North Arlington, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids North Arlington, New Jersey
Borough
Belleville Turnpike Bridge
Seal
Location of North Arlington in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of North Arlington, New Jersey
North Arlington, New Jersey Location in Bergen County, New Jersey Show map of Bergen County, New Jersey North Arlington, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey North Arlington, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Bergen
Incorporated	March 9, 1896
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	2.53 sq mi (6.55 km2)
• Land	2.48 sq mi (6.43 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.12 km2)  1.78%
Area rank	372th of 565 in state 38th of 70 in county
Elevation	85 ft (26 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	16,457
• Estimate  (2023)	16,370
• Rank	161st of 565 in state 20th of 70 in county
• Density	6,625.2/sq mi (2,558.0/km2)
• Density rank	75th of 565 in state 23rd of 70 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07031
Area code(s)	201
FIPS code	3400352320
GNIS feature ID	0885323

North Arlington is a small town, called a borough, located in Bergen County, New Jersey. In 2020, about 16,457 people lived here. This was a small increase from the 2010 population.

North Arlington is known for its large cemeteries. One of them, Holy Cross Cemetery, has buried almost 290,000 people since 1915. Another cemetery, North Arlington Jewish Cemetery, holds thousands more burials. This means there are many more people buried in North Arlington than currently live there!

In 2017, Money magazine named North Arlington one of the "Best Places to Live". They liked its strong economy, affordable homes, and good quality of life.

History of North Arlington

North Arlington has a memorial at the James Zadroga Soccer Field to remember the events of 9/11.

North Arlington was once part of a larger area known as "New Barbadoes Neck".

Early Mining and Technology

In the 1700s and 1800s, copper was mined in what is now North Arlington. This was at the Schuyler Copper Mine, one of the first real copper mines in North America.

An important event happened in 1755. The very first steam engine in North America was put together here. John Schuyler brought this Newcomen steam engine from England. He used it to pump water out of his copper mine. He hired an engineer named Josiah Hornblower to build it.

Becoming a Borough

North Arlington officially became a borough on March 9, 1896. The New Jersey Legislature made it a borough on March 11, 1896. It was created from a part of Union Township. It got its name because it was north of the Arlington area of Kearny. That area was named after the Arlington Station on the Erie Railroad.

Modern Development Projects

North Arlington, along with nearby towns Lyndhurst and Rutherford, was part of the EnCap project. This project aimed to clean up old landfills. The plan was to build homes and golf courses on the cleaned land. However, the company in charge did not meet its goals. So, the agreement was ended in 2008.

In 2015, North Arlington approved plans for FedEx to build a large shipping center. This center is on land that used to be a steel dumping ground. FedEx promised to build a new road and hire 225 people. The building was planned to be finished by early 2017.

Geography and Location

North Arlington covers about 2.53 square miles (6.55 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Neighboring Towns

The borough shares borders with several other towns:

• Lyndhurst in Bergen County.
• Belleville in Essex County.
• Kearny in Hudson County.

Route 7 (Belleville Turnpike) forms a large part of the border between Bergen County and Hudson County. North Arlington is on one side, and Kearny is on the other. The nearby area in Kearny is called Arlington, which is where North Arlington gets its name.

Population and People

Population Details

In 2010, North Arlington had 15,392 people living in 6,295 households. The population density was about 6,010 people per square mile.

Most residents (82.59%) were White. About 1.43% were Black or African American, and 7.87% were Asian. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 20.86% of the population.

About 17.6% of the people were under 18 years old. About 16.3% were 65 years or older. The average age in North Arlington was 41.5 years.

Local Economy

North Arlington is home to some interesting businesses.

Famous Pizza Place

One well-known spot is Pizza Land, located on Belleville Turnpike. This pizza place was featured in the opening credits of the TV show The Sopranos. It even appeared in an episode of Law & Order.

Sports and Recreation

North Arlington offers many sports and recreation programs for young people and adults.

Skating and Hockey

The Inline Skating Club of America is a skating facility here. It is the home of the New Jersey Grizzlies, a professional inline hockey team.

Youth Sports Programs

The town has a wide range of public sports programs for kids. These include:

• Basketball leagues for boys and girls.
• A recreation bowling league.
• Girls softball and little league baseball.
• A soccer association.
• A popular football and cheerleading program called the "Junior Vikings". They are named after the North Arlington High School team.

North Arlington also has a special program for children with special needs. It's called "Recreation for Developmentally Challenged Children". This program includes baseball and soccer in the spring. It works with neighboring towns too.

For adults, there's a men's basketball league and a women's volleyball program.

Parks and Outdoor Fun

Riverside County Park is a large park covering 85 acres. It is located on River Road. The park has a playground, sports fields, and tennis courts. It also has a Bocce ball court and a fitness center.

Education in North Arlington

Students in North Arlington attend schools run by the North Arlington School District. The district teaches students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Public Schools

As of 2018–19, the district had about 1,869 students and 135 teachers. This means there were about 13.8 students for every teacher.

The schools in the district are:

• Thomas Jefferson Elementary School (grades K–5)
• Franklin Roosevelt Elementary School (grades K–5)
• George Washington Elementary School (grades K–5)
• North Arlington Middle School (grades 6–8)
• North Arlington High School (grades 9–12)

In 2010, Roosevelt Elementary School received a special award. It was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon Schools Award of Excellence. This award is given by the United States Department of Education.

County Technical Schools

Students from North Arlington can also apply to special high school programs. These are offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools. They include the Bergen County Academies and Bergen Tech campuses. These schools offer programs that focus on different skills and careers.

Private Schools

Queen of Peace, a Roman Catholic church, runs a parochial school. Queen of Peace Elementary School teaches students from Pre-K to 8th grade. It was started in 1923.

Queen of Peace High School used to serve grades 9–12. It was founded in 1930. However, it closed after the 2016–17 school year due to fewer students and financial issues. The elementary school remains open.

Emergency Services

North Arlington has dedicated teams to keep its residents safe.

Police Department

The North Arlington Police Department (NAPD) protects the citizens of North Arlington. Chief Michael Horton leads the department. It has 34 officers who work in different roles. These include patrol, detective work, and school resource officers. The police department is located at 214 Ridge Road.

Fire Department

The North Arlington Fire Department (NAFD) is made up entirely of volunteers. It was started in 1910. About 80 trained firefighters work across three firehouses. These are Hose Company 1, Schuyler Engine Company 2, and Eagle Truck Company 3.

Ambulance Services

The North Arlington Volunteer Emergency Squad (NAVES) provides ambulance services. They have paid staff during weekdays and volunteers at night and on weekends. NAVES was founded in 1972. It has about 55 members and operates four ambulances.

Transportation and Roads

North Arlington has a network of roads for getting around.

Major Roads

As of 2010, the borough had over 31 miles of roads. Most of these are maintained by the town itself.

Route 7 and Route 17 are two important roads that meet in North Arlington. Route 7 crosses the Passaic River on the Belleville Turnpike Bridge. This bridge connects North Arlington to Belleville. In 2013, the bridge was renamed the "Lance Corporal Osbrany Montes de Oca Memorial Bridge". This was to honor a local Marine who died while serving in Afghanistan.

Public Transportation

NJ Transit offers bus routes that connect North Arlington to and from Newark. These routes include 30, 40, and 76.

Notable People from North Arlington

Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to North Arlington.

• Derek Jeter (born 1974), a famous baseball shortstop who played for the New York Yankees.
• William D. McDowell (1927–2007), a politician who was the first County Executive of Bergen County. He also served as Mayor of North Arlington.
• Diane Ruggiero (born 1969), a screenwriter known for shows like Veronica Mars.
• James Zadroga (1971–2006), an NYPD officer. He helped with the cleanup after the September 11 terrorist attacks. A law was named after him to help other first responders.
• Joseph Zadroga (1947–2024), an advocate for first responders who became sick after working at the World Trade Center site after 9/11.

Images for kids

• 

  Belleville Turnpike Bridge

• 

  Seal of North Arlington

• 

  Location of North Arlington in Bergen County

• 

  Census Bureau map of North Arlington, New Jersey

• 

  View north along Route 17 in North Arlington

See also

In Spanish: North Arlington para niños