Wanaque, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wanaque, New Jersey
Borough
Downtown Wanaque along southbound Ringwood Avenue (CR 511)
Seal
Location of Wanaque in Passaic County. Inset: Passaic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Wanaque, New Jersey
Wanaque, New Jersey Location in Passaic County, New Jersey Show map of Passaic County, New Jersey Wanaque, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Wanaque, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Passaic
Incorporated	March 22, 1918
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	9.32 sq mi (24.15 km2)
• Land	8.06 sq mi (20.88 km2)
• Water	1.26 sq mi (3.26 km2)  13.50%
Area rank	215th of 565 in state 5th of 16 in county
Elevation	220 ft (70 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,317
• Estimate  (2023)	11,048
• Rank	220th of 565 in state 10th of 16 in county
• Density	1,403.0/sq mi (541.7/km2)
• Density rank	345th of 565 in state 13th of 16 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07420 – Haskell 07465 – Wanaque
Area code(s)	973 Exchanges: 248, 616, 831, 835, 839
FIPS code	3403176730
GNIS feature ID	0885431
Website

Aerial view of Wanaque (lower right) and Wanaque Reservoir

Wanaque (/ˈwɒnəkjuː, wəˈnɑːki/) 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 11,317, an increase of 201 (+1.8%) from the 2010 census count of 11,116, which in turn reflected an increase of 850 (+8.3%) from the 10,266 counted in the 2000 census.

History

Wanaque was incorporated as an independent borough on February 23, 1918, when Pompton Township was split up into three boroughs, along with Bloomingdale and Ringwood, and affirmed by a referendum held on March 22, 1918. The borough's name Wanaque (original pronunciation 'Wa Na Kee') is thought to have been derived from a Lenni Lenape Native American word meaning "land of sassafras".

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 9.33 square miles (24.15 km²), including 8.07 square miles (20.89 km²) of land and 1.26 square miles (3.26 km²) of water (13.50%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Haskell, Lake Inez, Lake Washington, Meadow Brook Lake, Midvale, Ramapo Lake, Rotten Pond, Stephens Lake and Upper Midvale.

Both Wanaque (formerly Midvale) and Haskell have their own ZIP Codes and are served by separate post offices.

The borough borders the municipalities of Bloomingdale, Pompton Lakes and Ringwood in Passaic County; and Oakland in Bergen County.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 11,116 people, 4,018 households, and 3,026 families in the borough. The population density was 1,391.2 per square mile (537.1/km²). There were 4,184 housing units at an average density of 523.7 per square mile (202.2/km²). The racial makeup was 87.48% (9,724) White, 3.07% (341) Black or African American, 0.40% (45) Native American, 4.65% (517) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 2.25% (250) from other races, and 2.14% (238) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.67% (1,075) of the population.

Of the 4,018 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18; 61.1% were married couples living together; 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.7% were non-families. Of all households, 20.0% were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.07.

20.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.2 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $89,459 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,457) and the median family income was $98,081 (+/− $7,333). Males had a median income of $62,454 (+/− $4,289) versus $49,421 (+/− $6,017) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,579 (+/− $3,293). About 1.0% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 20 households in 2010, a decline from the 22 counted in 2000.

Education

The Wanaque Borough Schools serves students in public school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 861 students and 92.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.4:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Haskell Elementary School 367 students in grades PreK–8 and Wanaque Elementary School 484 students in grades PreK–8.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Lakeland Regional High School, which serves students from the Boroughs of Ringwood and Wanaque. The high school is located in Wanaque and is part of the Lakeland Regional High School District. As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 902 students and 81.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1.

Wanaque is the site of Passaic County Community College's Wanaque Academic Center.

Transportation

Interstate 287 southbound in Wanaque

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 36.45 miles (58.66 km) of roadways, of which 29.30 miles (47.15 km) were maintained by the municipality, 4.96 miles (7.98 km) by Passaic County and 2.18 miles (3.51 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Several major roadways traverse through the borough. Interstate 287 passes through Wanaque for 2.2 miles (3.5 km), where it is accessible at Exit 55, near the intersection of Union and Ringwood Avenues (County Route 511).

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 197 route.

Notable people

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

• Kevin Carolan (born 1968), actor and comedian
• Bobby Czyz (born 1962), boxer who is both a former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion
• John McCutcheon (1879–1942), politician who served as the New Jersey State Comptroller and the Passaic County Clerk
• Bill Palatucci, (born 1958), attorney who served on the Republican National Committee and the New Jersey Apportionment Commission, and headed selection of staff for the presidential transition of Donald Trump
• Ernestine Petras (born 1924), infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
• John Pfahl (1939–2020), photographer
• Chris Port (born 1967), former NFL offensive lineman who played for five seasons for the New Orleans Saints

Points of interest

Elks Camp Moore is an Elks accredited summer overnight camp for children with special needs. The camp was founded in 1971 and includes many activities for the children such as a swimming pool, three playgrounds, a small playing field, a recreation hall, and rooms that house other fun activities. The campers stay for one week from Sunday until Saturday. Each week, 75 campers attend the camp and are assigned to their own counselor. The camp is wheelchair accessible since handicapped children also attend the camp. People consider Camp Moore, the "Miracle on the Mountain". The camp is located high on top of a mountain overlooking Route 287 in Haskell. Admission is free for the campers, and the camp is funded in part by local New Jersey Elks lodges.

See also

In Spanish: Wanaque para niños