Passaic, NJ

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Passaic ( /pəˈseɪ.ɨk/ pÉ™-say-ik or local /pəˈseɪk/ pÉ™-sayk) is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 69,781. Located north of Newark on the Passaic River, it was first settled in 1678 by Dutch traders, as Acquackanonk Township. The city and river draw their name from the Lenape word “pahsay¨k” which has been variously attributed to mean “valley” or “place where the land splits.”

History

Main Avenue in 1911

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. Passaic was formed within Acquackanonk Township on March 10, 1869, and was incorporated as an independent village on March 21, 1871. Passaic was chartered as a city on April 2, 1873.

A famous strike in 1926 against reductions in wages involved the right of free assembly.

Passaic has been called “The Birthplace of Television”.  In 1931, experimental television station W2XCD began transmitting from DeForest Radio Corp. 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. DuMont later started the DuMont Television Network, the world’s first commercial television network, in 1946. The Okonite company began manufacturing electrical cable here in 1888.

In 1992, the voters of Passaic Township in Morris County voted to change their town’s name to Long Hill Township, New Jersey, to avoid confusion with the City of Passaic. Passaic is served by two newspapers The Record and The Star-Ledger.

Census Bureau map of Passaic, New Jersey