Norwood, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norwood, New Jersey
Borough
Church of the Holy Communion
Seal
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
Norwood, New Jersey Location in Bergen County, New Jersey Show map of Bergen County, New Jersey Norwood, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Norwood, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of 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 there. This number has changed a little over the years.

Norwood became its own town on March 14, 1905. Before that, it was part of a larger area called Harrington Township.

History of Norwood

Norwood's story began around 1686. About a dozen families, mostly from the Dutch Republic, settled here. They bought the land under something called the Tappan Patent. The Lenape, a Native American tribe, also lived in this area.

How Norwood Got Its Name

The name Norwood comes from an old description of its location. It was known as being in the "North-Woods."

From Township to Borough

Norwood used to be part of Harrington Township. This township was created in 1775 from parts of other townships. It stretched from the Hudson River in the east to the Saddle River in the west.

In 1840, some parts of Harrington Township became Washington Township. At that time, Harrington Township was like a square, about 5 miles (8.0 km) on each side. It was bordered by Rockland County, New York to the north and the Hudson River to the east.

Norwood, along with other towns like Northvale, Old Tappan, and Closter, were all communities within Harrington Township. Finally, on March 14, 1905, Norwood officially separated and became its own independent borough.

Geography of Norwood

Norwood covers an area of about 2.79 square miles (7.24 km²). Most of this is land, with a very small amount of water.

Location and Neighbors

Norwood is in the northeastern part of New Jersey. It's only 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.

There is also a smaller area within the borough called West Norwood.

Population and People

In 2010, there were 5,711 people living in Norwood. These people lived in 1,927 households. Most of the households (67.8%) were married couples living together.

Diversity in Norwood

Norwood is a diverse community. In 2010, about 69% of the people were White. About 27% were Asian, with Korean Americans making up a large part of this group (20.1% of the total population). A smaller number of people were Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, or from other backgrounds.

Age and Income

The average age of people in Norwood in 2010 was about 46 years old. About 23% of the population was under 18 years old.

The average income for a household in Norwood was around $102,132 in 2010. This shows that Norwood is a community with a good standard of living.

Education in Norwood

Norwood has its own public school district. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade attend Norwood Public School. In the 2018–19 school year, there were 618 students and about 48 teachers, meaning there were about 12.7 students for every teacher.

High School Education

For high school, students from Norwood attend Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan. This school also serves students from Harrington Park, Northvale, and Old Tappan. Students from Rockleigh also go to this high school.

Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan is one of two high schools in the Northern Valley Regional High School District. The other school is in Demarest. In the 2018–19 school year, the Old Tappan high school had 1,170 students. It was recognized as a "Blue Ribbon School of Excellence" in the mid-1990s, which is a special award from the U.S. Department of Education.

Specialized Programs

Students in Bergen County, including those from Norwood, can also apply to special programs at the Bergen County Technical Schools. These include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack and the Bergen Tech campuses in Teterboro or Paramus. These schools offer unique programs for students who want to focus on specific skills or subjects.

Transportation in Norwood

Norwood has about 25.31 miles (40.73 km) of roads. Most of these roads are maintained by the town itself.

County Route 501 in Norwood

The site of the former Erie Railroad station in Norwood on September 11, 2011

Main Roads

Two main county roads pass through Norwood: County Route 501 and County Route 505. These roads help people travel through and out of the borough.

Public Transport

If you need to travel further, Rockland Coaches provides bus service from Norwood. You can take a bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

Wildlife in Norwood

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

Sometimes, as more homes are built, the wildlife can be affected. For example, there have been issues with deer running into cars. Also, coyotes sometimes come closer to human areas.

Notable People from Norwood

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

• Kenny Anderson (born 1970), a basketball player who started his NBA career with the New Jersey Nets.
• Ray Barretto (1929–2006), a famous percussionist and bandleader.
• Colleen Broomall (born 1983), an actress and journalist.
• Devin Fuller (born 1994), a wide receiver who played for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League.
• Jordan Fuller (born 1998), an American football safety for the Los Angeles Rams.
• Bruce Harper (born 1955), a former running back for the New York Jets.
• Catfish Hunter (1946–1999), a famous baseball pitcher who played for the Oakland A's and New York Yankees.
• Walter H. Jones (1912–1982), a politician who served in the New Jersey Senate.
• Don Mattingly (born 1961), a baseball manager who lived in Norwood while playing for the New York Yankees.
• Bob McGrath (1932–2022), an actor, singer, and children's author. He was best known for playing Bob Johnson on the TV show Sesame Street.
• Frank Messina (born c. 1968), a poet and author.
• Gene Michael (1938–2017), a former baseball player, manager, and executive.
• Thurman Munson (1947–1979), a former baseball catcher for the New York Yankees.
• Graig Nettles (born 1944), a former baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees.
• Dianna Russini (born 1983), a sports journalist for ESPN.
• Julian Sanchez (born 1979), a writer and journalist.
• Pamela Redmond Satran (born 1953), an author.
• Abi Varghese, a director and writer, known for his Netflix show Brown Nation.

See also

In Spanish: Norwood (Nueva Jersey) para niños