Belleville, NJ
| Belleville, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| Township | |
| Township of Belleville | |
Wesley United Methodist Church
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| Nickname(s): Cherry Blossom Capital of America, The Ville | |
 Location in Essex County and the state of New Jersey. |
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 Census Bureau map of Belleville, New Jersey |
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| Coordinates: 40°47′44″N 74°09′43″W / 40.795515°N 74.16185°WCoordinates: 40°47′44″N 74°09′43″W / 40.795515°N 74.16185°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |
 New Jersey
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| County | Essex |
| Incorporated | April 8, 1839 |
| Named for | French language for "beautiful city" |
| Government | |
| • Type | Faulkner Act (Council-Manager) |
| • Body | Township Council |
| • Mayor | Raymond Kimble (term ends June 30, 2018) |
| • Manager | Kevin M. Esposito (interim) |
| • Municipal clerk | Kelly Cavanagh |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.399 sq mi (8.805 km2) |
| • Land | 3.340 sq mi (8.651 km2) |
| • Water | 0.059 sq mi (0.154 km2) 1.74% |
| Area rank | 317th of 566 in state 14th of 22 in county |
| Elevation | 161 ft (49 m) |
| Population (2010 Census) | |
| • Total | 35,926 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 36,203 |
| • Rank | 64th of 566 in state 7th of 22 in county |
| • Density | 10,755.7/sq mi (4,152.8/km2) |
| • Density rank | 31st of 566 in state 5th of 22 in county |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07109 |
| Area code(s) | 862/973 |
| FIPS code | 3401304695 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1729713 |
| Website | www |
Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "Beautiful city / town") is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 35,926, reflecting a decline of 2 (0.0%) from the 35,928 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,715 (+5.0%) from the 34,213 counted in the 1990 Census.
Originally known as "Second River" or "Washington", the inhabitants renamed the settlement "Belleville" in 1797. Belleville was originally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1839, from portions of Bloomfield. Portions of the township were taken to create Woodside Township (March 24, 1869, now defunct) and Franklin Township (February 18, 1874, now known as Nutley). The independent municipality of Belleville city was created within the township on March 27, 1874, and was dissolved on February 22, 1876. On November 16, 1910, Belleville was reincorporated as a town, based on the results of a referendum held eight days earlier.
In 1870, Belleville became the first Chinatown on the East Coast of the United States. While the country experienced strong anti-Chinese sentiment, the town welcomed a group of Chinese workers from the West Coast who had been involved in construction of the Central Pacific Railroad. This group of people eventually formed the basis for Chinatowns in Newark and New York City.
In 1981, the town was one of seven Essex County municipalities to pass a referendum to become a township, joining four municipalities that had already made the change, of what would ultimately be more than a dozen Essex County municipalities to reclassify themselves as townships in order take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis.
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