Harrington Park, New Jersey

Harrington Park is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,741,

Harrington Park was formed on March 29, 1904, from portions of Harrington Township and Washington Township, and parts of the borough of Closter.

The name Harrington Park was based on the larger Harrington Township from which it was in part derived, which in turn was based on the Harring family, early settlers to the region.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.06 square miles (5.34 km2), including 1.85 square miles (4.78 km2) of land and 0.22 square miles (0.56 km2) of water (10.53%).

The borough borders Closter, Emerson, Norwood, Old Tappan and River Vale.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Harrington Park borough, Bergen County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|3,869

|3,592

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,235

|81.62%

|77.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |68.23%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|29

|31

|style='background: #ffffe6; |35

|0.61%

|0.66%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.74%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.04%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Asian alone (NH)

|694

|812

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,049

|14.64%

|17.41%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |22.13%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.00%

|0.19%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|11

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14

|0.23%

|0.17%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.30%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|13

|48

|style='background: #ffffe6; |109

|0.27%

|1.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.30%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|122

|163

|style='background: #ffffe6; |299

|2.57%

|3.49%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.31%

|Total

|4,740

|4,664

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,741

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Harrington Park had a population of 4,741. The median age was 44.7 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.1 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,594 households in Harrington Park, of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 72.6% were married-couple households, 7.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 17.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 15.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

28.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 18.3% from 25 to 44, 33.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.6 males.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census,

There were 1,563 households, out of which 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.4% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.0% were non-families. 12.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.31. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Harrington Park is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

, the position as mayor of Harrington Park is Joon L. Chung, who was elected to fill a term of office expiring December 31, 2027, that became vacant following the death of Independent Paul A. Hoelscher. Members of the Harrington Park Borough Council are Council President Allan S. Napolitano (I, 2026), William M. Blackinton (I, 2027), Jeffrey Brockman (I, 2026), Gregory J. Evanella (I, 2028), Jorden "Nick" Pedersen (I, 2027) and Diane G. Walker (I, 2028).

Paul Hoelscher, who had been the borough's mayor since being elected in 1992, died in office in June 2024. Joon L. Chung was elected in November 2025 to serve the balance of the term of office. and is part of New Jersey's 39th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,243 registered voters in Harrington Park, of which 813 (25.1% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 813 (25.1% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 1,615 (49.8% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 69.5% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 96.5% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).

In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 1,382 votes (51.7% vs. 54.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 1,147 votes (42.9% vs. 41.6%) and other candidates with 76 votes (2.8% vs. 3.0%), among the 2,673 ballots cast by the borough's 3,510 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.2% (vs. 72.5% in Bergen County). In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 1,340 votes (51.2% vs. 43.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,218 votes (46.5% vs. 54.8%) and other candidates with 32 votes (1.2% vs. 0.9%), among the 2,618 ballots cast by the borough's 3,447 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.0% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 1,371 votes (49.7% vs. 44.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,355 votes (49.1% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 14 votes (0.5% vs. 0.8%), among the 2,761 ballots cast by the borough's 3,413 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.9% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; font-size: 95%;"

|+ Presidential elections results

! Year

!Republican

!Democratic

| style="text-align:center; |2024

| style="text-align:center; |43.3% 1,253

| style="text-align:center; |54.3% 1,572

| style="text-align:center; |2020

| style="text-align:center; |39.3% 1,226

| style="text-align:center; |59.3% 1,851

| style="text-align:center; |2016

| style="text-align:center; |42.9% 1,147

| style="text-align:center; |51.7% 1,382

| style="text-align:center; |2012

| style="text-align:center; |51.2% 1,340

| style="text-align:center; |46.5% 1,218

| style="text-align:center; |2008

| style="text-align:center; |49.7% 1,371

| style="text-align:center; |49.1% 1,255

| style="text-align:center; |2004

| style="text-align:center; |52.8%1,445

| style="text-align:center; |46.2% 1,263

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 63.6% of the vote (1,019 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 34.9% (559 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (23 votes), among the 1,655 ballots cast by the borough's 3,307 registered voters (54 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 50.0%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 994 votes (51.2% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 815 votes (42.0% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 90 votes (4.6% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 13 votes (0.7% vs. 0.5%), among the 1,941 ballots cast by the borough's 3,338 registered voters, yielding a 58.1% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).

Education

The Harrington Park School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Harrington Park School. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 645 students and 58.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, together with students from Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan, along with students from Rockleigh who attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship. The school is one of the two schools of the Northern Valley Regional High School District, which also serves students from the neighboring communities of Closter, Demarest, Haworth at the Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest. During the 1994–1996 school years, Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education. As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,002 students and 106.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.4:1.

Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.

Transportation

thumb|right|View looking west along [[County Route 502 (New Jersey)|County Route 502 in Harrington Park]]

Roads and highways

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

The most significant roads serving Harrington Park are County Route 502 and County Route 505.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus route 167 serves Harrington Park, providing service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Rockland Coaches 20/20T routes provide service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Harrington Park include:

Craig Beardsley (born 1961), record-setting swimmer
Cory Booker (born 1969), former Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and now senior senator representing New Jersey in the United States Senate after his election victory in October 2013
Gregory Jacobs (born 1968), film director, producer and screenwriter, who has frequently collaborated with several film directors, most notably Steven Soderbergh
Greta Kiernan (1933–2023), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 39th Legislative District from 1978 to 1980
Beth Leavel (born 1955), Tony Award-winning Broadway actress
Jimmy Lydon (1923–2022), movie and television actor
Justin Minaya (born 1999), current professional basketball player in the NBA
Omar Minaya (born 1958), former General Manager for the New York Mets
Jennifer Moore (1988–2006), high school student murdered in July 2006 after a night of clubbing in New York City
Esmeralda Negron (born 1983), professional soccer player who played for the New Jersey Wildcats
Karl Nessler (1872–1951), inventor of the permanent wave
James O'Brien (born 1969) author, screenwriter and film director
Dan Pasqua (born 1961), baseball player for the New York Yankees
Jon Rudnitsky (born 1989), comedian and cast member on Saturday Night Live
Angela Santomero (born 1968), Nickelodeon executive and co-creator of Blue's Clues
Jackie Simes (born 1942), track cyclist who competed at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics and was the 1964 U.S. National Champion
Jean-Claude Suares (1942–2013), illustrator who was the first Op-ed page art director at The New York Times
A. W. Tillinghast (1874–1942), golf course architect of Ridgewood Country Club, Baltusrol Golf Club, Aronimink Golf Club, Winged Foot Golf Club and many other notable courses

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

External links

Harrington Park Borough website
Harrington Park School District
Data for Harrington Park School District, National Center for Education Statistics
Northern Valley Regional High School District