Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 67,861. 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 "pahsayèk" meaning "valley".
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. 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".[8] 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.
Geography
Passaic is located at 40°51′27″n, 74°7′44″w (40.857384, -74.128997)[9].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), of which, 3.1 square miles (8.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (3.12%) is water. Passaic is bordered on the north, west and south by the City of Clifton, and to the east by the Passaic River.
Passaic is located 10 miles from New York City, and 12 miles 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. Monroe Street has many shops, restaurants and businesses reflecting the city's Latino and Eastern European populations.
The city is home to several architecturally notable churches, including St. John's Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian of Passaic, and St. John's Episcopal Church.
Southwest Passaic (known as Passaic Park) is a residential and institutional center of Orthodox Judaism, with 25-30 minyanim on Shabbos, and 1,300 families, as well as being home to numerous yeshivas, schools and other institutions. There are also kosher food and shopping establishments.
Passaic Park takes its name from Third Ward Park. This area is also noted for its large mansions and homes of various architectural styles, especially Victorian and Tudor. Several condominium and cooperative apartment complexes are also located here including: Carlton Tower (the city's tallest structure), The Towers, and Barry Gardens (which are all located within walking distance of each other on a stretch of Passaic Avenue between Aycrigg Avenue and Barry Place).
Government
Local government
The City of Passaic is governed under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government under the Faulkner Act. Under this form of government, the Mayor is elected directly by the voters for a four-year term. Seven Council Members serve four year terms on a staggered basis.
The interim Mayor of Passaic is Gary Schaer, who, as City Council President automatically moved into this position upon the resignation by previous mayor Samuel Rivera, on Friday, 9 May 2008, after pleading guilty to federal charges. He was originally arrested by the FBI on September 6, 2007 in a Federal corruption probe that also included the arrests of Assemblymen Mims Hackett and Alfred E. Steele. The indictment alleges that Rivera accepted a $5,000 bribe to steer fake insurance business with the City of Passaic and with the Passaic Valley Water Commission, bragging that "I can get four votes easy, easy, easy," to a witness about his ability to obtain approval from the Passaic City Council.
Rivera was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets," and Acting Mayor Schaer is likely to continue the membership. The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Members of the City Council are Gary Schaer (Council President), Maritza Colón-Montañez, Gerardo Fernandez, Jose Garcia, Chaim M. Munk and Daniel J. Schwartz.The seat previously held by Marcellus Jackson is currently empty. Jackson and former councilman Jonathan Soto were arrested also arrested on September 6, 2007 as part of the same sweep as Mayor Rivera. Before his resignation, Mayor Rivera attempted to hand-pick a replacement for Jackson, relying on is tie-breaker vote in a split council. The three council members who disagreed with Rivera's selection were able to postpone this selection by not attending the vote for the replacement, depriving Rivera of the minimum quota to produce the deadlock vote.
In addition to his roles as Council President and interim Mayor, Schaer also holds a seat in the New Jersey State Assembly. This dual-position is allowed under a grandfather clause in the state law that prevents dual-office-holding.
Federal, state and county representation
Passaic is in the Eighth Congressional District is part of New Jersey's 36th Legislative District.
New Jersey's Eighth Congressional District, covering the southern portion of Passaic County and northern sections of Essex County, is represented by Bill Pascrell Jr. (D, Paterson). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 36th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Paul Sarlo (D, Wood-Ridge) and in the Assembly by Frederick Scalera (D, Nutley) and Gary Schaer (D, Passaic).[20] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Passaic County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected to staggered three-year terms on an at-large basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year.As of 2008, Passaic County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Sonia Rosado (2009, Ringwood), Freeholder Deputy Director Tahesha Way (2009, Wayne), Terry Duffy (2010, West Milford), Elease Evans (2008, Paterson), James Gallagher (2009, Paterson) Bruce James (2008, Clifton) and Pat Lepore (2010, West Paterson).
Education
The Passaic City School District is a type I school district, and is an independent legal entity administered by a nine-member Board of Education elected by the voters of the school district. The school district is not a part of any regional or consolidated school district, and neither receives nor sends students, except for a limited number of special education students. The school system comprises 2 early childhood centers, 12 elementary schools (grades K-6), 1 middle school (grades 7-8), and Passaic High School for grades 9-12. The district is one of 31 Abbott Districts statewide.
The Collegiate School is a private coeducational day school located in Passaic, serving students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade.
Passaic County Community College plans to open a new campus in the city of Passaic in Spring 2008. Construction commenced on the new site in Spring 2007 at 2 Paulison Avenue. The new campus will allow PCCC to reach the 15% of its students who come from the city of Passaic. The college's nursing program will be relocated and expanded at the new campus to provide a qualified program to help fill the longstanding nursing shortage.
The Yeshiva Gedolah of Passaic, an advanced yeshiva is an institute of Jewish learning for post-high school age men. Passaic also has a number of other orthodox educational institutions for primary and secondary education as well as other advanced seminaries and kollels for advanced and married students.
Transportation
Passaic is served by state roadways including Route 3 and Route 21. The Garden State Parkway and Interstate 80 are nearby.
Local bus transportation is provided by New Jersey Transit, with service to Paterson, Rutherford, Newark, Clifton, Garfield, and Wallington among other locations.
New Jersey Transit bus 190 provides local service and interstate service to Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
The Passaic New Jersey Transit rail station is located in the Passaic Park section, providing service on the Main Line southbound to Hoboken Terminal, and to Secaucus Junction for New Jersey Transit and Amtrak connections to Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan, Newark Airport and points north and south. Northbound service is provided to Paterson, Ridgewood and New York stations in Suffern and Port Jervis.
Commuter jitney buses operate along Main Avenue providing service to Paterson, Union City, the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal in New York City, and points between. This service does not operate on an official schedule.
Communications
Passaic uses telephone area code 973.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Passaic include:
Mitch Albom (1958-), author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
Terrence Boyle (1945-), judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
George Breeman (1880-1937), sailor and Medal of Honor recipient.
Bob Butterworth (1942-), former Florida Attorney General.
Arthur K. Cebrowski (1942-2005), United States Navy admiral and senior U.S. Department of Defense official.
Alan N. Cohen (1930-2004), former co-owner of the Boston Celtics and the New Jersey Nets.
Cpl. Anthony Damiano, achieved fame on hit TV show COPS
Mark DeRosa (1975-), Major League Baseball infielder.
Dow H. Drukker (1872-1963), represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district from 1914-1919.
Evelyn Dubrow (1911-2006), lobbyist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.
Charles Evered (1964-), playwright
Donald Fagen (1948-), musician with Steely Dan.
Jack Fina (1913-1970), musician
Paul Goldberger (1950-), Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic
Reed Gusciora (1960-), former minority leader of the New Jersey General Assembly.
Robert Helps (1928-2001), pianist and composer.
Craig Heyward (1966-2006), National Football League running back.
Dennis Johnson (1951-), former NFL defensive tackle.
Mike Jorgensen (1948-), former Major League Baseball player
Lewis Kaplan, violinist.
Martin Krugman (1919-?), successful hair salon and wig shop proprietor who was a suspect in the 1978 Lufthansa heist and later allegedly murdered in 1979
Richard Liptak (1985-), radio host on WMSC 90.3 FM.[citation needed]
Anthony Mason (1925-), actor.
Ray Malavasi (1930-1987), National Football League head coach.
William J. Martini (1947-), former Republican Congressman.
Michael Marisi Ornstein (1963-), filmmaker and actor.[citation needed]
Bill Mokray (1907-1974), basketball historian and statistician enshrined to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1965 as a contributor to the sport.
David Packer (1962-), actor.[citation needed]
Millie Perkins (1938-), actress, best known for her lead role in the film The Diary of Anne Frank.
Jason Perry (1976-), former safety in the NFL from 1999 to 2002.
Kenneth Peterson (S/Sgt). Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple with Oak Leaf Cluster.
Joe Piscopo (1951-), comedian.
Gerry Polci, drummer and singer with Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
Michael J. Pollard (1939-), actor.
Stuart Rabner (1960-), Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.
John Roosma (1900-1983), captain of Ernest Blood's "Wonder Teams" who became the first college player to total 1,000 points for his career while at the United States Military Academy.
Alan Rosenberg (1951-), Emmy Award-winning actor and activist, Donald Fagen's cousin
Paul Rudd (1969-), actor.[citation needed]
Bob Russell (1914-1970), Hall of Fame songwriter
Bob Russell (1908-1998), entertainer.
Sherwood Schwartz (1916-), TV producer
Víctor Santos (1976-), Cincinnati Reds pitcher
The Shirelles, musicians
Robert Smithson (1938-1973), artist
Larry Storch (1923-), actor
Tyronne Stowe (1965-), former NFL linebacker.
Marcia Strassman (1948-), actress, grew up in Passaic, across the street from Alan Rosenberg.
Michael Stroka (1938-), actor
Loretta Swit (1937-), actress.
Danny Szetela (1987-), Major League Soccer player
Dave Szott (1967-), National Football League player and coach
Franklin Stuart Van Antwerpen (1941-), judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Jack Tatum (1948-), football player.
Dick Vitale (1939-), sportscaster.
Perry Williams (1961-), former cornerback for the New York Giants.
Saul Zaentz (1921-), film producer.
Michael Zager (1943-), musician and producer
Frankie Zak (1922-1972) Major League Baseball player, Pittsburgh Pirates
Popular culture references
In the 1960s television sitcom F Troop, the character, Cpl. Randolph Agarn (played by Larry Storch), hails from Passaic, Storch's home town. The city is occasionally mentioned - and featured - in episodes.
The short-lived Ellen Travolta sitcom Makin' It was set in Passaic, although, at the time of the disco-themed show, the city actually had little disco culture of its own. Ms. Travolta had an occasional role in Welcome Back Kotter, which starred Ms. Strassman as Mrs. Kotter.
Numerous music groups have performed at the Loop Lounge on Broadway. Performers have included: Faith No More. Dead Milkmen, They Might Be Giants, APB, Gang of Four, My Chemical Romance, and The Smithereens.
The city's name was mentioned in "Raging Cory," an episode of Boy Meets World.
Several scenes of Be Kind, Rewind starring Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Jack Black, Mos Def, and Sigourney Weaver were filmed in Passaic, the film's setting.
On February 24, 1973, Passaic's Capitol Theatre was the site of the final live show by American rock 'n' roll band The Byrds.
In the 1920s, the Passaic High School basketball team, led by coach Ernest Blood, won 159 consecutive games, earning the nickname "Wonder Team".
The title character of the series Sledge Hammer! was said to be born in Passaic.
One of the mock Bialystock and Bloom musicals in The Producers was called South Passaic.
Passaic is mentioned in the HBO series Flight of the Conchords when the band goes on a warm-up tour by playing a club in Passaic and damaging the club's amplifier.
In the episode Total Re-Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Frylock sends away for organs to help re-build Carl's body from the "Passaic Organ Bank".
Burt ("BS") Levy's series of novels starting with The Last Open Road features a young Italian-American mechanic from Passaic who becomes involved in the American sports car racing scene in the 1950s.