Bloomfield
Bloomfield
Like most of the towns around it, Bloomfield was settled in the mid-1600s when groups of English and Dutch settlers moved from Connecticut and southern New York to land that was purchased from the Lenni-Lenape Indian tribe. Named after Revolutionary War General Robert Bloomfield, who would go on to become the state’s first governor, the town was part of the City of Newark until 1812. The central part of town features a 15 block historic district that includes a number of large Victorian homes, a brick church built in 1797 and the 11 acre campus of Bloomfield College all surrounding a green where George Washington’s army trained.
Easily accessible by the Garden State Parkway, Midtown Direct Train and New York commuter and local buses, Bloomfield has a bustling downtown known as Bloomfield Center and a proportionally higher number of commercial and light industrial properties, compared to its neighbors to the west. Covering about 5.3 square miles, Bloomfield has a population of just under 50,000. Over the past few years, Bloomfield has seen a residential real estate boom propelled by its smaller and more affordable housing as well as improved train service to Midtown Manhattan. Neighborhoods are generally named after the nearest elementary school (8 public). Bloomfield Center is in the earliest stages of a major downtown re-development which will include new residential rentals and condominiums as well as retail and parking. The re-development is expected to increase property values in the surrounding residential areas in particular the Watsessing area. The new downtown restaurant Seniorita’s was recently named the best Mexican Restaurant in New Jersey by readers of New Jersey Monthly and the arts in Bloomfield have seen a resurgence with expanded programming at Bloomfield College’s Westminster Theater and the relocation of 12 Miles West Theatre Company from Montclair to Bloomfield Center in 2004.
Township website including a history of Bloomfield: www.bloomfieldtwpnj.com
Bloomfield Public Schools: www.bloomfield.k12.nj.us
Bloomfield College: www.bloomfield.edu
Bloomfield Center: www.bloomfieldcenter.com
12 Miles West Center for the Arts www.12mileswest.org
Bloomfield Information http://www.city-data.com/city/Bloomfield-New-Jersey.html
