Ridgewood is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

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 ...

. Ridgewood is a suburban

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

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 ...

, located approximately northwest of

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 ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the village's population was 25,979, an increase of 1,021 (+4.1%) from the 2010 census count of 24,958, which in turn reflected an increase of 22 (+0.1%) from 24,936 in the 2000 census. It has been one of the state's highest-income communities. In 2000, its

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 ...

of $51,658 was ranked the 35th-highest in the state. Based on data from the 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 ...

, it had a per-capita income of $67,560, 31st in the state. Based on data from the

for 2013–2017, it had a

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 ...

of $162,011, ranked 7th in the state among municipalities with more than 10,000 residents, more than double the statewide median of $76,475. Ridgewood was ranked 26th in ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

'' magazine's "Best Places to Live" in 2011.

History

In 1700, Johannes Van Emburgh built the first home in Ridgewood, having purchased a property in 1698. The Village of Ridgewood was created on November 20, 1894, with the same boundaries as Ridgewood Township, also in Bergen County. The Village became the municipal government while the Township remained a school district.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 85. Accessed May 30, 2024. In 1902, the village added portions of Orvil Township, which were returned to Orvil Township in 1915. In 1925, Ridgewood Village acquired area from Franklin Township (remainder now dissolved as Wyckoff). On February 9, 1971, Ridgewood acquired area from Washington Township. On May 28, 1974, it acquired area from Ho-Ho-Kus. The name of the village derives from the characteristics of its terrain. In 2014, former Ridgewood Public Works Inspector Thomas Rica was convicted of stealing over $460,000 in coins collected from the village's parking meters. Rica was ordered to pay the entire amount back to the village and was permanently barred from seeking public employment in the state of New Jersey.

Historic sites

Ridgewood is home to the following locations on 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 ...

: * Ackerman House – 222 Doremus Avenue (added 1983) was constructed by Johannes and Jemima Ackerman on their property and remained in the Ackerman family until the 1920s.Parrillo, Vincent; Parrillo, Beth; and Vrubel, Arthur
''Ridgewood''
p. 18.

Arcadia Publishing Arcadia Publishing is an American Publishing, publisher of neighborhood, local history, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs th ...

, 1999. . Accessed June 18, 2015. * Ackerman House – 252 Lincoln Avenue (added 1983) is a stone house constructed and named for either David or John Ackerman. * David Ackerman House – 415 East Saddle River Road (added 1983). * Ackerman–Van Emburgh House – 789 East Glen Avenue (added 1983) was built by John Ackerman and purchased by the Van Embergh family in 1816. * Archibald–Vroom House – 160 East Ridgewood Avenue (added 1984). * Beech Street School – 49 Cottage Place (added 1998). * Paramus Reformed Church Historic District – Bounded by Franklin Turnpike, Route 17, Saddle River, south side of cemetery and Glen Avenue (added 1975). The Old Paramus Reformed Church was established in 1725, though the current building dates to 1800. During the Revolutionary War, the church was used for several years by the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

, and in 1778 it was the site of the court-martial of General Charles Lee. * Rathbone–Zabriskie House – 570 North Maple Avenue (added 1983). * Ridgewood Station – Garber Square (added 1984). * Van Dien House – 627 Grove Street (added 1983). * Vanderbeck House – 249 Prospect Street (added 1983). * Westervelt–Cameron House – 26 East Glen Avenue (added 1983), constructed by John R. Westervelt.

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 village had a total area of 5.80 square miles (15.03 km²), including 5.74 square miles (14.87 km²) of land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km²) of water (1.07%). Ridgewood is adjacent to nine municipalities, eight 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.Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus, Midland Park, Wyckoff, Paramus, Waldwick and Washington Township − and Hawthorne in Passaic County.

Neighborhoods

Ridgewood's neighborhoods include: * Downtown – The central business district of Ridgewood, "Town" is centered on East Ridgewood Avenue. This area is home to the most iconic buildings in Ridgewood, such as the Wilsey building and the Moore Building. * Scrabbletown – Located between East Glen Avenue, Franklin Turnpike, and the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook. * The Old Country Club – Located between Goffle Road, Rock Road, Lincoln Avenue and Godwin Avenue. It is near the border with Midland Park. * The View – Area on and to the west of Ridgewood's highest point, an unnamed ridge on Crest Road known for its skyline views of

. * Upper Ridgewood – Located north of West Glen Avenue and west of the NJ Transit Main Line tracks. * Salem Ridge – Located East of Route 17. * Floral Park – Located between Grove Street, South Pleasant, East Ridgewood Avenue and South Van Dien Street. * Brookside * The Lawns – A loosely defined area in southern Ridgewood surrounding Hawes Elementary School.

Climate

Ridgewood has a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfa'') and the

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 7a bordering on 6b.

Demographics

2020 census

In the 2020 United States census, the population of Ridgewood was reported at 25,979, an increase of 1,121 people since the 2010 Census. Based on data from the 2015-2019

, it was reported that there were 8,300 households in the village. The average number of persons per household was 3.01. 96.8% of the households owned a computer. 96.5% of the population (age 25+) graduated high school and 76.0% have a bachelor's degree. 78.8% of the population was White, 15.5% were Asian, 7.9% were Hispanic or Latino, and 1.2% were Black or African American.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 24,958 people, 8,456 households, and 6,756 families in the village. 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 8,743 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 82.21% (20,518)

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 ...

, 1.59% (398) Black or African American, 0.06% (16) Native American, 12.99% (3,242) Asian, 0.02% (4)

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 ...

, 1.06% (265) from other races, and 2.06% (515) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.27% (1,316) of the population. Of the 8,456 households, 45.4% had children under the age of 18; 69.1% were married couples living together; 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 20.1% were non-families. Of all households, 17.4% were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.34. 30.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.1 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

was $143,229 (with a margin of error of +/− $10,530) and the median family income was $172,825 (+/− $9,197). Males had a median income of $111,510 (+/− $12,513) versus $77,651 (+/− $9,008) for females. The

for the village was $67,560 (+/− $3,740). About 2.2% of families and 3.3% 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 2.4% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over. Same-sex couples headed 38 households in 2010, an increase from the 22 counted in 2000.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 24,936 people, 8,603 households, and 6,779 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 8,802 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 87.82%

, 1.64%

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 ...

, 0.04% Native American, 8.67% Asian, 0.59% from other races, and 1.23% 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 3.78% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Ridgewood village, New Jersey
,

. Accessed September 27, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Ridgewood village, Bergen County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed September 27, 2012. There were 8,603 households, out of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.4% 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, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.30. In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $104,286, and the median income for a family was $121,848. Males had a median income of $90,422 versus $50,248 for females. The

for the village was $51,658. 3.0% of the population and 1.8% of families were below the

, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The indie rock band Real Estate was described by ''

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 ...

'' as "Ridgewood's best-known musical export". McCall, Tris
"Ridgewood rocks: A slew of hot indie bands have roots in Bergen town"
''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition. In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...

'', August 1, 2010. Accessed July 27, 2011. "Al-Rawi turned the attic of his mother's house into a studio, and there he recorded the debut album by Real Estate, Ridgewood's best-known musical export." Rock band Senses Fail was founded in Ridgewood in 2002.

Parks and recreation

Park facilities in Ridgewood include: *Graydon Park, located between Linwood and North Maple Avenues, includes a beach park pool, baseball field, soccer field, and roller rink. *Veterans Field, located next to the library and police station, includes four baseball and softball fields, as well as a bandshell offering free concerts. The Ridgewood High School baseball team plays its home games here. *Citizens Park, located across the street from George Washington Middle School, includes two baseball fields and a soccer field. The hill is often used in the winter for sledding. *Ridgewood Wild Duck Pond, part of Bergen's Saddle River County Park, is located on East Ridgewood Avenue between Paramus Road and Pershing Avenue. Amenities include circular path with bench seating around duck pond, picnic pavilion, additional picnic areas, children's playground, fenced-in dog park, restroom facilities and entrance to a , multi-use bike and pedestrian pathway. This pathway connects Ridgewood Duck Pond with five other areas along the Saddle River County Park: Glen Rock, Fair Lawn, Paramus, Rochelle Park and Saddle Brook. Fishing (NJ state license required) and ice skating are allowed at pond when conditions permit. The water is treated with certain chemicals, however, and swimming is strictly prohibited.

Government

Local government

Ridgewood is governed within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) under Council-Manager plan B, as implemented on July 1, 1970, by direct petition. The village is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form. The governing body is comprised of five council members who are responsible to hire and oversee a professional village manager who has full executive power for all departments. The government consists of five council members, 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 ...

in nonpartisan elections to serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election in even-numbered years on the second Tuesday in November. At a reorganization meeting held in January after newly elected council members take office, the council chooses a mayor and deputy mayor from among its members for two-year terms, with the mayor presiding over council meetings, but without any executive authority.''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. 169. The village council appoints a village manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the village, to handle personnel, citizen inquiries and complaints, and to handle the administrative duties of the village. The village council passes local laws, makes appointments to various boards and committees, and awards various contracts for purchases of goods and services used by the village. They also review, amend, and adopt the annual budget for the Village prepared by the Village Manager and Chief Financial Officer. , members of the Ridgewood Village Council are

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Paul Vagianos (term on council ends December 31, 2026; term as mayor ends 2024), Deputy Mayor Pamela Perron (2024), Lorraine Reynolds (2024), Evan Weitz (2026) and Siobhan Winograd (2026).Village Council
Village of Ridgewood. Accessed February 27, 2024. "The Village Council is the governing body of the Village of Ridgewood. There are five Council members who are elected at large, on a non-partisan basis. The Municipal Election for Village Council takes place on the second Tuesday in May, in even numbered years. The term of a Council member is four years. The Mayor is chosen by the Village Council every two years, after a Municipal Election."''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.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.Precinct Summary Results Report - Combined 2020 Bergen County General Election - November 3, 2020 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.May 2020 Special Election 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.Loch Arbour, Ridgefield Park and South Orange.

Federal, state and county representation

Ridgewood is located in the 5th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report

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 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 40th 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.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 15,983 registered voters in Ridgewood, of which 4,727 (29.6% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 4,125 (25.8% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 7,118 (44.5% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 13 voters registered as

Libertarians Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

or Greens.Voter Registration Summary - Bergen

Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed December 15, 2013. Among the village's 2010 Census population, 64.0% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 92.4% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide). In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

received 8,000 votes (60.4% vs. 54.2% countywide), ahead of Republican

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

with 4,576 votes (34.6% vs. 41.1%) and other candidates with 665 votes (5.0% vs. 4.6%), among the 13,308 ballots cast by the village's 17,892 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.4% (vs. 72.5% in Bergen County). 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 6,181 votes here (50.5% 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 5,852 votes (47.8% vs. 43.5%) and other candidates with 130 votes (1.1% vs. 0.9%), among the 12,232 ballots cast by the village's 17,124 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.4% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 7,387 votes here (55.5% 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 5,743 votes (43.2% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates with 80 votes (0.6% vs. 0.8%), among the 13,306 ballots cast by the village's 16,867 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.9% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).2008 General Election Results for Ridgewood
''

''. Accessed July 27, 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 6,656 votes here (50.7% 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 6,357 votes (48.4% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 94 votes (0.7% vs. 0.7%), among the 13,141 ballots cast by the village's 16,325 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.5% (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 62.9% of the vote (4,259 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 36.2% (2,453 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (59 votes), among the 6,864 ballots cast by the village's 16,103 registered voters (93 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican

received 4,192 votes here (48.8% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 3,885 votes (45.3% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 423 votes (4.9% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 44 votes (0.5% vs. 0.5%), among the 8,582 ballots cast by the village's 16,509 registered voters, yielding a 52.0% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).

Education

The Ridgewood Public Schools serves 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

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 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 10 schools, had an enrollment of 5,613 students and 432.6 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 13.0:1.District information for Ridgewood 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 February 15, 2022. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the

) are Glen School with 60 students in PreK and Private Day Care Center, Henrietta Hawes Elementary School with 593 students in grades K-5, Orchard Elementary School with 299 students in grades K-5, Ridge Elementary School with 443 students in grades K-5, Irwin B. Somerville Elementary School with 383 students in grades K-5, Ira W. Travell Elementary School with 377 students in grades K-5, Willard Elementary School with 461 students in grades K-5, Benjamin Franklin Middle School with 698 students in grades 6-8, George Washington Middle School with 666 students in grades 6-8 and Ridgewood High School with 1,775 students in grades 9-12. The district's high school was the 28th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in ''

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's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 28th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 20th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The school was ranked 606th in '' U.S. News & World Report'' national rankings for 2019. According to the

New Jersey Department of Education The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...

, Ridgewood is a socioeconomic District Factor Group of ''J'', the highest of eight categories. Public school students from the village, 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 an extremely selective and competitive application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district. The Holmstead School serves students of high school age with high intellectual potential who have not succeeded in traditional school settings. Students are placed in the school by referral from their home public school districts, with tuition paid for by the school district. Preschools in Ridgewood include Bethlehem Early Learning Center, West Side Presbyterian, First Presbyterian School, the Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood, and the Montessori Learning Center

Local media

The village of Ridgewood is served by two weekly community newspapers, ''The Ridgewood News'' and the ''Ridgewood Suburban News'', both of which are published by North Jersey Media Group. The daily newspaper for the region is ''

'' which is also published by North Jersey Media Group. The company's website, NorthJersey.com, has a Ridgewood town page that includes local coverage from all three of these papers.

Patch Media Patch Media operates Patch.com, an American local news and information platform, based in Manhattan. It is primarily owned by Hale Global. Patch is operated by Planck, LLC, doing business as Patch Media. , the Patch.com hyperlocal websites provid ...

provides Ridgewood with its own daily news website, which offers news, events, announcements and Local Voices.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the village 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 ...

. Major roads that pass through Ridgewood include New Jersey Route 17, Franklin Turnpike, County Route 84 (commonly known as East and West Ridgewood Avenue) and County Route 507 (Maple Avenue).

Public transportation

The Ridgewood train station is served by the NJ Transit Main Line as well as the Bergen County Line. The station features three platforms. The first is for all trains headed south toward Hoboken Terminal. The second is for Bergen County Line trains headed in the same direction, and the third is for Main Line trains headed toward Suffern and Port Jervis. NJ Transit trains on both the Bergen County and the Main Lines go to Hoboken, stopping at

Secaucus Junction Secaucus Junction (signed as Secaucus) is an intermodal transit hub served by New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) and Metro-North Railroad in Secaucus, New Jersey, Secaucus, New Jersey. It is one of the List of b ...

, for transfers to trains to Penn Station in

and other destinations served by the station. Parking is limited near the Ridgewood train station. Taxicabs are available at the train station; the taxi building is on the northbound platform. NJ Transit buses in Ridgewood include the 148,

163 Year 163 ( CLXIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laelianus and Pastor (or, less frequently, year 916 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 163 for this y ...

and 164 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 ...

, the 175 to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, and local service offered on the 722 (to Paramus Park and Paterson), 746 (to Paterson, as Ridgewood is its terminus) and 752 (to Hackensack) routes. Except for the 148 route, all the others stop at NJ Transit's Ridgewood Bus Terminal on Van Neste Square. Short Line offers service along Route 17 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, as well as to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station and down the East Side on Manhattan to 23rd Street.

Notable people

See List of people from Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Points of interest

Warner Theater was a Bow Tie Cinema located on East Ridgewood Avenue. Opened in 1932, the theater closed in January 2024.Blancaflor, Saleah.
"Historic New Jersey theater to close after 92 years"
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 22, 2024. Accessed September 4, 2024. "The Warner Theater, a longstanding movie theater in Ridgewood, will permanently close and cease operations following its evening showtimes on Sunday, its parent company Bow Tie Partners announced in a press release Monday. The theater opened in 1932 as a single-screen cinema, featuring the premiere of ''The Dark Horse'' starring Bette Davis."

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. * Parrillo, Vincent; Parrillo, Beth; and Wrubel, Arthur
''Ridgewood''

, 1999. . * 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

Village of Ridgewood website
*
Data for the Ridgewood Public Schools

{{Authority control 1894 establishments in New Jersey Faulkner Act (council–manager) Populated places established in 1894 Villages in Bergen County, New Jersey