Elizabeth Wedding

Elizabeth is a City in Union County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 120,568, making it New Jersey's fourth largest city (by population). According to a 2004 Census Estimate, the population of Elizabeth is now 124,724. It is the county seat of Union CountyGR6.

Elizabeth was founded in 1664 by English settlers and was named for the wife of Sir George Carteret, not Queen Elizabeth I as many people assume. Originally called "Elizabethtown," and part of the Elizabethtown Tract, it was the first English speaking community formed in the new colony. It was the first capital of New Jersey. During the American Revolutionary War, Elizabeth was constantly attacked by British forces based in Manhattan and Staten Island. In 1855, Elizabeth received a charter by the New Jersey Legislature to become a city.

The first major industry, the Singer Sewing Machine Company came to Elizabeth and employed as many as 2,000 people. Elizabeth grew in parallel to its sister city of Newark for many years, but has been more successful in retaining a middle class presence and was spared riots in the 1960s.