Edgewater is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

located along the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

Bergen County Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 14,336, an increase of 2,823 (+24.5%) from the 2010 census count of 11,513, which in turn reflected an increase of 3,836 (+50.0%) from the 7,677 counted in the 2000 census The borough's history has featured the founding of the first colony in Bergen County, contribution to the Revolutionary War, a period as a "sleepy, pastoral little town" with resort hotels in the 19th century, industrialization in the early 20th century, and a transition to a rapidly growing residential community in the late 20th century. Edgewater was incorporated as a municipality on December 7, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township as the Borough of Undercliff, based on the results of a referendum that passed two days earlier. The borough was formed during the "

Boroughitis Boroughitis (also borough fever or borough mania) was the creation in the 1890s, usually by referendum, of large numbers of small boroughs in the U.S. state of New Jersey, particularly in Bergen County. Attempts by the New Jersey Legislature to ...

" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone. The borough's name was changed to Edgewater on November 8, 1899.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 77 re Edgewater; p. 87 re Undercliff. Accessed May 18, 2012. The borough was named for its location on the Hudson River.

History

Algonquian people, primarily

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

, lived in the area prior to Dutch colonisation in the 17th century. David Pietersz Devries (also transliterated as David Pietersen de Vries), the first European settler, bought of land from the Tappan tribe and established the settlement of Vriessendael in what is now Edgewater. A historical plaque placed in Veteran's Field by the Bergen County Historical Society names Vriessendael as the first known colony in

Bergen County Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Kieft's War in reprisal for the massacres of Lenape people taking refuge at Pavonia and Corlears Hook. In pioneer days, River Road was known as the Hackensack Turnpike, and Ox /nowiki>''sic''/nowiki> Hill Road was an important route to the top of the Palisades Cliff. While Oxen Hill Road still exists as a thoroughfare, another Colonial hallmark and major local industry has only recently disappeared: shad fishing. The Undercliff section in the northern section of Edgewater was originally a colony of fishermen. In the 1980s there were still about 100 commercial fishermen in New Jersey harvesting shad from their annual spring run from the Atlantic Ocean up the Hudson River to spawn. Now there are none.Westergaard, Barbara
''New Jersey: A Guide to the State''
p. 86.

Rutgers University Press Rutgers University Press (RUP) is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in New Brunswick, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Pub ...

, 2006. . Accessed October 6, 2015. Etienne Burdett began ferry service between north Edgewater and the island of Manhattan in 1758. His gambrel-roofed house in what is now the Edgewater Colony stood until 1899. The ferry service at Burdett's Landing, which was located at the southern base of the bluff of Fort Lee, proved valuable to the American cause during the Revolutionary War. The ferry functioned as the link for supplies, information and transportation between Fort Lee on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River and Fort Washington on the New York side. In the century following the Revolutionary war, north Edgewater developed into a resort area with large hotels built in the mid- and late 19th century. It was in the 19th century that Burdett's Landing became known as "Old Stone Dock", as cobblestones quarried from the Palisades Cliffs by Russell & Read were shipped across the Hudson to fill the demand for paving Manhattan streets.Hall, ''Edgewater'', p. 25. Concern over the destruction caused by quarrying operations led to the formation of the Palisades Interstate Park in 1900, which was effective in preserving the cliffs. Although the first chemical plant was founded in 1843 in the south section of the borough, throughout the 19th century the town retained a bucolic character. Early in the 20th century the addition of landfill to the Hudson River changed the borough's appearance. Until that time, the Hudson River lay closer to River Road from just above Veteran's field southward to what is now the Binghamton Ferry Plaza. Edgewater old ferry terminal

The 20th century brought great change to Edgewater with industrialization, which overwhelmed the boroughHall, ''Edgewater'', p. 49 and filled of the shoreline with its operations. Transportation of factory goods was facilitated when the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway cut the Edgewater Tunnel through the Palisades in 1894 to connect the borough to its main line. Edgewater was also well situated for shipping, with deep water piers on the Hudson River and access to abundant labor from Manhattan. Generally, industrial development occurred in the southern end of the borough, while the northern end remained residential. As industrialization increased in the borough, picnic grounds lost their appeal and resort hotels faded.Hall, ''Edgewater'', p. 21 By 1918, there were 8,044 workers employed by Edgewater's manufacturing facilities, producing primarily chemicals, dyes, and confectionery products such as oils and sugars. Prominent industries of Edgewater included a Ford assembly plant,

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...

, Valvoline, and the

American Can Company The American Can Company was a manufacturer of tin cans. It was a member of the Tin Can Trust, that controlled a "large percentage of business in the United States in tin cans, containers, and packages of tin." American Can Company ranked 97th amo ...

. Railroad trains served various factories, traversing tracks laid in River Road. During the first 30 years of the century, Edgewater's population quadrupled, and the transient workforce increased tenfold. Eventually the factories closed. The reasons were varied, but they included the globalization of industry, obsolete facilities and the replacement of railroad shipping by trucking, which could not run its large tractor trailer trucks on Edgewater's narrow streets. Joseph Mitchell's essay ''The Rivermen'', which was published in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' and is included in his book ''The Bottom of the Harbor'', provides an evocative portrait of life in Edgewater in the early 20th century. Edgewater Industrial 1930 Fortune

The late 20th century history of Edgewater was one of change from an industrialized town to a residential one. With the closing of the factories, development initially came to Edgewater in the 1960s and grew exponentially in the early 1980s, as developers began projects to convert the industrial sites that had historically led to Edgewater not being considered as an option for development. As condominiums were built along the Hudson where industry had formerly operated,Hall, ''Edgewater'', p. 101 the population of Edgewater grew rapidly. The population had been mostly in the 4,000 to 5,000 range from 1930 to 1990, then increased by 50% to 7,677 in 2000 and again by 50% to 11,513 in the 2010 Census. Borough council members and residents acknowledge that population growth has exacerbated the problem of increased traffic. With the transition from industrial to residential, crime statistics were down, with the police chief describing how bar fights between factory workers were commonplace in the early 1970s,Cheslow, Jerry
"If You're Thinking of Living In: Edgewater; Factory Town Is Now Bedroom Community"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', July 30, 1995. Accessed December 4, 2013. "'When I joined the Edgewater Police Department 24 years ago, our work was mainly breaking up bar fights between factory workers,' said Donald A. Martin, chief of the 22-person police force. 'There was a bar on every corner and it was really a wild place. Now, the factories and bars are gone and the crime rate has dropped to near zero.'" while real estate values are up. Because of the expense of buying property, some currently refer to Edgewater as part of the Gold Coast. A photographic history of Edgewater describes the population and demographics change and its possible consequence this way:

Now a good number of residents live on the river in condominiums and rental apartments and town houses on land that was once the province of heavy industry. Some see this as the creation of a town divided, with the newcomers living on the east side of River Road by the Hudson River and the old-timers living on the west side of River Road.

Although the borough is unrecognizable as the industrial town it once was, growing pains have left marks. When the old Alcoa plant site from 1916 began to be converted to condominiums, construction was forced to halt for cleanup of industrial contaminants, including excessively high concentrations of PCBs. In another case, construction of a condominium/shopping center in south Edgewater was interrupted for six months by safety measures to protect workers from chemical exposure in the lead- and arsenic-riddled soil. Next to this structure, behind a chain link fence lies a Superfund site. Operational Hess Oil tanks, beside the derelict Alcoa rolling mill, once the second-largest in the world, are a reminder of the borough's industrial phase. The building, occupying 1,100,000 square feet (100,000 m2) of space, was designed in 1914 and was used to roll ingots of aluminum into sheets that were used to create everything from toothpaste tubes to aircraft frames, before the facility was abandoned in 1967 due to lack of space needed to expand the facility.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the borough had a total area of 2.46 square miles (6.36 km²), including 0.97 square miles (2.52 km²) of land and 1.48 square miles (3.84 km²) of water (60.33%). Edgewater River Walk2

The borough is a narrow strip of land along the Hudson River, with of waterfront. DePalma, Anthony
"If You're Thinking of Living in: Edgewater"
''

'', May 13, 1984. Accessed December 18, 2023. "Edgewater, pop. 4,600, entered 1984 without a single doctor's office in town. There is no supermarket, no hospital, no place to buy a pair of socks". The Palisades Cliff rises dramatically and forms a natural border on its western side, running roughly parallel to the Hudson, with Fort Lee and Cliffside Park atop the cliff, north and south, respectively. Edgewater abuts Fort Lee Historic Park in the borough of Fort Lee on the north. River Road, which overlooks the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline, runs into and out of the town from the north and south, lying just above the level of the Hudson. Three roads lead up the Palisades Cliff: Route 5, with one switchback, ascends to Palisades Avenue, which leads north into Fort Lee and south into Cliffside Park. Gorge Road and Edgewater Road, the latter still referred to by many local residents by its Colonial-era name as Oxen Hill Road, lead up the Palisades to Cliffside Park. The borough borders Cliffside Park and Fort Lee in Bergen County; North Bergen in

Hudson County Hudson County is a List of counties in New Jersey, county in the U.S. state of New Jersey, its smallest and most densely populated. Lying in the northeast of the state and on the west bank of the North River (Hudson River), Hudson River, the No ...

; and the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

borough of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

across the Hudson River.

Demographics

about 2,500 Japanese-Americans lived in Edgewater and Fort Lee; this is the largest concentration of Japanese-Americans in New Jersey. In the 2013–2017

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, 35.7% of residents were identified as Asian, including 2,205 (18.1%) who were Korean, 630 (5.2%) were Asian Indian and 574 (4.7%) were Japanese.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 11,513 people, 5,637 households, and 3,021 families in the borough. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 6,282 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 53.29% (6,135)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.95% (570) Black or African American, 0.14% (16) Native American, 35.47% (4,084) Asian, 0.06% (7)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.35% (386) from other races, and 2.74% (315) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.10% (1,278) of the population.

Korean American Korean Americans () are Americans of full or partial Korean ethnic descent. While the broader term Overseas Korean in America () may refer to all ethnic Koreans residing in the United States, the specific designation of Korean American impli ...

s accounted for 19.6% of the population. Of the 5,637 households, 23.6% had children under the age of 18; 43.2% were married couples living together; 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 46.4% were non-families. Of all households, 39.3% were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.76. Same-sex couples headed 38 households in 2010, an increase from the 32 counted in 2000. 17.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 43.6% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.0 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $83,602 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,791) and the median family income was $114,375 (+/− $19,887). Males had a median income of $82,248 (+/− $13,946) versus $57,971 (+/− $9,987) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the borough was $58,220 (+/− $5,463). About 7.7% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 7,677 people, 3,836 households, and 1,971 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 4,277 housing units at an average density of . As of the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the borough was 67.12%

, 10.45%

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race, 3.52%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.21% Native American, 23.12% Asian, 0.04%

, 2.94% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Edgewater borough, New Jersey
,

. Accessed March 5, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Edgewater borough, Bergen County, New Jersey

. Accessed March 5, 2013. There were 3,836 households, out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.70. In the borough the age distribution of the population shows 15.4% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 46.7% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $63,455, and the median income for a family was $72,692. Males had a median income of $50,795 versus $49,238 for females. The

for the borough was $42,650. About 6.2% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the

, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over. In the 2000 Census, 11.83% of Edgewater's residents identified themselves as being of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n ancestry, which was the ninth highest in the United States and seventh highest of any municipality in New Jersey, for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. 3.22% of residents identified themselves as being of Japanese ancestry, which was the third highest of any municipality in New Jersey, behind Fort Lee (6.09%) and Demarest (3.72%). In the 2010 Census, those reporting Korean ancestry had increased to 19.6% of the population (2,258 residents), while the percentage of Japanese residents had risen to 4.9% (560 residents).

Economy

Edgewater was the location of the

Lever Brothers Lever Brothers was a British manufacturing company founded in 1885 by two brothers: William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), and James Darcy Lever (1854–1916). They invested in and su ...

research center where chemist Vincent Lamberti, a holder of over 118 patents, spent most of his 40 years for the company, and where he invented Dove soap, the first soap not made with animal fat.Levin, Jay
"Farewell to the father of Dove soap: Researcher Vincent Lamberti, 86, of Upper Saddle River, dies"
'' The Record'', April 4, 2014, backed up by the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

as of November 4, 2016. Accessed September 13, 2017."In Remembrance: Vincent Lamberti '47, '51PhD"
'' Yale Alumni Magazine''. April 2014. Edgewater has five main shopping areas. From north to south they are Town Centre, the Binghamton Shopping Plaza, Mitsuwa Marketplace, Edgewater Commons and City Place. All are located on the river side of River Road and bordered by the River Walk. As recently as 1984 the town had no supermarket. With development in subsequent years, by 2017, groceries could be purchased at

Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market, Inc. (colloquially referred to as simply Whole Foods) is an American multinational supermarket chain store, chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from Hydrogenated fat, hydrogenated fats and artificia ...

in Town Centre,

Trader Joe's Trader Joe's is an American grocery store chain headquartered in Monrovia, California, with 597 locations across the US. The first Trader Joe's store was opened in 1967 by founder Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California. In 1979, the chain was s ...

at the Binghamton Plaza, Japanese-labeled groceries at Mitsuwa Marketplace and at Acme Markets in Edgewater Commons. Company-operated shuttle buses that ran on Wednesdays and Thursdays, bringing shoppers to Mitsuwa from Manhattan, were terminated in 2014.

Arts and culture

Borough Hall, the Binghamton Ferry and the Edgewater Public Library are listed on both the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and the

New Jersey Register of Historic Places The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office wit ...

. Constructed in 1904, Borough Hall was granted $406,000 by Senate and General Assembly of New Jersey in August 2009 for restoration of the building. Among other renovations, the missing gargoyles were returned to the 1902 edifice. Binghamton plaque

The Binghamton Ferry, permanently anchored at the Binghamton Shopping Plaza, was built in 1904–1905 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia. The only double-ended steam-powered ferry boat still on the Hudson River, the Binghamton ferried passengers from New Jersey to Barclay Street in Manhattan for many years and was retired in 1967. One of the remaining Carnegie libraries in New Jersey, built with $15,000 in funds from the Carnegie Foundation,Almenas, Maxim
"Edgewater plans restoration for its library as centennial nears"
''Edgewater View'', December 17, 2010, backed up by the

as of March 6, 2016. Accessed September 13, 2017. "As the public library gets closer to its 100th anniversary on Jan 1, it has initiated an ambitious restoration project to return the building to its original luster.... Linda Corona, the library director, said the building is the only Carnegie library currently operating as such in Bergen County." the Edgewater Free Library was dedicated on February 8, 1916."95 Years of Library Service"
Edgewater Free Public Library. Accessed August 30, 2015. Edgewater opened its library in 1910, prior to the donation from the Carnegie Foundation, with 817 books on its shelves. In addition to these sites, the Eleanor Van Gelder School is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places: Bergen County

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for managing the state's natural resources and addressing issues related to pollution. NJDEP now has a staf ...

, updated July 21, 2015. Accessed August 30, 2015.

The River Walk

The promenade along the Hudson is part of the

Hudson River Waterfront Walkway The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, also known as the Hudson River Walkway, is a promenade along the Hudson Waterfront in New Jersey. The ongoing and incomplete project located on Kill van Kull and the western shore of Upper New York Bay and t ...

. In 1988, construction of a waterfront walkway was mandated by state law that would allow walkers a path along the Hudson River from

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

up to the George Washington Bridge. Although property owners were required to build and maintain it, many gaps remain. Of the called for, only are complete, and many of the gaps occur in Edgewater. The completed stretches offer paths for walking along the Hudson River with views of Manhattan.

Edgewater parrots

Edgewater is the home of a free-flying colony of monk parakeets, also known as Quaker parrots, which are native to South America. These small, green parrots have lived in Edgewater since at least 1980 and were numbered at 200 to 230 in a 2008 article in ''

''Holmberg, David
"Defending the Parrots of Edgewater"
''

'', December 5, 2008. Accessed August 30, 2015. and about 200 in 2019. They are easily seen in Memorial Park and its vicinity at River Road and Route 5. The parrots build large nests of twigs and down which become permanent residences. Nests four-feet long can be seen near the intersection. How the birds came to Edgewater is unknown, though a widely accepted story traces their origin to an escape from a damaged crate at John F. Kennedy Airport in the 1960s, or alternatively they had been pets that escaped from their owners. The birds have built nests against transformers on utility poles. Citing the risk of fire, the utility PSE&G has destroyed such nests. This has brought the utility into conflict with parrot advocates. In 2008, PSE&G agreed not to take down nests during breeding season.Pries, Allison
"Wild parrots escaped into this N.J. town 30 years ago and they never left"
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 1, 2019. Accessed December 1, 2019. "The Quaker, or Monk, parrots took up residence in Edgewater more 30 years ago. Just how they got there is up for debate. Some say it was through an accidental release in a New York City shipping yard. Others think they were escaped pets.... There are now about 200 Quaker parrots living in Edgewater and over the decades they have spread to Leonia, Palisades Park, Ridgefield, Englewood and other nearby towns, Schotanus said."

Parks and recreation

Veterans' FieldCheslow, Jerry
"If You're Thinking of Living in/Edgewater; A Former Factory Town, Transformed"
''

'', October 12, 2003. Accessed December 4, 2013. offers residents recreational opportunities and provides space for a Community Center and American Legion Post 116. Veterans' Field is located on River Road ( County Route 505) in the north section of Edgewater, lying along the Hudson River. It has indoor and outdoor basketball courts, three softball fields, a 1/3 mile-long track which accommodates runners, walkers and skaters; tennis courts, a Little League field and a playground. It is also the site of a large American flag which can easily be seen from across the river in Manhattan. A plaque commemorating the

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

plantation of David Pietersen de Vries, Vriessendael, is located at the entrance to the field on the west. Although the field extends well to the east, it did not exist in de Vries's day. In 1922, landfill was dumped into the Hudson River from the construction site of

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

in the Bronx, which gives Veteran's Field its current dimensions. In September 2011, Veteran's Field was closed due to soil contamination in the fill brought to the site.

Government

Local government

Edgewater is governed under the

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. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

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.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 160. The borough form of government used by Edgewater 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 A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...

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. , the mayor of Edgewater is Democrat Michael McPartland, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.Mayor's Office
Borough of Edgewater. Accessed April 21, 2024. Members of the Edgewater Borough Council are Anthony Bartolomeo (D, 2024), Rinaldy "Ray" Gutierrez (D, 2026), Dolores Lawlor (D, 2024), Donald A. Martin (D, 2025), Vincent J. Monte (D, 2025) and Jose Luis Vidal (D, 2026).''2024 County and Municipal Directory''

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Official Statement of Vote 2023 General Election - November 7, 2023 Official Results

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Bergen County November 8, 2022 General Election Statement of Vote

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Bergen County Statement of Vote November 2, 2021 Official results

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Federal, state and county representation

Edgewater is located in the 9th Congressional District Plan Components Report
New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 36th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,120 registered voters in Edgewater, of which 2,250 (43.9% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 514 (10.0% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 2,352 (45.9% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.Voter Registration Summary - Bergen
New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed December 4, 2013. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 44.5% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 54.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide). In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

received 2,392 votes (68.1% vs. 54.8% countywide), ahead of Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

with 1,031 votes (29.4% vs. 43.5%) and other candidates with 36 votes (1.0% vs. 0.9%), among the 3,511 ballots cast by the borough's 5,877 registered voters, for a turnout of 59.7% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,694 votes (67.5% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

with 1,224 votes (30.7% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates with 23 votes (0.6% vs. 0.8%), among the 3,989 ballots cast by the borough's 5,714 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.8% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).2008 General Election Results for Edgewater
, '' The Record''. Accessed September 12, 2011. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

received 2,405 votes (65.1% vs. 51.7% countywide), ahead of Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

with 1,237 votes (33.5% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 28 votes (0.8% vs. 0.7%), among the 3,696 ballots cast by the borough's 5,135 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.0% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

received 49.9% of the vote (704 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 48.7% (687 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (19 votes), among the 1,446 ballots cast by the borough's 5,148 registered voters (36 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 28.1%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 1,282 ballots cast (61.3% vs. 48.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 692 votes (33.1% vs. 45.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 82 votes (3.9% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 12 votes (0.6% vs. 0.5%), among the 2,092 ballots cast by the borough's 5,482 registered voters, yielding a 38.2% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county). On the local level, Edgewater has its own two-party system, split between the Democratic Party and the Independent Coalition for a Better Edgewater. The Republican Party has minimal presence and doesn't always run a slate in local elections. The perennial local political issue is managing growth.

Education

The Edgewater Public Schools serves public school students in

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through sixth grade. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 685 students and 68.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 10.0:1.District information for Edgewater School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed December 15, 2024. Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the

) are George Washington School with 320 students in grades PreK–2 and Eleanor Van Gelder School with 356 students in grades 3–6. For seventh through

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

s, public school students from the borough are sent to the Leonia Public Schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship. Schools in the district attended by Edgewater students (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the

) are Leonia Middle School with 675 students in grades 6–8 (Edgewater students attend for grades 7–8) and Leonia High School with 814 students in grades 9–12. 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 Bergen County Academies (BCA) is a tuition-free public magnet high school located in Hackensack, New Jersey, that serves students in the ninth through twelfth grades from all of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school was fo ...

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. Holy Rosary Church in Edgewater is one of the sponsors of the Christ the Teacher School, an interparochial Catholic K–8 school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, in Fort Lee. Also see: which lists the associated parishes.

In popular culture

Edgewater was used as a filming location for the 1997 feature film '' Cop Land'', starring

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and film producer, known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running associatio ...

and Ray Liotta.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Bergen County and by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...

. County Route 505 is the main north–south road in the borough. Route 5 also passes through and ends at CR 505.

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

(both the New Jersey Turnpike and

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee in Bergen County, New Jersey, with the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is named after George W ...

), U.S. Routes 1/9, U.S. Route 46 and the Palisades Interstate Parkway are all nearby and accessible via CR 505 in Fort Lee.

Public transportation

New Jersey Transit buses include the 156, 158 and 159 routes serving the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving ab ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

; the 188 to the

George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal The George Washington Bridge Bus Station is a commuter Bus station, bus terminal at the east end of the George Washington Bridge in the Washington Heights, Manhattan, Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The bus stati ...

; and local service on the 751 and 755 routes. Ferry service to West Midtown Ferry Terminal in Manhattan is offered by NY Waterway at Edgewater Landing, located where Route 5 comes into River Road. Parking at the terminal is not available; however a shuttle bus operated by the borough is available to transport passengers to the landing. In Manhattan there is free transfer to a network of buses operated by NY Waterways. Several ferries operated in Edgewater in the past, with the old Edgewater Ferry Terminal historically located about 100 yards from the current ferry terminal. The last ferry in the 20th century crossed the river in 1950. The borough was also the site of the trolley terminal for numerous electric lines in New Jersey. Situated across River Road from the old Ferry Terminal, it met passengers arriving from Manhattan. Its service included transportation to the top of Palisades Cliff. The trolley stopped running in 1938. Bike lanes on River Road were completed in July 2012, in connection with a road re-paving project.

Sister cities

On November 16, 2020, Mayor Michael McPartland proclaimed a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

relationship with Loma De Cabrera, Dominican Republic.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Edgewater include: * Ryan Allen (1943–2018), opera singer * Amerie (born 1978), R&B singerWeiner, Jonah
"Miss Thing: Boasting a smash single, a hit album and the finest legs in pop, Amerie is R&B's It girl. What's more, she's lethal with an assault rifle"
'' Blender'', June 2005, backed up by the

as of July 28, 2010. Accessed September 13, 2017. "She says she dreams of starring in an action movie ('I'd love to play Angelina Jolie's arch-nemesis in Tomb Raider 3'), but her real extracurricular obsession involves elves, faeries and codpieces. When she's not playing 12-hour Sims marathons at her house in Edgewater, New Jersey—the tony suburb that is also home to Tyson Beckford and Q-Tip—she's working on writing her own Lord of the Rings–style series." * Greg Amsinger (born 1979), sportscaster for

MLB Network MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball, with TNT Sports (United States), TNT Sports, Comcast's NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications, and Cox Communications h ...

* Nadiya Anderson (born 1986), television personality known for appearing with her twin sister, Natalie on ''

The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality competition franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. ''The Amazing Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselv ...

'' and '' Survivor: San Juan del Sur'' * Natalie Anderson (born 1986), television personality who appeared on ''

'' with her identical twin sister Nadiya; both later appeared on '' Survivor: San Juan del Sur'', where Natalie was crowned Sole Survivor, winning the show's $1 million prize * Coco Austin (born 1979), modelStaff
"Coco Austin turns weather reporter to record storm video"
''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'', October 30, 2012. Accessed December 4, 2013. "The busty blonde model headed outside with a video camera to film the superstorm, which hit the city of Edgewater, where she shares an apartment with rapper/actor Ice-T." *

Tyson Beckford Tyson Beckford (born December 19, 1970) is a Jamaican Americans, Jamaican-American model and actor best known as a Ralph Lauren Polo model. He was also the host of both seasons of the Bravo (American TV network), Bravo program ''Make Me a Superm ...

(born 1970), model *

Miri Ben-Ari Miri Ben-Ari (; born ) is an Israeli Americans, Israeli–American violinist, record producer, and humanitarian. As of 2025, she is the first and only violinist to win a Grammy in the Hip Hop category, known as "the Hip hop music, hip-hop vio ...

(born 1978), Israeli-American violinist * Brendan A. Burns (1895–1989), U.S. Army major general *

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female rappers. From 2015 to early 2017, she ga ...

(born 1992), rapper * Maksim Chmerkovskiy (born 1980), professional dancer on the TV show ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

'' * Liz Claman (born 1963), Fox Business Network anchor * Paige Conners (born 2000), Israeli-American pairs

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

who competed at the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

with her skating partner, Evgeni Krasnopolski, representing

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

* Barbara Corcoran (born 1949), real estate agent and investor * Fred Daibes (born 1956/1957), real estate developer * Harris Faulkner (born 1965), newscaster and television host for

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...

* Luke Higgins (1921–1991), football player *

Ice-T Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), known professionally as Ice-T (or Ice T), is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop music, hip hop and heavy metal music, heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground r ...

(born 1958), rapper and actor * JoJo (born 1990), singer * Peter Moraites (1922–2014), Speaker of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

; * Rachel Noerdlinger (born 1970), publicist, former chief of staff to Chirlane McCray, the wife of

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the List of mayors of New York City, 109th mayor of New York City, mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of t ...

* Nick Prisco (1909–1981), football tailback, played one season in the NFL with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

* Q-Tip (born 1970), rapper *

Geraldo Rivera Geraldo Rivera (born Gerald Rivera; July 4, 1943) is an American journalist, attorney, author, and political commentator who worked at the Fox News Channel from 2001 to 2023. He hosted the tabloid talk show '' Geraldo'' from 1987 to 1998. He g ...

(born 1943), journalist, attorney, author and political commentator * John Sterling (born 1938), radio broadcaster for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

* Francis R. Tillou (–1865), lawyer and politician; operated a ferry between Edgewater and New York City; lived on an estate he called "Tillietudlem", located on the present site of the Edgewater Public Library * Osi Umenyiora (born 1981),

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

* Chien-Ming Wang (born 1980), pitcher, played for the New York Yankees * Jim White (1920–1987), NFL tackle, played for the

* Norman Joseph Woodland (1921–2012), inventor of the

barcode A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, Machine-readable data, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly ref ...

Fox, Margalit
"N. Joseph Woodland, Inventor of the Bar Code, Dies at 91"
''

'', December 12, 2012. Accessed December 12, 2012. "N. Joseph Woodland, who six decades ago drew a set of lines in the sand and in the process conceived the modern bar code, died on Sunday at his home in Edgewater, N.J.

Sources

* ''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. * * Clayton, W. Woodford; and Nelson, Nelson
''History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men.''
Philadelphia: Everts and Peck, 1882. * * Harvey, Cornelius Burnham (ed.)
''Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey.''
New York: New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Co., 1900. * Van Valen, James M
''History of Bergen County, New Jersey.''
New York: New Jersey Publishing and Engraving Co., 1900. * Westervelt, Frances A. (Frances Augusta), 1858–1942
''History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630–1923''
Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1923.

References

External links

Edgewater Borough official web site

Edgewater School District
*
School Data for the Edgewater Public Schools

Leonia Public Schools

Community Forums for Edgewater

Edgewater Democratic Organization
*
Collection of Edgewater photos
{{Authority control 1894 establishments in New Jersey Borough form of New Jersey government Boroughs in New Jersey Boroughs in Bergen County, New Jersey Colonial settlements in North America Populated places established in 1894 New Jersey populated places on the Hudson River Korean communities in the United States