Elizabeth, New Jersey

About Elizabeth, New Jersey

Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 120,568, making it New Jersey's fourth largest city (by population). The population of Elizabeth was 126,179, as of the Census Bureau's 2006 estimate. It is the county seat of Union County.

In 2008, Elizabeth was named one of "America's 50 Greenest Cities" by Popular Science magazine, the only city in New Jersey selected.

Elizabeth was founded in 1664 by English settlers and was named for the wife of Sir George Carteret, not Queen Elizabeth I as many people assume. Originally called "Elizabethtown," and part of the Elizabethtown Tract, it was the first English speaking community formed in the new colony. It was also the first capital of New Jersey. During the American Revolutionary War, Elizabeth was constantly attacked by British forces based in Manhattan and Staten Island.