guzman became the first Dominican-American to be selected to lead the city's police department.

Fire

The Passaic Fire Department (PFD) is a paid fire department with over 100 firefighters. The PFD was organized in November 1869 and became a paid department in 1909. There are two fire houses equipped with four

engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

and two ladder trucks. Passaic also operates a large foam tanker truck, a Quick Attack Response Vehicle (QRV), a haz-mat decon trailer, a utility unit, a rehab unit, and a Zodiac rescue boat.

Ambulance

In October 2015, the city approved a contract under which ambulance service in the city is covered by Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC), a non-profit consortium which also provides paramedic services to other municipalities in the area. Under the plan Passaic laid off 30 EMS workers who had been employed by the city. Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton EMS is a volunteer service that primarily covers the Passaic Park section of town and parts of Clifton, in addition to assisting Passaic Police and EMS when requested in other parts of the city. Hatzolah operates two ambulances strategically parked throughout the community with a third on standby and available to assist neighboring chapters.

Office of Emergency Management

The OEM coordinates emergency response by all of the city's agencies—Police, Fire, Ambulance, health, and public works—to disasters and other emergencies, including large storms. The city OEM is affiliated with the Passaic County and New Jersey State OEM agencies and with the state's Emergency Management Association. OEM also manages street traffic at all large events in the city, including festivals and parades. The office is run by representatives of the Police and Fire departments. In addition to city staff, it makes use of volunteers from Passaic's Community Emergency Response Team and other community organizations.

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 ...

. The main highway directly serving Passaic is Route 21. New Jersey Route 3, the

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

and I-80 are nearby. The city has six bridges in use spanning the Passaic River. A seventh bridge serves railroad traffic but is not currently in use.

Public transportation

Local bus transportation, much passing through the Passaic Bus Terminal, is provided by NJ Transit and Community Coach with service to Paterson, Rutherford, Newark, Clifton,

, and Wallington among other locations on the 74, 702, 703, 705, 707, 709, 744,

758 __NOTOC__ Year 758 (Roman numerals, DCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 758 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent ...

, and

780 __NOTOC__ Year 780 (Roman numerals, DCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar, the 780th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 780th year of the 1st millennium, the 80th year of the 8th c ...

routes. NJ Transit bus routes 151, 161, and 190 provide local service and interstate service to 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 ...

in New York City. NJ Transit's Passaic rail station is located in the Passaic Park section, providing service on the Main Line southbound to Hoboken Terminal, and to

Secaucus Junction Secaucus Junction (signed as Secaucus) is an intermodal transit hub served by New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) and Metro-North Railroad in Secaucus, New Jersey, Secaucus, New Jersey. It is one of the List of b ...

for NJ Transit connections to New York Penn Station in New York City, Newark Airport and points north and south. Northbound service is provided to Paterson, Ridgewood and New York state stations in Suffern and Port Jervis. Passaic formerly had four train stations ( Passaic Park, Prospect Street, Passaic and Harrison Street) on the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 ...

main line. In 1963, these stations were abandoned and the main line was moved to the Boonton Branch. Commuter jitney buses operate along Main Avenue providing frequent non-scheduled service to Paterson, Union City, the

George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal The George Washington Bridge Bus Station is a commuter Bus station, bus terminal at the east end of the George Washington Bridge in the Washington Heights, Manhattan, Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The bus stati ...

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 ...

, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and points between.

Films shot in Passaic

* 2009: The NBC series ''

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and le ...

'' was set at and filmed in the old St Mary's Hospital. * 2006: '' Be Kind Rewind'' directed by

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...

.Buckley, Cara
"Director Puts New Jersey Town on Film, and on the Map"
''

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

'', October 25, 2006. Accessed November 1, 2008.

Notable people

References

External links

City of Passaic, New Jersey

by Mary Heaton Vorse, New Masses, May 1926, Transcribed: for marxists.org in January 2002

{{Authority control 1873 establishments in New Jersey Cities in New Jersey Cities in Passaic County, New Jersey Faulkner Act (mayor–council) Hispanic and Latino American culture in New Jersey New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zones Populated places established in 1873