Wallington, New Jersey facts for kids

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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

Wallington, New Jersey

Location in New Jersey

Wallington, New Jersey

Location in the United States

December 31, 1894

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 small town, called a borough, located in Bergen County, New Jersey. In 2020, about 11,868 people lived here. This was a small increase from 2010.

Wallington became a borough on January 2, 1895. It was formed from parts of other towns. This happened during a time when many new boroughs were created in New Jersey. Wallington is thought to be named after Walling Van Winkle, who built a home in the area long ago. In the early 1900s, Wallington was known as a place where people from Slovakia could buy homes.

Wallington's Location and Size
People and Population in Wallington
Fun Things to Do in Wallington
- Parks and Outdoor Activities
Schools in Wallington
Keeping Wallington Safe
- Police Services
- Fire and EMS Services
Getting Around Wallington
- Public Transport Options
Famous People from Wallington
Images for kids
See also

Wallington's Location and Size

Wallington covers about 1.05 square miles (2.71 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

The borough shares borders with several other towns in Bergen County. These include Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Garfield, South Hackensack, and Wood-Ridge. It also borders the city of Passaic across the Passaic River. Wallington is located about 15 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan in New York City.

People and Population in Wallington

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	1,812	—
1910	3,448	90.3%
1920	5,715	65.7%
1930	9,063	58.6%
1940	8,981	−0.9%
1950	8,910	−0.8%
1960	9,261	3.9%
1970	10,284	11.0%
1980	10,741	4.4%
1990	10,828	0.8%
2000	11,583	7.0%
2010	11,335	−2.1%
2020	11,868	4.7%
2023 (est.)	11,825	4.3%
Population sources: 1900–1920 1900–1910 1910–1930 1900–2020 2000 2010 2020

Wallington is one of the few towns in New Jersey where many people speak a language other than English at home. In fact, about 62.8% of residents do not speak English as their main language. This makes Wallington a very diverse place.

In 2010, the population of Wallington was 11,335 people. Most residents were White, with smaller groups of Black, Asian, and other races. About 10.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino. The average age in Wallington was about 39.6 years old.

Fun Things to Do in Wallington

Each December, Wallington has a special holiday parade. Fire departments and ambulances from nearby towns decorate their trucks with Christmas lights. They even have a contest to see which department has the best lights! The winner gets a trophy.

Parks and Outdoor Activities

Wallington has several parks and green spaces for everyone to enjoy.

Samuel Nelkin County Park is a large park with 17 acres. It has a playground, tennis courts, sports fields, and a dog park. You can also have picnics and fish in a small pond.
Dul Field is a great spot for baseball or softball, and it has a playground.
Spring Street Soccer Field offers facilities for baseball, softball, and soccer. There's also a snack stand.
Little League Field/Park is perfect for young baseball players. It also has a playground, basketball courts, and a concession stand.
Crescent Park is a green space with a playground.
Hathaway Street Skate Park features a roller hockey rink and a playground.
Washington Crossing Park is a green space by the Passaic River. It has a gazebo and a monument.
Wallington High School Athletic Field is located between the high school and an elementary school. It has fields for football, soccer, baseball, and softball.

If you like bowling, Bowlero Wallington has 48 lanes, an arcade, and a restaurant.

Schools in Wallington

The Wallington Public Schools teach students from pre-kindergarten all the way through twelfth grade. The district has three schools:

Jefferson Elementary School for students in kindergarten through 2nd grade.
Frank W. Gavlak Elementary School for students in 3rd through 6th grade.
Wallington High School for students in 7th through 12th grade.

Students in Bergen County, including Wallington, can also apply to special high school programs. These are offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools. They include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack and the Bergen Tech campuses in Teterboro or Paramus. These schools offer advanced learning for students who are accepted.

Keeping Wallington Safe

Wallington has its own police and fire departments to help keep everyone safe.

Police Services

The Wallington Police Department (WPD) has 20 police officers. They also have special officers and crossing guards. The WPD responds to about 13,000 calls for help each year.

Fire and EMS Services

The Wallington Fire Department (WFD) is made up entirely of volunteers! These brave people volunteer their time to fight fires and help in emergencies. The WFD was started in 1894 and has 85 trained firefighters. The Wallington Fire Department Emergency Squad also provides medical and rescue services.

Getting Around Wallington

Route 21 briefly passes through Wallington

Wallington has about 18.93 miles of roads. Most of these are maintained by the town itself.

A small part of New Jersey Route 21 goes through Wallington. This road was built over a section of the Passaic River.

County Route 507 is the most important road that directly serves Wallington. There are three bridges that cross the Passaic River from Wallington to the city of Passaic. One of these, the Eighth Street Bridge, was rebuilt and opened in 2019. It helps over 6,000 vehicles cross the river each day.

The New Jersey Turnpike is also easy to reach from Wallington.

Public Transport Options

While the NJ Transit's Bergen County Line train passes through Wallington, it doesn't stop here. However, the Wesmont station is very close, right on the border with Wood-Ridge.

NJ Transit also offers bus services. Routes 160 and 161 can take you to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. Other routes like 703, 707, and 780 provide local bus service within the area.

Famous People from Wallington

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

Elizabeth Calabrese (born 1950s), a local politician who served on the Bergen County Board of Commissioners.
George Fischbeck (1922–2015), a well-known television weatherman.
Steve Hamas (1907–1974), a professional football player who also became a boxer.
Henry Helstoski (1925–1999), who was a U.S. Congressman for New Jersey.
Doris Mahalick (1924–2008), a politician who was the Mayor of Wallington and the first woman to be a county police commissioner in the nation.
Frankie Perez (born 1989), a mixed martial artist who has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Ed Sanicki (1923–1998), a professional baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Walling Van Winkle (1650–1725), the person Wallington is named after.

Images for kids

Police Station/Courthouse
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