The smallest municipality in Hudson County, a tenth of a square mile on the Passaic River wedged between Harrison and Kearny: a few dozen blocks of houses around the old Clark Thread mill, Tops Diner on the corner, and the Harrison PATH, Kearny Avenue and Newark's Ironbound all within a ten-minute walk. East Newark is a quiet address in the middle of three busier ones.
East Newark is a tenth of a square mile on the Passaic River between Harrison and Kearny, the smallest town in Hudson County, with the old Clark Thread mill at one end and Tops Diner at the other. I show homes here but I do not live here, so I built this day from the places locals rate highest — several of them a few blocks over the line in Harrison, Kearny and the Ironbound, because a town this small borrows its neighbors — and I am walking it myself. Every place is real. The map is real. Scroll, and I'll walk you through it. Tap any stop for the full story.
The first coffee is over the river: a café run by a Haitian coffee company, a short walk across the Clay Street bridge into Newark. Take the cup back over the water.
Breakfast is Colombian, on Harrison Avenue just over the line: pan de bono, an arepa de choclo, and an espresso con leche. Open from six on weekdays.
East Newark's train is in Harrison, a straight walk south down the boulevard: the Newark–World Trade Center PATH, one stop from Newark Penn and a direct ride to Lower Manhattan.
From here it is a walk to the Harrison PATH station on Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard South, about 20 minutes on foot from the park, straight south through Harrison: one stop to Newark Penn, direct to World Trade Center.
Lunch is a brick-oven pie up Kearny Avenue, in a family pizzeria that delivers to East Newark by name. Eat in; the oven is the reason to come.
East Newark has no library of its own; the newly renovated one in Harrison is a short walk down the avenue, and the free hour for a small child on a weekday.
The after-school hour in summer: Harrison's riverfront park on Cape May Street, with a splash pad on the water and the stadium behind it.
The reason people from three states know where East Newark is. A diner since 1942, now a very big one, open eight in the morning to eleven at night, seven days.
The other dinner: paella, seafood and a pitcher of sangria at a family Spanish restaurant that has been on Harrison Avenue since 1963, down by the bridge to Newark.
The nightcap is at the very bottom of Kearny Avenue, where the three towns meet: craft cocktails and a Brazilian-leaning kitchen, open until one on Friday and Saturday.
A Major League Soccer stadium a walk from your front door is not a normal thing to have. On a match Saturday the whole of Harrison walks south.
Sunday morning is for crossing the bridge into the Ironbound: a Portuguese bakery on Ferry Street for a pastel de nata and a bag of bread, then the long walk up the street.
Walk it off along the Passaic on the Newark side, across the Jackson Street bridge from Harrison: the county park that was the city's first public green on the water.
And back to the lake for the end of the light. A town of a tenth of a square mile lives in its neighbors' parks, and this is the good one.
Honest footnotes. None of these places pays me or knows I wrote this. I built this East Newark day from the places locals rate highest and I am walking it myself — tell me what I missed. Hours change; check before you go.
The smallest municipality in Hudson County, a tenth of a square mile on the Passaic River wedged between Harrison and Kearny: a few dozen blocks of houses around the old Clark Thread mill, Tops Diner on the corner, and the Harrison PATH, Kearny Avenue and Newark's Ironbound all within a ten-minute walk. East Newark is a quiet address in the middle of three busier ones.
East Newark is a borough of about two thousand people on the east bank of the Passaic, so small that most of its day happens over the line. The Clark Thread Company mill, a long brick complex on the river, was the reason the town existed; the houses around it were built for the mill workers, and they are still the housing: two- and three-family frame houses on short streets, with a few small apartment buildings.
What the town has is location. Tops Diner, the best-known diner in the state, is on its main corner. The Harrison PATH station is a short walk south, Kearny Avenue's shops and restaurants are a short walk north, and the Clay Street bridge leads straight into Newark's Ironbound and its Portuguese and Brazilian restaurants. West Hudson Park, the county park shared with Harrison and Kearny, is the green space.
The commute is the Harrison PATH: one seat to Newark Penn or the World Trade Center. NJ Transit buses run along the avenue to Newark, and Route 280 and the Turnpike are minutes away by car. Parking on the street is the normal arrangement.
For buyers this is a two-family town at the lowest prices in the county for a PATH walk, with the Harrison redevelopment rising a few blocks away and the mill site itself slated to be rebuilt. I show it to investors and to first-time buyers who want a house, a tenant and a train, and who do not need a main street of their own.
Best for: two-family buyers and investors who want a PATH commute at Kearny prices, and anyone who eats out in the Ironbound. Harder for: buyers who want a town with its own shops, parks and restaurants inside the borough line.
The walk above is a real day in East Newark — coffee, the commute, the park, dinner. Answer four questions and it reorders itself around your morning, or open the route map and follow it yourself.
2,497 people live in East Newark, where the median age is 37.5 and the average individual income is $21,108.
Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
There is plenty to do around East Newark — shopping, dining, parks and nightlife. The three scores below rate how easy it is to get around without a car.
Walk Score®, Transit Score® and Bike Score® provided by Walk Score.
The places within walking distance — where to eat, shop, train and get a haircut. Tap a row to find it on the map.
| Name | Category | Distance |
|---|
Places and addresses from OpenStreetMap contributors. Distances are straight-line from the centre of East Newark. Hours change — check before you go.
Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Daycare through high school, in or next to East Newark. A starting point for comparison — visit before you decide, and call me about catchment lines, which move.
| Name | Type | Grades | Students |
|---|
Public and charter schools from the NCES Common Core of Data; daycare and pre-school locations from OpenStreetMap contributors.
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