Passaic County
Passaic County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Passaic County was enumerated at 524,118, an increase of 22,892 (4.6%) from t ...
, New Jersey, United States.Locality Search State of New Jersey. Accessed June 9, 2016. The community is located 30 minutes northwest of Manhattan.
The median income in Packanack Lake was $100,887, and the average income of households with children was $140,869. 95.9% of Packanack area residents are high school graduates while 57.5% are college graduates. 77.4% of residents are married. 41.4% of residents had children. The average age of residents was 40.6 years old.
Gatherings and social events are held on both East Beach (on Lake Drive East) and West Beach (on Lake Drive West) which include band concerts, craft shows, and bonfires.
Demographics
Overview
Packanack's neighborhoods include; Packanack Estates, Packanack Lake, Packanack Manor, Packanack Ridge, and Packanack Woods. Members of the Packanack Lake Community Association, also known as Packanack Lake Country Club, can use the tennis club and golf club located on Osborne Terrace. Packanack residents can send their grammar school-aged children to the Packanack School, located at 190 Oakwood Drive, and residents can also send their high school aged children to
Wayne Valley High School
Wayne Valley High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school, in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the two secondary schools of the Wayne Pu ...
or the many private schools in and around the township of Wayne. There are summer camps and activities for the children who live in the lake which include golf lessons, sailing lessons and competitively swimming on the Lake's swim team, The Packanack Pirates. The Packanack Lake Association collects dues from Packanack Lake residents for the purpose of funding the upkeep and use of lake activities.
Transportation to business/commercial centers throughout North Jersey is via Route 3, 4, 20, 21, 23, U.S. Route 46,
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...
, Interstate 287 and the Garden State Parkway. Train Stations and "Park and Ride's" provide access to North Jersey suburbs and New York City.
Nearby country clubs include the Preakness Hills Country Club located on Ratzer Road and the North Jersey Country Club located on Hamburg Turnpike.
Shopping and dining
There is a dry cleaner, a post office, a flower and gift boutique, an event planner, a personal fitness center, Gencarelli's Pizza as well as the Lakeside Restaurant Bar which all are located on the lake next to the Packanack Lake Clubhouse. The clubhouse can be used for a variety of things from wedding rehearsals, to birthday parties and block parties. The clubhouse overlooks Packanack Lake with its wooden deck extension. Packanack Lake has its very own golf course, tennis club, elementary school, church and firehouse. Athletic fields are offered for community sports such as tennis, baseball, soccer and flag football. The lake itself is also considered a very productive luxury for residents in the area, as fishing and boating are offered exclusively to members of the Packanack community.
History
The Packanack community began long ago when Native Americans farmed, fished and hunted in the area. One tribe, the Pacquanacs, are still remembered in the very name Packanack which is said to mean appropriately "land made clear for cultivation".
In 1780, it was farming country and marshlands not far from the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
encampment of
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
soldiers. Close by were the headquarters of General
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
The Packanack area sits on two ridges running in roughly a north-south direction separated by a valley of marshland that in 1928 would be cleared of trees and brush; blocked at the south with an earth and clay dam to form Packanack Lake. That was when Joseph T. Castles, who had purchased 26 farms covering approximately 700 acres (2.8 km) of these ridges and valley in 1925, began laying the groundwork for the development of a community. The lake itself is man-made. Roads were built, water and sewer mains were laid and a sewage disposal system constructed. The real estate firm of Packanack Lake, Inc. was formed and work began on the clubhouse as well as 17 log cabins and small Cape Cod homes. The clubhouse, which was renovated in 2005, is located on the west beach along with a post office, restaurant/pub, florist, and a deli.