Pompton Lakes, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
Borough
Pompton Lake viewed from Ramapo Mountain State Forest
Seal
Map of Pompton Lakes in Passaic County. Inset: Location of Passaic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
Pompton Lakes, New Jersey Location in Passaic County, New Jersey Show map of Passaic County, New Jersey Pompton Lakes, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Pompton Lakes, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Passaic
Founded	1682
Incorporated	February 26, 1895
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	3.16 sq mi (8.19 km2)
• Land	2.89 sq mi (7.48 km2)
• Water	0.27 sq mi (0.71 km2)  8.67%
Area rank	327th of 565 in state 12th of 16 in county
Elevation	217 ft (66 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,127
• Estimate  (2023)	10,874
• Rank	223rd of 565 in state 11th of 16 in county
• Density	3,854.2/sq mi (1,488.1/km2)
• Density rank	169th of 565 in state 9th of 16 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07442
Area code(s)	973
FIPS code	3403160090
GNIS feature ID	0885359
Website

Pompton Lakes is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,127, an increase of 30 (+0.3%) from the 2010 census count of 11,097, which in turn reflected an increase of 457 (+4.3%) from the 10,640 counted in the 2000 census.

Pompton Lakes was established on February 26, 1895, from portions of Pompton Township, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier. The borough was named for the Pompton people, a sub-tribe of Native Americans who lived in the area. It was the first borough to be formed in Passaic County as part of the "boroughitis" that had struck the state at the time. Pompton Lakes did not acquire territory from more than one township, which would have entitled the borough to a seat on the County's Board of Chosen Freeholders.

An outer-ring suburb of New York City, Pompton Lakes is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Midtown Manhattan. From the higher mountains in and around the borough one can see the New York skyline. Three rivers, the Ramapo, Pequannock and Wanaque, run through the borough, which historically provided much of the energy for various industries in the borough. In the mid-20th century, Pompton Lakes served as a local shopping destination, but lost its status as shopping malls opened in the area in the 1970s and 1980s.

History

Dutch settlers began to settle in the area that is now Pompton Lakes in the 1680s, purchasing farmland from the local Lenape Native Americans.

The presence of iron ore and the availability of hydropower were initial catalysts for the early development of the Pompton area. An ironworks was constructed on the Pompton River in the early 1700s, which produced munitions for the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

Pompton was situated along the main north–south route during the Revolutionary War, and as such the Continental Army passed through often. Casparus Schuyler, a member of the prominent Schuyler family, owned a tavern in the town that became known as the Yellow Tavern or the Yellow Cottage, and the various army encampments in the area supplied much of the business.

General George Washington and his army stayed in the Pompton area twice during the course of the war, and he visited the Yellow Tavern both times. He first visited on July 11, 1777, when he met with local ironmaster Robert Erskine at the tavern. François-Jean de Chastellux, a major general in the French Expeditionary Force led by General Rochambeau, visited the Yellow Tavern on his way from Philadelphia to New England in December 1780, and remarked on his experience there in an account published later. Washington returned to the tavern on March 30, 1782, as he traveled north with his wife Martha. During this time, it was serving as the winter headquarters of Colonel Phillip Van Cortlandt. The tavern was torn down around 1900 to widen the adjacent road, and the site is noted by a historical marker.

Pompton Township was formed shortly after the Revolution, in 1797. During the Civil War, knives, saws, nails, and springs for railroad cars were manufactured at the Pompton Ironworks. The Morris Canal, completed in 1832, was linked to the town via the Pompton Feeder, which barges used to supply coal to blast furnaces. Despite this, Pompton remained predominantly rural through the 19th century, and various summer resorts around Pompton Lake served vacationing New Yorkers. The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad opened a local train station in the late 1870s, driving further development in the town. In 1895, Pompton Lakes voted to split from Pompton Township, and the borough was officially incorporated on February 26 of that year.

The population of Pompton Lakes increased during the early 1900s, due to the rapid growth of local employers like the German Artistic Weaving Company and the Smith Powder Works. The latter company was purchased in 1905 by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and formed the basis of the DuPont Pompton Lakes Works, which operated in the borough until 1994.

In 1923, Joseph "Doc" Bier opened a "health farm" in Pompton Lakes, where boxers such as Pancho Villa and Jimmy McLarnin trained. In 1935, Joe Louis began training at the camp, and continued to use the camp until his retirement in 1949. He prepared for his famed bout with Max Schmeling there, and often invited local children to watch him practice. During his time in the borough he held boxing exhibitions at the camp to raise $2,600 for the purchase of an ambulance and an additional $2,000 to help build a police communications tower. The camp closed in the 1950s.

In 1938, Reaction Motors successfully designed and perfected the world's first regenerative cooling rocket at a basement laboratory in a building in downtown Pompton Lakes. The technology they invented made liquid-fueled rockets capable of burning for long enough periods to be practical, and all future liquid-fueled rockets would build off this technology. The company tested this rocket at Lake Inez in the borough, not far from the laboratory it was built in.

Decades-old industrial pollution and its connection to cancer and other illness among residents in a section of the borough was the subject of a week-long front-page investigative series in The Record newspaper in February 2018. The four-part series documented ground and water pollution that has impacted hundreds of homes surrounding a DuPont munitions plant that had operated for decades in the area, and the impact on the health of nearby residents exposed to the pollutants.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.16 square miles (8.19 km²), including 2.89 square miles (7.48 km²) of land and 0.27 square miles (0.71 km²) of water (8.67%).

The borough borders the municipalities of Bloomingdale, Wanaque and Wayne in Passaic County; Oakland in Bergen County; and Riverdale and Pequannock in Morris County.

Much of the borough sits in a valley formed by the confluence of the Ramapo, Pequannock, and Wanaque rivers, which leads to common flooding events, the most recent of which was in 2011. A few taller hills ring the valley, including Federal Hill, which is notable as the site of the Pompton Mutiny, a revolt of Continental Army troops that occurred there on January 20, 1781, under the command of Colonel Israel Shreve.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 11,097 people, 4,190 households, and 2,933 families in the borough. The population density was 3,809.1 per square mile (1,470.7/km²). There were 4,341 housing units at an average density of 1,490.1 per square mile (575.3/km²). The racial makeup was 87.93% (9,758) White, 1.41% (157) Black or African American, 0.11% (12) Native American, 5.39% (598) Asian, 0.02% (2) Pacific Islander, 3.37% (374) from other races, and 1.77% (196) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.89% (1,209) of the population.

Of the 4,190 households, 31.6% had children under the age of 18; 56.0% were married couples living together; 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.0% were non-families. Of all households, 24.7% were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.20.

22.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.9 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $88,352 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,890) and the median family income was $97,074 (+/− $10,183). Males had a median income of $61,426 (+/− $7,225) versus $50,203 (+/− $4,456) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $35,872 (+/− $3,011). About 2.0% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 29 households in 2010, almost double the 15 counted in 2000.

Arts and culture

The 1997 comedy In & Out, starring Kevin Kline, Tom Selleck and Joan Cusack, was partially filmed at Pompton Lakes High School.

The 2014 independent short film Simpler Times, written and directed by Pompton Lakes native Steve Monarque and starring Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, was filmed in downtown Pompton Lakes.

The 2023 documentary film Flipside, directed and co-written by Chris Wilcha, was partially based upon, and filmed at, the eponymous record store in downtown Pompton Lakes.</ref>Whitty, Stephen. "Pompton Lakes record store plays big part in Chris Wilcha's new documentary 'Flipside'", NJArts.net, May 30, 2024. Accessed June 23, 2024.</ref>

Parks and recreation

The southern portion of Ramapo Mountain State Forest lies within the northernmost area of Pompton Lakes, and the park's Cannonball Trail begins in the borough. There are also six municipal parks: Hershfield Park, Stiles Park, Gallo-Pacifico Park, Lakeside Park, Rotary Park, and John Murrin Park.

The Joe Louis Memorial features a granite monument dedicated to the boxer who lived and trained in the borough for a time.

Pompton Lakes and Riverdale share their youth sports teams. The Pompton Lakes-Riverdale Little League (PLRLL) runs youth tee-ball, baseball and softball leagues, while the Pompton Lakes-Riverdale Youth Organization (PLRYO) runs football, lacrosse and cheerleading, and the Pompton Lakes-Riverdale Soccer Association (PLRSA) runs the soccer teams. The Pompton Lakes Recreation Department also runs an annual summer day camp at Hershfield Park, as well as special programs including art classes and karate lessons.

Education

Pompton Lakes High School.

The Pompton Lakes School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,755 students and 138.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.7:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Lenox School with 352 students in grades K–5, Lincoln School with 331 students in grades Pre-K–5, Lakeside Middle School with 384 students in grades 6–8 and Pompton Lakes High School with 679 students in grades 9–12. Students from Riverdale (in Morris County) attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Riverdale School District.

St. Mary's School was a Catholic school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students that operated under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. Opened in 1951, the school was closed at the end of the 2019–2020 school year in the wake of a ballooning fiscal deficit.

Media

WGHT, a daytime-only station, is located in Pompton Lakes. Founded as WKER in 1964, the station ceased broadcasting on December 14, 2017 as ownership was transferred to the borough. The station resumed broadcasting in April 2019 and is temporarily simulcasting programming from WTBQ in Warwick, New York while local programs are being developed. The transmitting tower for William Paterson University's WPSC-FM is also located in the borough.

The Borough of Pompton Lakes runs Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Accounts, which is managed by Public Information Officer Michael Carelli. The borough also runs a town informational channel named PLTV77, airing on Optimum cable channel 77.

Transportation

Interstate 287 southbound in Pompton Lakes

Pompton Lakes train station, which was served by the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway.

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 33.49 miles (53.90 km) of roadways, of which 26.51 miles (42.66 km) were maintained by the municipality, 6.52 miles (10.49 km) by Passaic County and 0.46 miles (0.74 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Major roads through Pompton Lakes include Interstate 287 and Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike.

Public transportation

NJ Transit's 193, 194, and 197 routes stop at various points in the borough, with service to and from Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. Local service through Passaic and Bergen counties is offered on the 748 line.

In September 2012, as part of series of budget cuts, NJ Transit discontinued service to Newark on the 75 line.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Pompton Lakes include:

See also

In Spanish: Pompton Lakes para niños