Just five miles form Manhattan and two miles from Staten Island, Newark is the biggest city in New Jersey, and within easy distance of all New York City's big attractions, including Broadway and Madison Square Garden - one of the city's premier sports and entertainments venues. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center, which opened in 1997, is one of the city's most popular attractions thanks to the wide range of artists that perform there, from pop, rock, jazz and R&B to orchestral performances, dance and comedy.
Not so well known for its sports team, Newark has spent most of its history without an NBA, NHL, MLB or NFL team, but despite this, has a very rich history in baseball. Newark was one of the first cities to have a professional baseball team, and at one time had eight in the old National Association of Baseball Players, but has never had an MLB team.
It currently is home to minor league side, the Newark Bears, who won the championship in 2002. In August 2007, when the Prudential Center is finished, the New Jersey Devils move to Newark and the city will have an NHL side, which should prove very popular with the city's hockey fans.