Park Ridge, New Jersey
Park Ridge 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 8,883,[9][10] an increase of 238 (+2.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,645,[19][20] which in turn reflected a decline of 63 (−0.7%) from the 8,708 counted in the 2000 census.[21]
Park Ridge, New Jersey
May 15, 1894
Borough Council
Magdalena Giandomenico[4]
Magdalena Giandomenico[5]
2.63 sq mi (6.81 km2)
2.61 sq mi (6.75 km2)
0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) 0.80%
367th of 565 in state
36th of 70 in county[1]
144 ft (44 m)
8,883
9,426
267th of 565 in state
45th of 70 in county[12]
3,407.4/sq mi (1,315.6/km2)
199th of 565 in state
41st of 70 in county[12]
Geography[edit]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.63 square miles (6.81 km2), including 2.61 square miles (6.75 km2) of land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) of water (0.80%).[1][27]
The borough is a part of the Pascack Valley region of Bergen County. It is bordered by the Bergen County municipalities of Hillsdale, Montvale, River Vale and Woodcliff Lake.[28][29][30] Although no major highways run through the borough, it is serviced by the Garden State Parkway at exits 168, 171 and 172 in Washington Township, Woodcliff Lake and Montvale, respectively.
Economy[edit]
The Hertz Corporation, a car rental company, had been headquartered in Park Ridge and was the borough's largest single taxpayer. On May 7, 2013, Hertz announced that the firm was moving their corporate HQ to Estero, Florida, and would keep certain operations in Park Ridge.[40]
Sony Corporation of America maintains an R&D and engineering facility in Park Ridge.[41]
Government[edit]
Local government[edit]
Park Ridge 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.[42] 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 is comprised of six members, who are elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.[6] The borough form of government used by Park Ridge 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.[43][44][45]
As of 2023, the mayor of the Borough of Park Ridge is Democrat Keith Misciagna, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. Members of the Park Ridge Borough Council are Council President William Fenwick (R, 2023), Matthew J. Capilli (D, 2024), John M. Cozzi (R, 2023), John P. Ferguson (D, 2024), Bruce Goldsmith (R, 2025) and Greg C. Hoffman (R, 2025).[2][46][47][48][49][50][51]
In May 2017, the council selected Keith Misciagna to fill the vacant mayoral seat, following the resignation of Terry Maguire the previous month in the face of criticism of the way he had dealt with suits over affordable housing in the borough. In turn, the council selected Michael Mintz from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill Misciagna's vacant council seat that expired in December 2017.[52]
In February 2016, the borough council selected Donna Szot from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that had become vacant following the resignation of Ryan Cangialosi the previous month.[53]
Federal, state and county representation[edit]
Park Ridge is located in the 5th Congressional District[54] and is part of New Jersey's 39th state legislative district.[55][56][57]
For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 5th congressional district is represented by Josh Gottheimer (D, Wyckoff).[58][59] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027)[60] and Bob Menendez (Englewood Cliffs, term ends 2025).[61][62]
For the 2024–2025 session, the 39th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Holly Schepisi (R, River Vale) and in the General Assembly by Robert Auth (R, Old Tappan) and John V. Azzariti (R, Saddle River).[63]
Bergen County is governed by a directly elected County Executive, with legislative functions performed by a Board of County Commissioners comprised 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, the county executive is James J. Tedesco III (D, Paramus), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.[64]
Bergen County's Commissioners are:
Thomas J. Sullivan Jr. (D, Montvale, 2025),[65]
Chair Germaine M. Ortiz (D, Emerson, 2025),[66] Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee, 2026),[67]
Vice Chair Mary J. Amoroso (D, Mahwah, 2025),[68]
Rafael Marte (D, Bergenfield, 2026),[69]
Steven A. Tanelli (D, North Arlington, 2024)[70] and
Tracy Silna Zur (D, Franklin Lakes, 2024).[71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78]
Bergen County's constitutional officials are:
Clerk John S. Hogan (D, Northvale, 2026),[79][80]
Sheriff Anthony Cureton (D, Englewood, 2024)[81][82] and Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill, 2026).[83][84][74][85]
Politics[edit]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,800 registered voters in Park Ridge, of whom 1,462 (25.2% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,503 (25.9% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 2,832 (48.8% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[86] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 67.1% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 87.0% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).[86][87]
In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 2,619 votes (53.3% vs. 41.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton with 2,108 votes (42.9% vs. 54.2%) and other candidates with 185 votes (3.8% vs. 4.6%), among the 4,977 ballots cast by the borough's 6,395 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.8% (vs. 72.5% in Bergen County).[88] In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 2,682 votes here (57.0% vs. 43.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,957 votes (41.6% vs. 54.8%) and other candidates with 43 votes (0.9% vs. 0.9%), among the 4,708 ballots cast by the borough's 6,080 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.4% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County).[89][90] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 2,735 votes here (55.8% vs. 44.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 2,093 votes (42.7% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 35 votes (0.7% vs. 0.8%), among the 4,901 ballots cast by the borough's 6,049 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.0% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).[91][92] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,697 votes here (57.4% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,963 votes (41.7% vs. 51.7%) and other candidates with 34 votes (0.7% vs. 0.7%), among the 4,702 ballots cast by the borough's 5,785 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.3% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county).[93]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70.6% of the vote (2,193 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 28.5% (886 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (27 votes), among the 3,176 ballots cast by the borough's 5,879 registered voters (70 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 54.0%.[94][95] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,906 votes here (55.4% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,317 votes (38.3% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 162 votes (4.7% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 21 votes (0.6% vs. 0.5%), among the 3,443 ballots cast by the borough's 5,928 registered voters, yielding a 58.1% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).[96]
Education[edit]
The Park Ridge Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.[97] As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,223 students and 123.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.9:1.[98] Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[99]) are
East Brook Elementary School[100] with 318 students in grades K-6,
West Ridge Elementary School[101] with 337 students in grades PreK-6 and
Park Ridge High School[102] with 548 students in grades 7-12.[103][104] The high school was the 14th-ranked public high school in New Jersey (third-highest in Bergen County) out of 328 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2012 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 18th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[105] Athletic programs at the high school include baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, track and tennis.
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.[106][107]
Our Lady of Mercy Academy is a K–8 Catholic school which operates in Park Ridge under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.[108][109]
Houses of worship in Park Ridge include:
Media[edit]
PKRG-TV, the public-access television cable TV station in Park Ridge, has produced and documented many shows over its history. They continue to produce a weekly live show every Monday night in addition to broadcasting special events in the town such as parades, sporting events, school plays, and charity events. Rolf Wahl, a borough resident, provided most of the guidance, technical knowledge and foresight for the station. The studio also hosted a series of shows entitled Behind The Badge which provided residents with an insight into the way the police department works. It included a tour of the police station and police cruiser and also an overview of programs the department works on to improve the welfare of the community, e.g. anti-drug programs and computer crime awareness.[125]
The Bear's Nest[edit]
The Bear's Nest is a luxury gated community in Park Ridge. It has town house-style houses with luxury amenities including (in some houses) elevators. A community clubhouse is available for residents, along with a pool, multiple tennis courts and a floral park.[126] Noted residents of the development have included President Richard M. Nixon and his wife, Pat Nixon; Raymond V. Gilmartin, current Microsoft board member; and Tom Coughlin, former coach of the New York Giants and Joe Valenza, New York Yankees Fantasy Camp Hall of Fame Inductee and Founder of Virtue Risk Partners.
Emergency services[edit]
The Tri-Boro Volunteer Ambulance Corps provides EMS service to Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake and Montvale. Tri-Boro is a non-profit group which provides free emergency service to those in the community who need it at any time. Its headquarters is located in Park Ridge near Mill Pond.[127]
Park Ridge has a paid police department, which has been led by Chief Joseph J. Madden since 2007.[128]
The Park Ridge Volunteer Fire Department dates back to 1898, created by community volunteers after a major fire destroyed a local factory.[129] PRFD is part of Bergen County Fire Battalion 8 and dispatching is contracted to Ridgewood-based Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch.[130]