Understanding Newark's geography
Why Newark's drive times defy radius math.
The Passaic River creates a meaningful northern boundary, with just the Route 21 viaduct and a few bridges as crossings into Belleville and Kearny. The NJ Turnpike and I-78 generate enormous through-traffic that inflates intersection counts but does not reflect local retail demand — a site-selection error common in Newark that overestimates trade area demand.
Franchise site-selectors should note that the Ironbound neighborhood along Ferry Street generates some of the highest pedestrian and local vehicle counts in the metro, driven by dense residential and a strong restaurant corridor. The Route 22 corridor west of Newark in Union and Springfield captures the highest-income households accessible from the Newark highway grid and is the appropriate suburban reference anchor.