Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
Borough
The Garden State Parkway traversing Woodcliff Lake, a verdant Bergen County borough, the North American corporate headquarters of BMW, and a bedroom suburb of New York City
Wordmark
Location of Woodcliff Lake in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey Location in Bergen County, New Jersey Show map of Bergen County, New Jersey Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Bergen
Incorporated	August 31, 1894, as Woodcliff
Renamed	March 1, 1910, to Woodcliff Lake
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	3.55 sq mi (9.19 km2)
• Land	3.38 sq mi (8.74 km2)
• Water	0.17 sq mi (0.45 km2)  4.85%
Area rank	312th of 565 in state 22nd of 70 in county
Elevation	230 ft (70 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,128
• Estimate  (2023)	6,122
• Rank	344th of 565 in state 55th of 70 in county
• Density	1,815.2/sq mi (700.9/km2)
• Density rank	307th of 565 in state 58th of 70 in county
Economics
• Median income	$227,500 (±50,836) (2018-2022)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07677
Area code(s)	201
FIPS code	3400382300
GNIS feature ID	0885449

Woodcliff Lake 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 6,128, an increase of 398 (+6.9%) from the 2010 census count of 5,730, which in turn reflected a decline of 15 (−0.3%) from the 5,745 counted in the 2000 census. Most of the borough mandates a minimum lot size of 22,500 square feet (2,090 m²) for single-family homes, with portions on the borough's east zoned for 15,000 square feet (1,400 m²) and portions of the borough's northwest and southwest zoned for 30,000 square feet (2,800 m²) lots.

Woodcliff Lake is also the name of the reservoir that lies predominantly within the borough, with a small portion at the southeastern edge located in neighboring Hillsdale.

History

The borough was originally incorporated as the Borough of Woodcliff, on August 31, 1894, from parts of Orvil Township and Washington Township, based on the results of a referendum held three 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. The borough derives its name from the characteristics of its geography.

On March 1, 1910, after the creation of the reservoir, the name of the borough was changed to Woodcliff Lake, to match the name of the post office. Prior to the creation of ZIP Codes as a way to uniquely identify addresses, United States Postal Service policy was that two post offices in a state could not have the same name, and there was already a "Woodcliff" in Hudson County. On January 1, 1956, and again on July 1, 1958, Woodcliff Lake exchanged sections of land with Park Ridge. On October 13, 1960, portions were exchanged with Hillsdale.

Woodcliff Lake has many historic houses and buildings, some dating from the 18th century. Many old buildings are also present, but are likely to have been modified through the years. The borough has seen intense development over the past 50 years, as virtually all areas available for construction have been developed.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.55 square miles (9.19 km²), including 3.38 square miles (8.74 km²) of land and 0.17 square miles (0.45 km²) of water (4.85%).

The borough is bordered by the Bergen County municipalities of Hillsdale, Montvale, Park Ridge, River Vale, Saddle River, and small portions of Upper Saddle River. Woodcliff Lake is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Manhattan.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 5,730 people, 1,916 households, and 1,600 families in the borough. The population density was 1,682.7 per square mile (649.7/km²). There were 1,980 housing units at an average density of 581.5 per square mile (224.5/km²). The racial makeup was 90.30% (5,174) White, 0.82% (47) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 6.47% (371) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.20% (69) from other races, and 1.20% (69) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.41% (310) of the population.

Of the 1,916 households, 42.3% had children under the age of 18; 75.4% were married couples living together; 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 16.5% were non-families. Of all households, 15.0% were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.28.

27.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 17.1% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $150,404 (with a margin of error of +/− $25,298) and the median family income was $172,019 (+/− $32,763). Males had a median income of $105,045 (+/− $11,151) versus $65,119 (+/− $22,660) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $62,925 (+/− $7,887). About 1.1% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed five households in 2010, an increase from the one household counted in 2000.

Economy

The borough was the world headquarters of Ingersoll Rand until the company moved in 2004, after which its property was taken over by the North American headquarters of BMW. The borough is also the corporate headquarters of Perillo Tours, which consists of an elaborate Italian revival where Richard Nixon had an office after his presidency.

Tice's Corner Marketplace is a strip mall located on the site of the original Tice's Farms that features more than 20 stores. Due to Bergen County's blue laws, all the retail stores are closed on Sundays, but two of its restaurants are open.

Arts and culture

The Tri-Boro area consisting of Woodcliff Lake, Park Ridge, and Montvale all participate in an annual Memorial Day Parade.

The musical group The Front Bottoms was formed by Woodcliff Lake residents Brian Sella (lead vocalist) and Mathew Uychich (drums).

Parks and recreation

Wood Dale County Park is a Bergen County park covering 118 acres (48 ha) located on Prospect Avenue. It has a playground, a dog park, walking path, tennis courts, athletic fields, picnic areas and a lake for fishing and model boating.

Old Mill Pool is a public pool complex located on Werimus Road. It has a pool, water slide, playground and a picnic area.

Emergency services

Fire

Woodcliff Lake is served by a volunteer fire department that was established in 1932 after residents became dissatisfied with fire protection paid for through Park Ridge. The WLFD consists of a chief, a deputy chief, two captains and three lieutenants in addition to the 30+ members. Woodcliff Lake Fire Department operates Squad 7, Squad 72, Truck 75 'The Triboro Truck', Rescue 76, Marine 7 and Marine 7A out of the fire house on Pascack Road. The chiefs are assigned cars numbered after their radio designations Chief 7 and Deputy 7. WLFD is part of Bergen County Fire Battalion 8, is responsible for fire suppression and rescue services on the stretch of the Garden State Parkway that passes through the Borough (mile markers 168.4-170.6) and dispatching is contracted to Ridgewood, New Jersey based Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch (NWBCD).

Ambulance

Together with Park Ridge and Montvale, Woodcliff Lake is one of the three municipalities that is part of the Tri-Boro Volunteer Ambulance Corps, founded in 1938 and provides EMS service to these three communities. Tri-Boro is a non-profit and full volunteer group which provides free emergency service to those in the community who need it at any time. The headquarters is located in Park Ridge near Mill Pond.

Police

Woodcliff Lake's police department, located next to borough hall and the fire department, was founded in 1954.

Education

The Woodcliff Lake Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 737 students and 77.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.5:1. The schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Dorchester Elementary School with 464 students in grades Pre-K through 5 and Woodcliff Middle School which had 265 students in grades 6–8.

For ninth through twelfth grades, Woodcliff Lake public school students attend Pascack Hills High School, along with those from Montvale. The school is part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District, which serves students from Hillsdale and River Vale at Pascack Valley High School. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 842 students and 70.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1. The mayor and council of Woodcliff Lake have passed resolutions supporting the withdrawal of the borough from the Pascack Valley Regional High School District, noting that the community contributes 28% of the district's spending, while accounting for 19% of the students attending the district's schools. Both Montvale and Woodcliff Lake, with substantial commercial property tax ratables, have a cost per student substantially higher than that paid by the other two communities, with Woodcliff Lake's cost of $28,521 nearly double the $14,840 paid by Hillsdale (on a per student basis).

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

Garden State Parkway northbound at exit 171 in Woodcliff Lake

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 45.94 miles (73.93 km) of roadways, of which 34.27 miles (55.15 km) were maintained by the municipality, 9.47 miles (15.24 km) by Bergen County and 2.20 miles (3.54 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The Garden State Parkway and County Route 503 pass through Woodcliff Lake.

The Garden State Parkway may be entered, southbound, or exited from, northbound, at exit 171. Due to the fact that not all movements are possible at that exit, exits 168 in Washington Township and 172 in Montvale are also used to access the borough.

Public transportation

Woodcliff Lake is served by NJ Transit at the Woodcliff Lake train station, located at Broadway and Woodcliff Avenue. The station offers service on the Pascack Valley Line, which runs north–south to Hoboken Terminal with connections via the Secaucus Junction transfer station to New Jersey Transit one-stop service to New York Penn Station and to other NJ Transit rail service. Connections are available at the Hoboken Terminal to other New Jersey Transit rail lines, the PATH train at the Hoboken PATH station, New York Waterways ferry service to the World Financial Center and other destinations and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service.

Rockland Coaches offers service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on routes 11 and 47/49.

Community

Tice Farms was a farm and roadside stand in Woodcliff Lake. Founded in 1808, it was a local landmark which attracted families from miles around, especially in the fall, when it was noted for pumpkins, apple cider, freshly baked donuts, and other fall products. Many people would make the drive to the area from New York City, causing massive traffic jams on autumn weekends. Beginning in the 1970s, the farm was increasingly squeezed by local land development, and Richard Tice, the head of the family, repeatedly sold land to accommodate development. BMW's North American headquarters are located on Chestnut Ridge Road, and is built, and currently being expanded on land once owned by the Tice family. The company is the town's predominant landowner. Tice Farms is now Tice's Corner, an upscale strip mall.

Van Riper's Farm, formerly located approximately across the street from Tice's, was founded in the late 18th century and known for its apple cider and annual turkey shoot. It was closed to make way for an A&P supermarket, which was known as the company's trademark store. The store was acquired by Acme Markets in 2015 and finally closed in 2019.

A small reminder of Woodcliff Lake's rural history is Fusco's Market, located on the corner of Werimus and Saddle River Roads. Nearby is the Old Mill Pond, which was established as the town's swimming pool around 1950 when the borough acquired the small, nearly silted-up mill pond near the headwaters of the Musquapsink Brook. Old Mill Pond has been renovated to include a partial sand beach along with a water slide, two diving boards, swimming lanes, and other water activities for kids.

Woodcliff Lake lacks its own public library; however, it offers its residents reimbursement if they pay for a library membership from a neighboring municipality with its own library.

The borough was originally assigned the ZIP Code 07680. As part of post office consolidation in the early 1970s, it lost its postmaster (though not its post office) and was designated a branch of the Westwood post office, sharing the ZIP code 07675. Following longtime public protest, it regained its own ZIP code, 07677, as of July 2000.

Notable people

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

• Jack Antonoff (born 1984), singer, musician, songwriter and record producer known for his work with the bands Fun and Bleachers
• Mark Denbeaux (born 1943), law professor at Seton Hall University School of Law and the director of its Center for Policy and Research
• Jon Doscher (born 1971), film producer, actor, director and writer
• Steven M. Goldman, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance from 2006 to 2009
• Kerri Green (born 1967), actress who appeared in The Goonies
• Andrew Kissel (1959–2006), real estate developer who was found murdered at his rented Greenwich, Connecticut, estate
• Joe Oriolo (1913–1985), producer of the Felix the Cat cartoons made in the 1960s, and co-creator of Casper the Friendly Ghost
• Tom Papa (born 1968), comedian, actor and host of The Marriage Ref
• Randolph Perkins (1871–1936), represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district from 1921 to 1936
• Gene Perla (born 1940), jazz bassist

In media

Some scenes from the fourth episode of The Jack and Triumph Show, titled "Siri", were filmed on location at Tice's Corner Marketplace.

See also

In Spanish: Woodcliff Lake para niños