Passaic

City in Passaic County, northeast New Jersey; population (1992 est) 57,000. It is situated on the Passaic River, 6 km/4 mi southeast of Paterson, and to the north of Jersey City. Products include television cables, chemicals, plastics, rubber goods, aircraft parts, pharmaceuticals, and clothing.

Once an American Indian camping ground, it was settled by Dutch traders in 1678, and was known as Acquackanonk until 1854. It was occupied by both American and British troops during the Revolutionary War. In the 1850s a dam was built, and Passaic developed into a major textile manufacturing city; it was a labour union centre in the early 20th century. The city's largest woollen mill was later converted into an industrial park; the last of the woollen mills was closed in 1955.

Passaic

River in New Jersey; length 130 km/81 mi. Rising in Morris county near Morristown, it flows between Union and Essex counties, before joining the Hackensack River and emptying into Newark Bay. The Great Falls (height 21 m/69 ft) interrupt its course at Paterson, a former mill town.