Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
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Woodcliff Lake is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 5,745.
Woodcliff Lake is also the name of the reservoir that lies primarily within the town--a small part of it lies in neighboring Hillsdale. The borough was originally incorporated as Woodcliff, on August 31, 1894, at the height of the Boroughitis phenomenon sweeping through Bergen County at the time. It was formed from parts of Orvil Township and Washington Township, as under state law at the time, boroughs formed from parts of two different townships were allowed a chosen freeholder. On March 1, 1910, after the creation of the reservoir, the name of the borough was changed to Woodcliff Lake, to match the name of the post office. In this era prior to ZIP codes, two post offices in a state could not have the same name, and there was already a "Woodcliff" in Hudson County. On January 1, 1956 and again on July 1, 1958, Woodcliff Lake exchanged sections of land with Park Ridge. On October 13, 1960 portions were exchanged with Hillsdale.[Dutch Door Genealogy: Bergen County New Jersey Municipalities], accessed May 30, 2006
Woodcliff Lake has many historic houses and buildings, some dating from the 1700s. The best example of this is probably the Wortendyke Barn, a colonial-era barn and all its implements that has been preserved as a Bergen County Historic Site. Many other old buildings are also present, but are likely to have been modified through the years. The borough has seen intense development over the past fifty years, as virtually all areas available for construction have been developed.
Geography
Woodcliff Lake is located at (41.023343, -74.058629)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 9.2 km² (3.5 mi²). 8.6 km² (3.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (5.93%) is water. It is located approx. 20 miles northwest of Manhattan.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there are 5,745 people, 1,824 households, and 1,605 families residing in the borough. The population density is 666.1/km² (1,725.3/mi²). There are 1,842 housing units at an average density of 213.6/km² (553.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough is 93.84% White, 0.87% African American, 0.03% Native American, 4.47% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 2.33% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.There are 1,824 households out of which 47.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.2% are married couples living together, 6.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 12.0% are non-families. 10.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.08 and the average family size is 3.31.
In the borough the population is spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.1 males.
The median income for a household in the borough is $123,022, and the median income for a family is $133,925. Males have a median income of $90,000 versus $45,150 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $53,461. 1.5% of the population and 0.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.4% of those under the age of 18 and 2.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Government
Local government
A Mayor and a six-member Borough Council structure govern Woodcliff Lake. In addition there are a number of Boards, and Committees. The Mayor generally appoints the members of these with consent of the majority of the Council.The Mayor is elected for a four-year term and Council members are each elected for three-year terms. Elections are held in November and the terms start on January 1st of the following year. Positions are held on a part-time basis.
The Council members elect a Council President at the beginning of each year. Each member of the Council serves as chairperson or liaison to one or more of the Boards, and/or Committees. The assignments are made at the beginning of each calendar year.
The Mayor of Woodcliff Lake is Joseph LaPaglia. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Joanne Howley, Jeff Bader, Paul Camella, John Glaser, Jared Shapiro and Fred Singer.[Woodcliff Lake Mayor & Council], accessed May 30, 2006
Federal, state and county representation
Woodcliff Lake is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 39th Legislative District.New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District, covering the northern portions of Bergen County, Passaic County and Sussex County and all of Warren County, is represented by Scott Garrett (R, Wantage Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (D, Union City).
The 39th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Gerald Cardinale (R, Cresskill) and in the Assembly by John E. Rooney (R, Emerson) and Charlotte Vandervalk (R, Westwood). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Bergen County's County Executive is Dennis McNerney. The executive, along with the Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. Bergen County's Freeholders are Chairwoman Bernadette P. McPherson of Rutherford, Vice-Chairman David L. Ganz of Fair Lawn, Elizabeth Calabrese of Wallington, James M. Carroll of Demarest, Tomas J. Padilla of Park Ridge, Elizabeth Randall of Westwood and Valerie Vainieri Huttle of Englewood.
Politics
Out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 5,886, there are 3,976 registered voters (67.6% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 0,689 (17.3% vs. 20.7% countywide) are registered as Democrats, 0,856 (21.5% vs. 19.2% countywide) are registered as Republicans and 2,431 (61.1% vs. 60.1% countywide) are registered as Undeclared. There are 00 voters registered to other parties."County of Bergen: Voter Statistics by Municipality, Ward & District," dated April 1, 2006On the national level, Woodcliff Lake is split almost evenly. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 50% of the vote here, narrowly edging Democrat John Kerry, who received around 49%.[2004 Presidential Election results: Bergen County] New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety: Division of Elections, dated December 13, 2004
Education
The Woodcliff Lake Public Schools serve students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. The schools in the district (with 2003-04 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are [Dorchester School] with 594 students in grades Pre-K through 5 and [Woodcliff Middle School] which has 293 students in grades 6-8.Since Woodcliff Lake does not have its own high school, Woodcliff Lake and Montvale students (and those from a portion of Hillsdale) attend Pascack Hills High School as part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District. Pascack Hills does not offer sports such as hockey and lacrosse. Students who participate in those sports play for another nearby school, Pascack Valley High School, also in the same school district.
Transportation
Woodcliff Lake is served by New Jersey Transit on the Pascack Valley Line at the Woodcliff Lake train station. The station is located at Broadway and Woodcliff Avenues.This line runs north-south to Hoboken Terminal with connections via the Secaucus Junction transfer station to New Jersey Transit one-stop service to New York Penn Station and to other NJ Transit rail service. Connections are available at the Hoboken Terminal to other New Jersey Transit rail lines, the PATH train at the Hoboken PATH station, New York Waterways ferry service to the World Financial Center and other destinations and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service.
The Pascack Valley Line is a single-track line providing service towards Hoboken during the morning rush hour and service from Hoboken in the evening rush hour.
References
External links
- [Woodcliff Lake official website]
- [Woodcliff Lake Public Schools]
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- [National Center for Education Statistics data for the Woodcliff Lake Public Schools]
- [Pascack Valley Regional High School District]
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