Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958, reflecting an increase of 22 (+0.1%) from 24,936 in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 784 (+3.2%) from 24,152 in the 1990 Census. Ridgewood is a suburban bedroom community of New York City, approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan. It has been one of the state's highest-income communities. In 2000, its per capita income of $51,658 was ranked the 35th-highest in the state. Based on data from the 2006 -2010 American Community Survey, it had a per-capita income of $67,560, 31st in the state. Based on data from the American Community Survey for 2013–2017, it 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, also in Bergen County. 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 (remainder now dissolved as Wyckoff). 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: Geography. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village had a total area of 5.80 square miles (15.03 km), including 5.74 square miles (14.87 km) of land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km) of water (1.07%). 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: Climate. Ridgewood has a hot-summer humid continental climate ("Dfa") and the hardiness zone is 7a bordering on 6b. Demographics. 2020 Census. In  the 2020 United States Census, the population of Ridgewood was reported at 25,979, an increase of 1,121 people since the 2010 Census. Based on data from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey, it was reported that there were 8,300 households in the village. The average number of persons per household was 3.01. 96.8% of the households owned a computer. 96.5% of the population (age 25+) graduated high school and 76.0% have a Bachelor's degree. 78.8% of the population was White, 15.5% were Asian, 7.9% were Hispanic or Latino, and 1.2% were Black or African American. 2010 Census. The  Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $143,229 (with a margin of error of +/- $10,530) and the median family income was $172,825 (+/- $9,197). Males had a median income of $111,510 (+/- $12,513) versus $77,651 (+/- $9,008) for females. The per capita income for the village was $67,560 (+/- $3,740). 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 (1,662.8/km). There were 8,802 housing units at an average density of 1,521.0 per square mile (587.0/km). 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: Government. Local government. Ridgewood is governed within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) under Council-Manager plan B, as implemented on July 1, 1970, by direct petition. The village is one of 42 municipalities (of the 565) statewide governed 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 (R) (term on council ends 2022), Deputy Mayor Michael Sedon (2022) (D) , President Pro-Tempore Bernadette Walsh (R) (2020 ), Pamela Perron (D) (2024) and Lorraine Reynolds (R) (2024). 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 (29.6% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 4,125 (25.8% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 7,118 (44.5 % vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 13 voters registered to other parties. Among the village's 2010 Census population, 64.0% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 92.4% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide). In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 8,000 votes (60.4% vs. 54.2% countywide), ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 4,576 votes (34.6% vs. 41.1%) and other candidates with 665 votes (5.0% vs. 4.6%), among the 13,308 ballots cast by the village's 17,892 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.4% (vs. 72.5% in Bergen County). In  the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 6,181 votes here (50.5% vs. 54.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 5,852 votes (47.8% vs. 43.5%) and other candidates with 130 votes (1.1% vs. 0.9%), among the 12,232 ballots cast by the village's 17,124 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.4% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 7,387 votes here (55.5% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 5,743 votes (43.2% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates with 80 votes (0.6% vs. 0.8%), among the 13,306 ballots cast by the  village's 16,867 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.9% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 6,656 votes here (50.7% vs. 51.7% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 6,357 votes (48.4% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 94 votes (0.7% vs. 0.7%), among the 13,141 ballots cast by the village's 16,325 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.5% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 62.9% of the vote (4,259 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 36.2% (2,453 votes), and  other candidates with 0.9% (59 votes), among the 6,864 ballots cast by the village's 16,103 registered voters (93 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 4,192 votes here (48.8% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 3,885 votes (45.3% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 423 votes (4.9% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 44 votes (0.5% vs. 0.5%), among the 8,582 ballots cast by the village's 16,509 registered voters, yielding a 52.0% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county). 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 5,778 students and 433.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.3:1. Schools in the district, with 2019–20 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics, are: 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 (commonly known as East and West Ridgewood Avenue) and County Route 507 (Maple Avenue). 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 (to Paramus Park and Paterson), 746 (to Paterson, as Ridgewood is its terminus) and 752 (to Hackensack) 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: Points of interest. 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.