The port city of Perth Amboy is located between the outlets of the Raritan River and Arthur Kill (kill is “river” in Dutch) into Raritan Bay in upper New Jersey. Rich clay beds in the region, formed during the Cretaceous Era (about 65–144 million years ago), provided raw materials for numerous pottery and terra cotta manufacturers during the nineteenth century. The city was an industrial and shipping center and a resort destination through the early to mid-twentieth century. While the majority of the industrial factory facilities have left Perth Amboy, petroleum processing and storage remains part of the economic base. Several refining facilities are visible along the banks of Arthur Kill in this astronaut photograph (image upper left).
Originally known simply as “Amboy,” “Perth” was added to the name in honor of the Earl of Perth when the city became the capital of East Jersey in 1686. Together with South Amboy across the Raritan River, both cities are collectively known today as “the Amboys.” Perth Amboy is currently undergoing urban renewal and redevelopment to resume its former status as a resort destination. Raritan Bay also provides a source of local income through clam fishing. However, the unwillingness of clams to observe the political border between Staten Island (New York) and New Jersey has led to occasional friction between both states’ clammers.
Astronaut photograph ISS016-E-18493 was acquired on December 24, 2007, with a Kodak 760C digital camera fitted with a 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment. The image was taken by the Expedition 16 crew, and is provided by the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by William L. Stefanov, NASA-JSC.
