Once considered "the beehive of industry", the town is undergoing a residential renewal, particularly along the Passaic River.

[23] The area that is now Harrison was the southernmost part of the 15,308-acre (23.919 sq mi; 61.95 km2) land grant awarded to William Sandford in 1668.

While Sandford and his family established a plantation on the northern portion of his tract, there is no evidence they developed any significant part of Harrison.

[25] A road to the Hudson Waterfront was completed in 1750, named for Douwe's Ferry which it met at its eastern end to cross the Hackensack River.

[26] In 1790 the state legislature decided that "public good would be served by a 64-foot road from Paulus Hook to Newark Courthouse".

In 1826, the New Jersey Legislature formed Lodi Township from the southern portion of New Barbadoes Neck in Bergen County.

In 1840, the inhabitants of Lodi Township joined with present-day Secaucus, Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, and Union City and petitioned for the creation of a new county due to the great distance which the petitioners had to travel to reach the county seat in Hackensack.

This appeal resulted in the creation of Hudson County and the first mention of Harrison occurs in the law which was passed on April 13, 1840.

[29] General N. N. Halstead succeeded in getting the necessary laws passed in Trenton and on April 8, 1867, Kearny became a separate Township from land that was a part of Harrison, which included East Newark at the time; East Newark later seceded from Kearny, establishing their own Borough.

[1][30] The town's proximity to rail lines and a large waterfront made Harrison favorably situated for trade.

[32] As the U.S. moved into the 20th century, these facilities played a major role in the development of new products for both the private and public sector, peaking during World War II.

[2][3] Unincorporated communities located partially or completely within Harrison include Manhattan Transfer.

Town Council meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm (except in July and August, when no meetings are held, at the call of the chairman), in Council Chambers, which is located on the second floor of the Town Hall at 318 Harrison Avenue.

As of 2022[update], the Mayor of Harrison is Democrat James A. Fife, who is serving a term of office ending December 31, 2022.

[4][6][54][55][56][57] Harrison had one of the longest-serving mayors in United States history, Frank E. Rodgers, who was first elected in 1946, defeating incumbent Frederick J. Gassert who had served for 16 years, and served for 48 years, from 1947 to 1995, being elected to 24 two-year terms.

[58] While serving a term scheduled to end on December 31, 2014, longtime Mayor Raymond McDonough died on February 12, 2014, after suffering a heart attack at town hall.

[59] Later that month, the town council selected James Fife, a former Harrison High School principal, to complete term of McDonough's seat as mayor, which he had held since 1995.

[61] In February 2022, the Town Council selected Delfim Sarabando from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fille the Ward 3 council seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by Francisco Nascimento until he stepped down from office.

The department consists of several divisions; Administrative, Patrol, Detective, Traffic Safety, Street Crimes, and Community Policing.

The department participates in National Night Out, and various cultural and civic events, as well as "meet and greets.

"[115] The department was among the many Hudson County agencies that responded to the January 2009 crash of Flight 1549, for which they received accolades from the survivors.

As part of the agreement, MONOC pays a $1,500 monthly fee for its use of the firehouse on Cleveland Avenue that had previously been used by Harrison Emergency Management Services.

The club supports and provides financial aid to the district, state, and international sight projects and is also involved in community programs.

[137] Replacement of Interstate 280's partial access in central Harrison with service roads, a new interchange, and an overpass (to improve access to Harrison Avenue, the PATH station, and Sports Illustrated Stadium, and to give north–south passage to local street traffic) is in the planning stages.

A major reconstruction for the Harrison Station was approved on March 28, 2012, and construction started in January 2013.

[142] The Northeast Corridor, built in the 19th century by the Pennsylvania Railroad and now owned by Amtrak, carries NJ Transit trains, and passes through the city on the same alignment as the PATH.

There was a stop on the Northeast Corridor in Harrison, but it was eliminated due to the ease of picking up trains in Newark at Penn Station.

After years of construction delays, the stadium opened on March 20, 2010, with an exhibition game against the Brazilian club Santos FC.

[148] The soccer-specific stadium (SSS) was constructed at a cost of $200 million and has a capacity of approximately 25,000, with a natural grass field, featuring a full wavy translucent European-style roof that covers all of the seats in the stadium but not the field.

[149] The stadium sits alongside the Passaic River with a view of the New York and Newark skyline, and is accessible via public transportation at the PATH train station in Harrison.