Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area () in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 25,487, The name "Mahwah" is derived from the Lenape language word "mawewi" which means "Meeting Place" or "Place Where Paths Meet".

The area that is now Mahwah was originally formed as Hohokus Township on April 9, 1849, from portions of the former Franklin Township (now Wyckoff). While known as Hohokus Township, territory was taken to form Orvil Township (on January 1, 1886; remainder of township is now Waldwick), Allendale (November 10, 1894), Upper Saddle River (November 22, 1894), and Ramsey (March 10, 1908). On November 7, 1944, the area was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature as the Township of Mahwah, based on the results of a referendum held that day, replacing Hohokus Township.

History

The Lenape and ancestral Indigenous peoples were the original inhabitants of Mahwah (the meeting place) and surrounding area.

In 1849, Hohokus Township was established from the northern part of Franklin Township in Bergen County. It extended from the Saddle River on the east to the western boundary of Bergen County with Passaic County and north to the New York border. Hohokus Township was first subdivided in 1886 with the creation of Orvil Township on both sides of the Saddle River, consisting of the eastern portion of Hohokus Township and the western portion of Washington Township. 1894's outbreak of "Boroughitis" brought the creation of the boroughs of Allendale and Upper Saddle River, both of which were created from portions of Hohokus and Orvil Townships. Next to leave was Ramsey, which was created in 1908.

Hohokus Township ceased to exist on November 7, 1944, when a referendum was passed creating Mahwah Township from the remaining portions of Hohokus Township.

For twenty-five years, beginning in 1976, Mahwah hosted the A&P Tennis Classic, a tune-up for the U.S. Open tennis tournament held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City's Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.

The 75-room, three-story Crocker-McMillin Mansion, also known as Darlington, was built in 1901 for George Crocker, son of railroad magnate Charles Crocker. The estate, located at Crocker Mansion Drive, is one of New Jersey's historical landmarks.

Ford Motor Company operated the Mahwah Assembly plant from 1955, producing 6 million cars in the 25 years it operated before the last car rolled off the line on June 20, 1980. At the time of its completion, it was the largest motor vehicle assembly plant in the United States. The Ford plant, along with other businesses such as American Brake Shoe and Foundry Company, helped contribute to the economic development of the township and its reputation for low home property taxes. The Mahwah town sports teams remain named Thunderbirds in honor of the Ford plant.

Due to contractors' dumping of hazardous wastes at the Ringwood Mines landfill site before federal regulation, it has been designated as an EPA Superfund site which needs extensive environmental cleanup. In 2006, some 600 Ramapough Indians filed a mass tort claim against Ford for damages. Mahwah, and the closure of the Ford plant, is mentioned in the opening line of the 1982 Bruce Springsteen song "Johnny 99".

In July 2017, while holding the position of Bergen County prosecutor prior to becoming New Jersey Attorney General, Gurbir Grewal ordered the Mahwah police department not to enforce a ban on non-New Jersey residents using parks in Mahwah, stating his concern that a ban could lead to anti-Semitic religious profiling against the growing population of Orthodox Jews in Mahwah and those visiting from neighboring Rockland County, New York. On December 14, 2017, following the advice of legal counsel, the Mahwah council repealed the still-unenforced ban on out-of-state park users, and abandoned an attempt to amend the sign ordinance to bar "other matter" (the lechis) from being affixed to utility poles to form an Orthodox Jewish eruv.

Geography

thumb|left|Scarlet Oak Pond, [[Ramapo Valley County Reservation]]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 25.88 square miles (67.04&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), including 25.39 square miles (65.76&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 0.49 square miles (1.27&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of water (1.90%).thumb|Franklin Turnpike in Mahwah with the [[Manhattan skyline distant.]]

Mahwah is near the Ramapo Mountains and the Ramapo River. Interstate 287 passes through Mahwah, but the only point of access is at the New Jersey–New York border, where 287 meets Route 17. U.S. Route 202 runs through Mahwah from Oakland to Suffern, across the state line. The Ramapo River runs through the western section of Mahwah.

Mahwah is bordered by the municipalities of Allendale, Franklin Lakes, Oakland, Ramsey, Upper Saddle River and Wyckoff in Bergen County; Ringwood in Passaic County; and Airmont, Hillburn, Ramapo and Suffern in Rockland County, New York.

Unincorporated communities, localities, and place names located partially or completely within the township include the residential areas of Ackermans Mills, Bear Swamp, Bogerts Ranch Estates, Cragmere, Cragmere Park, Darlington, Fardale, Halifax, Havemeyers Reservoir, Masonicus, Mountainside Farm, Pulis Mills, Ramapo Farm and Wanamakers Mills, along with the mixed residential and commercial area of West Mahwah.

Climate

Mahwah has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa).

Economy

Corporate residents of Mahwah include:

thumb|[[Sheraton Hotels and Resorts|Sheraton Crossroads (closed in late 2023 and was demolished by implosion on May 10, 2025)]]

  • Nuance Communications, voice, natural language understanding, reasoning and systems integration
  • DialAmerica Marketing corporate headquarters.
  • Inserra Supermarkets, a member of the ShopRite retail cooperative, operating approximately 22 stores. It is a family-owned business and is one of the 500 largest private companies in the United States.
  • Jaguar Cars and Land Rover vehicles North American Headquarters.
  • Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, book publisher.
  • Maquet Datascope Corporation – manufacturer of intra-aortic balloon pumps and sterile collagen products.
  • Mindray Medical North America headquarters – manufacturer of patient monitoring devices.
  • New York – New Jersey Trail Conference headquarters, Darlington Schoolhouse
  • New York Stock Exchange Data Center – one of the world's most robust and secure data centers.
  • Radware Inc. North American headquarters.
  • Radwin North American headquarters.
  • Stryker Corporation's orthopedic business.
  • UPS world technology headquarters.
  • Volvo Cars North America headquarters.
  • Mahwah Mall, which is to be built at the site of the Sheraton Crossroads Hotel. Many Mahwah citizens were against the mall being built out of concern that the mall would cause increased congestion, crime, and pollution, but the planning board approved the plan in January 2014 for a mall that would include of selling space.

Parks and recreation

Campgaw Mountain Reservation is a Bergen County accredited park, covering in Mahwah and portions of Oakland, that has campgrounds and ski slopes for skiing.

Demographics