Cliffside Park, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cliffside Park, New Jersey
Borough
Trinity Episcopal Church
Seal
Motto(s):  "On Top of the Palisades"
Location of Cliffside Park in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Cliffside Park, New Jersey
Cliffside Park, New Jersey Location in Bergen County, New Jersey Show map of Bergen County, New Jersey Cliffside Park, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Cliffside Park, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Bergen
Incorporated	January 15, 1895
Named for	"Park by the Cliffs"
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	0.96 sq mi (2.48 km2)
• Land	0.96 sq mi (2.48 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0.00%
Area rank	511th of 565 in state 67th of 70 in county
Elevation	253 ft (77 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	25,693
• Estimate  (2023)	25,570
• Rank	100th of 565 in state 11th of 70 in county
• Density	26,875.5/sq mi (10,376.7/km2)
• Density rank	5th of 565 in state 1st of 70 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07010
Area code(s)	201
FIPS code	3400313570
GNIS feature ID	0885187

Cliffside Park 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 25,693, an increase of 2,099 (+8.9%) from the 2010 census count of 23,594, which in turn reflected an increase of 587 (+2.6%) from the 23,007 counted in the 2000 census.

Cliffside Park was formed based on the results of a referendum held on January 15, 1895, from portions of Ridgefield Township. The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, as one of two boroughs created in 1895 after 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone. The borough was named for its location as a "Park by the Cliffs".

U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg resided in the borough until his death in 2013. Cliffside Park was home to the former Palisades Amusement Park, part of which was located in adjoining Fort Lee. The 38-acre (15 ha) park operated from 1898 until 1971, remaining one of the most-visited amusement parks in the country until its closure, after which the rides and attractions were removed and the site replaced by high-rise apartment buildings.

Geography

Highrises atop Hudson Palisades

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.96 square miles (2.48 km²), all of which was land. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, Anderson Avenue and Palisade Avenue are the town's major north–south thoroughfares, the latter offering views of the Hudson River and New York City skyline.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Grantwood and Shadyside.

The borough borders the municipalities of Edgewater, Fairview, Fort Lee and Ridgefield in Bergen County, as well as North Bergen in Hudson County.

Grantwood is named for Grant's Tomb, located on the opposite shore of the river. Gorge Road runs along the face of the cliff to the Edgewater waterfront.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 23,594 people, 9,948 households, and 6,178 families in the borough. The population density was 24,508.7 per square mile (9,462.9/km²). There were 10,665 housing units at an average density of 11,078.5 per square mile (4,277.4/km²). The racial makeup was 70.11% (16,541) White, 3.29% (776) Black or African American, 0.32% (75) Native American, 13.78% (3,252) Asian, 0.05% (11) Pacific Islander, 8.65% (2,042) from other races, and 3.80% (897) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.41% (6,704) of the population.

Of the 9,948 households, 23.6% had children under the age of 18; 44.8% were married couples living together; 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 37.9% were non-families. Of all households, 31.6% were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.98.

17.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey shows that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $67,856 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,782) and the median family income was $80,856 (+/− $5,828). Males had a median income of $53,529 (+/− $4,598) versus $52,134 (+/− $5,805) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $36,157 (+/− $2,000). About 7.3% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 56 households in 2010, a decline from the 72 counted in 2000.

Religion

Roman Catholic Church of the Epiphany

As of 2011^[update], more than three quarters of Cliffside Park residents categorize themselves as being affiliated with a formal religious body. A majority of the borough is Roman Catholic (52.60%), many of whom attend the Roman Catholic Church of the Epiphany on Knox Avenue. 8.12% Jewish; 1.21% Lutheran; 1.20% Episcopalian; 0.84% Methodist; 0.88% Muslim; 0.62% Baptist; 0.46% Pentecostal; and 0.02% Eastern Orthodox Christian.

Education

The Cliffside Park School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 3,074 students and 255.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Number 3 School with 358 students in grades PreK-4, Number 4 School with 485 students in grades K-5, Number 5 School with 275 students in grades PreK-4, Number 6 School / Cliffside Park Middle School with 692 students in grades 5-8 and Cliffside Park High School with 1,192 students in grades 9-12. Students from Fairview attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Fairview Public Schools.

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.

For generations, the borough was the home of Epiphany School, an elementary school of the Roman Catholic Church of the Epiphany. Completed in 1930, having been constructed under the direction of Msgr. Anthony J. Ferretti, the school was staffed by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth (Convent Station, New Jersey). In 2005, due to changing demographics and low enrollment, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark decided to merge Epiphany School with Christ the Teacher Interparochial School in Fort Lee, New Jersey, which is jointly sponsored by Epiphany RC Church, Madonna RC Church (Fort Lee), Holy Trinity RC Church (Fort Lee) and Holy Rosary RC Church (Edgewater).

Transportation

County Route 29 (Anderson Avenue) in Cliffside Park

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 24.47 miles (39.38 km) of roadways, of which 20.29 miles (32.65 km) were maintained by the municipality and 4.18 miles (6.73 km) by Bergen County.

Palisade Avenue and Anderson Avenue are the main north–south roads of Cliffside Park.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus lines 156, 159 and 181 offer service to and from Manhattan; the 22 route serves Jersey City; and the 751 and 755 offer local service.

Notable people

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