This New Jersey City Was Built Around a Waterfall Instead of a Town Square

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Paterson is a New Jersey city whose industrial core was planned around the Great Falls and the waterpower the Passaic River offered. Alexander Hamilton saw the falls as a way to build a manufacturing center, not a town square. Today, Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park brings that industrial past together with a striking natural landmark.

The waterfall drops 77 feet through the city, where the river cuts a deep gorge beside old mill buildings. You can see how a powerful natural feature shaped the city’s early plan and still marks its center. The falls themselves formed at the end of the last ice age, long before Paterson’s industrial plan.

Key Takeaways

• Hamilton’s industrial vision helped shape Paterson.
• The falls supplied power for local factories.
• The park joins industrial history with a major waterfall.
• The falls formed about 13,000 years ago.
• Paterson grew around the river’s natural power.

How Paterson Great Falls New Jersey Became an Industrial City

Paterson’s industrial story began when Alexander Hamilton and the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures chose the falls as the power source for a planned manufacturing city. The Great Falls on the Passaic River offered a strong, steady force for mills.

Paterson was established in 1791, before Hamilton’s 1792 industrial plan. The Society aimed to create what the National Park Service calls America’s first planned industrial city. Its plan shows how early choices can shape a city for generations, much like the planning decisions in other American cities.

Hamilton’s waterpower plan

A raceway is an artificial channel that carries water to power machinery. The system used the Passaic River’s 77-foot drop and three tiers of raceways to send water to factories. Water from the falls powered Paterson’s planned manufacturing center.

The river was not just part of Paterson’s setting; its falling water made the industrial plan work.

The channels supplied mills and helped turn a planned settlement into an industrial center. The city became incorporated in 1851, as manufacturing continued to shape its growth.

Raceways, mills, and the hydroelectric plant

By 1838, the Society’s raceway network could no longer expand, and demand for waterpower soon exceeded its supply. Paterson’s Great Falls and raceway system powered area mills until 1914.

In 1911, the Society chose to build a hydroelectric plant beside the falls. Construction ran from 1912 through 1914 and required cutting into the basalt cliff for four penstocks, which carried water to turbines.

The plant had four Westinghouse generators, each rated at 2,400 volts and 60-cycle alternating current. The area became Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park on November 7, 2011. The old raceway system and the plant mark two different ways Paterson put the river to work.

Paterson had 158,735 residents in 2024, with a median household income of $55,997. Hispanic residents made up 64.5% of the population, or about 102,000 people. Hispanic identity describes ethnicity, not a full racial breakdown; the largest ethnic group was Other (Hispanic), with 58,800 residents.

What Can You See and Do Around the Falls?

You can take in the falls from overlooks on both sides of the gorge, from the bridge, or from above the river at McBride Avenue. Each spot gives you a different view of the waterfall and gorge.

Haines Overlook Park sits south of the falls, while Mary Ellen Kramer Park is north of them. The McBride Avenue crossing runs above the falls and lets you view them while driving. The overlooks and river views also offer photo opportunities.

Viewpoints on both sides of the gorge

These three locations make it easy to compare the falls from above and from either side of the gorge. The gorge’s basalt walls frame the falling water and the remains of Paterson’s industrial past.

Walks and screen appearances

A walking bridge over the falls was completed in February 2026. Its completion adds a way to cross above the water, though it does not mean every access point is open.

The Paterson Falls Park Trails route from Overlook Park to Mary Ellen Kramer Park is listed as a 0.5-mile out-and-back walk with 55 feet of elevation gain. A self-guided walking tour can help you notice the old industrial features along the way. For other waterfall outings, you can explore waterfalls in North Carolina.

The Sopranos used the park in episodes 1×01 and 1×06. The 2016 film Paterson features the falls as a primary location, bringing the site to movie screens as well as television.

The listed route is short, but its 55 feet of elevation gain still call for comfortable walking shoes.

Plan a Visit to Paterson Great Falls

You can visit the park grounds without paying an entrance fee or obtaining a pass. The historical park is at 72 McBride Avenue Extension, Paterson, NJ 07501, and the grounds are open year-round. Free access makes it easy to stop by, but some paths and facilities close in winter.

Park grounds remain open 24 hours, but the visitor parking lot does not. The lot at 72 McBride Avenue Extension closes sometime after dark and reopens each morning between 7:45 a.m. and 8:45 a.m>.

The park grounds are available around the clock, while the visitor parking lot closes overnight and reopens each morning between 7:45 a.m. and 8:45 a.m.

There is no visitor center or indoor facility, and restrooms are currently unavailable. The national historical park allows visits in every season, though winter can bring path and facility closures. If you are planning other New Jersey family stops, consider this family trip guide.

These activities are prohibited:

• Drones
• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Barbecues
• Open fires
• Fireworks

Dogs must stay on six-foot, non-retractable leashes, and owners must collect and dispose of their waste. Special events require special use permits. Check the lot’s morning reopening window before relying on it for an early visit.

Conclusion

Paterson’s Great Falls remains a rare place where a city’s industrial origins are visible in the landscape that powered them. The waterfall, river gorge, and remains of mill life sit together within the city, rather than apart from it.

That mix gives you a reason to visit beyond the view alone. You can see how a natural landmark shaped a planned industrial center, then take in the falls from the city around them. Before you go, check the National Park Service’s current park updates and choose a daylight visit.