Newark was originally founded in 1666 by Connecticut Puritans led by Robert Treat from the New Haven Colony. The city saw tremendous industrial and population growth during the 19th century and early 20th century, and experienced racial tension and urban decline in the second half of the 20th century, culminated by the 1967 Newark riots. The city has experienced revitalization during the 1990s and early 21st century.
Newark’s home resale inventories stayed the same, with a 0 percent change since September 2013. Distressed properties such as foreclosures and short sales decreased as a percentage of the total market in October. The median listing price in Newark went up from September to October. There were a total of 1 price increases and 10 price decreases.
Redefining Newark
Redefining and revitalizing its image, Newark is a long-established urban center that is welcoming significant growth in residential areas. Vast numbers of upscale private townhouses and condominiums have sprung up, bringing new life to districts that are brimming over with cultural and employment advantages. Distinguished as the EssexCounty seat of government, Newark claims a rich history of economic activity through the centuries. Although a large manufacturing sector remains today, Newark is known for its vital business districts filled with banks, law firms, and leading corporations as well as prestigious universities and medical facilities. Cultural jewels like the Newark Museum, Newark Symphony Hall, and the spectacular New Jersey Performing Arts Center draw visitors from across the region. Recreational amenities include sports leagues, 40 lush parks, free concerts, recreation centers, CampWatershed with 35,000 lush acres, athletic fields, tennis courts, and swimming pools.
Newark Revival and the Passaic River
Perhaps few places in America represent the urban trauma of the 1960s more than this city. Deindustrialization, corruption, suburban flight and calamitous planning gutted its core, tore up neighborhoods and helped fuel rebellion in the streets.
The whole toxic environment was encapsulated in the desecration of the PassaicRiver, which borders Newark. It became a dumping ground for dioxin from the defunct Diamond Shamrock Chemicals Company. But a quiet upheaval is turning that river, polluted as it may be, into a front line of reclamation. It’s a common approach these days, from Seoul to Madrid to San Francisco: upgrading cities by revamping ravaged waterfronts. Urban renewal strategies from decades past, which did so much to destroy places like Newark, are being turned on their heads. The idea here is to make the Passaic a point of pride. You can see the sign of change in a new stretch of fluorescent orange boardwalk along the riverfront, an eye catcher for passengers on trains rumbling over the bridge into Newark Penn Station.
In this cash-starved city, nearly half the money has come from the state, the rest from federal and county sources, along with private contributions solicited by the mayor. These are changing times for Newark. Cities, which banked so much on fancy buildings, are increasingly finding new life and a fresh identity in public spaces that connect neighborhoods and communities. Planning gurus for years preached that waterfronts were no more than working ports and dumping grounds for industrial waste and the poor
Transportation/Newark Airport
Located in New Jersey, NewarkAirport is 16 miles from midtown Manhattan. Over 30 million passengers pass through NewarkAirport annually.
Air Train: The Air Train offers connecting service to NJ Transit and Amtrak trains which will bring you into Manhattan. Surprisingly, this can actually be much quicker than taking a cab or bus, and it is much more affordable. $11.55 one way will bring you from NewarkAirport to Penn Station. AirTran connects the NJ Transit “Newark Airport Station” to the airport terminals.
