Our Community

The Ironbound is multi-ethnic, largely working-class neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. It is the most densely-populated neighborhood in Newark with slightly more than 50,000 residents. Historically it has been a mosaic of peoples from countries around the world who arrive in the community with aspirations for a better life for themselves and their children.

In the 19th century, Germans, Lithuanians, Italians and Poles made the area their home. In the 20th century, greater numbers of Portuguese and Spanish and later African Americans and Central and South Americans arrived to form a part of the Ironbound. Two out of three Ironbound residents came to the U.S. as immigrants.

Covering four square miles, Newark’s “East Ward” was named the Ironbound because of the many forges and foundries and the railroads that surrounded the neighborhood in the 19th century. Today local factories, warehouses and industrial lots continue to operate alongside one-, two- and three-family homes and public housing complexes. Many private homes have multiple families in small apartments. Subprime lending rates in the Ironbound are among the highest in the state with foreclosures threatening working class families struggling to keep up with rising costs. One out of every four residents lives in poverty.

Although only half of all adults graduated high school, families want more for their children. Residents wait for replacement of their six elementary schools – all of which were built in the 1800’s and are, on average, 40% above capacity as more and more children are crammed into overcrowded classrooms. Ironbound’s community hospital – St. James – has drastically reduced services forcing local residents to look elsewhere for medical care.

This Ironbound suffers from environmental degradation. Residential neighborhoods sit side by side with old industrial areas where many factories and industrial sites are closed or abandoned. The community boundaries are defined by the railroad tracks, the airport, the river and the highway. Whether pollutants come from the air, the river, or the ground, residents suffer. The elevated levels of air pollution result in a high rate of asthma among children and adults. Local schools report that respiratory problems are the main reasons for absenteeism on a daily basis and the local hospital identified respiratory ailments as the number one reason for emergency visits.

While environmental degradation, overcrowded schools, limited affordable housing and conditions of poverty present real challenges to residences, the community has a long history of mutual support and working towards neighborhood progress. Families look to Ironbound Community Corporation, the Ironbound Boys and Girls Club, and the Ironbound Recreational Center to find resources.

The Ironbound’s soccer clubs and cultural festivals are sources of great community pride. Ironbound residents envision a day when the Ironbound’s access to transportation and downtown Newark will translate to more jobs and economic progress. Community activists are working towards the goal of cleaner air, water, and land. Neighborhood leaders are organizing for safer streets and better services. And the Ironbound’s children look forward to a day when the riverbank will be a place for play; schools will have the space to grow and improve learning; and they can have more opportunities than their parents who came before them.

Ironbound Community Corporation shares this vision of tomorrow and is building it today.