Elizabeth (pop. 137,298) is the oldest English settlement in New Jersey. It lies in the eastern part of the state, 12 miles (19 kilometers) southwest of New York City. It is a manufacturing, transportation, and service center. Its factories make clothing, fabricated metal products, industrial machinery, paper products, pharmaceuticals, and rubber products. The city serves as a major port for container ships.
Elizabeth was settled in 1664 after England gained control of the Dutch colonies in North America. Philip Carteret (1639-1682), first English governor of New Jersey, selected the settlement as the site for his capital. He called it Elizabethtown. The city’s industrial development began after 1835 when some New York businessmen bought land bordering Staten Island Sound, on which to build manufacturing plants. Elizabeth also became a major railroad center. The Goethals Bridge connects Elizabeth with Staten Island. The original bridge opened in 1928. It was replaced by a bridge of the same name in 2017. Elizabeth has a mayor-council government. It is the seat of Union County.
