Old Tappan, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Old Tappan, New Jersey
Borough
Gerrit Haring House in 1937
Seal
Location of Old Tappan in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Old Tappan, New Jersey
Old Tappan, New Jersey Location in Bergen County, New Jersey Show map of Bergen County, New Jersey Old Tappan, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Old Tappan, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Bergen
Incorporated	October 18, 1894
Named for	Tappan tribe
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	4.16 sq mi (10.78 km2)
• Land	3.32 sq mi (8.59 km2)
• Water	0.85 sq mi (2.20 km2)  20.37%
Area rank	293rd of 565 in state 19th of 70 in county
Elevation	52 ft (16 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,888
• Estimate  (2023)	6,074
• Rank	353rd of 565 in state 56th of 70 in county
• Density	1,776.2/sq mi (685.8/km2)
• Density rank	310th of 565 in state 60th of 70 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07675
Area code(s)	201
FIPS code	3400354870
GNIS feature ID	0885336

Old Tappan (/təˈpæn/ tə-PAN) is a borough in northern Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,888, an increase of 138 (+2.4%) from the 2010 census count of 5,750, which in turn reflected an increase of 268 (+4.9%) from the 5,482 counted in the 2000 census.

Old Tappan was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on October 18, 1894, from portions of Harrington Township, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier. The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone. On April 23, 1896, additional territory was annexed from Harrington Township. The borough's name is derived from the Tappan tribe of Native Americans.

Geography

The Lake Tappan reservoir straddles the Bergen County municipalities of Old Tappan and River Vale, as well as a smaller portion within adjacent Rockland County, New York.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 4.163 square miles (10.78 km²), including 3.315 square miles (8.59 km²) of land and 0.848 square miles (2.20 km²) of water (20.38%).

One of only four confluence points in New Jersey, the 41°N 74°W crossing, is in Old Tappan on watershed property owned by United Water.

The borough is bordered to the north by the hamlets of Pearl River and Tappan in the town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York. Lake Tappan and the Hackensack River are on the western side of the town, bordering River Vale. Harrington Park is to the south and Northvale and Norwood are to the east.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 5,750 people, 1,931 households, and 1,593 families in the borough. The population density was 1,725.8 per square mile (666.3/km²). There were 1,995 housing units at an average density of 598.8 per square mile (231.2/km²). The racial makeup was 74.78% (4,300) White, 0.73% (42) Black or African American, 0.09% (5) Native American, 22.24% (1,279) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.63% (36) from other races, and 1.53% (88) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.01% (288) of the population. Korean Americans accounted for 17.1% of the population.

Of the 1,931 households, 40.0% had children under the age of 18; 73.1% were married couples living together; 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 17.5% were non-families. Of all households, 16.1% were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.35.

27.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 18.0% from 25 to 44, 32.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.2 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $125,435 (with a margin of error of +/− $30,643) and the median family income was $158,140 (+/− $27,026). Males had a median income of $90,536 (+/− $18,555) versus $61,875 (+/− $9,686) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $58,673 (+/− $7,319). About 2.4% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 8 households in 2010, an increase from the 6 counted in 2000.

Parks and recreation

Old Tappan Golf Course is a nine-hole golf course located on DeWolf Road. The golf course is a private club that is open to the public. Stone Point Park is located on Westwood Avenue and is the site of many community events such as Town Day. Stone Point has four baseball fields, two basketball courts, a playground, a seasonal skate park, and four soccer fields. Oaks Park is a small park on Central Avenue with a small walking trail. It is the site of the borough's annual Halloween Parade. There is also a little league field called Gallagher Field, which was renamed in 2006 for Edward J. Gallagher, who had served as the borough's mayor for 16 years; The field is located on Charles Place near the elementary and middle school. There is also a track and football field as well as a dozen tennis courts at the high school that are open to the general public.

Emergency services

Police

The Old Tappan Police Department is a full-time professional department that provides police services to the Borough of Old Tappan. As of 2016^[update], there are a total of 13 members of the department: one Chief, one Lieutenant, two Sergeants, and nine Officers.

The force is responsible for all aspects of policing in the borough, including responding to fire and medical emergency calls. Each patrol car is equipped with a first aid kit, oxygen tank, and an automated external defibrillator.

Dispatching is provided by the 9-1-1 call center at the River Vale Police Department as part of an interlocal arrangement that dates back to the early 1970s or earlier.

Officers of the Old Tappan Police Department are members of Pascack Valley Local 206 of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association.

Fire

The Old Tappan Volunteer Fire Department (OTVFD) is an all-volunteer fire department. Established in 1932, the department consists of one Chief, one deputy chief, one Captain, and four Lieutenants. In addition, there is a Fire Marshal who heads the Old Tappan Bureau of Fire Prevention. The department is staffed by approximately 55 fully trained firefighters, and is a municipal-run public volunteer fire department that is funded by taxes.

The OTVFD has one station, located at 231 Old Tappan Road. The station houses one pumpers, Engine 64 (first due), one Squad, one tower ladder, Ladder 63, and one rescue unit, Rescue 61.

Ambulance

Old Tappan Sunday School, Old Tappan Road

The Old Tappan First Aid Corps (OTFAC) was started in 1939, and is located at 4 Russell Avenue. The corps is run by administrative officers, line officers, and Trustees. The administrative officers are the president, vice president, treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Financial Secretary. The line officers are the Captain, 1st Lieutenant, and 2nd Lieutenant. The OTFAC is an all-volunteer independent public emergency medical service. As such, they do not bill for services, and their equipment is not directly paid for by the borough. Funding is provided by donations and support from the borough.

The corps provides basic life support, and is staffed primarily by certified Emergency Medical Technicians. CPR-trained drivers are also sometimes on duty. They have two Type III ambulances, Ambulance 66 and Ambulance 68. Dispatching is provided by the 9-1-1 call center at the River Vale Police Department.

The primary jurisdiction of the OTFAC is the Borough of Old Tappan, but the corps also regularly responds to requests for mutual aid from the neighboring First Aid Squads of River Vale, Emerson, Washington Township, Westwood, Hillsdale, and Tri-Boro (Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake, and Montvale).

The OTFAC is a member of the New Jersey State First Aid Council, the Pascack Valley Volunteer Ambulance Association and the Pascack Valley Mutual Aid Group.

Education

The Old Tappan Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 655 students and 61.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School with 346 students in grades K–4 and Charles DeWolf Middle School with 294 students in grades 5–8.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, together with students from Harrington Park, Northvale and Norwood, along with students from Rockleigh who attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,170 students and 97.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1. The school is one of the two schools of the Northern Valley Regional High School District, which also serves students from the neighboring communities of Closter, Demarest and Haworth at the Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest. During the 1994–1996 school years, Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education.

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.

Transportation

County Route 116 (Old Tappan Road) in Old Tappan

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 32.72 miles (52.66 km) of roadways, of which 27.54 miles (44.32 km) were maintained by the municipality and 5.18 miles (8.34 km) by Bergen County.

Main roads include Old Tappan Road, Washington Avenue, Westwood Avenue, and Orangeburg Road.

Notable people

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

• Robert Auth (born 1956), politician who represents the 39th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly
• Joe Benigno (born 1953), sports radio personality on WFAN
• David Berkowitz (born 1949), professional bridge player
• Lisa Berkowitz (born 1952), professional bridge player
• P. J. Byrne (born 1974), film and television actor of Horrible Bosses, Final Destination 5 and The Legend of Korra
• Al Di Meola (born 1954), jazz fusion guitarist
• Sophia Eckerson (c. 1880–1954), botanist and microchemist
• Joe Ferriero (born 1957), former chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization
• Vincent "The Chin" Gigante (1928–2005), a New York mobster who headed the Genovese crime family
• Jon Hensley (born 1965) and Kelley Menighan Hensley (born 1967), husband and wife actors who had appeared together on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns
• Jack Langer (born 1948/49), basketball player and investment banker
• Robert A. Lewis (1918–1983), co-pilot of the Enola Gay
• Jeffrey Maier (born 1984), best known as the young fan who deflected a ball in play during Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles
• Kenyon Martin (born 1977), professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets
• Mike Milo (born 1965), Emmy Award-winning animator, director, storyboard artist, writer and producer in the television industry
• Rob Segedin (born 1988), professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Historic sites

Old Tappan is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Frederick Haring House – Old Tappan and De Wolf Roads (added 1983)
• Gerrit Haring House – 224 Old Tappan Road (added 1983)
• Teunis Haring House – 70 Old Tappan Road (added 1979)
• Haring-DeWolf House – 95 De Wolf Road (added 1983)

See also

In Spanish: Old Tappan para niños