The Rahway River is a river, approximately 24 mi (48 km) long, in northeastern New Jersey in the United States. The river drains part of the suburban and urbanized area of New Jersey west of New York City. Part of the extended area of New York Harbor, the river empties into the Arthur Kill. In its upper reaches, the river is lined with several urban parks. The mouth of the river serves an industrial access channel.
It rises in Essex County, beginning as two separate branches. The West Branch begins in Verona and flows south through the South Mountain Reservation in the valley between Watchung Mountains No. 1 and No. 2. It runs directly through downtown Millburn. The East Branch begins somewhere between West Orange and Montclair, and travels through the towns of South Orange and Maplewood. The two branches meet at Hobart Gap near Interstate 78, continuing south through the Union County communities of Springfield, Union, Cranford and Clark. In Rahway the river receives the Robinson's Branch and South Branch, which are approximately 10 mi (16 km) long. The river's mouth is at Arthur Kill between Carteret (on the south) and Linden (on the north) and opposite Port Mobil on Staten Island.
The river is the source of drinking water for the City of Rahway. Each Spring, the river is stocked with approximately 6,000 trout.
The river is also the source of the name for the Rahway Valley Railroad which has a bridge over it on the Springfield /Union border.
Famous quotes containing the word river:
“The river knows the way to the sea;
Without a pilot it runs and falls,
Blessing all lands with its charity.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)