The city of Paterson, New Jersey supports a population of almost 150,000 inhabitants between the Coastal Plain within the Piedmont region and the Appalachian foothills. Paterson serves as the county seat of Passaic County. It is the 3rd largest city in New Jersey and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. New York City is 48 km towards the east. Paterson's population has decreased by 2.0% ever since 2000. Paterson was a planned community, called "Silk City" because of the importance of the production of silk there in the late 19th century.
Paterson started sometime during the year 1792, through the work of a group of investors referred to as the Society of Useful Manufactures (SUM). This group was focused on raising enough money in order to develop a planned industrial city that would be able to help the country produce American goods and reduce the country's dependence on foreign products. The city of Paterson was to be planned around a waterfall, referred to as the Great Falls of the Passaic, which will provide power to new industries to be built around it. The city of Paterson was soon a reality, with several textile mills and other buildings being constructed. It wasn't long before other businesses, like silk production, firearms and railroad locomotive manufacturing, followed suit. Paterson became incorporated as a city in the year 1851, and silk production eventually became the main trade. The city of Paterson enjoyed a prosperous industrial time, being referred to as "Silk City". After a destructive fire during 1902, the city's downtown needed to be rebuilt.
Paterson features a rather unique attraction, the Lambert Castle, that is an 1893 historic building. It is a Medieval Revival-style castle which was the home of Catholina Lambert, a well-known silk mill owner. The Castle was turned into a Museum following a multi-million dollar restoration in the late 1990s.
The city of Paterson is really ethnically diverse, and the annual calendar is full of opportunities to celebrate. All summer long, parades happen on the streets of the city, among them, an African-American Day Parade, a Dominican Day Parade, a Puerto Rican Day Parade and a Turkish-American Day Parade. Paterson's Peruvian community has a Peruvian Day Parade and 10-day festival in October referred to as "El Señor de los Milagros" ("Our Lord of Miracles").
Downtown Paterson has various Beaux-Arts-style buildings and other architectural landmarks. These huge buildings are normally no more than seven stories in height. The commercial district of Paterson was once frequented by shoppers from all around the norther part of New Jersey. Two of the city's architectural landmarks are the Paterson City Hall and the Passaic County Courthouse Annex.