[29] Located north of Newark on the Passaic River, it was first settled in 1678 by Dutch traders, as Acquackanonk Township.

The city and river get their name from the Lenape word "pahsayèk" which has been variously attributed to mean "valley" or "place where the land splits.

[34][35][36] In 1854 Alfred Speer (later owner of the city's first newspaper[37] and public hall) and Judge Henry Simmons were the principals in a political battle over the naming of village.

Speer was losing the battle however he convinced the U.S. Postmaster General to adopt the name, and hung a Passaic sign at the local railroad depot.

The workers successfully fought to keep their wages unchanged but did not receive recognition of their union by the mill owners.

In 1992, the voters of Passaic Township in Morris County voted to change the name of their municipality to Long Hill Township, to avoid confusion between the City of Passaic and the largely rural community 22 miles (35 km) away, as well as association with the more urban city.

[50] Passaic is served by two regional newspapers, The Record and Herald News which are both owned by the Gannett company and its predecessor North Jersey Media Group.

The road connection with Rutherford is via the Union Avenue Bridge, which is located on an extension off the northbound lanes of Route 21.

Several condominium and cooperative apartment complexes are also located there including: The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

[73] With over 1,300 families, estimated at a total population of 15,000, Passaic has one of the state's fastest-growing Orthodox Jewish communities.

[76] As of the 2000 United States census,[18] there were 67,861 people, 19,458 households, and 14,457 families residing in the city of Passaic, New Jersey.

[7][85] As of 2022[update], Passaic's mayor is Hector Carlos Lora, whose term of office ends June 30, 2025.

[86] Lora was appointed in 2016 to fill a vacancy that followed the resignation of Democratic mayor Alex Blanco after he was indicted on federal corruption charges; Lora was the Director of the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders at the time and chose to resign his position and accept an appointment to serve as Mayor and finish the remainder of Blanco's unexpired term.

[87] Members of the Passaic City Council are Council President Gary Schaer (term ends 2023), Jose R. "Joe" Garcia (2025), Terrence L. Love (2025), Thania Melo (2023), Chaim M. Munk (2023) and Daniel J. Schwartz (2025), with one seat currently declared vacant.

[92] In addition to his role as council president, Schaer also holds a seat in the 36th Legislative District of the New Jersey General Assembly.

This dual position, often called double dipping, is allowed under a grandfather clause in the state law enacted by the New Jersey Legislature and signed into law by Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine in September 2007 that prevents dual-office-holding but allows those who had held both positions as of February 1, 2008, to retain both posts.

[93] Corruption charges over the past decades have resulted in the federal convictions of two mayors, seven councilman and other public officials, all members of the Democratic Party.

[98] In November 2016, Blanco pled guilty to a single federal count of bribery, agreeing to resign immediately Blanco admitted in court to accepting $110,000 in bribes from two unnamed housing developers in exchange for directing more than $200,000 in HUD funds to a failed low-income housing development.

He was succeeded by Passaic County Freeholder Hector Lora, in an appointment made by the City Council.

Blanco is the second consecutive elected mayor of Passaic, and the third in two decades (following Joseph Lipari and Sammy Rivera), to be convicted of or plead guilty to official misconduct charges.

[101][102][103] Prior to the 2010 Census, Passaic had been part of the 8th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

[104] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 9th congressional district is represented by Nellie Pou (D, North Haledon)[105] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Andy Kim (Moorestown, term ends 2031).

[106] For the 2024-2025 session, the 36th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Paul Sarlo (D, Wood-Ridge) and in the General Assembly by Clinton Calabrese (D, Cliffside Park) and Gary Schaer (D, Passaic).

[108] As of 2025[update], Passaic County's Commissioners are: Bruce James (D, Clifton, 2026),[109] Deputy Director Cassandra "Sandi" Lazzara (D, Little Falls, 2027),[110] Director John W. Bartlett (D, Wayne, 2027),[111] Orlando Cruz (D, Paterson, 2026),[112] Terry Duffy (D, West Milford, 2025),[113] Rodney DeVore (D, Paterson, 2027)[114] and Pasquale "Pat" Lepore (D, Woodland Park, 2025).

[127] Among the city's 2010 Census population, 34.7% (vs. 53.2% in Passaic County) were registered to vote, including 50.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.8% countywide).

[172] In October 2016, Deputy Chief Luis Guzman became the first Dominican-American to be selected to lead the city's police department.

OEM also manages street traffic at all large events in the city, including festivals and parades.

[179][180] NJ Transit's Passaic rail station[181] is located in the Passaic Park section, providing service on the Main Line southbound to Hoboken Terminal, and to Secaucus Junction for NJ Transit connections to New York Penn Station in New York City, Newark Airport and points north and south.

Northbound service is provided to Paterson, Ridgewood and New York state stations in Suffern and Port Jervis.

[183] Commuter jitney buses operate along Main Avenue providing frequent non-scheduled service to Paterson, Union City, the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal in Washington Heights, Manhattan, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and points between.