Park Ridge, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Park Ridge, New Jersey
Borough
Park Ridge Station
Seal
Location of Park Ridge in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Park Ridge, New Jersey
Park Ridge, New Jersey Location in Bergen County, New Jersey Show map of Bergen County, New Jersey Park Ridge, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Park Ridge, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Bergen
Incorporated	May 15, 1894
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	2.63 sq mi (6.81 km2)
• Land	2.61 sq mi (6.75 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)  0.80%
Area rank	367th of 565 in state 36th of 70 in county
Elevation	144 ft (44 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,883
• Estimate  (2023)	9,440
• Rank	267th of 565 in state 45th of 70 in county
• Density	3,407.4/sq mi (1,315.6/km2)
• Density rank	199th of 565 in state 41st of 70 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07656
Area code(s)	201
FIPS code	3400356130
GNIS feature ID	0885341
Website

Park Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,883, an increase of 238 (+2.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,645, which in turn reflected a decline of 63 (−0.7%) from the 8,708 counted in the 2000 census.

History

Park Ridge was created as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 15, 1894, from portions of Washington Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day. The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone. Park Ridge obtained a portion of River Vale (July 15, 1929), exchanged portions with Woodcliff Lake (December 12, 1955), received part of Washington Township (November 26, 1956), exchanged portions with Hillsdale (February 10, 1958) and Woodcliff Lake (June 9, 1958) and received another part of Washington Township (August 11, 1958). The borough's name derives from its location.

Park Ridge's Pascack Historical Society Museum, at 19 Ridge Avenue, houses the world's only wampum drilling machine. This wooden artifact was made in Park Ridge by the Campbell Brothers who invented a way to drill through long pieces of hair pipe shells so that they could be strung and worn as breast plates by the Plains Indians, among others. Needing water for the operation, the industrious brothers leased a woolen mill that stood on the Pascack Brook. When that burned down they built their own mill farther down Pascack Creek on their land another shop on Pascack Road near their homestead. Both building housed drilling machines on their second floors where they were safe from prying eyes, as the two machines had not been patented. In the early 19th century, John Jacob Astor purchased wampum from the Campbells to trade with the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest whose beaver pelts he turned into men's hats. The best years for the wampum business were between 1835 and 1866. The drilling machine can be seen at the Pascack Historical Society Museum on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. until noon and Sundays from 1-4 p.m. Admission is free.

Historic sites

Park Ridge is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places:

• John G. Ackerson House - 142 Pascack Road (added 1983)
• Isaac Debaun House - 124 Rivervale Road (added 1983)
• Park Ridge Station - Hawthorne and Park Avenue (added 1984)
• Peter D. Perry House - 107 Rivervale Road (added 1983)
• Wortendyke Barn - 13 Pascack Road (added 1973)
• Frederick Wortendyke House (Park Ridge) - 12 Pascack Road (added 1983)

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.603 square miles (6.740 km²), including 2.582 square miles (6.686 km²) of land and 0.021 square miles (0.054 km²) of water (0.79%).

The borough is a part of the Pascack Valley region of Bergen County. It is bounded by the boroughs of Montvale, River Vale, Woodcliff Lake and Hillsdale. Although no major highways run through the borough, it is serviced by the Garden State Parkway at exits 168, 171 and 172 in Washington Township and Montvale, respectively.

Demographics

2010 Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,645 people, 3,283 households, and 2,351 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,348.6 per square mile (1,292.9/km²). There were 3,428 housing units at an average density of 1,327.8 per square mile (512.7/km²)^*. The racial makeup of the borough was 89.14% (7,706) White, 1.04% (90) Black or African American, 0.22% (19) Native American, 6.07% (525) Asian, 0.02% (2) Pacific Islander, 2.58% (223) from other races, and 0.93% (80) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.74% (669) of the population.

There were 3,283 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the borough, the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.2 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 89.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $104,053 (with a margin of error of +/- $7,870) and the median family income was $118,984 (+/- $7,463). Males had a median income of $85,242 (+/- $13,024) versus $65,216 (+/- $12,814) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $46,695 (+/- $3,650). About 1.1% of families and 1.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 0.5% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 11 households in 2010, an increase from the 7 counted in the 2000 Census.

Economy

The Hertz Corporation, a car rental company, had been headquartered in Park Ridge and was the borough's largest single taxpayer. On May 7, 2013, Hertz announced that the firm was moving their corporate HQ to Estero, Florida, and would keep certain operations in Park Ridge.

Sony Corporation of America maintains an R&D and engineering facility in Park Ridge.

Education

The Park Ridge Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,223 students and 123.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.9:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are East Brook Elementary School with 318 students in grades K-6, West Ridge Elementary School with 337 students in grades PreK-6 and Park Ridge High School with 548 students in grades 7-12. The high school was the 14th-ranked public high school in New Jersey (third-highest in Bergen County) out of 328 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2012 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 18th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. Athletic programs at the high school include baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, track and tennis.

Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.

Our Lady of Mercy Academy is a K–8 Catholic school which operates in Park Ridge under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

Religion

Houses of worship in Park Ridge include:

• First Congregational Church of Park Ridge (United Church of Christ)
• Our Lady of Mercy Church
• Park Ridge United Methodist Church
• Pascack Reformed Church
• Temple Beth Sholom of Pascack Valley

Transportation

County Route 503 in Park Ridge

In July 2015, Park Ridge was designated as one of 30 transit villages statewide, qualifying it for incentives at the borough's train station and commuter lots, which will get additional access for bicycles and pedestrians.

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 38.91 miles (62.62 km) of roadways, of which 31.94 miles (51.40 km) were maintained by the municipality and 6.97 miles (11.22 km) by Bergen County.

County Route 503, which runs for 18 miles (29 km) from New Jersey Route 120 to the New York State border, passes through Park Ridge. It is well known and posted as Kinderkamack Road, which was a trail used by the Lenape Native Americans, whose name signified that it was a place (the suffix "ack") where ceremonial dances or prayers ("kintekaye") were made.

Park Ridge can be accessed via exit 172 on the Garden State Parkway.

Public transportation

Park Ridge is served by NJ Transit on the Pascack Valley Line at the Park Ridge train station. The station is located at Hawthorne and Park Avenues though is also accessible from Broadway. This line runs north–south to Hoboken Terminal with connections via the Secaucus Junction transfer station to New Jersey Transit one-stop service to New York Penn Station and to other NJ Transit rail service. Connections are available at the Hoboken Terminal to other New Jersey Transit rail lines, the PATH train at the Hoboken PATH station, New York Waterways ferry service to the World Financial Center and other destinations and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service.

Rockland Coaches provides service on the 11T/11AT and the 47 routes to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Media

PKRG-TV, the public-access television cable TV station in Park Ridge, has produced and documented many shows over its history. They continue to produce a weekly live show every Monday night in addition to broadcasting special events in the town such as parades, sporting events, school plays, and charity events. Rolf Wahl, a borough resident, provided most of the guidance, technical knowledge and foresight for the station. The studio also hosted a series of shows entitled Behind The Badge which provided residents with an insight into the way the police department works. It included a tour of the police station and police cruiser and also an overview of programs the department works on to improve the welfare of the community, e.g. anti-drug programs and computer crime awareness.

The Bear's Nest

The Bear's Nest is a luxury gated community in Park Ridge. It has town house-style houses with luxury amenities including (in some houses) elevators. A community clubhouse is available for residents, along with a pool, multiple tennis courts and a floral park. Noted residents of the development have included President Richard M. Nixon and his wife, Pat Nixon; Raymond V. Gilmartin, current Microsoft board member; and Tom Coughlin, former coach of the New York Giants and Joe Valenza, New York Yankees Fantasy Camp Hall of Fame Inductee and Founder of Virtue Risk Partners.

Emergency services

The Tri-Boro Volunteer Ambulance Corps provides EMS service to Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake and Montvale. Tri-Boro is a non-profit group which provides free emergency service to those in the community who need it at any time. Its headquarters is located in Park Ridge near Mill Pond.

Park Ridge has a paid police department, which has been led by Chief Joseph J. Madden since 2007.

The Park Ridge Volunteer Fire Department dates back to 1898, created by community volunteers after a major fire destroyed a local factory. PRFD is part of Bergen County Fire Battalion 8 and dispatching is contracted to Ridgewood-based Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Park Ridge include:

In popular culture

• Park Ridge was the filming site for the Nick GAS (Nickelodeon Games and Sports) segment, "Heroes of the Game". Locations included West Ridge Elementary School and Colony Field.

Annual events

• Each Memorial Day, the Tri-Boro area consisting of Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake, and Montvale participate in the annual Memorial Day Parade. The Park Ridge High School Marching Band participates in the parade and hand out candies as well.
• Each October, Park Ridge holds its own Ragamuffin parade. Children who are 12 and younger dress up in costumes while walking down from Depot Square on Park Avenue to Davies Field. Following the parade, there is a costume contest. The event also features games and music.
• Park Ridge has an annual holiday tree lighting in December, with musical performances by the Park Ridge High School choir and marching band. The event also has free refreshments, like popcorn and hot chocolate.

See also

In Spanish: Park Ridge (Nueva Jersey) para niños