Summit, New Jersey

While we know the town as simply, Summit, the name took a while coming. The general area was bought from native Americans - the Leni Lenape - on October 28, 1664. No record exists, as far as I know, as to what they called the region. European settlers arrived some time around 1710. It's thought they liked the view.

Summit has been known as
"Pie Hill"
"Beacon Hill" and the
"Heights over Springfield"

Lord Chancellor James Kent who was the Chancellor of New York State and who wrote Commentaries on American Law retired to this area in 1837 in a house he called Summit Lodge, a source that has been cited as naming the City of Summit.[7] He lived in Summit between 1837 and 1847 and lived in a small lodge on what is now called Kent Place Boulevard. The original lodge is now part of a large mansion, at 50 Kent Place Boulevard, opposite Kent Place School.



In 1837, the Morris and Essex Railroad, which became the Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad and is now the New Jersey Transit's Morris and Essex Lines, was built over what was then called the "The Summit" hill, and the name was later shortened to Summit.

In 1869, Summit and New Providence separated and the Summit area became the "Township of Summit". The present-day incarnation of Summit, known formally as the City of Summit was incorporated thirty years later on April 11, 1899.[11]

In the 19th Century, Summit served as a nearby getaway spot for wealthy residents of New York City, who were in search of fresh air and a convenient weekend getaway. Weekenders would arrive on the train, and would relax at large grand hotels and smaller inns and guest houses. Quiet, leafy neighborhoods still hold Summit attractive to affluent home buyers today despite errant market conditions elsewhere.

Following World War II, the city experienced a great building boom, as living outside New York City and commuting to work became more common. New Jersey's population grew exponentially then. It was at this point, primarily that Summit took on its suburban character of tree lined streets with the large, spacious suburban houses it is known for today.