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Norwood, New Jersey
Borough
Church of the Holy Communion
Church of the Holy Communion
Official seal of Norwood, New Jersey
Seal
Location of Norwood in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Location of Norwood in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Norwood, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Norwood, New Jersey
Norwood, New Jersey is located in Bergen County, New Jersey
Norwood, New Jersey
Norwood, New Jersey
Location in Bergen County, New Jersey
Norwood, New Jersey is located in New Jersey
Norwood, New Jersey
Norwood, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Norwood, New Jersey is located in the United States
Norwood, New Jersey
Norwood, New Jersey
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Bergen
Incorporated March 21, 1905
Named for "North-woods"
Government
 • Type Borough
 • Body Borough Council
Area
 • Total 2.79 sq mi (7.24 km2)
 • Land 2.79 sq mi (7.21 km2)
 • Water 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)  0.32%
Area rank 355th of 565 in state
32nd of 70 in county
Elevation
30 ft (9 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 5,641
 • Estimate 
(2023)
5,729
 • Rank 361st of 565 in state
58th of 70 in county
 • Density 2,025.5/sq mi (782.0/km2)
 • Density rank 295th of 565 in state
57th of 70 in county
Time zone UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
07648
Area code(s) 201 exchanges: 750, 767, 768, 784
FIPS code 3400353610
GNIS feature ID 0885329
Website

Norwood is a small town, called a borough, located in Bergen County, in the state of New Jersey. In 2020, about 5,641 people lived here. Norwood became an official borough on March 14, 1905. It was created from parts of Harrington Township.

History of Norwood

Early Settlements and Native Americans

The area that is now Norwood was first settled around 1686. About a dozen families, mostly from the Dutch Republic, bought the land. This happened under a special agreement called the Tappan Patent. Around the same time, Philip Carteret, who was the Governor of East Jersey, also gave a land grant. The Lenape, a Native American tribe, used to live and travel through this valley.

How Norwood Got Its Name

The name Norwood comes from how the area was described long ago: the "North-Woods." It was part of Harrington Township. This larger township was formed in 1775 from the northern parts of Hackensack Township and New Barbadoes Township. Harrington Township stretched from the Hudson River in the east to the Saddle River in the west.

Changes to the Township

In 1840, parts of Harrington Township west of the Hackensack River were used to create Washington Township. At that time, Harrington Township was shaped like a square, about 5 miles (8.0 km) on each side. It was bordered by Rockland County, New York to the north, the Hudson River to the east, Hackensack Township to the south, and the Hackensack River to the west. Norwood, along with Northvale, Old Tappan, Demarest, Closter, and Harrington Park, were all communities within Harrington Township.

Becoming an Independent Borough

On March 14, 1905, Norwood officially separated from Harrington Township. It became its own independent borough.

Geography and Location

Norwood's Size and Borders

Norwood covers a total area of about 2.79 square miles (7.24 km2). Most of this is land, with only a tiny bit of water.

Norwood is in the northeastern part of New Jersey. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the border with New York state. Norwood shares its borders with several other towns in Bergen County. These include Alpine, Closter, Harrington Park, Northvale, Old Tappan, and Rockleigh.

A smaller area within the borough is known as West Norwood.

Population and People

Population Changes Over Time

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 400
1910 564 41.0%
1920 820 45.4%
1930 1,358 65.6%
1940 1,512 11.3%
1950 1,792 18.5%
1960 2,852 59.2%
1970 4,398 54.2%
1980 4,413 0.3%
1990 4,858 10.1%
2000 5,751 18.4%
2010 5,711 −0.7%
2020 5,641 −1.2%
2023 (est.) 5,729 0.3%
Population sources:
1910–1930 1900–2020
2000 2010 2020

In 2010, there were 5,711 people living in Norwood. The population density was about 2,093.5 people per square mile. Most residents (69.25%) were White. About 27.18% were Asian, and 1.37% were Black or African American. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 4.55% of the population. A large number of residents, 20.1%, were Korean Americans.

Households and Families

In 2010, there were 1,927 households in Norwood. About 36.8% of these households had children under 18. Most households (67.8%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2.84 people, and the average family had 3.23 people.

The median age in Norwood in 2010 was 46.1 years. About 23.1% of the population was under 18. About 20.0% were 65 years or older.

Local Government

How Norwood is Governed

Norwood uses the borough form of government, which is common in New Jersey. The government is made up of a mayor and a borough council. All these positions are chosen by voters in the November general election.

The mayor is elected for a four-year term. The borough council has six members. They serve three-year terms, with two seats up for election each year. Norwood has a "weak mayor / strong council" government. This means the council members make the laws. The mayor leads meetings and only votes if there is a tie. The mayor can also reject new laws, but the council can overrule this with a two-thirds vote. The mayor also assigns council members to different committees.

Current Leaders

As of 2023, the mayor of Norwood is James P. Barsa from the Republican party. His term ended on December 31, 2023. The members of the Borough Council are:

  • Council President Annie Hausman (Democrat, term ended 2023)
  • Joseph Ascolese (Republican, term ends 2024)
  • Thomas L. Brizzolara (Democrat, term ends 2024)
  • Edward P. Condoleo (Republican, term ends 2025)
  • Anthony Foschino (Republican, term ends 2025)
  • Bong June "BJ" Kim (Republican, term ended 2023)

Education in Norwood

Local Schools

The Norwood Public School District serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade. All these students attend Norwood Public School. In the 2018–19 school year, the school had 618 students and 48.5 teachers. This means there were about 12.7 students for every teacher.

High School Education

Students in public school from ninth through twelfth grade attend Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan. Students from Harrington Park, Northvale, and Old Tappan also go to this school. Students from Rockleigh attend through a special agreement.

This high school is one of two schools in the Northern Valley Regional High School District. The other school is Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest. In the 2018–19 school year, Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan had 1,170 students and 97.9 teachers. This means there were about 12 students for every teacher. The school was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence in the mid-1990s.

Norwood has one seat on the high school district's nine-member board of education.

Specialized Programs

Students from Norwood, and all of Bergen County, can also attend special high school programs. These are offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools. These include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack. They also include the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. These programs can be full-time or part-time. Students must apply and be accepted, and their home school district covers the tuition.

Transportation

Roads and Highways

2018-07-22 15 24 11 View south along Bergen County Route 501 and Bergen County Route 33 (Piermont Road) at Bergen County Route 106 (Broadway) in Norwood, Bergen County, New Jersey
County Route 501 in Norwood
Norwood Station site
The site of the former Erie Railroad station in Norwood on September 11, 2011

As of 2010, Norwood had about 25.31 miles (40.73 km) of roads. The town itself maintained 18.27 miles (29.40 km) of these roads. Bergen County maintained the remaining 7.04 miles (11.33 km).

Two main county roads pass through Norwood. CR 501 runs for about 1 mile (1.6 km). CR 505 runs for about 1.3 miles (2.1 km).

Public Transportation

Rockland Coaches provides bus service in Norwood. Their routes 20/20T go to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.

Wildlife in Norwood

The forests in Norwood are home to many types of trees. These forests provide shelter for various animals. You might see deer, wild turkeys, turtles, foxes, rabbits, and coyotes.

However, as more buildings are constructed, suburban areas are expanding. This growth is starting to affect the local wildlife. For example, there have been issues with deer getting into car accidents. Also, coyotes are sometimes seen interacting with people.

Notable People

Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to Norwood:

See also

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