Ridgewood, New Jersey
Village
Village of Ridgewood
Downtown Ridgewood
Map highlighting Ridgewood's location within Bergen County. Inset: Bergen County's location within New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Ridgewood, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40.981591°N 74.113506°WCoordinates: 40.981591°N 74.113506°W[1][2]
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Bergen
Incorporated	November 20, 1894
Government[8]
• Type	Faulkner Act Council-Manager
• Body	Village Council
• Mayor	Susan Knudsen (term ends June 30, 2018)[3][4]
• Manager	Heather Mailander [5][6]
• Municipal clerk	Heather Mailander[7]
Area[1]
• Total	5.818 sq mi (15.069 km2)
• Land	5.752 sq mi (14.898 km2)
• Water	0.066 sq mi (0.172 km2)  1.14%
Area rank	263rd of 566 in state 8th of 70 in county[1]
Elevation[9]	85 ft (26 m)
Population (2010 Census)[10][11][12]
• Total	24,958
• Estimate (2016)[13]	25,533
• Rank	99th of 566 in state 10th of 70 in county[14]
• Density	4,339.0/sq mi (1,675.3/km2)
• Density rank	136th of 566 in state 33rd of 70 in county[14]
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (EDT) (UTC−4)
ZIP codes	07450-07452[15][16]
Area code(s)	201[17]
FIPS code	3400363000[1][18]
GNIS feature ID	0885369[1][19]
Website	www.ridgewoodnj.net

Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 24,958,[10][11][12]reflecting an increase of 22 (+0.1%) from the 24,936 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 784 (+3.2%) from the 24,152 counted in the 1990 Census.[20] Ridgewood is a suburban bedroom community of New York City, located approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Midtown Manhattan.

Ridgewood was ranked 26th in Money magazine's "Best Places to Live" in America, 2011.[21]

History[edit]

In 1700, Johannes Van Emburgh built the first home in Ridgewood, having purchased a 250 acres (100 ha) property in 1698.[22]

The Village of Ridgewood was created on November 20, 1894, with the same boundaries as Ridgewood Township (formerly known as Godwinville).[23] The Village became the municipal government while the Township remained a school district.[24] In 1902, the village added portions of Orvil Township,[25] 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.[26] The name of the village derives from the characteristics of its terrain.[27]

Historic sites[edit]

Ridgewood is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places:[28]

• Ackerman House (222 Doremus Avenue) - 222 Doremus Avenue (added 1983) was constructed by Johannes and Jemima Ackerman c. 1787 on their 72-acre (29 ha) property and remained in the Ackerman family until the 1920s.[29]
• Ackerman House (252 Lincoln Avenue) - 252 Lincoln Avenue (added 1983) is a stone house constructed c. 1810 and named for either David or John Ackerman.[29]
• David Ackerman House - 415 East Saddle River Road (added 1983).
• Ackerman-Van Emburgh House - 789 East Glen Avenue (added 1983) was built c. 1785 by John Ackerman and purchased by the Van Embergh family in 1816.[29]
• Archibald-Vroom House - 160 East Ridgewood Avenue (added 1984).[30][31]
• Beech Street School - 49 Cottage Place (added 1998).
• Paramus Reformed Church Historic District - Bounded by Franklin Turnpike, Route 17, Saddle River, south side of cemetery and Glen Avenue (added 1975). The Old Paramus Reformed Church was established in 1725, though the current building dates to 1800. During the Revolutionary War, the church was used for several years by the Continental Army, and in 1778 it was the site of the court martial of General Charles Lee.[32]
• Rathbone-Zabriskie House - 570 North Maple Avenue (added 1983).
• Ridgewood Station - Garber Square (added 1984).
• Van Dien House - 627 Grove Street (added 1983).
• Vanderbeck House - 249 Prospect Street (added 1983).
• Westervelt-Cameron House - 26 East Glen Avenue (added 1983), constructed c. 1767 by John R. Westervelt.[33]
• Historic Graydon Pool - Located at the corner of North Maple Ave & Linwood Ave.

Graydon began as a plot of land called Linwood Park and generously donated to the Village by resident Samuel Graydon in 1912. Before the pond that is there now, it was only the river, which is what children swam in. Every summer, Mr. Graydon would dam up the river and it would flood and create a deeper place to swim. People would picnic by the water and hold events there. Graydon remains one of the jewels of Ridgewood, treasured by residents young and old.

Geography[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village had a total area of 5.818 square miles (15.069 km2), including 5.752 square miles (14.898 km2) of land and 0.066 square miles (0.172 km2) of water (1.14%).[1][2]

Ridgewood is adjacent to eight municipalities, seven in Bergen County − Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus, Midland Park, Paramus, Waldwick and Washington Township − and Hawthorne in Passaic County.[34]

Neighborhoods[edit]

Ridgewood's neighborhoods include:[35]

• Downtown - The central business district of Ridgewood, "Town" is centered around East Ridgewood Avenue. This area is home to the most iconic buildings in Ridgewood, such as the Wilsey building and the Moore Building.
• Scrabbletown - Located in between East Glen Avenue, Franklin Turnpike, and the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook. Named for its lack of economic stability compared to the rest of early Ridgewood.
• The Old Country Club - Located in between Goffle Road, Rock Road, Lincoln Avenue and Godwin Avenue.
• The Heights
• Upper Ridgewood
• Salem Ridge - Located East of Route 17.
• Floral Park - Located in between Grove Street, South Pleasant, East Ridgewood Avenue and South Van Dein.
• Brookside
• The Lawns

Climate[edit]

Ridgewood has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and the hardiness zone is 7a bordering on 6b.