Jump to content

Gateway Region

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 130.49.147.25 (talk) at 17:30, 17 April 2007 (closest). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Gateway Region refers to the area in northeastern New Jersey closest to New York City, and encompasses Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic and Union counties. It is one of six marketing areas established by the New Jersey State Department of Tourism, the others being the Greater Atlantic City Region, the Southern Shore Region, the Delaware River Region, the Shore Region and the Skylands Region.[1]. It is the most urban part of the state and home to most of its larger cities, with population of more than four million, though most housing was originally developed as suburbs. It is home to Ellis Island, the "gateway" through which many immigrants entered the United States, many of whom choose to stay in the region, which continues to be the port of entry and first home to many born abroad, making it one of the most ethnically diverse of the nation. It may also be the most economically diverse, with some of the biggest pockets of poverty and most exclusive of suburbs in the state. The designation has not caught on in local parlance, as the topography and social identity of the residents tend not to correspond to the collective name, though the term North Jersey is often heard.

Geography

The Gateway Region is home to New Jersey's six largest municipalities: Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Woodbridge Township, and Edison. Major rivers and the bays they flow into are the Hudson River/Upper New York Bay, the Hackensack River and the Passaic River/Newark Bay, and the Raritan. The topography of the area is quite varied, with the Palisades and the Meadowlands in the northeast, the hills and valleys of the Watchung Mountains in the west, the Ramapo Mountains in the north, and tidal plains of the Raritan to the south. The confluence of roads and railways of the BosWash megalopolis and Northeast Corridor make the region very heavily travelled. Though there are broad distinctions between cities, suburbs, heavy industry, light manufacturing, recreational "green spaces", nature preserves, and retail, transportation, and maritime infrastructure, the landscape is characterized by their close proximity to each other, as is typical of urban sprawl.

History

The Lenape and The Netherlands

The Gateway Region was originally the territory of the Lenape Native Americans. Later called Delaware Indian, this collection of Algonquian-language speaking peoples is believed to have lived for more than 2,800 years on lands around and in-between the Hudson River and the Delaware River. The Lenape are recalled in the countless number of place names given by them to towns, hills, and bodies of water. Much of the land was "purchased" by Dutch and English from the Lenape, though the this concept of "ownership" was foreign to them. The Lenape retreated to the west as settlements grew, and "agreed" to re-locate in 1766 with the Treaty of Easton.

The first recorded European to explore the area was Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Dutch East India Company, who, in 1609, anchoring his ship the Halve Maen (Half Moon) at Sandy Hook, Harsimus, Weehawken Cove, and other spots established a Dutch claim. In June of 1623 the territory, called New Netherlands became a Dutch province, with headquarters in New Amsterdam. Settlement was sparse, and it was not until 1650, after series of confrontations with the Lenape, that the first permanent garrison/village was established on the west bank of the North River at Bergen. English and Dutch rivalry made the colony a pawn in European empire wars, and when the English entered New York Bay in 1664, a negotiated settlement (which guaranteed religious tolerance and protection of private property) was made to transfer control of the area to the British crown.

Colonial America

Elizabethtown was founded as the capitol and became the first officially English-speaking settlement, named after the wife of the province's proprietor, Sir George Cateret. In 1666, Newark was established by Puritans from Connecticut. By 1675, the region become the proprietary colony of East Jersey (establishing a border with New York State, which was formalized in 1738). It was partitioned into four counties for administrative purposes: Bergen County, Essex County, Middlesex County and Monmouth County. Settlement remained sparse, though some towns were created within farming communities and along rivers and bays. Among them are Hackensack (a Lenape/Dutch village) and Piscataway in 1693, Perth Amboy in 1684, and New Brunswick in 1736 (which later became home to Queens College). During the 18th century, increased migration to the southwest of Newark Bay by English speakers was predominate, while areas to the north and east retained a Dutch orientation. Slavery and indentured service were encourage to populate the area. The third public reading of The Declaration of Independence took place in New Brunswick, but many East Jerseyans became Tories. Several battles of American Revolution took place in the region including those at Conneticut Farms, Bound Brook, Paulus Hook, and Fort Lee.

Invention, Industry and Immigration

In 1791, Alexander Hamilton help found the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.), which encouraged the harnessing of the water power of the Great Falls of the Passaic and to secure economic independence from British manufacturers. Paterson, which was founded by the society, became the cradle of the industrial revolution in America, supported in part by the Morris Canal built in the 1820s. A century later Thomas Edison, the Wizard of Menlo Park, made his mark. Many discoveries and inventions, or application or mass production of them, were made in the the Gateway Region including the steam engine, the revolver, the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, the rocket engine, and the electric railway. It is the site of of the first automobile and first submarine in the United States. It can claim to the birthplace of baseball and the American film industry.

The latter half of the 19th century saw an expolison of the population (German farmers and entrepenuers and Irish fleeing the famine a large part of the growth), The laying of rail lines which still cross-cross the region, and the development of the shipping industry at the Hudson River waterfront, Newark Bay, and Kill van Kull, making it one of the nation's economic powerhouses.

The World Wars

Pre-/Post Millenium

Transportation

The Gateway Regions has an extensive network of national highways, state freeways, and toll roads; commuter and long distance trains; an expanding light rail system; local and interstate bus routes; and is home to one of the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area's three major airports. Much of the rail and surface transit systems is operated by New Jersey Transit and is oriented to commuters travelling to Newark, lower and midtown Manhattan, and increasingly, downtown Jersey City. Outside of the most "city-like" areas of Greater Newark/Elizabeth, Hudson County, and Greater Paterson, the automobile remains the most common means of intra-regional travel.

Rail

Air

commerical scheduled passenger service:

general aviation:

seaplane

Hubs

(Interstate) Crossings

(Major) Highways

See also

Annual Events

Events of national or international prominence include:

Environmental Centers

Historic Sites

The Gateway Region is home to many Registered Historic Places, including historic districts, private homes, places of worship, train stations, civic buildings, industrial architecture, and others including:

Historical Exhibitions

Many municipalities and counties have historical societies and museums specific to the local area. Other thematic exhibitions include:

Horticulture

Media

Newspapers

Many places have local newspapers specific to their towns, while the New York papers {Times, Daily News, and Post) are commonly available in retail shops and for delivery. Other major daily papers in the region include:

Television

Though the Gateway lies predominantly within the television market of New York City, there are broadcast television stations licensed to or located in cities in the region.

VHF stations (analog)
VHF stations (digital)
  • Channel 8: WNJB - (PBS) - New Brunswick - "N.J. Public Television"
UHF stations (analog)
UHF stations (digital)

National Natural Landmarks

Parks, Reserves, and Forests

Performing Arts

There are many theater and dance companies throughout the region, some of whom have there own performance spaces. Other theaters, whose programming mostly includes touring shows or new productions include:

Science and Natural History

Sport Venues

Universities and Colleges

Visual Arts

Zoos

References

  1. ^ "Visitor Information - Regional Tourism".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Gateway_Region&oldid=123577736"