Passaic, NJ

Situated on the Passaic River, the city of Passaic, New Jersey, is roughly 10 miles north of New York City. The city was originally formed as a Dutch colony in the late 17th century, and later became a prominent textile and metalworking town. Modern-day Passaic is a predominantly lower-class community, with a crime rate above the state average. According to recent estimates, the city is home to roughly 67,000 people.

COMMUNITIES

Nearly half of the city's residents are foreign born, with a large percentage of immigrants hailing from Latin American countries. In recent years, Passaic has witnessed particularly high growth in its Mexican community. Passaic also has a sizable Orthodox Jewish population, and a smaller, though still significant, eastern European population.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Health care, administrative and support services account for a large percentage of the available labor opportunities in Passaic. Low-wage jobs such as food service, labor, cleaning, maintenance and manufacturing are common occupations for residents. In recent years, unemployment has been significantly higher than the state average, with the numbers of residents with jobs decreasing consistently throughout the first decade of the 21st century. According to recent statistics, roughly 30 percent of Passaic's residents live below the poverty line.

EDUCATION

Passaic High School routinely rates near the bottom of the New Jersey Department of Education's performance evaluations and has ranked as low as 312th out of New Jersey's 316 high schools. Because of its dependence on financial assistance from the state, Passaic High School has been named as one of the state's "Abbott Districts," a category reserved for New Jersey's poorest school districts. This designation also affects Passaic's middle school as well as its various elementary schools.

In addition to its public school system, Passaic has a number of Orthodox Jewish educational institutions, including the Yeshiva Gedolah of Passaic, an advanced yeshiva.

A portion of the Passaic County Community College campus is located in Passaic. Although named after Passaic, the bulk of the college is actually located in the nearby city of Paterson.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

• Passaic's downtown is based around the intersection of Main Avenue and Broadway, just east of state Highway 21 and the Passaic River. A number of architecturally significant churches, including St. John's Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian of Passaic and St. John's Episcopal Church, can be found in this area.
• Monroe Street, located north of downtown, has a range of shops, restaurants and businesses catering to the city's Latino and Eastern European populations.
• Passaic Park, a section in the southwest segment of the city, is the center of Passaic's Orthodox Jewish community and houses many of the city's yeshivas, Orthodox schools and kosher restaurants. Passaic Park is also noted for its large mansions and distinctive Victorian and Tudor architecture, as well as many of the town's newer condominium and co-op complexes.

GETTING AROUND

The Passaic Rail Station is located in the Passaic Park section, just south of downtown. This station is served by N.J. Transit's main line, which connects Passaic to area hubs like Newark, Hoboken, Secaucus and New York City.

N.J. Transit also provides bus service to New York City's Port Authority, as well as nearby cities in New Jersey. Commuter jitneys operate along Main Avenue, providing service to New York City.

The closest highways to Passaic are the Garden State Parkway to the north and east, and I-80 to the north and west. State Highway 21 is the major artery through the city.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Though the city's Hungarian population has dwindled significantly, Passaic remains home to the Hungarian Folklore Museum. The museum is located in the historic section of Passaic, just east of downtown.

The members of the groundbreaking 1960s girl group the Shirelles, famous for such early rock and roll classics as "I Met Him on a Sunday" and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," all grew up in Passaic and attended Passaic High School. In 2008, a section of Paulison Avenue outside the high school was renamed Shirelles Boulevard in their honor.

SPORTS TEAMS

Passaic is not home to any professional or college sports teams. However, in the early 1920s, the Passaic High School basketball team won 159 consecutive games, believed to be the longest such streak in the history of the sport. Coach Ernest Blood finished his nine-year stint at Passaic High with a record of 200 wins and 1 loss, and is now enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

LOCAL MEDIA

Known to many as "The Birthplace of Television," Passaic was home to both W2XCD, the first station to broadcast into households, and the DuMont Television Network, the first commercial television broadcaster. In spite of this distinguished history, Passaic currently has no media outlets of its own.