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 Forklift Masts Paterson - Paterson, New Jersey supports a population of nearly 150,000 inhabitants between the Coastal Plain within the Piedmont area and the Appalachian foothills. Paterson serves as the county seat of Passaic County. It is the third largest city within New Jersey and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. New York City is 48 km towards the east. The city's population has decreased by 2.0% since 2000. Paterson was a planned community, called "Silk City" due to the importance of the production of silk there during the latter part of the 19th century.
Paterson's existence started in the year 1792, in the minds of a group of investors called the Society of Useful Manufactures (SUM). The group wanted to raise money to be able to develop a planned industrial city which will reduce the country's dependence on foreign goods by supporting American business. Paterson was to be planned around a waterfall, called the Great Falls of the Passaic, that would provide power to new businesses to be constructed around it. Paterson was soon a reality, with many textile mills and various buildings being constructed. It wasn't long before other industries, like railroad locomotive manufacturing, silk production and firearms, followed suit. Paterson became incorporated as a city during 1851, and silk production eventually became the main business. Paterson truly enjoyed a successful industrial time, being called "Silk City". Following a destructive fire in 1902, Paterson's downtown needed to be rebuilt.
The city features a somewhat unique attraction, the Lambert Castle, which is an 1893 historic building. It is a Medieval Revival-style castle which was home to Catholina Lambert, a famous silk mill owner. The Castle was turned into a Museum following a multi-million dollar restoration during the late 1990s.
The city of Paterson hosts a lot of annual festivals and events. The whole summertime, parades take place on the streets of the city, among them, an African-American Day Parade, a Dominican Day Parade, A Turkish-American Day Parade and a Puerto Rican Day Parade. Paterson's Peruvian community has a 10-day festival and a Peruvian Parade in the month of October referred to as "El Señor de los Milagros" ("Our Lord of Miracles").
Downtown Paterson has many Beaux-Arts-style buildings and other architectural landmarks. These huge buildings are usually no more than seven stories in height. The commercial district of the city was once frequented by shoppers from all over the norther part of New Jersey. Two of Paterson's architectural landmarks are the Passaic County Courthouse Annex and the Paterson City Hall.
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