Isabel Calero

City of Newark

Founded in 1666 by Captain Robert Treat and his Connecticut Puritans, the City of Newark is America's third-oldest City, and New Jersey's largest municipality. During and after the American Revolution, it became a major center for leather production and then heavy industry. It was formally incorporated as a City in 1836, and continued to be an industrial, banking, and insurance center for the next 100 years. In the past 40 years, Newark has undergone a dynamic transformation, with its economy centered on high technology, industry, and communications, based on its role as a transportation hub -- home to railroads, superhighways, the Newark Seaport, and Newark Liberty International Airport. Cultural centers like the Newark Museum and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center offer visitors and residents world-class exhibitions and entertainment. The Prudential Center in the City's downtown is home to the New Jersey Devils NHL hockey team and hosts performers like Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, and the Ringling Brothers Circus. Its restaurants and eateries reflect the city's diversity and hospitality. Notable Newark natives include basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, writer Philip Roth, singer Paul Simon, jazz musician Sarah Vaughan, poet and playwright Amiri Baraka, Sr., actress Queen Latifah, actor Michael B. Jordan, Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, and U.S. Congressman Peter Rodino. Today, Newark is transforming itself at the will of its united people. This transformation is the City's highest priority with groundbreaking initiatives in public safety, economic development, housing, and community engagement, while achieving fiscal stability. Together, these initiatives are transforming Newark into a City we can all believe in, and a model for the entire nation on just what a City should be for all of its residents, stakeholders, and visitors.