Bloomingdale, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bloomingdale, New Jersey
Borough
Bloomingdale Borough Hall
Seal
Map of Bloomingdale in Passaic County. Inset: Location of Passaic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Bloomingdale, New Jersey
Bloomingdale, New Jersey Location in Passaic County, New Jersey Show map of Passaic County, New Jersey Bloomingdale, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Bloomingdale, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Passaic
Incorporated	February 23, 1918
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	9.25 sq mi (23.95 km2)
• Land	8.80 sq mi (22.79 km2)
• Water	0.45 sq mi (1.16 km2)  4.82%
Area rank	217th of 565 in state 6th of 16 in county
Elevation	548 ft (167 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,777
• Estimate  (2023)	7,598
• Rank	300th of 565 in state 15th of 16 in county
• Density	883.6/sq mi (341.2/km2)
• Density rank	398th of 565 in state 14th of 16 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07403
Area code(s)	973
FIPS code	3403106340
GNIS feature ID	0885161
Website

Bloomingdale is a small town, called a borough, located in Passaic County, New Jersey. In 2020, about 7,777 people lived here. This was a small increase from 2010.

Bloomingdale is special because it has four communities built around lakes. These include Glen Wild Lake, Lake Iosco, Kampfe Lake, and Morse Lakes. Morse Lakes has both an upper and a lower lake.

History of Bloomingdale

Early Days and Important Events

Federal Hill in Bloomingdale was the site of a famous event in 1781. This was during the American Revolutionary War. Some soldiers from the Continental Army had a revolt, which was quickly stopped by General Robert Howe. He was following direct orders from General George Washington.

Bloomingdale started as a farming community around 1712. Soon after, the "Bloomingdale Forge" was built. This forge used the iron found in the nearby hills. The main business area along the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike and the Pequannock River grew in the mid-1800s.

Growth and Neighboring Towns

The town grew a lot in the late 1860s. This was because a rubber mill and other factories were built in the nearby town of Butler. The New Jersey Midland Railroad (now called the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway) built train tracks next to Bloomingdale. There was even a Bloomingdale train station, which is now in Riverdale.

For a long time in the 1800s, the northern part of Riverdale and most of Butler were known as East and West Bloomingdale. They even shared a school district! People thought of the whole area as "Bloomingdale." This changed around 1881 when Butler got its own Post Office. This led to a friendly competition between Butler and Bloomingdale. They ended up having separate schools, churches, and even town bands.

Becoming an Independent Borough

Bloomingdale officially became its own independent borough on February 23, 1918. This happened when Pompton Township was divided into three new towns. The other two towns were Wanaque and Ringwood.

Today, Bloomingdale is a suburb of New York City. Some things that connect Bloomingdale to its past are its two churches (Methodist and Baptist). The Samuel R. Donald School, first built in 1886, is also a historic landmark. The Bloomingdale Cornet Band has been playing music continuously since 1884!

Sports History

DeLazier Field in Bloomingdale was once the home field for a professional baseball team. The team was called the Bloomingdale Troopers. They played in the North Atlantic League from 1946 to 1948.

You can learn more about Bloomingdale's history in three books published by the borough. You can also find old local newspapers on microfilm at various libraries.

Geography and Lakes

Area and Water Features

Bloomingdale covers about 9.25 square miles (23.95 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 8.80 square miles (22.79 square kilometers). The rest, about 0.45 square miles (1.16 square kilometers), is water.

The borough is home to several beautiful lake communities. These include Glen Wild Lake, Lake Iosco, Kampfe Lake, and the Upper and Lower Morse Lakes.

Neighboring Towns

Bloomingdale shares its borders with several other towns. In Passaic County, it borders Pompton Lakes, Ringwood, Wanaque, and West Milford Township. It also borders Butler and Riverdale, which are in Morris County.

Population Information

People Living in Bloomingdale

In 2010, there were 7,656 people living in Bloomingdale. There were 2,935 households, which are groups of people living together. About 2,034 of these were families.

Most people in Bloomingdale were White (91.97%). There were also Black or African American (1.14%), Native American (0.22%), and Asian (2.46%) residents. About 9.33% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average household had about 2.57 people, and the average family had about 3.10 people. The median age in Bloomingdale was 41.8 years old.

Recreation and Parks

Bloomingdale has several places for fun and outdoor activities. One of the main spots is the Mayor Dunleavy Memorial Park, which is about 44 acres big. It's a great place for residents to enjoy nature and play.

Education in Bloomingdale

Local Schools

The Bloomingdale School District serves students from pre-kindergarten up to eighth grade. The district has three schools:

• Martha B. Day Elementary School: For students in Pre-K through 1st grade.
• Samuel R. Donald Elementary School: For students in 2nd through 4th grade.
• Walter T. Bergen Middle School: For students in 5th through 8th grade.

In the 2019–2020 school year, the district had 564 students and about 45 teachers. This means there were about 12.6 students for every teacher.

High School Students

After eighth grade, students from Bloomingdale go to Butler High School. This high school is located in the nearby town of Butler in Morris County. Bloomingdale sends its high school students to Butler High School as part of a special agreement. In 2019–2020, Butler High School had 471 students and about 38 teachers.

Transportation Options

Interstate 287 northbound in Bloomingdale

Roads and Highways

Bloomingdale has about 29.54 miles of roads. Most of these roads are taken care of by the town itself. Some are maintained by Passaic County, and a small part by the state of New Jersey.

Interstate 287 is a major highway that goes through Bloomingdale. However, you can't get onto it directly from within Bloomingdale. The closest entrances are in neighboring towns. County Route 511 is the most important road that serves Bloomingdale directly.

Public Transportation

Bloomingdale used to have a train service called the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway for people traveling to work. This service stopped in 1966.

Today, NJ Transit provides bus transportation. You can take the 194 bus route from Bloomingdale to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. In 2012, bus service to Newark on the 75 line was stopped due to budget cuts.

Notable People from Bloomingdale

Many interesting people have connections to Bloomingdale, New Jersey. Here are a few:

• Michael DuHaime (born 1974): He was the campaign manager for Rudolph Giuliani when he ran for president in 2008.
• Wendy Larry (born 1955): She was a successful head coach for the Old Dominion Monarchs women's basketball team.
• Tim O'Connor (1927–2018): A well-known actor who appeared in many TV shows, including Peyton Place.
• Scott A. Spellmon (born 1963): He is a high-ranking officer in the United States Army. He served as the 55th Chief of Engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

See also

In Spanish: Bloomingdale (Nueva Jersey) para niños