Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "beautiful town"[17][18]) is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

[8][9] an increase of 2,296 (+6.4%) from the 2010 census count of 35,926,[19][20] Originally known as "Second River" or "Washington", the inhabitants renamed the settlement "Belleville" in 1797.

[21] Belleville was originally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1839, from portions of Bloomfield.

The independent municipality of Belleville city was created within the township on March 27, 1874, and was dissolved on February 22, 1876.

On November 16, 1910, Belleville was reincorporated as a town, based on the results of a referendum held eight days earlier.

This group of people eventually formed the basis for Chinatowns in Newark and New York City.

[24][25][26][27] Frankie Valli and the band The Four Seasons formed in Belleville,[28] as did The Delicates, the late-1950s and early-1960s girl group made up of Denise Ferri, Arleen Lanzotti and Peggy Santiglia.

[29] In 1994, Congress passed a resolution recognizing Belleville as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.

[32] Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Belwood, Big Tree and Soho.

[33] The Second River forms much of the border between Belleville and Newark as it runs through Branch Brook Park.

[48][49] As of the 2000 Census, the most common ancestries listed were Italian (30.9%), Irish (9.4%), German (6.9%), Polish (4.5%), United States (2.6%) and English (2.2%).

[6][55] As of 2025[update], the mayor of Belleville is Michael A. Melham, whose term of office ends June 30, 2026.

[61] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 11th congressional district is represented by Mikie Sherrill (D, Montclair).

[63] For the 2024-2025 session, the 34th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Britnee Timberlake (D, East Orange) and in the General Assembly by Carmen Morales (D, Belleville) and Michael Venezia (D, Bloomfield).

As of 2025[update], the County Executive is Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. (D, Roseland), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.

[66] Essex County's Commissioners are: Robert Mercado (D, District 1 – Newark's North and East Wards, parts of Central and West Wards; Newark, 2026),[67] A'Dorian Murray-Thomas (D, District 2 – Irvington, Maplewood and parts of Newark's South and West Wards; Newark, 2026),[68] Vice President Tyshammie L. Cooper (D, District 3 - Newark: West and Central Wards; East Orange, Orange and South Orange; East Orange, 2026),[69] Leonard M. Luciano (D, District 4 – Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Livingston, Millburn, North Caldwell, Roseland, Verona, West Caldwell and West Orange; West Caldwell, 2026),[70] President Carlos M. Pomares (D, District 5 – Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair and Nutley; Bloomfield, 2026),[71] Brendan W. Gill (D, at large; Montclair, 2026),[72] Romaine Graham (D, at large; Irvington, 2026),[73] Wayne Richardson (D, at large; Newark, 2026),[74] Patricia Sebold (D, at-large; Livingston, 2026).

The bridge was formally renamed on July 4, 2013, as the "Lance Corporal Osbrany Montes de Oca Memorial Bridge" in memory of a United States Marine Corps soldier killed in February 2012 while serving in Afghanistan.

[122] Until 1966, the Newark Branch of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad provided train service at stations at Belleville and Cleveland Street.