Elizabeth Overview
With a population of 125,809, the City of Elizabeth is New Jersey’s fourth largest city. As the Union County seat, it contains most major governmental offices and courts servicing the County. Elizabeth is led by nationally recognized fourth-term Mayor Chris Bollwage, a lifelong resident of the city. Since 1990, Elizabeth’s population has grown 10 percent. Since 1993, the current administration has worked to jumpstart $1.5 billion in economic development that has created 7,000 new jobs and brought to life retailers such as the Jersey Gardens Mall and the AMC Loews Jersey Gardens Theatre, the largest mall and movie theatre on the East Coast.
A catalyst for this success has been the City’s award-winning Urban Enterprise Zone Program, which offers discounted sales tax. The UEZ has provided more than $50 million in additional funds for reinvestment into the zone. This massive reinvestment includes funding for additional police, elaborate streetscape beautifications and enhanced infrastructure improvements, as well as many other economic development programs designed to help businesses succeed in Elizabeth.
The City is also home to the largest industrial seaport in North America and the Newark/Elizabeth Liberty International Airport. Elizabeth’s two NJ Transit train stations provide quick access to New York City and points westward and south through New Jersey. Its many transit buses also complement this complex transportation network and provides convenient access to all corners of the City and beyond. Elizabeth also boasts marvelous diversity, resulting in a wide range of culture and heritage for all to enjoy. Its people represent more than 50 countries and 37 language groups.
Elizabeth, at its core, has always been a City that has worked: from its roots in the industrial era in our country, to its later years as the current County seat for Union, and now, a retail and transportation center for the Metropolitan area. From the days of its founding when great men such as George Washington and Alexander Hamilton walked its streets, and as the first state capital of New Jersey, Elizabeth has been blessed with generations of residents who have defended the values of this country. This bold, pioneering spirit lives on today in its residents and is part of what makes Elizabeth a great American City that many are proud to call home, and many more love to visit.
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