RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY

'Ridgewood' is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 24,936.
The Village of Ridgewood was created on November 20, 1894, with the same boundaries as Ridgewood Township. The Village became the municipal government while the Township remained as a school district."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 85. In 1902, the village added portions of Orvil Township, which were returned to Orvil Township in 1915. In 1925, Ridgewood Village acquired area from Franklin Township (now Wyckoff). On February 9, 1971, Ridgewood Village acquired area from Washington Township. On May 28, 1974, it acquired area from Ho-Ho-Kus.^[1]
Johannes Van Emburgh built the first home in Ridgewood in 1700.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Politics

Education

Transportation

Notable residents

References

External links

Geography

Ridgewood is located at (40.983997, -74.114386).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 15.1 km² (5.8 mi²). 15.0 km² (5.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.86%) is water.
Ridgewood is adjacent to eight municipalities, seven in Bergen County — Paramus, Washington Township, Ho-Ho-Kus, Waldwick, Midland Park, Wyckoff and Glen Rock — and Hawthorne in Passaic County.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 24,936 people, 8,603 households, and 6,779 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,662.8/km² (4,308.9/mi²). There were 8,802 housing units at an average density of 587.0/km² (1,521.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 87.82% White, 1.64% African American, 0.04% Native American, 8.67% Asian, 0.59% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.78% of the population.
There were 8,603 households out of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the village, the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $104,286, and the median income for a family was $121,848. Males had a median income of $90,422 versus $50,248 for females. The per capita income for the village was $51,658. About 1.8% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

In 1970, Ridgewood recognized the need to professionalize municipal management and adopted the more modern Council-Manager plan under the Faulkner Act. Under this form, the public elects five Council Members who act as a Board of Directors. Their principal responsibility is to hire and oversee a professional Village Manager who has full executive power for all departments.
The Village Council is the governing body of the Village of Ridgewood. There are five Council members who are elected at large, on a non-partisan basis. The Municipal Election for Village Council takes place on the second Tuesday in May, in even numbered years. The term of a Council member is four years. The Mayor is chosen by the Village Council every two years, after a Municipal Election. The Reorganization meeting, which is when the new Council members take office, is held on July 1st, and is when the Council selects a mayor and deputy mayor from among its members. The Mayor presides over Council meetings, but has no executive authority.
The Village Council appoints a Village Manager to oversee the day to day operations of the Village, to handle personnel, citizen inquiries and complaints, and to handle the administrative duties of the Village. The Village Council passes local laws, makes appointments to various Boards and Committees, and awards various contracts for purchases of goods and services used by the Village. They also review, amend, and adopt the annual budget for the Village prepared by the Village Manager and Chief Financial Officer.
Members of the Ridgewood Village Council are Mayor David T. Pfund, Deputy Mayor Betty G. Wiest, Jacques Harlow, Patrick A. Mancuso and Kim Ringler Shagin.^[2]
Of 566 municipalities statewide, Ridgewood is one of only four municipalities in New Jersey formed as villages, joining Loch Arbour, Ridgefield Park and South Orange.

Federal, state and county representation

Ridgewood is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 40th Legislative District.^[3]

Politics

As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 24,916 in Ridgewood, there were 15,616 registered voters (62.7% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 2,606 (16.7% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 3,584 (23.0% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 9,422 (60.3% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared. There were four voters registered to other parties.^[4]
On the national level, Ridgewood leans slightly toward the Democratic Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 51% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 48%.^[5]

Education

The Ridgewood Public Schools consist of nine public schools and two more additional school facilities, which house a BOE-run pre-school program and a private day care center:
'Pre-School'

★ ''Glen School'' (Pre-School and Private Day Care Center)

★ ''Green Twig Pre-School and Day-Care
'Elementary Schools (Grades K-5)'

★ ''Henrietta Hawes Elementary School''

★ ''Ira W. Travell Elementary School''

★ ''Irwin B. Somerville Elementary School''

★ ''Ridge Elementary School''

★ ''Orchard Elementary School''

★ ''Willard Elementary School''
'Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)'

★ ''Benjamin Franklin Middle School''

★ ''George Washington Middle School''
'High School'

★ ''Ridgewood High School'' (Grades 9-12). Ridgewood High School athletic teams are nicknamed the Ridgewood Maroons.
According to the New Jersey Department of Education, Ridgewood is a socioeconomic ''J'' district.
The village also houses The Holmstead School.

Transportation

The Ridgewood station is serviced by the New Jersey Transit Main Line as well as the Bergen County Line. The station features three platforms. The first is for Main Line trains headed towards Suffern and Port Jervis. The second is for Bergen County Line trains headed in the same direction, and the third is for all trains headed east towards Hoboken Terminal. New Jersey Transit buses in Ridgewood include 144, 145, 148, 162, 163, 164, 175, 722, 746, 748 and 752.^[6]
The southern terminus of Franklin Turnpike is in Ridgewood. Other roads that goes through Ridgewood are New Jersey Route 17 and County Route 507.

Notable residents

★ Nassir Al Mukhtar, Iraqi born architect and activist.^[7]

★ Harlan Coben (1962-), ''The New York Times'' best-selling author of ''Promise Me'', ''Tell No One'' and ''No Second Chance''.^[8]

★ Christopher J. Connors (1956-), represents the 9th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly.^[9]

★ Johnny Damon (1973-), Major League Baseball Center fielder for the New York Yankees

★ Anne Donovan (1961-), Three-time basketball All-American at Old Dominion University and three-time Olympic team member. Ranked #8 on the ''Sports Illustrated'' list of ''The 50 Greatest New Jersey Sports Figures''.^[10]

★ Jeff Feagles (1966-), Punter for the National Football League New York Giants^[11]

★ Jay Feely (1976-), Kicker who played for the National Football League New York Giants

★ Lawrence Frank (1970-) current head coach of the New Jersey Nets

★ Varian Fry (1907-1967), American journalist who helped save many, most notably the French artist Marc Chagall, from persecution and deportation in Vichy France during the Holocaust.^[12]

★ Daniel Henninger, ''The Wall Street Journal'' Columnist

★ Margaret Juntwait (c. 1957-), the voice of the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday afternoon broadcasts.^[13][14]

★ Robert Sean Leonard, actor on ''House'' who grew up in Ridgewood, and attended Ridgewood High School.

★ Alfred W. Lutter, actor from ''The Bad News Bears''.

★ Martha MacCallum, news anchor on Fox News Channel.^[15]

★ David Madden, 19-time ''Jeopardy!'' champion.^[16]

★ Paul Mara, National Hockey League defenceman for the New York Rangers, was born in Ridgewood but was raised in Belmont, Massachusetts.^[17]

★ Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr., the second leading air ace in World War II, who was killed in action on January 7, 1945. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. McGuire Air Force Base is named in his memory.^[18]

★ Frankie Muniz, actor.^[19]

★ Buddy Nielsen, singer of the rock band Senses Fail, who grew up in Ridgewood and went to Ridgewood High School.

★ Nelson Riddle, famous musician and arranger for various artists such as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.

★ Jordin Sparks, ''American Idol'' winner, lived here as a child while her father was playing with the Giants.Leonard, Tom. " Ridgewood teens knew Sparks before her fame ignited", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', May 21, 2007. Accessed May 21, 2007. "Her family lived in Ridgewood during the eight seasons her father, Phillipi [sic], played with the Giants. The family moved to Arizona when Phillipi retired."

★ Phillippi Sparks, former NFL cornerback who played most of his career with the New York Giants.

★ Casper Van Dien, actor, Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow. Van Dien Avenue is named for his great-great-grandfather.^[20]

★ MC Paul Barman, rapper

References

1. Bergen County New Jersey Municipalities, Dutch Door Genealogy. Accessed March 14, 2006.
2. Ridgewood Village Council, Village of Ridgewood. Accessed September 10, 2006.
3. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 63. Accessed August 30, 2006.
4. "County of Bergen: Voter Statistics by Municipality, Ward & District," Bergen County, dated April 1, 2006.
5. 2004 Presidential Election results: Bergen County New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety: Division of Elections, dated December 13, 2004.
6. New Jersey Transit Bus Schedules, New Jersey Transit. Accessed August 30, 2007.
7. Maslow, Jonathan. "An Iraqi-American's homecoming in Baghdad", ''Herald News'', June 9, 2003. Accessed July 30, 2007. "An Iraqi-American architect from Ridgewood, Nassir had traveled halfway around the globe at great personal risk to reach his elderly mother, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews in the wake of war."
8. "Book looks at what drives teens JERSEY INK", ''The Star-Ledger'', May 25, 2006. "Coben, who was born in Newark and grew up in Livingston, graduating from Livingston High School, has relatives in Livingston and often goes there. He has lived in Ridgewood since 1992."
9. Assembly Member Christopher J. Connors, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 9, 2007.
10. The 50 Greatest New Jersey Sports Figures, ''Sports Illustrated'', December 27, 1999.
11. Homesick Punter Rejoins Giants, ''The New York Times'', August 23, 2006.
12. VARIAN FRY: the artists’ Schindler, ''Jewish Standard'', June 8, 2006.
13. "New Voice - Opera announcer with a New Jersey accent", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', October 5, 2004. Accessed August 2, 2007. "In the world of opera, Margaret Juntwait, born and raised in Ridgewood and Upper Saddle River, has certainly achieved an enviable position. The Metropolitan Opera announced that the WNYC-FM classical music host with the seductively smooth voice will announce Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera."
14. Wakin, Daniel J. "Met Picks New Voice For Opera Broadcasts", ''The New York Times'', September 29, 2004. Accessed August 2, 2007. "Ms. Juntwait, 47, was brought up in Ridgewood and Upper Saddle River, N.J., and went to work at WNYC in 1991. She lives in the Inwood section of Manhattan."
15. Rohan, Virginia. "Professional juggler", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', November 13, 2005. Accessed June 8, 2007. ""I'm sort of half in one world, half in the other at this point of the day,'' says MacCallum, a Wyckoff native who has lived in Ridgewood since her elder son was 2 weeks old."
16. Madden '03 wins big on 'Jeopardy', ''The Daily Princetonian'', September 20, 2005.
17. Paul Mara player profile, ESPN.com, accessed March 5, 2007.
18. U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet: Maj. Thomas B. McGuire Jr., accessed January 6, 2007.
19. Teen actor earns his 'Stripes', ''Arizona Republic'', January 6, 2005.
20. Casper Van Dien Official Website, accessed January 30, 2007.

External links

★ Village of Ridgewood website

★ Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce website

★ Ridgewood Public Schools official website

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Ridgewood Public Schools

★ goRidgewood.com website: A local area resource for Ridgewood, New Jersey and surrounding areas

★ Downtown Ridgewood HANDYGUIDE

★ Ridgewood Village Overview HANDYGUIDE