Best Web Design in Paterson, NJ (2026)

Web Design for Paterson, New Jersey

Paterson is America's first planned industrial city, founded in 1792 at the 77-foot Great Falls of the Passaic River on the vision of Alexander Hamilton and his Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures. Water-powered mills made it 'Silk City,' and today the Passaic County seat is one of New Jersey's most densely diverse cities, home to the largest Peruvian enclave outside South America and a major Bengali and Bangladeshi community.

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

About Paterson

Also known as. Silk City. The Cotton City (earlier era). The Iron City. Little Lima / Peru Square (the Peruvian enclave).

History. Alexander Hamilton championed the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.), which selected the Great Falls of the Passaic for a manufacturing city in 1792; the town was named for New Jersey Governor William Paterson. The 77-foot Great Falls and a system of raceways and canals (the first canal completed by 1794) powered the mills until 1914. The early economy centered on cotton, earning the nickname 'the Cotton City'; silk was first manufactured in Paterson in 1840 and boomed after the Civil War, producing the enduring 'Silk City' name. In the 1913 Paterson silk strike, more than 20,000 silk workers walked out for over five months seeking the eight-hour day and better conditions, in a strike linked to the IWW and organizers such as Carlo Tresca. The Great Falls area was designated Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in 2011.

Local economy. Historic industries made the city a manufacturing powerhouse: cotton, then dominant silk, plus Rogers locomotives, Colt firearms, and Holland submarines. St. Joseph's Health, anchored by St. Joseph's University Medical Center, employs roughly 5,000 people and is the largest employer in Passaic County. After the collapse of its industrial base, small businesses became the city's most prominent enterprises; by 1983 Paterson was the fifth-poorest city in the United States, and 25.2% of residents lived in poverty as of 2020.

Culture and community. The 'Little Lima' / Peru Square district along Market Street is the largest Peruvian enclave outside South America, packed with Peruvian-owned bakeries, restaurants, and groceries. Paterson has a large Bengali and Bangladeshi community, and its public schools close for Muslim holidays. Literary legacy: William Carlos Williams's five-volume epic poem 'Paterson' (published 1946-1958) and Jim Jarmusch's 2016 film 'Paterson,' about a poet bus driver. Notable natives include comedian Lou Costello (of Abbott and Costello's 'Who's on First?'), Baseball Hall of Famer Larry Doby (who broke the American League color barrier), and rapper Fetty Wap ('Trap Queen'), who attended Eastside High School.

What makes Paterson distinct. Samuel Colt's Patent Arms Manufacturing Company operated in Paterson from 1836 to 1842, producing the Colt Paterson revolver, the first commercially successful repeating firearm. A Paterson-built Rogers locomotive pulled the westbound train when the transcontinental railroad's last spike was driven in 1869. John Philip Holland tested early submarines in Paterson; his 'Fenian Ram' is displayed at the Paterson Museum, and his designs became the pattern for the modern U.S. Navy submarine. Larry Doby made his professional debut at Paterson's Hinchliffe Stadium before integrating the American League.

Paterson Landmarks and Local Life

• The Great Falls of the Passaic (77 feet) and Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
• The Paterson Museum - housed in the restored Thomas Rogers Locomotive Erecting Shop
• Hinchliffe Stadium (built 1932) - one of only a handful of surviving Negro leagues ballparks (home to the New York Black Yankees and New York Cubans), reopened in 2023
• Statue and civic tributes to native son Lou Costello