Wallington, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wallington, New Jersey
Borough
Police Station/Courthouse
Seal
Location of Wallington in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Wallington, New Jersey
Wallington, New Jersey Location in Bergen County, New Jersey Show map of Bergen County, New Jersey Wallington, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Wallington, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Bergen
Incorporated	December 31, 1894
Named for	Walling Van Winkle
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	1.05 sq mi (2.71 km2)
• Land	0.99 sq mi (2.57 km2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.14 km2)  5.05%
Area rank	496th of 565 in state 64th of 70 in county
Elevation	20 ft (6 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,868
• Estimate  (2023)	11,825
• Rank	213th of 565 in state 31st of 70 in county
• Density	11,939.6/sq mi (4,609.9/km2)
• Density rank	26th of 565 in state 7th of 70 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07057
Area code(s)	201 and 973
FIPS code	3400376490
GNIS feature ID	0885430

Wallington 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 11,868, an increase of 533 (+4.7%) from the 2010 census count of 11,335, which in turn reflected a decline of 248 (−2.1%) from the 11,583 counted in the 2000 census.

Wallington was created as a borough on January 2, 1895, based on a referendum held on December 31, 1894, from area taken from Bergen Township and Saddle River Township. The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through New Jersey, in which 26 boroughs were formed in Bergen County alone in 1894, with Wallington the last of the 26 to be formed by an 1894 referendum. Sections of Wallington were ceded to Garfield in 1898. The borough is said to have been named for Walling Van Winkle (1650–1725), who built a home in the future borough.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.05 square miles (2.71 km²), including 0.99 square miles (2.57 km²) of land and 0.05 square miles (0.14 km²) of water (5.05%).

The borough borders Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Garfield, South Hackensack and Wood-Ridge in Bergen County, and the city of Passaic in Passaic County across the Passaic River.

The borough is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Midtown Manhattan.

Demographics

The borough is one of 41 municipalities statewide where a majority of residents do not speak English as their primary language. Based on data from the United States Census Bureau's 2012–2016 American Community Survey data, Wallington had 62.8% of residents not speaking English as their dominant language, the 13th highest perecentage in the state.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 11,335 people, 4,637 households, and 2,991 families in the borough. The population density was 11,528.6 per square mile (4,451.2/km²). There were 4,946 housing units at an average density of 5,030.5 per square mile (1,942.3/km²). The racial makeup was 85.48% (9,689) White, 3.23% (366) Black or African American, 0.16% (18) Native American, 5.57% (631) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 3.86% (438) from other races, and 1.70% (193) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.81% (1,225) of the population.

Of the 4,637 households, 25.4% had children under the age of 18; 48.0% were married couples living together; 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 35.5% were non-families. Of all households, 29.1% were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.03.

18.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,724 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,808) and the median family income was $66,414 (+/− $7,756). Males had a median income of $46,632 (+/− $3,029) versus $40,968 (+/− $2,962) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $27,350 (+/− $1,947). About 7.0% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 25 households in 2010, a decrease from the 30 counted in 2000.

Arts and culture

Each December, Wallington holds a holiday parade. Fire departments and ambulances from the surrounding area (including the Wallington Fire Department) put Christmas lights on their trucks. There is a contest to determine which department's apparatus has the best Christmas lights. The winning department gets a trophy.

Parks and recreation

Samuel Nelkin County Park is located on Parkview Drive, covering 17 acres (6.9 ha). It has a playground, tennis courts, athletic fields, a dog park, picnic areas, and a shallow, artificial pond for fishing.

Borough parks and green spaces include:

• Dul Field, which is home to a baseball/softball field and a playground.
• Spring Street Soccer Field, which has baseball/softball and soccer facilities as well as a concession stand.
• Little League Field/Park, which is a little league baseball field and also features a playground, basketball courts, and a concession stand.
• Crescent Park, which is a green space with a playground.
• Hathaway Street Skate Park, which has a roller hockey rink and playground.
• Washington Crossing Park, which features a green space, gazebo, and monument on the banks of the Passaic River.
• Wallington High School Athletic Field, which is between Wallington High School and Frank W. Gavlak Elementary School, has football, soccer, and baseball/softball fields.

Bowlero Wallington is a bowling alley that has 48 lanes, an arcade, restaurant and bar.

Education

The Wallington 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 1,243 students and 91.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.7:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Jefferson Elementary School with 243 students in grades K-2, Frank W. Gavlak Elementary School with 348 students in grades 3-6 and Wallington High School with 590 students in grades 7-12.

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.

Due to declining enrollment, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark closed Most Sacred Heart School after the 2013–2014 school year. The school district is in talks with the Archdiocese to temporarily lease Most Sacred Heart School starting during the 2014–2015 school year, so that Jefferson Elementary School can be closed for repair/rebuilding without straining the capacity of Frank W. Gavlak Elementary School.

Emergency services

Police

The Wallington Police Department (WPD) provides emergency and protective services to the borough. The WPD consists of 20 sworn officers, as well as special officers and crossing guards, and is headed by a Chief of Police. The WPD responds to approximately 13,000 calls per year.

Fire / EMS

The Wallington Fire Department (WFD) is an all-volunteer fire department. The WFD was organized in October 1894 and consists of three fire companies operating out of three firehouses. The department is staffed by 85 fully trained firefighters. The Wallington Fire Department Emergency Squad provides emergency medical and rescue services.

Transportation

Route 21 briefly passes through Wallington

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 18.93 miles (30.46 km) of roadways, of which 16.07 miles (25.86 km) were maintained by the municipality and 2.86 miles (4.60 km) by Bergen County.

A very short section of New Jersey Route 21 passes through Wallington. This section was built over a section of the Passaic River which was filled in to allow the highway to be constructed. However, the municipal boundary still follows the old river bed, resulting in a small section of Wallington on the west bank of the river which is mostly occupied by the highway.

County Route 507 is the most significant road directly serving Wallington. Three bridges, the Gregory Avenue Bridge (built in 1905), the Market Street Bridge (dating back to 1894) and the Eighth Street Bridge (originally constructed in 1915) cross the Passaic River from Wallington to the city of Passaic. After years of construction, a new 290-foot (88 m) Eighth Street Bridge was completed in 2019 with the assistance of $15 million in aid from the federal government, restoring service to a crossing that had handled more than 6,000 vehicles per day on a bridge that was more than 100 years old.

The New Jersey Turnpike Western Roadway (Interstate 95) is accessible at Exit 16W in neighboring East Rutherford.

Public transportation

NJ Transit's Bergen County Line passes through, but does not stop in, Wallington. Wesmont station is located along the border between Wallington and Wood-Ridge, but it can only be accessed from the latter. NJ Transit bus routes 160 and 161 provide service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, and routes 703, 707, and 780 provide local service.

Notable people

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

• Elizabeth Calabrese, member of the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 2004 to 2010
• George Fischbeck (1922–2015), television weatherman
• Steve Hamas (1907–1974), professional football player in the National Football League who turned to professional boxing, defeating former heavyweight champions Tommy Loughran and Max Schmelling
• Henry Helstoski (1925–1999), U.S. Congressman from 1965 to 1977, representing New Jersey's 8th congressional district
• Doris Mahalick (1924–2008), politician who served on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Mayor of Wallington and as the nation's first woman to serve as a county police commissioner
• Frankie Perez (born 1989), mixed martial artist who has competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship
• Ed Sanicki (1923–1998), outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies
• Walling Van Winkle (1650–1725), namesake of Wallington who built a home here

See also

In Spanish: Wallington (Nueva Jersey) para niños