Leonia 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 ...

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 9,304, an increase of 367 (+4.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,937, which in turn reflected an increase of 23 (+0.3%) from the 8,914 counted in the 2000 census. The borough is a suburb of

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 ...

, near the western approach to the

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 ...

. Leonia was formed as the result of a referendum passed on December 5, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township. The borough 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 Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone. Portions of Leonia were taken on February 19, 1895, to form the Township of Teaneck.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 80. Accessed May 29, 2024. ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United St ...

'' magazine ranked Leonia the 31st-best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

History

Leonia's original inhabitants were the

Hackensack tribe Hackensack was the exonym given by the Dutch colonists to a band of the Lenape, or ''Lenni-Lenape'' ("original men"), a Native American tribe. The name is a Dutch derivation of the Lenape word for what is now the region of northeastern New Jer ...

(Ashkineshacky) of Native Americans. The population was about 1,000 before the Europeans settled in the area. At the time of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, Leonia was known as part of the

English Neighborhood The English Neighborhood was the colonial-era name for the towns in eastern Bergen County, New Jersey, along the Hudson Palisades between the Hudson River and the Hackensack River, particularly around its main tributary, Overpeck Creek. The region ...

, a name that survives in neighboring Englewood. It was settled in 1668 mainly by Dutch and English farmers, making it one of the oldest communities in the state. A third of the population was African slaves. It was on the western slope of the Palisades, and started as a quiet farming community. Leonia's proximity to

and its major universities, theaters, and performing venues contributed to its place in the world of art and academics, with many artists and leading thinkers living there in the 20th century. The local economy that had focused on agriculture underwent economic and cultural growth during the late 19th century, marked by the introduction of train service. Leonia was originally called West Fort Lee. In 1865, J. Vreeland Moore and other town leaders chose the name "Leonia" in honor of

General Charles Lee, for whom Fort Lee is named. In 1899, after traveling through Leonia upon arriving in New Jersey by ferry at Edgewater, advertising executive Artemus Ward purchased a large piece of land and established the Leonia Heights Land Company to develop and market housing in the community. His advertising attracted many academics and artists who were drawn to Leonia's small size, culture, and location, leading to the town's nickname, the "Athens of New Jersey". In 1915, Harvey Dunn established the Leonia School of Illustration, fostering the artists' colony that emerged over the next decade.Falkenstein, Michelle
"Jersey Footlights"
''

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 31, 2005. Accessed November 7, 2018. "Dunn settled in Leonia in 1914 to be near the New York market for illustration and enjoyed a successful career." By the 1930s, it had the highest number of residents per capita in ''

Who's Who in America Marquis Who's Who, also known as A.N. Marquis Company ( or ), is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in A ...

'', and 80% of its residents were college graduates. Transportation through the borough was enhanced by access to ferries and trolley systems, and Leonia became a refuge for many of America's most creative thinkers, including five Nobel Prize winners.Cheslow, Jerry
"Well-Read, Well-Shaded and Well-Placed"
''

'', June 15, 1997. Accessed July 13, 2011. "Among the other widely used facilities is the Civil War Drill Hall, a cavernous building constructed by the New Jersey Blues Infantry regiment as a training center in 1859. The hall is now home to the Players Guild of Leonia, established in 1919 and the oldest community theater group in New Jersey." For 200 years, one of Leonia's two major north-south avenues, Grand Avenue (the other is Broad Avenue), was called the English Neighborhood Road. In colonial times, it served as the main inland route between Paulus Hook, Bergen, and the English Neighborhood. Leonia was a crossroads of the American Revolution and a training ground for

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

soldiers. Historic places in Leonia include the Civil War Drill Hall and Armory and the Cole-Allaire House, constructed around 1765, making it the borough's oldest dwelling, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The Vreeland House, constructed in 1786 by Dirck Vreeland and expanded in 1815, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Leonia celebrates "Leonia Day" annually on the third Sunday in May.

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 has an area of 1.63 square miles (4.22 km²), including 1.52 square miles (3.94 km²) of land and 0.11 square miles (0.27 km²) of water (6.50%). The borough center's elevation is , but the borough's western part can reach and the eastern part . The borough borders the Bergen County municipalities of Englewood, Fort Lee, Palisades Park, Ridgefield Park and Teaneck. Leonia is designated as a Tree City USA, receiving its 21st annual recognition in 2010 from the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 8,937 people, 3,284 households, and 2,519 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 3,428 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 55.22% (4,935)

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 ...

, 2.34% (209) Black or African American, 0.16% (14) Native American, 35.12% (3,139) Asian, 0.01% (1)

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 ...

, 3.71% (332) from other races, and 3.44% (307) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.66% (1,489) 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 26.5% of the population. Of the 3,284 households, 34.8% had children under the age of 18; 61.2% were married couples living together; 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 23.3% were non-families. Of all households, 20.0% were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.13. 22.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 31.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.9 males. Same-sex couples headed 35 households in 2010, more than double the 17 counted in 2000. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

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 ...

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 $66,271 (with a margin of error of +/− $9,365) and the median family income was $91,129 (+/− $16,890). Males had a median income of $54,754 (+/− $8,175) versus $60,057 (+/− $8,680) 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 $40,030 (+/− $4,132). About 5.8% of families and 9.1% 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 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 8,914 people, 3,271 households, and 2,436 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 3,343 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 65.74%

, 2.27%

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 ...

, 0.09% Native American, 26.06% Asian, 0.01%

, 3.20% from other races, and 2.64% from two or more races.

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 were 12.73% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Leonia borough
,

. Accessed December 16, 2011.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Leonia borough, New Jersey
,

. Accessed July 10, 2012. There were 3,271 households, out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.20. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $72,440, and the median income for a family was $84,591. Males had a median income of $55,156 versus $38,125 for females. The

for the borough was $35,352. About 5.0% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the

, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2000 Census, 17.24% of Leonia'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 fourth-highest in the United States and second-highest of any municipality in New Jersey—behind neighboring Palisades Park (36.38%)—for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. Additionally, 3.07% of Leonia's residents identified themselves as being of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese ancestry, which was the fourth-highest of any municipality in New Jersey — behind Fort Lee (6.09%), Demarest (3.72%) and Edgewater (3.22%)—for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.

Arts and culture

Leonia is home to the Players Guild of Leonia, New Jersey's oldest continuing theatre troupe and one of the oldest community theatre groups in the state, with continuous performances since 1919. Performances have included comedies, tragedies, classics, and musicals. The Guild's 1940 production of ''One Mad Night'' was the first three-act play performed on television, when it was broadcast on WPTZ, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. The Children's Show was instituted in 1963 and continues each spring. Between 1968 and 1998, the Guild produced Theatre in the Park. Since 2002, the Guild has produced a Playwright's Showcase featuring original scripts. The Guild operates out of the historic Civil War Drill Hall Theatre on Grand Avenue, which is leased from the borough. Recent productions include ''Lovers and Other Strangers'', ''The Glass Menagerie'', ''Love, Loss, and What I Wore'' and ''Hair''. Upcoming productions include a fall production of ''Guys and Dolls''. Since 2000, Leonia has also been home to Summerstage at Leonia, which produces a Broadway-style family musical each summer in the last two weeks of July. Summerstage performances were originally held in the Leonia High School Little Theater but now take place at the Civil War Drill Hall Theater. Auditions are held in May and open to all in the NYC metro area. Past shows have included ''The Wizard of Oz'', ''Carousel'', ''The Sound of Music'', ''Annie'', ''Oliver'', ''Les Miserables'', ''My Fair Lady'', and ''How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying''. The Leonia Chamber Musicians Society, founded in 1973, is made up of professional musicians who reside in Leonia, and gives classical music concerts four times a year at various venues in the borough. Leonia aims to build its art and cultural environment by displaying outdoor sculpture throughout the community and in the Erika and David Boyd Sculpture Garden, on the grounds of the Leonia Borough Annex. This group sponsors an annual Taste of Leonia fundraiser. Leonia Arts provides a calendar of all arts events in Leonia.

Parks and recreation

Leonia has five public recreational areas, of which only the Leonia Swim Club requires a membership fee. The recreation areas include Wood Park, on the corner of Broad Avenue and Fort Lee Road; Sylvan Park and the Leonia Swim Club, both on Grand Avenue near Sylvan Avenue; and the Recreational Center on Broad Avenue, which has an indoor basketball court. Overpeck County Park, a Bergen County park in Leonia, Ridgefield Park, and Teaneck, is home to the county's World Trade Center Memorial. Field Station: Dinosaurs is a dinosaur-themed park in Overpeck County Park, just south of Interstate 95, with 32 animatronic dinosaurs.

Government

Local government

Leonia is governed under the

form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, New Jersey's most common form of government. The governing body comprises 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 in the November general election. Voters directly elect a mayor to a four-year term. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats 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. 157. Leonia's borough form of government is " weak mayor / strong council", 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 makes most appointments with the council's advice and consent. , Leonia's mayor is Democrat William Ziegler, whose term ends on December 31, 2027.Mayor Bill Ziegler
Borough of Leonia. Accessed February 21, 2024. Members of the Leonia Borough Council are Council President Jordan Zeigler (D, 2026), Scott Fisher (D, 2025), Louis Grandelis (D, 2027), Christoph Hesterbrink (D, 2025), Diane M. Scarangella (D, 2026), and Joanne Choi Terrell (D, 2027).Mayor and Council
Borough of Leonia. Accessed February 21, 2024. "Leonia is incorporated under the Borough form of government; the Governing Body consists of the Mayor and six Council members, all of whom are elected at-large. The Mayor is the Chief Executive and Presiding Officer. The Council consists of the Council President (who presides in the Mayor's absence), and five additional Council members, who together serve as the legislative body of the Borough. Council members serve for terms of three years; the Mayor's term is four years."''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.New Jersey's 5th congressional district2022 Redistricting Plan

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington ...

, December 8, 2022. and New Jersey's 37th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019. It was in the 9th congressional district from 2013 to 2022.Plan Components Report

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were 4,713 registered voters in Leonia, of whom 2,493 (52.9% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 598 (12.7% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans, and 1,619 (34.4% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. Three voters were registered as Libertarians or Greens.Voter Registration Summary - Bergen

Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed December 9, 2013. Of the borough's 2010 census population, 52.7% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 67.9% of those over 18 (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 2,451 votes (66.8% vs. 54.8% countywide) to 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 ...

's 1,135 (30.9% vs. 43.5%) and other candidates' 47 (1.3% vs. 0.9%). The borough's 5,065 registered voters cast 3,668 ballots, for a turnout of 72.4% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County). In the 2008 presidential election, Obama received 2,604 votes (65.9% vs. 53.9% countywide) to 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 ...

's 1,273 (32.2% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates' 30 (0.8% vs. 0.8%). The borough's 5,050 registered voters cast 3,953 ballots, for a turnout of 78.3% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).2008 General Election Results for Leonia
''

The Record The Record may refer to: Music * The Record (Fear album), ''The Record'' (Fear album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear * The Record (Boygenius album), ''The Record'' (Boygenius album), a 2023 studio album by the indie rock supe ...

''. Accessed July 13, 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 2,468 votes (64.4% vs. 51.7% countywide) to 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 ...

's 1,327 (34.6% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates' 25 (0.7% vs. 0.7%). The borough's 4,878 registered voters cast 3,835 ballots, for a turnout of 78.6% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 50.8% of the vote (1,078 cast), ahead of 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) ...

with 47.9% (1,015 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (27 votes), among the 2,205 ballots cast by the borough's 4,826 registered voters (85 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 45.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 1,682 ballots cast (60.7% vs. 48.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 901 votes (32.5% vs. 45.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 120 votes (4.3% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 7 votes (0.3% vs. 0.5%), among the 2,773 ballots cast by the borough's 4,880 registered voters, yielding a 56.8% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).

Education

Leonia is served by its public system and by a number of private schools. The Leonia Public Schools serve students from

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

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 ...

. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 2,087 students and 191.6 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 10.9:1.District information for Leonia Public 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 Anna C. Scott Elementary School with 565 students in grades PreK–4, Leonia Middle School with 675 students in grades 5–8 and Leonia High School with 814 students in grades 9–12. Students from Edgewater attend the district's schools for grades 7–12 as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Edgewater Public Schools. 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. St. John the Evangelist School was a

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

for students in grades Pre-K–8, operating under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. After 72 years and generations of graduates, it was closed in June 2013.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the borough had of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Bergen County, 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 ...

and by the

New Jersey Turnpike Authority The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is a state agency responsible for maintaining the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which are two toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The agency is headquartered in Woodbridge Town ...

. Route 93 (Grand Avenue) runs north-south for through the center of the borough, connecting Palisades Park and Englewood.

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 ...

(the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although ma ...

) curves along the borough's northern border while U.S. Route 1/9 and U.S. Route 46 briefly enter along the western border with Fort Lee. Effective January 22, 2018, Leonia officials banned nonresidents from using residential streets (defined as all streets except Fort Lee Road, Grand Avenue, and Broad Avenue) during rush hours. But due to complaints from business owners citing decreased revenues, Leonia officials are reconsidering.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus route 166 provides local and express service from Broad Avenue to 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 ...

, and route 182 serves the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal, with local service offered on the 751, 755 and 756 routes. Rockland Coaches provides service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on several routes. The Northern Branch Corridor Project is a proposal to extend the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to restore passenger train service on the CSX tracks, which offered passenger service decades before and is now used for occasional freight service. NJ Transit's plan would include a station in Leonia.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Leonia include: * Ailee (born 1989), singer *

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pier ...

(born 1936), actorCheslow, Jerr
"Well-Read, Well-Shaded and Well-Placed"
''

'', June 15, 1997. Accessed October 18, 2013. "Much later, its residents included five Nobel Prize winners, among them Enrico Fermi, one of the developers of the atomic bomb, and Willard Libby, who discovered radiocarbon dating; Sammy Davis Jr., Pat Boone and Alan Alda, the entertainers, and Robert Ludlum, the author." * Arlene Alda (born 1933), photographer and author * Robert J. Alexander (1918–2010), political activist who studied the trade union movement in Latin America and dissident communist political parties * Elizabeth Baranger (1927–2019), physicist and academic administrator at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

, whose research concerned shell model calculations in

nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies th ...

Freddie Bartholomew Frederick Cecil Bartholomew (March 28, 1924 – January 23, 1992), known for his acting work as Freddie Bartholomew, was an English-American child actor who was very popular in 1930s Hollywood films. His most famous starring roles are in '' Cap ...

(1924–1992), child actorKarels, Carol
''Leonia''
p. 127. Arcadia Publishing, 2002. . Accessed October 21, 2015. "By the 1970s, Leonia was home to may professional musicians, writers, and entertainers. Many - such as Alan Alda, an actor and director; Carmel Quinn a singer; Freddie Bartholomew, a child star; And Robert Ludlum, an actor, producer and author - contributed to the cultural life of the community. Others - such as singer Pat Boone, comic Buddy Hackett, and singer Sammy Davis Jr. - lived here because of its proximity to New York City." * Jeff Bell (1943–2018), Republican nominee for U.S. Senate from New Jersey in 2014 * Robert Birmelin (born 1933), figurative painter, printmaker and draughtsman *

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

(born 1934), singer *

Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain ( ; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author and Travel documentary, travel documentarian. He starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the huma ...

(1956–2018), chef, author and television personality * Rutherford Boyd (1884–1951), artistAlmenas, Maxim
"Saying goodbye to David Boyd"
''

'', March 4, 2010. Accessed January 3, 2012. "The tours usually ended at 112 Prospect St. — not just because it was Boyd's home, but because it's the oldest standing house in the entire Borough, built in 1760. Many Leonians have ventured to see the home, which is on the National Register of Historic Sites. 'His dad, Rutherford oyd a prominent artist, was attracted to the area because of the network of artists that congregated here,' said son-in-law Bill Ziegler, referring to a time when Leonia was a thriving artist colony. 'He saw the property as he was walking through town one day and decided right then and there to buy it n 1916'" * Verona Burkhard (1910–2004), artist, known for her murals painted for the U.S. Treasury Department * Brendan A. Burns (1895–1989), U.S. Army major general * Carolee Carmello (born 1962), actress *

Charles Shepard Chapman Charles Shepard Chapman (June 2, 1879 – December 15, 1962) was an American painter, perhaps best remembered for his landscape of the Grand Canyon at the American Museum of Natural History. Early life and education Chapman was born in Morristo ...

(1879–1962), painter best remembered for his landscape of the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...

at the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

* Kathleen Clark, playwright * Edwin H. Colbert (1905–2001), paleontologist and author * Dan Colen (born 1979), artist * Paul Collins (born 1956), rock musician and author, best known for his work in the power pop groups

The Nerves The Nerves were an American power pop trio, formed in San Francisco in 1974 and later based in Los Angeles, featuring guitarist Jack Lee (musician), Jack Lee, bassist Peter Case, and drummer Paul Collins (musician), Paul Collins. All three memb ...

and The Beat * Robin Cook (born 1940), physician and novelist * Sam Coppola (1932–2012), actor who played hardware store owner 'Dan Fusco' in the 1977 film ''

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...

'' * Alexander Dallin (1924–2000), historian, political scientist, and international relations scholar at Columbia University * John Darrow (1907–1980), actor of the late silent and early talking film eras * Sammy Davis Jr. (1925–1990), entertainer * Wm Theodore de Bary (1919–2017),

Sinologist Sinology, also referred to as China studies, is a subfield of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on China. It is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of the Chinese civilizatio ...

and East Asian literary scholar who was a professor and administrator at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

for nearly 70 years * Priscilla Dean (1896–1987), actress popular in

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

as well as in theatre, with a career spanning two decades * Dorothy Dinnerstein (1923–1992), feminist activist, author and academic * Acheson J. Duncan (1904–1995), statistician and authority in

quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach plac ...

* Harvey Dunn (1884–1952), illustrator * Gregg Edelman (born 1958), actor * Emme (born 1963), plus-size supermodel *

Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian and naturalized American physicist, renowned for being the creator of the world's first artificial nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1, and a member of the Manhattan Project ...

(1901–1954), Nobel Prize–winning physicist * Morton Fried (1923–1986), professor of

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

* Ralph Fuller (1890–1963), cartoonist best known for his long running

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

'' Oaky Doaks''Mattingly, Paul H
''Suburban Landscapes: Culture and Politics in a New York Metropolitan Community''
p. 228.

Johns Hopkins University Press Johns Hopkins University Press (also referred to as JHU Press or JHUP) is the publishing division of Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and is the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The press publi ...

, 2001. . Accessed May 16, 2016. "Ralph Fuller, one of the mainstays of the Leonia artist colony during the interwar years, was the creator of the highly successful nationally syndicated comic strip, ''Oaky Doaks''." * Maria Goeppert Mayer (1906–1972), Nobel Prize-winning physicist * Buddy Hackett (1924–2003), comedian * Marvin Harris (1927–2001), anthropologist * Richard Howell (born 1955), a freelance comics artist who drew the second series of

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

' '' The Vision and the Scarlet Witch'', which was primarily set in Leonia * Toomas Hendrik Ilves (born 1953),

President of Estonia The president of the Republic of Estonia () is the head of state of the Estonia, Republic of Estonia. The current president is Alar Karis, elected by Parliament on 31 August 2021, replacing Kersti Kaljulaid. Estonia is one of the few parliam ...

* Phil Jackson (born 1945), basketball coach * Leland Jacobs (1907–1992), professor emeritus of education who was known for his education in the field of prose and poetry * Sid Jacobson (1929–1022), comic books writer who was managing editor and editor-in-chief for

Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alf ...

* Albert Journeay (1890–1972), football player who was captain of the

Penn Quakers football The Penn Quakers football program is the college football team at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The Penn Quakers have competed in the Ivy League since its inaugural season of 1956, and are a NCAA Division I, Division I Footbal ...

team in 1914 * Marshall Kay (1904–1975),

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

and professor at

* Marvin Kitman (1929–2023), television critic, humorist, and author * Bob Klapisch, sportswriter *

David Klass David Klass is an American screenwriter and novelist. He has written more than 40 screenplays for Hollywood studios and published 14 young adult novels. His screenplays are primarily character-based thrillers for adults, while his novels often ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

* Perri Klass, pediatrician and writer who has published extensively about her medical training and pediatric practice * Dick Kryhoski (1925–2007), first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for five different teams between 1949 and 1955 * George Lefferts (1921–2018), writer, producer, playwright, poet, and director * Harold Lehman (1913-2006), artist known for his Post-Surrealist paintings, work with the Mexican muralist, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and mural artist who created murals for the Works Progress Administration, WPA at Rikers Island Penitentiary and the Renovo, Pennsylvania, post office. * Willard Libby (1908–1980), Nobel Prize–winning scientist who played a lead role in the development of radiocarbon dating * Robert Ludlum (1927–2001), author * Philip Maneval (born 1956), composer * David Mansfield (born 1956), stringed-instrument musician and composer * Vera Maxwell (1901–1995), fashion designer * John C. McCloy (1876–1945), sailor twice awarded the Medal of Honor * Bob McFadden (1923–2000), voiceover actor * Boris Moishezon (1937–1993), mathematician * J. Vreeland Moore (1824–1903), brigadier general of the 1st New Jersey Regiment who played a major role in the borough's formation * Robert F. Murphy (anthropologist), Robert F. Murphy (1924–1990), anthropologist * Norman D. Newell (1909–2005), professor of geology at

, and chairman and curator of invertebrate paleontology at the

* James Noble (actor), James Noble (1922–2016), actor * Christiane Noll (born 1968), singer and actress known for her work in musical theatre, musicals and on the concert stage * Frank C. Osmers Jr. (1907–1977), represented New Jersey's 9th congressional district from 1939 to 1943 and 1951–1965 * Clara Elsene Peck (1883–1968), illustrator and painter known for her illustrations of women and children in the early 20th century * Mary Beth Peil (born 1940), actress * Howard Post (1926–2010), animator, cartoonist, and comic strip and comic book writer-artist, known for his syndicated newspaper comic strip ''The Dropouts''. * Carmel Quinn (1925–2021), singer * Lucinda Rosenfeld (born 1969), novelist * Ben Ryan (composer), Ben Ryan (1892–1968), songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics to the popular song ''Heart of My Heart, (The Gang that Sang) Heart of My Heart'' * Giorgio Santelli (1897–1985), fencer and fencing master who was part of the Italian team that won the gold medal in Fencing at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's team sabre, Men's team sabre at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was the largest mid-20th century influence in raising the quality and popularity of fencing in the United States * Warner R. Schilling (1925–2013), political scientist and international relations scholar at Columbia University * Gene Shalit (born 1926), longtime film critic on network television * Willa Shalit (born 1955), artist, theatrical and television producer, photographer, author/editor, and social conscious entrepreneurKahn, Toby
"Gene Shalit's Daughter Willa Has Casts of Characters Ranging from Brooke Shields to President Reagan"
''People (magazine), People'', February 10, 1986. Accessed December 28, 2017. "Even as a young girl growing up in Leonia, N.J., Willa was fascinated with faces." * Arshavir Shirakian (1900–1973), Armenians, Armenian writer who was noted for his assassination of Said Halim Pasha and Cemal Azmi as an act of vengeance for their roles in the Armenian genocide * Ivory Sully (born 1957), NFL football player for Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers * Al B. Sure! (born 1968), singer, songwriter and producer * David Syrett (1939–2004), Professor of History at Queens College and researcher and documentary editor on eighteenth-century British naval history and the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II * Harold Urey (1893–1981), Nobel Prize–winning chemistStaff
"3 Nobel Winners for Town"
''

'', November 4, 1960. Accessed March 30, 2011. * Henry S. Walbridge (1801–1869), member of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state), New York who served from 1851 to 1852 * Lynd Ward (1905–1985), illustrator and wordless novelist * Lyndon Woodside (1935–2005), 10th conductor of the Oratorio Society of New York

In popular culture

Leonia briefly served as the home of Scarlet Witch and Vision (Marvel Comics), Vision in several

storylines from the 1980s, mainly in '' The Vision and the Scarlet Witch'' series, the second of which was drawn by Leonia resident Richard Howell. This domestic storyline was later loosely adapted in the 2021 TV series ''WandaVision'', although the location was changed to the fictional town of Westview, New Jersey.

References

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, William
''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. * Karels, Carol
''Leonia''
Images of America Series, Arcadia Publishing, 2002. . * Mattingly, Paul H
''Suburban Landscapes: Culture and Politics in a New York Metropolitan Community''

, 2001. . * 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.

External links

Leonia official website
{{Authority control Leonia, New Jersey, 1894 establishments in New Jersey Borough form of New Jersey government Boroughs in New Jersey Boroughs in Bergen County, New Jersey Populated places established in 1894 Korean communities in the United States