1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Passaic

PASSAIC, a city of Passaic county. New Jersey, U.S.A., at the head of navigation on the Passaic river, 5 m. S.S.E. of Paterson. (Pop. (1890), 13,028; (1900), 27,777, of whom 12,900 were foreign-born; (1910 census), 54,773. Passaic is served by the Erie and the Delaware, Lackawana & Western railways. The east part of the city is a plain occupied chiefly by factories, for which water-power is furnished by the river and a canal; the west part, which is almost wholly residential, extends over hills which command excellent views. Among the principal buildings are the city, hall, and the Jane Watson Reid Memorial Library. The city’s factory products increased in value from $12,804,805 in 1900 to $22,782,725 in 1905, or 77·9%. About one-half of the value in 1905 was in worsteds, cottons and woollens; other important manufactures are rubber goods and electrical supplies. There are large vineyards near the city. A settlement was established here by the Dutch in 1679, and was called Acquackanonk or Paterson Landing until the middle of the 19th century. Passaic was incorporated as a village in 1869, and in 1873 was chartered as a city.

See W. J. Pape and W. W. Scott, The News History of Passaic (Passaic, 1899).