In 1702, a group of settlers left Newark and purchased a large tract of land northwest of their home city for the equivalent of a few hundred dollars from the Lenape Native Americans.

This piece of land extended west and north to the Passaic River, south to the town center of what would become Livingston, and east to the First Watchung Mountain, and was called Horseneck by the natives because it resembled the neck and head of a horse.

[21] After the Revolutionary War, the area of Horseneck was incorporated as "Caldwell Township" in honor of local war hero James Caldwell, a pastor who used pages from his church's bibles as wadding to ignite the ammo in soldiers' cannons and helped to drive the British out of Horseneck.

With the population growing, Verona residents wanted to centrally locate essential services such as schools and places of worship, as well as problems with the water supply; and the disposition of road repair funds.

[25][26] In 1907, residents of the newly formed borough had sought to disassociate themselves from the Overbrook County Insane Asylum and the Newark City Home, a reform school, and from the settlement of Cedar Grove, which was considered a settlement of farmers.

[28][29][30] In 1976, Verona Borough received $213,000 in federal aid while similarly sized Cedar Grove Township received $1.24 million, suggesting financial benefits to structuring communities as townships as opposed to boroughs when possible.

[1][2] Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Hillcrest and Verona Lake.

January tends to be the coldest month, with average high temperatures in the upper 30s (Fahrenheit) and lows in the lower 20s.

From April to June and from September to early November, Verona enjoys temperatures from the lower 60s to upper 70s.

Snowfall is common from December to March and nor'easters can bring significant amounts of snow.

In January 1996, a weather station in nearby Newark, New Jersey, recorded over 31.8 inches (81 cm) of snow from the North American blizzard of 1996.

Annin produced flags that were used on Iwo Jima, at the North and South Poles, atop Mount Everest and the rubble of the World Trade Center.

Annin President Carter Beard said that uniforms of the Apollo 11 astronauts were decorated with a silk-screened patch that may have been produced in Verona.

[67] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 10th congressional district is represented by LaMonica McIver (D, Newark).

[69] For the 2024-2025 session, the 40th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Kristin Corrado (R, Totowa) and in the General Assembly by Al Barlas (R, Cedar Grove) and Christopher DePhillips (R, Wyckoff).

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

[72] Essex County's Commissioners are: Robert Mercado (D, District 1 – Newark's North and East Wards, parts of Central and West Wards; Newark, 2026),[73] A'Dorian Murray-Thomas (D, District 2 – Irvington, Maplewood and parts of Newark's South and West Wards; Newark, 2026),[74] Vice President Tyshammie L. Cooper (D, District 3 - Newark: West and Central Wards; East Orange, Orange and South Orange; East Orange, 2026),[75] 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),[76] President Carlos M. Pomares (D, District 5 – Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair and Nutley; Bloomfield, 2026),[77] Brendan W. Gill (D, at large; Montclair, 2026),[78] Romaine Graham (D, at large; Irvington, 2026),[79] Wayne Richardson (D, at large; Newark, 2026),[80] Patricia Sebold (D, at-large; Livingston, 2026).

However, this mascot has become controversial as a result of opposition from previous school Superintendent Earl Kim.

Dating back to an orphanage founded in 1883 in Newark, New Jersey, the school moved to Verona in 1999 after remodeling a building that had been donated by Hoffmann-LaRoche.

[137] Other highways near Verona include the Garden State Parkway, Interstate 80 and the New Jersey Turnpike.

[138] NJ Transit bus routes 11 and 29 serve the township, providing service to and from Newark.

[139][140] In September 2012, as part of budget cuts, NJ Transit suspended service to Newark on the 75 line.

[142] Train stations, also run by New Jersey Transit, are located in the neighboring towns of Little Falls and Montclair.

Prior to 1966, the Erie Railroad's Caldwell Branch (a part of New York and Greenwood Lake Railway) ran passenger service through Verona from Great Notch.

Proposals include moving the structure to a more accessible place in Verona or turning the shed into a one-room museum.

[144] In the early 20th century, Verona was serviced by a trolley line which operated on Bloomfield Avenue.

The Star-Ledger, the largest newspaper in New Jersey, covers major news stories that occur in Verona.

Local news is covered by the Verona-Cedar Grove Times, www.myveronanj.com, www.verona.patch.com, and by the official township website.