=Perth Amboy and Neighboring Towns.=--Perth Amboy was settled in 1684 and alternated with Burlington as the meeting place of the New Jersey assembly after the union of the provinces in 1702. Its great industrial activity has increased its population by more than 100 per cent in the last fifteen years. Its rapid industrial growth is due to its location at the mouth of the Raritan River and on Raritan Bay and Arthur Kill, as well as to its railroad facilities, and to the extensive deposits of clay which are found here. The development of these has led to the establishment of large manufacturing plants whose products are terra cotta, earthenware, and tile of all kinds. Other important industries are the refining of gold, silver, copper, and lead, the preparation of vaseline, boat building, the shipping of coal, and the manufacture of cigars, insulated wire, chemicals, and steel products. It is the fourth city in the state in the value of manufactured products. Near Perth Amboy are =Metuchen=, =Woodbridge=, =South Amboy=, =Sayreville=, and =South River=, which are populous towns and have extensive industries similar to those of Perth Amboy. In =Woodbridge= the output of fire brick is specially important. In =Sayreville= and =South River= special attention is given to the manufacture of building brick. In all there is considerable shipping of clays to other points. Many varied industries are found in Carteret to the northeast of Woodbridge. =Places on the Outskirts of the Metropolitan District of New York.=--Lying just beyond the New York City Metropolitan District, yet feeling its influence more and more as the facilities for communication are increased, are a number of important towns. =Morristown=, in Morris County, is famous because of Its Revolutionary associations. It is distinctively a residential town, which possesses great municipal and educational advantages. =Madison= is another residential town, whose peculiar and most important industry is the cultivation of roses. =Boonton= and =Dover= have picturesque locations and are industrially active. Their chief products are boilers, furnaces, hosiery, iron, hats, and silk goods. In Union County is =Plainfield=, which is well known on account of its residential advantages, its unexcelled schools, and its industrial importance. Its principal manufactures are printing presses, electrical appliances, garments, machine tools, and machine shop products. =North Plainfield= is a residential suburb. =Somerville= is an attractive and prosperous town with industries which manufacture clothing, laces, and iron pipe. =Bound Brook= is at the junction of three trunk line railroads and is located on the Raritan Canal. It is therefore an active industrial center. At =Finderne=, between Somerville and Bound Brook, are large asbestos works.