Bloomfield was named in honor of General Joseph Bloomfield, a Revolutionary War hero and one-time governor of New Jersey. A community of considerable charm, Bloomfield is both residential and industrial in character. The township's center is called "the Green" and dates back to the Revolutionary war when it was used as a training ground for George Washington's army. "The Green" is part of a 15 block historic district bounded by Montgomery, Spruce, Broad and State Streets. It includes the 11-acre campus of Bloomfield College, a 2,000 student private four year institution founded in 1863. The downtown area is undergoing extensive redevelopment, which involves the demolition and replacement of some existing structures, and the addition of more parking, street lighting, better signs, and more uniform facades.
Bloomfield, with a population of approximately 45,000 has mostly Colonial and Cape Cod style homes. The school system has nine elementary schools, one middle school and Bloomfield High School.
Bloomfield is the home of two county parks, the 121-acre Brookdale Park located in the north section of town and the 70-acre Watsessing Park in the southern section of town. There are also 55 acres of local parkland which includes Memorial Park, Halcyon Park and numerous playground facilities. Brookdale Park offers weekly summer concerts in the evenings, a children's play area, four softball diamonds, an excercise trail, running track, athletic fields, tennis courts and a duck pond. The spectular Rose Garden shouldn't be missed! Bloomfield has a public library and two arts centers; the Oakside Bloomfield Cultural Center and the Westminster Theater, which is part of Bloomfield College, but open to the public. The Bloomfield Library sponsors numerous musical programs and cultural activities.
Bisected by the Garden State Parkway and just 11 miles from Manhattan, Bloomfield is a commuting corridor. There is daily bus services available to Newark as well as Port Authority in Manhattan. Weekday New Jersey Transit train service is available to Hoboken and Penn Station New York.
Bloomfield provides a full range of municipal services including full-time paid fire and police departments. The closest hospitals are Clara Mass Hospital in Belleville and Mountainside Hospital in Montclair/Glen Ridge.