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Originally published in 1939
Some of this information may no longer be current and in that case is presented for historical interest only.
Edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
The mortar that binds these bricks of the Newark social and economic structure is the city's impressive industrial development. Originally the major factor in its manufacturing growth was the city's situation on the Passaic River, which forms the eastern boundary. Now all the modern facilities of rail, motor transport, and air traffic are concentrated around or near this water front. The narrow channel, deep enough for ocean-going vessels, is spanned by a dozen highway and railroad drawbridges leading to the vast markets and sources of raw materials beyond. The winding water front, covered with docks, factories, lumberyards, railroad sidings and a sprinkling of dingy dwellings, shows how completely industry has conquered the city. Aside from the Ironbound district, which houses the breweries and paint and varnish plants, there is no well-defined industrial area. Small and large factories alike have penetrated into the residential and commercial sections, giving the impression that industrialization is virtually complete.
It has been said that every kind of product sold in the United States is manufactured in Newark. That is pardonable exaggeration; yet it is true that the city supports an amazing variety of factories, with an output ranging from jewelry to dynamos, from dentifrices to beer, from electric light bulbs to leather goods. Among the largest plants are those of General Electric, Weston, Westinghouse, the L. E. Waterman Company, the Celluloid Corporation, the Hoffman Beverage Company, the Wiss Cutlery Company and the Hollander Fur Dyeing Company.
Insurance dominates the city financially. Newark ranks as the fourth largest insurance center in the Nation and the second largest life insurance city in the country. The 19 Newark companies employ more than 30,000 office workers. The Prudential Insurance Company of America, chartered in 1877, is the titan organization. Other important companies are the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company, the American Insurance Company, the Firemen's Insurance Company and the Globe Indemnity Company.
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