Get an ADT-Monitored Home Security System in Belleville, New Jersey

Belleville (French: “Belle ville” meaning “Beautiful city / town”) is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township’s population was 38,222, an addition of 2,296 (+6.4%) from the 2010 census put in of 35,926, which in aim reflected a decrease of two people from the 35,928 counted in the 2000 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 charge 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 upon 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 city upon the East Coast of the United States later than a Chinatown. While much of the country (especially the Western states) had strong anti-Chinese sentiment, the town welcomed a charity of Chinese workers from the West Coast who had been workers upon building the Central Pacific Railroad. This group of people eventually formed the basis for Chinatowns in Newark and New York City.