Location of Woodcliff Lake in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
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,[11][12] an increase of 398 (+6.9%) from the 2010 census count of 5,730,[21][22] which in turn reflected a decline of 15 (−0.3%) from the 5,745 counted in the 2000 census.[23] 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.[24]
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.[25][26]
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.[27] 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.[28] The borough derives its name from the characteristics of its geography.[29]
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.[27] 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.[30] 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.[31]
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.[citation needed]
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%).[2][3]
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.[21]
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.[21]
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.[42]
Same-sex couples headed five households in 2010, an increase from the one household counted in 2000.[43]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census,[18] there were 5,745 people, 1,824 households, and 1,605 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,725.3 inhabitants per square mile (666.1/km2). There were 1,842 housing units at an average density of 553.2 per square mile (213.6/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.84% White, 0.87% African American, 0.03% Native American, 4.47% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 2.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[40][41]
There were 1,824 households, out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.2% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.0% were non-families. 10.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.31.[40][41]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 29.9% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.[40][41]
The median income for a household in the borough was $123,022, and the median income for a family was $133,925. Males had a median income of $90,000 versus $45,150 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $53,461. 1.5% of the population and 0.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.4% of those under the age of 18 and 2.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.[40][41]
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.[1][44] 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.[44]
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.[45]
Arts and culture
The Tri-Boro area consisting of Woodcliff Lake, Park Ridge, and Montvale all participate in an annual Memorial Day Parade.[46][47]
The musical group The Front Bottoms was formed by Woodcliff Lake residents Brian Sella (lead vocalist) and Mathew Uychich (drums).[48][49]
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.[50]
Old Mill Pool is a public pool complex located on Werimus Road. It has a pool, water slide, playground and a picnic area.[51]
Government
Local government
Woodcliff Lake is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.[52] The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.[8] The borough form of government used by Woodcliff Lake is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.[53][54]
As of 2024[update], the mayor of Woodcliff Lake is RepublicanCarlos Rendo, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Benjamin Pollack, (D, 2025), Julie Brodsky (R, 2026), Jacqueline M. Gadaleta (D, 2024), Jennifer Margolis (D, 2024), Nicole Marsh (D, 2025), and Joshua Stern (R, 2026).[4][55][56][57][58]
Federal, state and county representation
Woodcliff Lake is located in the 5th Congressional District[59] and is part of New Jersey's 39th state legislative district.[60][61][62]
Bergen County is governed by a directly elected County Executive, with legislative functions performed by a Board of County Commissioners composed of seven members who are elected at-large to three-year terms in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each November; a Chairman and Vice Chairman are selected from among its seven members at a reorganization meeting held every January. As of 2024[update], the county executive is James J. Tedesco III (D, Paramus), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.[68]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,209 registered voters in Woodcliff Lake, of which 1,119 (26.6% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,024 (24.3% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 2,065 (49.1% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to other parties.[90] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 73.5% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 101.9% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide; meaning that there were more registered voters as of the date accessed than those of legal voting age, which can happen when registered voters move out of the borough but aren't removed from the voter rolls).[90][91]
In the 2020 presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden received 2,323 votes (57.7% vs 57.44% countywide), ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 1,626 votes (40.45% vs 41.06%).[92] In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 1,804 votes (52.5% vs. 54.2% countywide), ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 1,489 votes (43.3% vs. 41.1%) and other candidates with 142 votes (4.1% vs. 4.6%), among the 3,503 ballots cast by the borough's 4,741 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.9% (vs. 72.5% in Bergen County).[93] In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 1,792 votes (56.1% vs. 43.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,374 votes (43.0% vs. 54.8%) and other candidates with 20 votes (0.6% vs. 0.9%), among the 3,197 ballots cast by the borough's 4,475 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.4% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County).[94][95] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,696 votes (49.9% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 1,646 votes (48.5% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates with 23 votes (0.7% vs. 0.8%), among the 3,396 ballots cast by the borough's 4,305 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.9% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).[96][97] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 1,656 votes (49.7% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,638 votes (49.2% vs. 51.7%) and other candidates with 24 votes (0.7% vs. 0.7%), among the 3,329 ballots cast by the borough's 4,108 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.0% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county).[98]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 73.1% of the vote (1,603 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 25.8% (567 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (24 votes), among the 2,258 ballots cast by the borough's 4,333 registered voters (64 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 52.1%.[99][100] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,362 votes (48.1% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,257 votes (44.4% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 160 votes (5.7% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 20 votes (0.7% vs. 0.5%), among the 2,831 ballots cast by the borough's 4,902 registered voters, yielding a 57.8% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).[101]
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.[102] 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).[103]
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.[104]
Police
Woodcliff Lake's police department, located next to borough hall and the fire department, was founded in 1954.[105]
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.[112][113] 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.[114] 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).[115]
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.[116][117]
Transportation
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.[118]
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.[121]
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.[128]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.[129] The company is the town's predominant landowner. Tice Farms is now Tice's Corner, an upscale strip mall.[130]
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.[131] The store was acquired by Acme Markets in 2015 and finally closed in 2019.[132]
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.[133]
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.[134]
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.[135]
^ abMayor & Council, Borough of Woodcliff Lake. Accessed March 17, 2023. "The Borough of Woodcliff Lake was chartered in 1894 as a Borough Council form of government in which the Mayor is elected to a four-year term and six council members are elected at large to serve staggered three-year terms."
^Zoning Map, Borough of Woodcliff Lake. Accessed August 2, 2022.
^Redmon, Kimberly. "United Water to begin dam upgrades in Woodcliff Lake Reservoir", Pascack Valley Community Life, February 28, 2014. Accessed March 18, 2015. "United Water plans to lower Church Road, which is situated above the dam, for additional spillway capacity, as well as widen the narrow roadway. As a result, Church Road, an east-west thoroughfare through Hillsdale, will be closed to traffic from April 1 through Dec. 31, 2015."
^United Water New Jersey, Inc. v. Borough of Hillsdale, Justia. Accessed March 18, 2015. "The relevant facts are essentially undisputed. UWNJ provides water to customers in sixty municipalities in Bergen and Hudson Counties. To do so, UWNJ utilizes, among other facilities, the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir, which is located in Hillsdale and the Borough of Woodcliff Lake ('Woodcliff Lake'). One of the reservoir's structures is a dam across the Pascack Brook, which UWNJ's predecessor, Hackensack Water Company, constructed in 1904. The dam is traversed by Church Road, a private road owned by UWNJ that is subject to use easements held by Hillsdale and Woodcliff Lake."
^Harvey, Cornelius Burnham. Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey, p. 11, New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900. Accessed September 1, 2013. "For a period of sixteen years following the passage of this act few boroughs were organized in the State, only three of them being in Bergen County.... As it was twenty-six boroughs were created in the county from January 23, 1894, to December 18, of the same year."
^Burrow, Megan. "Putting the lake into Woodcliff Lake", Pascack Valley Community Life, June 17, 2010. Accessed June 12, 2012. "Before 1910, the borough was simply known as Woodcliff, but the moniker was changed a century ago to reflect the shining new lake in the center of the rural hamlet, and to match the town's post office, whose name had been changed shortly before to distinguish it from a mail center in the Hudson County town of Woodcliff. In the era before zip codes, each post office in the state had to have a unique name in order to avoid confusion."
^Staff. "Paying Tribute: Citizens celebrate 2014 Tri-Boro Memorial Day parade in Woodcliff Lake", Bergen.com, May 27, 2014. Accessed November 5, 2015. "The Tri-Boro Memorial Day Parade marched through Montvale, Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake yesterday. This year's grand marshal was Woodcliff Lake resident Walter Winfield, a World War II veteran of the United States Army."
^Staff. "Bergen County's the Front Bottoms kick off new album with tour", Jersey Tribune, September 17, 2015. Accessed June 27, 2017. "Brian Sella had no grand ambitions of pursuing a music career when he and fellow Woodcliff Lake native Mat Uychich formed The Front Bottoms in 2008."
^Aberback, Brian. "Bergen County's the Front Bottoms kick off new album with tour", The Record, May 28, 2013. Accessed June 11, 2015. "Brian Sella had no grand ambitions of pursuing a music career when he and fellow Woodcliff Lake native Mat Uychich formed The Front Bottoms in 2008."
^Biography, Congressman Josh Gottheimer. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Josh now lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey with Marla, his wife who was a federal prosecutor, and their two young children, Ellie and Ben."
^Cattafi, Kristie. "Democrats pick Bergenfield councilman to fill vacancy on Bergen County commissioners board", The Record, March 13, 2023. Accessed March 16, 2023. "A Democratic councilman from Bergenfield will be sworn in as a Bergen County commissioner Wednesday night, filling a vacancy on the governing body for almost 1 million residents. Rafael Marte will serve until Dec. 31, taking on the unexpired term left by former Commissioner Ramon Hache, a Democrat who resigned last week to lead the Ridgewood YMCA as its chief executive officer."
^History, Woodcliff Lake Fire Department. Accessed September 7, 2011.
^Home page, Woodcliff Lake Fire Department. Accessed September 7, 2011.
^History and Mission, Tri-Boro Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Accessed September 7, 2011.
^History, Woodcliff Lake Police Department. Accessed September 7, 2011.
^Woodcliff Lake Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Woodcliff Lake Public Schools. Accessed June 20, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through eight in the Woodcliff Lake School District. Composition: The Woodcliff Lake School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Woodcliff Lake."
^District Information, Woodcliff Lake Public Schools. Accessed June 20, 2020. "All school-age students are served through a variety of programs in grades pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. High school aged students in the community attend the Pascack Hills High School. The nearly 900 students are housed in two buildings on one campus. Approximately 580 elementary students attend the Dorchester Elementary School and approximately 300 students, in grades 6 through 8, attend the Woodcliff Middle School."
^Pascack Valley Regional High School Issue, Borough of Woodcliff Lake. Accessed November 5, 2015. "Unfortunately for Montvale and Woodcliff Lake the aggregate assessed property values using in the formula include commercial ratable (principally office buildings) which do not generate students. Woodcliff Lake sends only 19% of the students but pays 28% of the total school budget."
^Anzidei, Melanie. "Acme to close 4 stores in New Jersey and New York this fall", The Record, August 8, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2023. "The supermarket chain's locations in Elmwood Park, Woodcliff Lake, and Weehawken will shutter on Oct. 2, and an Acme in Eastchester, New York, will close on Nov. 4.... The Woodcliff Lake and Elmwood Park stores were among the 10 Acme purchased from A&P."
^"Post Office Changes" in Postal Bulletin, United States Postal Service, April 6, 2000. Accessed November 26, 2020. "Establish a new ZIP Code for a delivery area. Use Woodcliff Lake NJ 07677 as last line of address for a portion of the deliveries previously in ZIP Code 07675."
^Aberback, Brian. "Pop-rock band Fun playing at Jingle Ball", The Record, December 5, 2012. Accessed January 3, 2012. "'The past year has been crazy in so many ways,' said guitarist Jack Antonoff, who grew up in New Milford and Woodcliff Lake."
^ abMeisel, Melissa. "MTV's Tangerine-Flake, Streamline Baby, via New Jersey", The New York Times, June 26, 2005. Accessed June 12, 2012. "MTV's popular (and radical) car makeover show, which is just starting its second full season, was created by two Woodcliff Lake natives who never got over the culture of the high school parking lot. In 1989, Beresford-Redman drove a Cadillac hearse, while his buddy Rick Hurvitz piloted a 1972 lime-green Oldsmobile Delta 88. 'As far as we know, everybody appreciated the irony,' Beresford-Redman said of his Pascack Hills classmates in a recent e-mail exchange."
^Di Ionno, mark. "The Selma march and the fascinating story behind an iconic photo", The Star-Ledger, March 4, 2015. Accessed November 23, 2017. "The historic photo is a little grainy, produced in black-and-white. That was not by choice, as some artistic metaphor; color photography in 1965 was expensive to print. The picture was part of Ebony magazine's coverage of the third Alabama voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, which began on March 21, 1965.... 'My father was a combat chaplain with (Gen. George) Patton's 3rd Army,' Denbeaux said during an interview at his home in Woodcliff Lake."
^"Local entrepreneur turned filmmaker", Pascack Valley Community Life, February 23, 2005. Accessed March 20, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Jon Doscher, who grew up in Woodcliff Lake, is fresh off the making of the independent film, Remedy, and now has two more in the works. Doscher grew up in Woodcliff Lake and graduated from Pascack Hills High School in 1989."
^Hsu, Eric and Kim, Yung. "Family mourns real estate broker fatally stabbed in Conn.", The Record, April 8, 2006. Accessed December 23, 2013. "William Kissel, a chemist, was a manager for Sun Chemical Corp., before starting his own copier toner company in 1972. He moved the family to a small house in Woodcliff Lake from Manhattan before settling in Saddle River."
^Staff. "10 Questions For Jazz Bassist George Perla", JEM Freelance Writing, November 26, 2007. Accessed December 23, 2013. "In the world of jazz, Gene Perla is a living legend, having recorded and shared the stage with such icons as Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Sarah Vaughan, Chick Corea, Nina Simone, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Joni Mitchell, Buddy Rich, Elvin Jones and Jack DeJohnette. Originally from Woodcliff Lake, NJ, Perla first studied classical piano for ten years."
Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties) prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.