Ridgewood, New Jersey


Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 24,958, reflecting an increase of 22 from the 24,936 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 784 from the 24,152 counted in the 1990 Census. Ridgewood is a suburban bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan.
The village has been one of the state's highest-income communities. In 2000, Ridgewood had a per capita income of $51,658, which was ranked the 35th-highest in the state. Based on data from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey, the village had a per-capita income of $67,560, ranked 31st in the state. Based on data from the American Community Survey for 2013–2017, Ridgewood residents had a median household income of $162,011, ranked 7th in the state among municipalities with more than 10,000 residents, more than double the statewide median of $76,475.
Ridgewood was ranked 26th in Money magazine's "Best Places to Live" in 2011.

History

In 1700, Johannes Van Emburgh built the first home in Ridgewood, having purchased a property in 1698.
The Village of Ridgewood was created on November 20, 1894, with the same boundaries as Ridgewood Township. The Village became the municipal government while the Township remained a school district. In 1902, the village added portions of Orvil Township, which were returned to Orvil Township in 1915. In 1925, Ridgewood Village acquired area from Franklin Township. On February 9, 1971, Ridgewood acquired area from Washington Township. On May 28, 1974, it acquired area from Ho-Ho-Kus. The name of the village derives from the characteristics of its terrain.

Historic sites

Ridgewood is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places:
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village had a total area of 5.818 square miles, including 5.752 square miles of land and 0.066 square miles of water.
Ridgewood is adjacent to nine municipalities, eight in Bergen County − Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus, Midland Park, Wyckoff, Paramus, Waldwick and Washington Township − and Hawthorne in Passaic County.

Neighborhoods

Ridgewood's neighborhoods include:
Ridgewood has a hot-summer humid continental climate and the hardiness zone is 7a bordering on 6b.

Demographics

Ridgewood was ranked 15th on Money Magazine's 2013 listing of the 25 top-earning towns in the United States.

2010 Census

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $143,229 and the median family income was $172,825. Males had a median income of $111,510 versus $77,651 for females. The per capita income for the village was $67,560. About 2.2% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Same-sex couples headed 38 households in 2010, an increase from the 22 counted in 2000.

2000 Census

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 24,936 people, 8,603 households, and 6,779 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,308.9 people per square mile. There were 8,802 housing units at an average density of 1,521.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 87.82% White, 1.64% African American, 0.04% Native American, 8.67% Asian, 0.59% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.78% of the population.
There were 8,603 households out of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 18.5% of all households 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 2.87 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the village, the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $104,286, and the median income for a family was $121,848. Males had a median income of $90,422 versus $50,248 for females. The per capita income for the village was $51,658. 3.0% of the population and 1.8% of families were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Park facilities in Ridgewood include:

Local government

Ridgewood is governed within the Faulkner Act under Council-Manager plan B, as implemented on July 1, 1970, by direct petition. The village is one of 42 of 565 municipalities statewide governed under this form. Under this form, the governing body is comprised of five council members who are responsible to hire and oversee a professional Village Manager who has full executive power for all departments. The government consists of five council members, with all positions elected at-large in nonpartisan elections to serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election in even-numbered years on the second Tuesday in May. At a reorganization meeting held on July 1 after newly elected council members take office, the council chooses a mayor and deputy mayor from among its members for two-year terms, with the mayor presiding over Council meetings, but without any executive authority. The Village Council appoints a Village Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Village, to handle personnel, citizen inquiries and complaints, and to handle the administrative duties of the Village. The Village Council passes local laws, makes appointments to various Boards and Committees, and awards various contracts for purchases of goods and services used by the Village. They also review, amend, and adopt the annual budget for the Village prepared by the Village Manager and Chief Financial Officer.
, members of the Ridgewood Village Council are Mayor Susan Knudsen, Deputy Mayor Michael Sedon, President Pro-Tempore Bernadette Walsh, Pamela Perron and Lorraine Reyenolds.
Of the 565 municipalities statewide, Ridgewood is one of only four municipalities in New Jersey with the village type of government, joining Loch Arbour, Ridgefield Park and South Orange.

Federal, state and county representation

Ridgewood is located in the 5th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 40th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 15,983 registered voters in Ridgewood, of which 4,727 were registered as Democrats, 4,125 were registered as Republicans and 7,118 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 13 voters registered to other parties. Among the village's 2010 Census population, 64.0% were registered to vote, including 92.4% of those ages 18 and over.
In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 8,000 votes, ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 4,576 votes and other candidates with 665 votes, among the 13,308 ballots cast by the village's 17,892 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.4%. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 6,181 votes here, ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 5,852 votes and other candidates with 130 votes, among the 12,232 ballots cast by the village's 17,124 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 7,387 votes here, ahead of Republican John McCain with 5,743 votes and other candidates with 80 votes, among the 13,306 ballots cast by the village's 16,867 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.9%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 6,656 votes here, ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 6,357 votes and other candidates with 94 votes, among the 13,141 ballots cast by the village's 16,325 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.5%.
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 62.9% of the vote, ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 36.2%, and other candidates with 0.9%, among the 6,864 ballots cast by the village's 16,103 registered voters, for a turnout of 42.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 4,192 votes here, ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 3,885 votes, Independent Chris Daggett with 423 votes and other candidates with 44 votes, among the 8,582 ballots cast by the village's 16,509 registered voters, yielding a 52.0% turnout.

Education

The Ridgewood Public Schools serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of 10 schools, had an enrollment of 5,751 students and 411.4 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0:1. Schools in the district are
Glen School,
Henrietta Hawes Elementary School,
Orchard Elementary School,
Ridge Elementary School,
Irwin B. Somerville Elementary School,
Ira W. Travell Elementary School,
Willard Elementary School,
Benjamin Franklin Middle School,
George Washington Middle School and
Ridgewood High School. The district's high school was the 28th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 28th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 20th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The school was ranked 606th in U.S. News & World Report national rankings for 2019.
According to the New Jersey Department of Education, Ridgewood is a socioeconomic District Factor Group of J, the highest of eight categories.
Public school students from the village, 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 an extremely selective and competitive application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.
The Holmstead School serves students of high school age with high intellectual potential who have not succeeded in traditional school settings. Students are placed in the school by referral from their home public school districts, with tuition paid for by the school district.
Preschools in Ridgewood include Bethlehem Early Learning Center, West Side Presbyterian, First Presbyterian School, the Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood, and the Montessori Learning Center.

Local media

The village of Ridgewood is served by two weekly community newspapers – The Ridgewood News and the Ridgewood Suburban News. The papers are published by North Jersey Media Group. The daily newspaper for the region is The Record which is also published by North Jersey Media Group. The company's website, NorthJersey.com, has a Ridgewood town page that includes local coverage from all three of these papers. Patch Media provides Ridgewood with its own daily news website, which offers news, events, announcements and Local Voices.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the village had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Bergen County, and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Major roads that pass through Ridgewood include New Jersey Route 17, Franklin Turnpike, County Route 84 and County Route 507.

Public transportation

The Ridgewood train station is served by the NJ Transit Main Line as well as the Bergen County Line. The station features three platforms. The first is for all trains headed south toward Hoboken Terminal. The second is for Bergen County Line trains headed in the same direction, and the third is for Main Line trains headed toward Suffern and Port Jervis. NJ Transit trains on both the Bergen County and the Main Lines go to Hoboken, stopping at Secaucus Junction, for transfers to trains to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan and other destinations served by the station. Parking is limited near the Ridgewood train station. Taxicabs are available at the train station; the taxi building is on the northbound platform.
NJ Transit buses in Ridgewood include the 148, 163 and 164 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, the 175 to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, and local service offered on the 722, 746 and 752 routes. Except for the 148 route, all the others stop at NJ Transit's Ridgewood Bus Terminal on Van Neste Square.
Short Line offers service along Route 17 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, as well as to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station and down the East Side on Manhattan to 23rd Street.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Ridgewood include:
The Ridgewood Post Office was the site of a postal killing in 1991, where a former postal worker, Joseph M. Harris, killed his former supervisor, Carol Ott, with a katana and shot her fiancé, Cornelius Kasten Jr., at their home. The following morning, on October 10, 1991, Harris shot and killed two mail handlers at the Ridgewood Post Office.
Warner Theater is a Bow Tie Cinema located on East Ridgewood Avenue.