Boonton

Town in north-central New Jersey, on the Rockaway River and the Parsippany Reservoir, 13 km/8 mi northeast of Morristown; population (1990) 8,300. It has an oil refinery, and produces such goods as railway fuses, electronic equipment, batteries, pharmaceuticals, metal powder, and plastics.

Settled in the 18th century, it became a hub of the ironmaking industry during the mid-19th century. Boonton was also the site of many factories, including the first plant to make bakelite.