The earliest residents of the area were the Lenape Native Americans, who called the point on which the city lies “Ompoge”. Perth Amboy was settled in 1683 by Scottish colonists and was called “New Perth” after James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth; the native name was eventually corrupted and the two names were merged. Perth Amboy was formed by Royal charter in 1718, and the New Jersey Legislature reaffirmed its status in 1784, after independence. The city was a capital of the Province of New Jersey from 1686 to 1776. During the mid-1800s, the Industrial Revolution and immigration grew the city, developing a variety of neighborhoods which residents from a diverse range of ethnicities lived in. The city developed into a resort town for the Raritan Bayshore near it, but the city has grown in other industries since its redevelopment starting in the 1990s.

The name Parsippany comes from the Lenape Native American sub-tribe, which comes from the word parsipanong, which means “the place where the river winds through the valley”.[20][22] Parsippany–Troy Hills is the most populous municipality in Morris County.[23] The name Troy Hills was changed from Troy, to avoid confusion of mail being sent erroneously to Troy, New York.[24]

Roughly equidistant between New York City and Philadelphia, Jackson is the site of Six Flags Great Adventure, home to the 456-foot (139 m) Kingda Ka, which as of 2022 is the tallest roller coaster in the world.[22] Jackson is also home to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor and the 350-acre (140 ha) Safari Off Road Adventure, which replaced Six Flags Wild Safari in 2013.[23]

Settled in 1667, Union was the third English speaking settlement in New Jersey after Elizabeth and Newark, with the area that is now Union then called Connecticut Farms.[22]

Hoboken was first settled as part of the Pavonia, New Netherland colony in the 17th century. During the early 19th century, the city was developed by Colonel John Stevens, first as a resort and later as a residential neighborhood. Originally part of Bergen Township and later North Bergen Township, it became a separate township in 1849 and was incorporated as a city in 1855. Hoboken is the location of the first recorded game of baseball and of the Stevens Institute of Technology, one of the oldest technological universities in the United States. It is also known as the birthplace and hometown of Frank Sinatra; various streets and parks in the city have been named after him.

Vineland was formed on July 1, 1952, through the merger of Landis Township and Vineland Borough, based on the results of a referendum held on February 5, 1952.[3][27][28] Festivities on July 1, 1952, when the merger took effect, included a parade and speeches from such notables as Senator Estes Kefauver.[29] The name is derived from the plans of its founder to use the land to grow grapes.[30][31] Geographically, the city is part of the South Jersey region.

The name may be derived from the area’s earliest European settlers who came from near the Piscataqua River, a landmark defining the coastal border between New Hampshire and Maine, whose name derives from peske (branch) and tegwe (tidal river),[21] or alternatively from pisgeu (meaning “dark night”) and awa (“place of”)[22][23] or from a Lenape language word meaning “great deer”.[24] The area was appropriated in 1666 by Quakers and Baptists who had left the Puritan colony in New Hampshire.[24]

The township had the ninth-highest property tax rate in New Jersey, with an equalized rate of 4.890% in 2020, compared to 2.824% in the county as a whole and a statewide average of 2.279%.[15]

At the time of European colonization the area was the territory of Hackensack tribe of the Lenape Native Americans,[17] who maintained a settlement, Espatingh, on the west side of the hills[18][19][20] and where a Dutch trading post was established after the Peach Tree War.[21] In 1658, Peter Stuyvesant, then Director-General of New Netherland, repurchased from them the area now encompassed by the municipalities of Hudson County east of the Hackensack River. In 1660 he granted permission to establish the semi-autonomous colony of Bergen, with the main village located at today’s Bergen Square, considered to be the first chartered municipality in what would become the state of New Jersey.[22] At the time, the area of North Bergen was heavily forested, traversed by paths used by the indigenous and colonizing population and became known as Bergen Woods, a name recalled in today’s neighborhood of Bergenwood.

Gloucester Township was formed on June 1, 1695, while the area was still part of Gloucester County. It was incorporated as one of New Jersey’s first 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. It became part of the newly created Camden County upon its formation on March 13, 1844. Portions of the township have been taken over the years to form Union Township (November 15, 1831; dissolved on February 25, 1868, with remaining land chartered as Gloucester City), Winslow Township (March 8, 1845) and Clementon Township (February 24, 1903; dissolved on May 16, 1941, into Laurel Springs).[21] Geographically, the township is part of the South Jersey region.