Saddle River, New Jersey facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the borough. For the township formerly named Saddle River, see Saddle River Township, New Jersey. For the tributary of the Passaic River, see Saddle River (Passaic River).

Quick facts for kids

Saddle River, New Jersey

Borough

B. C. Wandell House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Seal

Location of Saddle River in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).

Census Bureau map of Saddle River, New Jersey

Saddle River, New Jersey

Location in Bergen County, New Jersey

Saddle River, New Jersey

Location in New Jersey

Saddle River, New Jersey

Location in the United States

Country

United States

State

November 22, 1894

The Saddle River

Government

• Type

Borough

• Body

Borough Council

Area

• Total

4.97 sq mi (12.86 km²)

• Land

4.92 sq mi (12.73 km²)

• Water

0.05 sq mi (0.13 km²) 1.03%

Area rank

276th of 565 in state
13th of 70 in county

Elevation

184 ft (56 m)

Population

(2020)

• Total

3,372

• Estimate

(2023)

3,368

• Rank

433rd of 565 in state
64th of 70 in county

• Density

686.0/sq mi (264.9/km²)

• Density rank

422nd of 565 in state
67th of 70 in county

Time zone

UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))

• Summer (DST)

UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))

ZIP Code

07458

Area code(s)

201

FIPS code

3400265400

GNIS feature ID

0885384

Saddle River is a small town called a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. It is a suburb of New York City, located about 25 miles northwest of Manhattan. The town is famous for its beautiful natural areas. You can find fields, horse farms, forests, and rivers here.

Saddle River has a peaceful, countryside feel. This is partly because homes must be built on at least 2 acres of land. You can see both old, grand houses and newer, large mansions. It offers lots of space and a rural setting, but it's still close to New York City.

Saddle River is known for being one of the wealthiest small towns in the United States. In 2010, it was ranked among the Top 100 most expensive zip codes in America. In 1989, it was even called the richest suburb in the nation. Many famous people have lived here, including former US Presidents, celebrities, athletes, and business leaders.

The New York Times once said that Saddle River is "a place where one can still keep horses—one per acre—see a deer, listen to the birds, and catch a fish in the trout stream that gives the town its name."

In 2020, the borough's population was 3,372 people. This was a small increase from 3,152 people in 2010.

Saddle River is a "dry town". This means that alcohol cannot be sold in stores or restaurants within the borough.

History of Saddle River
- Historic Places to Visit
Geography and Location
- Property Values and Taxes
Population and People
Parks and Recreation
Education in Saddle River
Transportation
Notable People from Saddle River
Images for kids
See also

History of Saddle River

European people first settled in the Saddle River area around 1675. The Lenape Native Americans sold land along the Saddle River to Albert Zabriskie. Saddle River officially became a borough on November 22, 1894. This happened after people voted for it a few days earlier.

The borough was formed from parts of Orvil Township. Many towns in Bergen County became boroughs around this time in 1894. This period was even called "Boroughitis". Saddle River was formed just one day before its neighbor, Upper Saddle River. A small part of Orvil Township was added to Saddle River in 1903.

The borough gets its name from the Saddle River. This river flows through the town. It is a smaller river that flows into the Passaic River. The river itself was named after a stream and valley in Saddell, Scotland.

Historic Places to Visit

Saddle River has several places listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are important sites that are protected for their history:

Achenbach House – 184 Chestnut Ridge Road (added 1979, burned down in 2004)
Ackerman House – 136 Chestnut Ridge Road (added 1983)
Abram Ackerman House – 199 East Saddle River Road (added 1983)
Garret and Maria Ackerman House – 150 East Saddle River Road (added 1986)
Garret Augustus Ackerman House – 212 East Saddle River Road (added 1986)
Ackerman–Dewsnap House – 176 East Saddle River Road (added 1986)
Ackerman–Smith House – 171 East Allendale Road (added 1986)
Ackerman–Dater House – 109 West Saddle River Road (added 1983)
J. J. Carlock House – 2 Chestnut Ridge Road (added 1986)
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saddle River and Ramapough Building – 96 East Allendale Road (added 1986)
Alonzo Foringer House and Studio – 107 and 107B East Saddle River Road (added 1986)
Hopper House – 45 West Saddle River Road (added 1984)
Joe Jefferson Clubhouse – 29 East Saddle River Road (added 1986)
O'Blenis House – 220 East Saddle River Road (added 1986)
Garret K. Osborn House and Barn – 88 and 90 East Allendale Road (added 1986)
Dr. E. G. Roy House – 229 West Saddle River Road (added 1986)
Saddle River Center Historic District – Along West Saddle River Road at jct. of East Allendale Road (added 1986)
Stillwell–Preston House – 9 East Saddle River Road (added 1986)
Andries Thomas Van Buskirk House – 164 East Saddle River Road (added 1983)
Laurance Thomas Van Buskirk House – 116 East Saddle River Road (added 1983)
B. C. Wandell House – 214, 223, and 224 West Saddle River Road (added 1986)
F. L. Wandell Estate and Ward Factory Site – 255–261 East Saddle River Road (added 1990)
Dr. John Christie Ware Bungalow – 246 East Saddle River Road (added 1986)

Geography and Location

Saddle River covers about 4.97 square miles (12.86 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small amount of water.

The borough is surrounded by eight other towns in Bergen County. These include Allendale, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Ramsey, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Washington Township and Woodcliff Lake.

Two small areas within Saddle River are called Mount Pleasant and Villa Marie Claire.

Property Values and Taxes

Homes in Saddle River are quite valuable. In 2022, the average home value was around $1.96 million. This is much higher than the average for Bergen County or New Jersey.

Saddle River also has one of the lowest property tax rates in Bergen County.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	415	—
1910	483	16.4%
1920	506	4.8%
1930	657	29.8%
1940	816	24.2%
1950	1,003	22.9%
1960	1,776	77.1%
1970	2,437	37.2%
1980	2,763	13.4%
1990	2,950	6.8%
2000	3,201	8.5%
2010	3,152	−1.5%
2020	3,372	7.0%
2023 (est.)	3,368	6.9%
Population sources: 1900–1920 1900–1910 1910–1930 1900–2020 2000 2010 2020

In 2010, Saddle River had 3,152 people living in 1,216 homes. Most people (about 85%) were White. About 9% of the population was Asian. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up about 5% of the population.

The average age of people in Saddle River in 2010 was 50.5 years old. About 21% of the population was under 18 years old. About 24.5% of residents were 65 years or older.

Parks and Recreation

Saddle River Rindlaub Park Bridge Wins ASCE 2024 Award

Saddle River has nice parks for residents to enjoy. In May 2024, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Saddle River an award. This was for their new Rindlaub Park Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge has a clever design. It connects a previously hard-to-reach area to the existing park. This makes it easier for everyone to use the park.

Education in Saddle River

Students in Saddle River attend schools in a few different districts.

Elementary School

The Saddle River School District serves younger students. Children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade go to Wandell School. In the 2018–19 school year, there were 165 students at Wandell School. There was about one teacher for every nine students.

Middle and High School

After fifth grade, students from Saddle River attend middle school in the Ramsey Public School District. For high school, students can choose between two schools. They can go to Ramsey High School or Northern Highlands Regional High School. Most high school students from Saddle River attend Northern Highlands.

Specialized High Schools

Students in 8th grade in Saddle River can also apply to special programs. These are offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools. These schools include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack. There are also Bergen Tech campuses in Teterboro or Paramus. These programs are for students who want to focus on specific technical or academic subjects.

Private School Options

Saddle River Day School is a private school in the borough. It teaches students from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. It was started in 1957.

Transportation

Saddle River has many roads for getting around. As of 2010, there were about 39 miles of roadways. The local government maintains most of these roads.

Route 17 is a major highway that goes right through Saddle River. Other important local roads include West Saddle River Road, East Saddle River Road, Allendale Road, and Chestnut Ridge Road.

While Route 17 serves Saddle River directly, some parts of the town are also close to roads in nearby towns. The Garden State Parkway is also a short drive away.

Notable People from Saddle River

Many well-known people have lived in Saddle River. Here are some of them:

Francis W. H. Adams (1904–1990), a lawyer who was the New York City Police Commissioner.
Danny Aiello (1933–2019), a famous actor.
Gary Bettman (born 1952), the Commissioner of the National Hockey League.
Mary J. Blige (born 1971), a Grammy-winning singer.
Larry Blyden (1925–1975), an actor.
Jim Burt (born 1959), a former NFL football player.
Tim Cahill (born 1979), a former soccer player.
Nick Cannon (born 1980), an actor, producer, and rapper.
Vince Carter (born 1977), a former basketball player for the New Jersey Nets.
Andrew Dice Clay (born 1957), an actor and comedian.
Vince Colletta (1923–1991), a comic book artist.
Rocco B. Commisso (born 1949), a billionaire and founder of Mediacom.
Vincent Curatola (born 1953), an actor known for The Sopranos.
James P. Dugan (1929–2021), a former New Jersey State Senator.
Alonzo Foringer (1878–1948), a painter famous for his World War I Red Cross poster.
Carol Haney (1924–1964), an actress.
Mary Higgins Clark (1927–2020), a popular author of suspense novels.
Wil Horneff (born 1979), an actor.
Mark Jackson, (born 1965), a former NBA player and coach.
Wyclef Jean (born 1969), a Grammy-winning rapper and musician.
A. J. Khubani (born 1959), a telemarketer and founder of Telebrands.
Jason Kidd (born 1973), a former NBA player and coach.
Joumana Kidd (born 1972), an actress and journalist.
Mariusz Kolodziej (born 1966), a boxing promoter.
David Lat (born 1975), a blogger.
Judy Nicastro, a politician who served on the Seattle City Council.
Richard Nixon (1913–1994), a former United States President, and First Lady Pat Nixon (1912–1993). They lived here from 1981 to 1991.
Jeffrey Nordling (born 1962), an actor.
Rosie O'Donnell (born 1962), a comedian and TV personality.
Charles Osgood (1933–2024), a radio and television commentator.
Kenneth Pasternak (born 1954), a businessman.
Caroline Pennell (born 1995), a singer-songwriter from The Voice.
Mario Perillo (1927–2003), a tour operator.
Eleanore Pettersen (1916–2003), one of the first female architects in New Jersey.
Sam Raia, a politician who was Mayor of Saddle River.
Ja Rule (born 1976), a rapper.
Lisa Scafuro (born 1958), a documentary filmmaker and children's book author.
Danielle Schulmann (born 1989), a soccer player.
Daniel Silna (born 1944), a businessman known for a unique deal in basketball.
Joseph Simmons (born 1964), also known as Reverend Run from Run-D.M.C.
Russell Simmons (born 1957), a hip-hop business leader.
Ben Vereen (born 1946), a Tony Award-winning actor, dancer, and singer.
William B. Widnall (1906–1983), a politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Susie Wiles (born 1957), a political consultant.