Best Web Design in Passaic, NJ (2026)

Web Design for Passaic, New Jersey

Passaic is a dense, working-class city on the Passaic River in northern New Jersey, once a powerhouse of silk, wool, and textile manufacturing that drew waves of European immigrant labor. Today it is one of the most densely populated and ethnically diverse small cities in the country, roughly three-quarters Hispanic and home to a fast-growing Orthodox Jewish community. Its greatest historical claim is a genuine surprise: it is credited as a birthplace of television broadcasting.

AppWT works with Passaic, NJ businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Passaic

Also known as. The Birthplace of Television.

History. First settled by Dutch traders in 1678 and originally named Acquackanonk; the name comes from the Lenape word 'pahsayek,' meaning roughly 'valley' or 'place where the land splits' Renamed Passaic in 1854 through the efforts of Alfred Speer and incorporated as a city on April 2, 1873 Grew into a 19th- and early-20th-century textile, wool, and metalworking center powered by the river, canals, and railroads The Okonite Company operated in Passaic from 1878 to 1993; its insulated wire supplied early telegraph cables and the wiring for Thomas Edison's Pearl Street Station, the first commercial power plant The 1926 Passaic Textile Strike saw about 36,000 mill workers walk out over wage cuts in a landmark early industrial-labor action led by organizer Albert Weisbord

Local economy. Historically dominated by silk, wool, textiles, chemicals, and metalworking, most of which declined after the mid-20th century Modern economy is anchored by healthcare, education, government services, retail, and small business St. Mary's General Hospital and the public school system are among the largest local employers A dense commercial corridor along Main Avenue serves the city's heavily Hispanic and Orthodox Jewish consumer base

Culture and community. Population is roughly 73% Hispanic or Latino, with large Mexican, Dominican, and Central American communities shaping food, music, and street life Home to one of the fastest-growing Orthodox Jewish communities in the U.S., with over 1,300 families, an estimated 15,000 residents, and more than 20 yeshivas and kosher establishments Alex Blanco, elected Passaic mayor in 2008, was the first Dominican-American mayor in the United States Vibrant Latino culinary scene of taquerias, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants, and bakeries along Main Avenue

What makes Passaic distinct. Widely called a 'birthplace of television': the DeForest Radio Corporation's experimental station W2XCD began transmitting from Passaic in 1931 and is cited as the first TV station to broadcast a feature film to the home Inventor Allen B. DuMont opened DuMont Laboratories in Passaic in 1937 and went on to launch the DuMont Television Network in 1946, an early commercial TV network Passaic High School's basketball 'Wonder Teams,' coached by Ernest 'Prof' Blood from 1915 to 1924, ran up a 159-game winning streak, considered among the longest in basketball history; Blood was a showman who reportedly wrestled the team's bear-cub mascot at halftime The regional deep-fried 'ripper' hot dog tradition thrives just next door at Rutt's Hut in neighboring Clifton (opened 1928), a fixture of Passaic County food culture

Passaic Landmarks and Local Life

• Passaic River waterfront - the feature the city is named for
• Carlton Tower - the city's tallest building at 21 stories
• St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church - built 1959-1960
• Passaic Station on NJ Transit's Main Line - connecting to Hoboken and New York City