Closter, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Closter, New Jersey
Borough
The former station depot of the Erie Railroad's Northern Branch as seen from the crossing of County Route 502 (High Street) in Closter
Seal
Nickname(s):  "Hub of the Northern Valley"
Location of Closter in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Closter, New Jersey
Closter, New Jersey Location in Bergen County, New Jersey Show map of Bergen County, New Jersey Closter, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Closter, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Bergen
Incorporated	January 1, 1904
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	3.30 sq mi (8.55 km2)
• Land	3.16 sq mi (8.18 km2)
• Water	0.14 sq mi (0.37 km2)  4.30%
Area rank	325th of 565 in state 24th of 70 in county
Elevation	39 ft (12 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,594
• Estimate  (2023)	8,544
• Rank	278th of 565 in state 47th of 70 in county
• Density	2,719.6/sq mi (1,050.0/km2)
• Density rank	236th of 565 in state 45th of 70 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07624
Area code(s)	201 exchanges: 750, 767, 768, 784
FIPS code	3400313810
GNIS feature ID	0885190

Closter (/ˈkloʊstər/) 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 8,594, an increase of 221 (+2.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,373, which in turn reflected a decline of 10 (−0.1%) from the 8,383 counted in the 2000 census.

History

The Lenape Native Americans tilled the soil, hunted in the woods, and fished in the rivers and streams before the Dutch arrived in the early 18th Century. The Dutch settlers, though, left an indelible mark on the area. Early records show that after the English takeover of New Netherland, English Governor Philip Carteret in 1669 granted a real estate speculator named Balthaser De Hart a strip of property which extended east and west from the Hudson River to the Tiena Kill, and north and south from today's Cresskill into Palisades, New York. It is within these geographical boundaries that lies what is now known as Closter. The first land grant deed for the area today known as Closter was not written until April 13, 1671. The northern half of this tract of land consisting of 1,030 acres (420 ha) (extending from what is Closter Dock Road northward) was purchased by Barent and Resolvert Nagel on April 25, 1710, who along with the Vervalen family first settled what is now Closter.

The name Closter is of Dutch origin and first appears in a November 18, 1721 deed between the surviving Tappan Patentees and Peter Haring (who owned land in Harrington Park/Norwood east of Tappan Road and between Harrington and Blanche Avenues)—the meets and bounds of the deed begin “Beginning at the bridge which comes out of the Clooster by the Dwars Kill..." (At that time, Closter was considered part of New York State). In the Dutch language, Klooster or "clooster" means "a quiet place, a monastery or cloister." The name was originally pronounced with an "ow" sound, phonetically, "Klowster." Later, just before the American Revolution, these isolated settlers began to feel the impact of the British Crown in their lives—not only in governmental affairs but also by the influx of English culture on their own language and practices. As a result the "K" in Klooster was dropped and was replaced with a "C" so the now growing village became known as Clooster. By 1795, with the emerging new American culture, the second "o" in Clooster was dropped, and the American English "long o" sound was adopted which led to today's pronunciation of Closter.

The topography gave a sense of isolation and protection, tucked behind the highest point of the Palisades and protected by limited access. Alternatively, sources indicate that the name derives from an early settler named Frederick Closter who is said to have been granted the land in the area in the 1600s.

Reminders of Closter's early Dutch history abound - with local streets named after some of the early families (Bogert, Demarest, Durie, Naugle, Parsells, Vervalen, Auryansen, Haring, and Westervelt), and a rich collection of unique Jersey Dutch houses.

The arrival of the Northern Branch in 1859, followed by additional train service from what became the West Shore Railroad, brought residents to the community who could commute to Manhattan via the ferry across the Hudson River at the railroad's Weehawken depot. Closter's central location earned it the nickname "Hub of the Northern Valley".

Closter was formed as an incorporated municipality by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 1, 1904, from portions of Harrington Township. On March 29, 1904, Harrington Park was created from portions of Closter, Harrington Township and Washington Township.

After the turn of the 20th century, Closter changed from being sprawling estates and farms into an upper middle class suburban town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.30 square miles (8.55 km²), including 3.16 square miles (8.18 km²) of land and 0.14 square miles (0.37 km²) of water (4.30%).

Closter has a humid subtropical climate similar to the rest of the Middle Atlantic region of the United States.

Closter borders the Bergen County municipalities of Alpine, Demarest, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth and Norwood.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 8,373 people, 2,747 households, and 2,327 families in the borough. The population density was 2,646.0 per square mile (1,021.6/km²). There were 2,860 housing units at an average density of 903.8 per square mile (349.0/km²). The racial makeup was 64.17% (5,373) White, 1.31% (110) Black or African American, 0.05% (4) Native American, 31.65% (2,650) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 1.54% (129) from other races, and 1.27% (106) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.98% (501) of the population.

Of the 2,747 households, 43.4% had children under the age of 18; 73.2% were married couples living together; 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 15.3% were non-families. Of all households, 12.9% were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.30.

26.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.4 males.

Korean Americans accounted for 21.2% of the population.

Same-sex couples headed 15 households in 2010, an increase from the 10 counted in 2000.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $117,147 (with a margin of error of +/− $14,096) and the median family income was $128,656 (+/− $13,704). Males had a median income of $93,578 (+/− $13,709) versus $64,167 (+/− $13,864) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $50,501 (+/− $4,636). About 3.2% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Closter has an outdoor mall called Closter Plaza that includes stores, restaurants and a movie theater. First constructed in the 1960s, a long-term construction project began in July 2015 that added a Whole Foods, Target, HomeGoods, and other new businesses to the 208,000-square-foot (19,300 m²) mall, which occupies a 16-acre (6.5 ha) site. In August 2012, the mall was used for filming scenes for the film The Wolf of Wall Street. The renovation project, which had been in the works for more than a decade, was completed in late 2016.

Sports

The Closter Golf Center includes a 120 stalls in a two-story driving range, as well as a mini golf course.

Parks and recreation

Parks in the borough include:

• Amendola Park – located on Willow Road, features a playground
• High Street Park – located at the intersection of High Street and Piermont Road that has a playground and fitness area.
• Memorial Field – also known as Veterans Memorial Field. Located on Harrington Avenue, it has a playground, athletic fields, and a bandshell. It also has a memorial of all US Veterans as well as a memorial of those who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks.
• Mollicone Park – a baseball field located at the intersection of Knickerbocker Road and Eckerson Avenue. This park was honored after Closter-native Vietnam War veteran, Donald Mollicone.
• Ruckman Park – located at the intersection of Piermont and Ruckman roads, that have athletic fields, walking/jogging path, and a playground
• Schauble Park – located on Bergenline Avenue, this park has a playground, bike path, and athletic fields.

Education

The Closter Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 1,190 students and 93.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.8:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Hillside Elementary School with 621 students in grades PreK-4 and Tenakill Middle School with 556 students in grades 5-8. Hillside Elementary School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence in 2021 school year.

Students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest in Demarest, together with students from Demarest and Haworth. The high school is part of the Northern Valley Regional High School District, which also serves students from Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan. During the 1994–1996 school years, Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education. As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 974 students and 91.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1. Local students had attended Closter High School until Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest opened in 1955, whereupon the Closter school was closed.

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.

Houses of worship

The Church of Saint Mary is a faith community in the Roman Catholic tradition. The parish offers daily and weekend masses. The parish conducts religious education for youth and adult enrichment programs. The Church of Saint Mary features 33 notable stained glass windows, sketched by Sister M. Conegunda of the Felician Sisters and crafted by the Cloister Art Studios.

Temple Emanu-El is a Conservative synagogue that offers weekly services in addition to a Hebrew school for children beginning at age 3.

Transportation

County Route 502 in Closter

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 43.34 miles (69.75 km) of roadways, of which 33.48 miles (53.88 km) were maintained by the municipality and 9.86 miles (15.87 km) by Bergen County.

County Route 501, County Route 502 and County Route 505 travel through Closter.

Closter can also be reached via the Palisades Interstate Parkway and U.S. Route 9W, which pass through adjacent municipalities.

Public transportation

The NJ Transit 167 and 177 bus routes provide service along Schraalenburgh Road to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Coach USA's Rockland Coaches provides service from Closter to the Port Authority Bus Terminal via the 20 bus route.

Notable people

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

See also

In Spanish: Closter para niños