Elmwood Park, New Jersey facts for kids

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Elmwood Park, New Jersey

Borough

Van Houten–Hillman House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Seal

Location of Elmwood Park in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).

Census Bureau map of Elmwood Park, New Jersey

Elmwood Park, New Jersey

Location in Bergen County, New Jersey

Elmwood Park, New Jersey

Location in New Jersey

Elmwood Park, New Jersey

Location in the United States

April 18, 1916 (as East Paterson)

Renamed

January 1, 1973 (to Elmwood Park)

Government

• Type

Borough

• Body

Borough Council

Area

• Total

2.72 sq mi (7.06 km²)

• Land

2.64 sq mi (6.85 km²)

• Water

0.08 sq mi (0.21 km²) 3.00%

Area rank

362nd of 565 in state
34th of 70 in county

Elevation

46 ft (14 m)

Population

(2020)

• Total

21,422

• Estimate

(2023)

21,256

• Rank

130th of 565 in state
14th of 70 in county

• Density

8,105.2/sq mi (3,129.4/km²)

• Density rank

49th of 565 in state
14th of 70 in county

Time zone

UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))

• Summer (DST)

UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))

ZIP Code

07407

Area code(s)

201

FIPS code

3400321300

GNIS feature ID

0885207

Website

Marcal paper factory in Elmwood Park in 2014, destroyed by fire in 2019

Elmwood Park is a small town, called a borough, in Bergen County, New Jersey. It's like a quiet neighborhood or "bedroom community" because many people who live here travel to work in bigger cities. It's only about 14 miles from New York City.

In 2020, about 21,422 people lived in Elmwood Park. This was an increase from 19,403 people in 2010.

Before 1916, this area was known as Dundee Lake. On April 18, 1916, people voted to create their own town, which they called East Paterson. Later, in 1917, another nearby area called Rosemont joined East Paterson. In November 1972, residents voted to change the name of the borough to Elmwood Park. This new name became official on January 1, 1973.

Because Elmwood Park is in Bergen County, it has special rules called blue laws. These laws mean that most stores and businesses must be closed on Sundays.

Geography of Elmwood Park
Population in Elmwood Park
Arts and Culture
Education in Elmwood Park
Emergency Services
Transportation in Elmwood Park
Points of Interest
Notable People
Images for kids
See also

Geography of Elmwood Park

Elmwood Park covers about 2.73 square miles (7.06 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water, like rivers.

The borough shares borders with several other towns. To the west, across the Passaic River, are Paterson and Clifton. To the north and east is Fair Lawn. To the east is Saddle Brook, and to the south is Garfield.

Some smaller areas and neighborhoods within Elmwood Park include Cherry Hill, Dundee Lake, Passaic Junction, and Rosemont.

Population in Elmwood Park

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	892	—
1910	1,396	56.5%
1920	2,441	74.9%
1930	4,779	95.8%
1940	4,937	3.3%
1950	15,386	211.6%
1960	19,344	25.7%
1970	20,511	6.0%
1980	18,377	−10.4%
1990	17,623	−4.1%
2000	18,925	7.4%
2010	19,403	2.5%
2020	21,422	10.4%
2023 (est.)	21,256	9.6%
Population sources: 1920 1920–1930 1900–2020 2000 2010 2020

The population of Elmwood Park has changed over the years. In 2010, there were 19,403 people living here. There were 7,032 households, which are groups of people living together, and 5,140 families.

About 20.8% of the people were under 18 years old. The average age of people in Elmwood Park was about 39.5 years.

Arts and Culture

Elmwood Park has been home to musical groups. For example, the hardcore punk band Adrenalin O.D. came from this borough.

Education in Elmwood Park

The Elmwood Park Public Schools teach students from pre-kindergarten all the way through twelfth grade. In the 2020–21 school year, there were five schools in the district with about 2,586 students. This means there was about one teacher for every 13 students.

The schools in Elmwood Park are:

Gantner Avenue Elementary School (grades K-5)
Gilbert Avenue Elementary School (grades K-5)
Sixteenth Avenue Elementary School (grades PreK-5)
Memorial Middle School (grades 6-8)
Elmwood Park Memorial High School (grades 9-12)

The Elmwood Park High School football team, called the Crusaders, had a tough time in the early 2000s. They lost 41 games in a row from 2002 until September 30, 2006, when they finally won a game against the Manchester Regional High School Falcons.

Students from Elmwood Park and other parts of Bergen County can also go to special high school programs. These are offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. Students apply to these schools, and if accepted, their home town pays for their tuition.

Emergency Services

Elmwood Park has its own fire department with four fire stations located around the borough.

Station 1 is on Grove Street.
Station 2 is on Parkview Avenue.
Station 3 is on Martha Avenue.
Station 4 is at the intersection of Boulevard and Veterans Place.

The town used to have a volunteer ambulance service, which started in the 1960s. However, it stopped operating in 2019 because there weren't enough volunteers. Now, Elmwood Park has a paid emergency medical service (EMS).

The Elmwood Park police department is located on Market Street.

Transportation in Elmwood Park

Elmwood Park has many roads that help people get around. As of 2010, there were over 52 miles of roadways. Some major roads that pass through Elmwood Park include Route 4, Interstate 80, U.S. Route 46, and the Garden State Parkway.

For public transportation, NJ Transit buses serve Elmwood Park. You can take bus routes 160 and 161 to get to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. There are also local bus routes like 702, 712, 758, and 770.

The Bergen County Line train tracks go through Elmwood Park, but there isn't a train station directly in the borough. The closest train stations are Radburn and Broadway in Fair Lawn. There are also plans for a new train system called the Passaic-Bergen Rail Line to have a stop in Elmwood Park in the future.

Points of Interest

There are several interesting places to visit or learn about in Elmwood Park:

Van Houten–Hillman House: This historic house was built around 1782 by Cornelius J. Van Houten. It was later bought by Herman Hillman in 1898. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.
House of Loud: This is a recording studio where many famous bands have recorded their music. Bands like Pierce the Veil, Breaking Benjamin, Paramore, Papa Roach, and Bring Me the Horizon have used this studio.
Artesian Fields County Park: This park is owned by Bergen County and is located on Boulevard and Gilbert Street. It has sports fields, a walking path, a small lake beach, a tiny zoo, and a playground for kids to enjoy.
Parkway Lanes: This is a bowling alley that has been open since June 1959. It's located where the Garden State Parkway and Route 46 meet.
Marcal Paper Company Plant: This paper factory was a well-known landmark in Elmwood Park until a big fire destroyed it in January 2019. Even though the factory burned down, its parent company still makes Marcal paper products. In January 2020, one year and one day after the fire, Marcal Paper officially started making paper again.

Notable People

See also (related category): People from Elmwood Park, New Jersey

Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to Elmwood Park, including:

ASAP Rocky (born 1988 as Rakim Mayers), a famous rapper.
Cathy Bao Bean (born 1942), an author.
Cornelius A. Cadmus (1844–1902), who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for New Jersey.
Carmen Carrera (born 1985), an entertainer and model who appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race.
W. Cary Edwards (1944–2010), a politician who was the New Jersey Attorney General.
Sheena Iyengar (born 1969), a professor at Columbia Business School.
Christian Mahogany (born 2000), an American football player for the Boston College Eagles.
Cora-Ann Mihalik (born c. 1954), a former television news anchor.
Liv Morgan (born 1994), a model and professional wrestler for WWE.
Gary Nova (born 1993), a quarterback for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team.
Dick Vitale (born 1939), a well-known basketball coach and broadcaster.
Robert Zoellner (1932–2014), an investor and stamp collector.