Boonton is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, set on the Rockaway River roughly 30 miles west of Manhattan. Its story begins with water power: as early as 1747 Obadiah Baldwin ran an iron refining forge along the river, and about 1770 Samuel Ogden founded the Boonton Iron Works nearby. The settlement known as Boonetown Falls grew around rolling and slitting mills that turned out nail rods and bar iron, and the town thrived in the 1830s after water rights were secured to power a new works. A stone arch bridge from about 1866 and the preserved Ironworks Historic District still mark that industrial past. About 8,800 residents live in Boonton, with the U.S. Census Bureau recording 8,815 in 2020. The town's hillside streets overlook the Rockaway River and its falls, and Grace Lord Park preserves the waterfall, rapids, and trails right at the edge of downtown. Main Street climbs the hill as a compact commercial corridor of restaurants, art galleries, and independent shops, many in historic storefronts. Boonton's arts-and-dining revival and its rail access give it a small-town character within Morris County's commuter orbit. The Montclair-Boonton line of NJ Transit carries riders toward Hoboken and New York connections, while a Saturday farmers market, First Fridays, and other Main Street events keep the downtown active throughout the year. Housing climbs the town's slopes, with Victorian and early-20th-century homes near the commercial core and more recent development toward the edges. Public schools are run by the Boonton Public Schools district, a pre-K through twelfth-grade system whose high school also educates students from neighboring Lincoln Park. That mix of river views, preserved industrial heritage, and a walkable, arts-minded downtown gives Boonton a character distinct from the larger, newer townships around it.