Ridgewood

Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 24,958, 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. 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.

History

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

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 a school district. 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 acquired area from Washington Township. On May 28, 1974, it acquired area from Ho-Ho-Kus. The name of the village derives from the characteristics of its terrain.

Historic sites

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

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Archibald-Vroom House - 160 East Ridgewood Avenue (added 1984).
• 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.
• 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.

Geography

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%).

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.

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

Parks and recreation

Park facilities in Ridgewood include:

• Graydon Park, located between Linwood and North Maple Avenues, includes a pool, baseball field, soccer field, and roller rink.
• Veterans Field, located next to the library and police station, includes four baseball and softball fields, as well as a bandshell offering free concerts. The Ridgewood High School baseball team plays its home games here.
• Citizens Park, located across the street from George Washington Middle School, includes two baseball fields and a soccer field. The hill is often used in the winter for sleigh riding.

Transportation

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the village had a total of 94.70 miles (152.40 km) of roadways, of which 79.79 miles (128.41 km) were maintained by the municipality, 13.77 miles (22.16 km) by Bergen County, and 1.14 miles (1.83 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Major roads that pass through Ridgewood include New Jersey Route 17, Franklin Turnpike, and County Route 507 (Maple Avenue).

Public transportation

The Ridgewood train station is served by the NJ Transit Main Line as well as the Bergen County Line. The station features three platforms. The first is for all trains headed south toward Hoboken Terminal. The second is for Bergen County Line trains headed in the same direction, and the third is for Main Line trains headed toward Suffern and Port Jervis. New Jersey Transit trains on both the Bergen County and the Main Lines go to Hoboken, stopping at Secaucus Junction, for transfers to trains to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan and other destinations served by the station. Parking is limited near the Ridgewood train station. There are usually taxicabs available right at the train station; the taxi building is on the northbound platform.

New Jersey Transit buses in Ridgewood include the 148, 163 and 164 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, the 175 to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, and local service offered on the 722 (to Paramus Park and Paterson), 746 (to Paterson, as Ridgewood is its terminus) and 752 (to Hackensack) routes. Except for the 148 route, all the others stop at New Jersey Transit's Ridgewood Bus Terminal on Van Neste Square.

Short Line offers service along Route 17 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, as well as to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station and down the East Side on Manhattan to 23rd Street.

Points of interest

The Ridgewood Post Office was the site of a postal killing in 1991, where a former postal worker, Joseph M. Harris, killed his former supervisor, Carol Ott, with a katana and shot her fiancé, Cornelius Kasten Jr., at their home. The following morning, on October 10, 1991, Harris shot and killed two mail handlers at the Ridgewood Post Office.

Warner Theater is a Bow Tie Cinema located on East Ridgewood Avenue.