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Home > City Hall > History

In 1664, a group of Englishmen formed the Elizabethtown Associates and purchased a land area west of Newark Bay, including the area of current day Elizabeth. 

Elizabethtown, named in honor of the wife of Sir George Carteret, was established on the banks of the Elizabeth River in 1665. Elizabethtown thrived with a population of 700 and the City became the first capital of New Jersey.

From the days of Elizabeth's founding, great men have walked the City's streets. Alexander Hamilton called Elizabeth home for a time during his youth and George Washington came here en route to New York to be sworn in as the first President of the United States in 1789. Elizabeth's proud history can be seen in the numerous memorials, historic sites, and statues that dot the City's landscape.

For more historical information please visit www.visithistoricalelizabethnj.org

Read more about the founding of Elizabeth >>



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