Wayne, New Jersey
Township
Township of Wayne
Hobart Manor at William Paterson University in Wayne
Map of Wayne in Passaic County. Inset: Location of Passaic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Wayne, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40.945855°N 74.245077°WCoordinates: 40.945855°N 74.245077°W[1][2]
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Passaic
Incorporated	April 12, 1847
Named for	Anthony Wayne
Government[7]
• Type	Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
• Body	Township Council
• Mayor	Christopher P. Vergano (R, term ends December 31, 2021)[3][4]
• Administrator	Neal Bellet[5]
• Municipal clerk	Paul V. Margiotta[6]
Area[1]
• Total	25.174 sq mi (65.202 km2)
• Land	23.728 sq mi (61.458 km2)
• Water	1.446 sq mi (3.746 km2)  5.75%
Area rank	107th of 566 in state 3rd of 16 in county[1]
Elevation[8]	400 ft (100 m)
Population (2010 Census)[9][10][11]
• Total	54,717
• Estimate (2016)[12]	54,690
• Rank	29th of 566 in state 4th of 16 in county[13]
• Density	2,306.0/sq mi (890.4/km2)
• Density rank	265th of 566 in state 12th of 16 in county[13]
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (EDT) (UTC−4)
ZIP codes	07470, 07474[14]
Area code(s)	862/973[15]
FIPS code	3403177840[1][16][17]
GNIS feature ID	0882314[1][18]
Website	www.waynetownship.com

Wayne is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States less than 20 miles (32 km) from Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 54,717,[9][10][11] reflecting an increase of 648 (+1.2%) from the 54,069 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 7,044 (+15.0%) from the 47,025 counted in the 1990 Census.[19]

Wayne was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 12, 1847, from portions of Manchester Township. Totowa was formed from portions of Wayne and Manchester Township on March 15, 1898.[20][21]

The township is home to Willowbrook Mall, Wayne Towne Center, High Mountain Park Preserve and William Paterson University.

History[edit]

In 1694 Arent Schuyler, a young surveyor, miner and land speculator, was sent into northwestern New Jersey to investigate rumors that the French were trying to incite the local Lenni-Lenape Native Americans to rebel against the English. Schuyler found no evidence of a rebellion, but discovered a rich fertile valley where the Lenni-Lenape grew a variety of crops. Schuyler reported his findings to the English and then convinced Major Anthony Brockholst, Samuel Bayard, Samuel Berry, Hendrick and David Mandeville, George Ryerson and John Mead to invest in the purchase of the land he referred to as the Pompton Valley. The seven chose Schuyler to be the negotiator with the Lenape for the rights to the area. Bayard purchased 5,000 acres (20 km2) from the East Jersey Company on November 11, 1695, in what was then known as New Barbadoes Township in Bergen County.[22]

In 1710 the area became part of Saddle River Township in Bergen County. By 1837 the residents of Wayne found themselves in Manchester Township in newly formed Passaic County. Finally, on April 12, 1847, the first Wayne Township organization meeting was held at the Henry Casey House on the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike. The citizens voted to name the town after American Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne.[23][24] The first mayor, called the Chairman of the Township Committee until 1962, was William S. Hogencamp.[25]

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries Wayne remained a farming community. The Morris Canal ran through the southwestern part of Wayne, carrying produce to market and coal from Pennsylvania. The canal was replaced by the railroad at the end of the 19th century. In the early 20th century Wayne grew as a vacation retreat for wealthy New Yorkers. In the summer visitors came from Manhattan and Brooklyn to live in the summer bungalows and enjoy the rivers.

After World War II many summer bungalows were converted to year-round residences to accommodate factory workers, and farmland was converted to residential living. As Wayne grew it adopted its current form of government in 1962.[3] Modern highways, including New Jersey Route 23, U.S. Route 46 and Interstate 80, made Wayne easily accessible, and several national firms have located here.

Historic sites[edit]

Dey Mansion, located on Totowa Road, is a historic Georgian style mansion that was constructed between the 1740s and 1750s.[26]

Geography[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 25.174 square miles (65.202 km2), including 23.728 square miles (61.456 km2) of land and 1.446 square miles (3.746 km2) of water (5.75%).[1][2]

Wayne shares its borders with 11 neighboring municipalities. Franklin Lakes and Oakland in Bergen County; Fairfield and North Caldwell in Essex County; Lincoln Park and Pequannock in Morris County; and Haledon, Little Falls, North Haledon, Pompton Lakes and Totowa in Passaic County.[27]

Neighborhoods and lake communities[edit]

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Barbours Mills, Barbours Pond, Lower Preakness, Mountain View, Packanack Lake, Pines Lake, Point View, Pompton Falls, Preakness and Two Bridges.[28]

Wayne has a number of lakes, with distinct communities and neighborhoods located around them. These include Packanack Lake, Pines Lake, Lions Head Lake, Tom's Lake and Pompton Lake (half of which is in Wayne). The Passaic River also flows through a portion of Wayne and often floods near Willowbrook Mall and riverside neighborhoods.