Author Archives: njgate

The community was originally incorporated as the borough of Riverside by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 30, 1894, from portions of Midland Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day. On December 1, 1930, the borough’s name was changed to River Edge.[22] 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.[23] The borough was named for its location along the Hackensack River.[24]

The population increased by 369 (+3.4%) from the 10,807 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,539 (+30.7%) from the 8,268 counted in the 1990 Census.[22] As of the 2010 Census, almost one-fifth of the town’s population resides in the Galaxy Towers, a trio of residential skyscrapers overlooking the Hudson River.[23][24][25]

Bound Brook was originally incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1869, within portions of Bridgewater Township. On February 11, 1891, it was reincorporated as a borough, based on the results of a referendum held on the previous day.[21][22]

Wallington was created as a borough on January 2, 1895, based on a referendum held on December 31, 1894, from area taken from Bergen Township and Saddle River Township.[21] The borough was formed during the “Boroughitis” phenomenon then sweeping through New Jersey, in which 26 boroughs were formed in Bergen County alone in 1894, with Wallington the last of the 26 to be formed by an 1894 referendum.[22] Sections of Wallington were ceded to Garfield in 1898.[21][23][24] The borough is said to have been named for Walling Van Winkle (1650–1725), who built a home in the future borough.[25][26][27]

Bordentown was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1852, from portions of Chesterfield Township and Mansfield Township, based on the results of a referendum held that same day. Bordentown city separated from the township in 1877 and Fieldsboro became fully independent in 1894[22] The township was named for founder Joseph Borden.[23][24]

It is the home of Ringwood State Park which contains the New Jersey Botanical Garden at Skylands (plus Skylands Manor), the Shepherd Lake Recreation Area and historic Ringwood Manor.

Bellmawr is home to the main post office for the area, one of the largest in the state of New Jersey, handling an average of 4.5 million pieces of mail daily.[21]

East Greenwich Township was created by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 10, 1881, from the eastern part of Greenwich Township and the western part of Mantua Township.[19]

Ridgefield was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 26, 1892, from portions of Ridgefield Township.[21][22] The borough was named for the area’s terrain.[23]

Wanaque was incorporated as an independent borough on February 23, 1918, when Pompton Township was split up into three boroughs, along with Bloomingdale and Ringwood, and affirmed by a referendum held on March 22, 1918.[23] The borough’s name Wanaque (original pronunciation ‘Wa Na Kee’) is thought to have been derived from a Lenni Lenape Native American word meaning “land of sassafras”.[24][25][26]