Keys to the City

Facts & Fundamentals

Approximately 280,000 people live within the city limits of Newark and 18,819,000 reside in the metro area.

Top industries include banking, insurance, transportation and manufacturing. The city is home to Prudential Insurance, the world's largest insurance company and Newark Liberty International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the nation.

New Jersey sales tax is 7%, although under the Urban Enterprise Zone Program, many businesses within the city are able to charge only 3.5%.

Weather

Newark experiences dramatic changes in temperature from season to season. Highs are in the 80s and 90s during the summer and drop to the 50s and 60s in the fall. During the winter, temperatures generally range from 10 to 40 degrees. Spring highs start at 30 degrees and rise to the 80s by the end of the season. The city receives about 3-4 inches of rain per month and ocassional snow during the winter.

Holidays & Business Hours

On federal and state holidays, many offices and businesses close or have truncated hours. Naturally, policies vary, but in general, the following holidays are broadly observed:

Coming & Going

Newark Liberty International Airport is a primary transportation hub for numerous travelers to the Northeastern U.S. Amtrak service to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. are available at Newark Penn Station, and trains in the PATH network run regularly to and from Manhattan. In addition, there are three New Jersey Transit commuter lines.

Making Your Way

The Newark Light Rail connects the city's major train station to several stops in the downtown neighborhood. Trains run from Broad Street Station near downtown to Newark Penn Station every 10-30 minutes. One-way fare is $1.35 and a 10-trip pass (valid for 20 days) is $13.50. Discounted fare is available NJ Transit bus riders.

News & Views

Two daily papers The Star-Ledger and Courier-Gazette are published in Newark, and the Brazilian Voice serves the area's Portuguese community.

Quirks & Curiosities

The layout of downtown Newark is somewhat unusual, as it does not conform to traditional grid of city streets. Comparable to spokes on a wheel, streets converge at the center of the city and extend outward. Main roads include South Orange Avenue, Springfield Avenue and Bloomfield Avenue.

Necessities - Post Offices

It's usually not too difficult to spot a drop box when you're out and about, but if you need to conduct more serious postal business, it's not always that easy. In Newark, several locations are convenient to travelers and residents. They include:

Midtown Post Office
40 Clinton St
Newark, NJ 07102-9713
973-642-6381
Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm

Riverfront Plaza Post Office
1 Riverfront Plaza Lobby
Newark, NJ 07102-9715
973-864-4451
Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm

Newark Post Office
2 Federal Sq
Newark, NJ 07102-9998
973-693-5230
Mon-Fri 7:30am-9pm, Sat 7:30am-3pm

Common Courtesies

Although tipping is generally a personal matter, there are some guidelines that prove helpful to travelers. At restaurants, servers typically get 15% of the bill, although 10% acknowledges basic assistance, and 20% awards exceptional service. It is also common now for some restaurants to charge an automatic gratuity of 18% for groups. You should be aware of this possibility before providing an additional tip. Taxi drivers usually fit into similar guidelines by receiving a tip equivalent to 15% of the tab.

Often, a dollar tip covers many situations. Bartenders are customarily given $1 per cocktail, hotel maids are provided $1 for each day of a stay, bellhops get about $1 per bag, and a coat-check clerk typically receives $1 as well. The exception is a concierge, who generally receives $5-$10 for standard service (additional assistance suggests more).