Ogdensburg is a borough in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,258,

The borough was formed based on an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 26, 1914, from part of Sparta Township, subject to the results of a referendum held on March 31, 1914. Ogdensburg is named after its first settler, Robert Ogden.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Ogdensburg as its 27th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.25 square miles (5.82&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), including 2.20 square miles (5.71&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 0.04 square miles (0.11&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of water (1.96%).

Ogdensburg borders the Sussex County municipalities of Franklin, Hardyston Township and Sparta Township.

Ogdensburgite, an arsenate mineral, was named after the borough.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Ogdensburg had a population of 2,258. The median age was 42.4 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.7 males age 18 and over.

90.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 10.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 873 households in Ogdensburg, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.5% were married-couple households, 17.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 881 households, out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 16.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.38. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The 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 Ogdensburg 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 mayor of Ogdensburg Borough is Republican George P. Hutnick, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the Ogdenburg Borough Council are Council President Alfonse A. DeMeo (R, 2026), Nelson R. Alvarez (R, 2024), Steven Ciasullo (R, 2026), Brenda Cowdrick (R, 2025), Kenneth Poyer (R, 2024) and Caren Ruitenberg (R, 2025).

In June 2019, Nelson Alvarez was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2021 that had been held by David Astor. In the November 2019 general election, Alavarez was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.

In December 2019, Juan Cruz was appointed to fill the balance of the term expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Peter G. Opilla until he left office.

Federal, state, and county representation

Ogdensburg is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 24th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 1,634 registered voters in Ogdenburg, of which 311 (19.0% vs. 16.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 564 (34.5% vs. 39.3%) were registered as Republicans and 757 (46.3% vs. 44.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as either Libertarians or Greens. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 67.8% (vs. 65.8% in Sussex County) were registered to vote, including 89.8% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 86.5% countywide).

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In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 636 votes (56.4% vs. 59.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 463 votes (41.1% vs. 38.2%) and other candidates with 24 votes (2.1% vs. 2.1%), among the 1,127 ballots cast by the borough's 1,616 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.7% (vs. 68.3% in Sussex County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 709 votes (57.5% vs. 59.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 483 votes (39.2% vs. 38.7%) and other candidates with 25 votes (2.0% vs. 1.5%), among the 1,233 ballots cast by the borough's 1,622 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.0% (vs. 76.9% in Sussex County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 728 votes (64.3% vs. 63.9% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 378 votes (33.4% vs. 34.4%) and other candidates with 21 votes (1.9% vs. 1.3%), among the 1,132 ballots cast by the borough's 1,513 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.8% (vs. 77.7% in the whole county).

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In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 71.9% of the vote (520 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 25.9% (187 votes), and other candidates with 2.2% (16 votes), among the 731 ballots cast by the borough's 1,594 registered voters (8 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 45.9%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 491 votes (63.8% vs. 63.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 191 votes (24.8% vs. 25.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 71 votes (9.2% vs. 9.1%) and other candidates with 8 votes (1.0% vs. 1.3%), among the 770 ballots cast by the borough's 1,585 registered voters, yielding a 48.6% turnout (vs. 52.3% in the county).

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Education

The Ogdensburg Borough School District serves students in public school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Ogdensburg School. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 236 students and 23.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.0:1.

For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students attend Wallkill Valley Regional High School which also serves students from Franklin Borough, Hardyston Township and Hamburg Borough, and is part of the Wallkill Valley Regional High School District. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 604 students and 56.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with one seat assigned to Ogdensburg.

Students in Ogdensburg and all of Sussex County are eligible to apply to attend Sussex County Technical School in Sparta Township, which is open to students from all of the county.

Transportation

thumb|upright|[[County Route 517 (New Jersey)|County Route 517 northbound in Ogdensburg]]

Roads and highways

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

No Interstate, U.S. or state highways run through Ogdensburg. The most significant roadway serving the borough is County Route 517.

Public transportation

The county provides Skylands Ride bus service operating between Sussex and Newton.

Historic sites

  • Ogdensburg is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places:
  • Backwards Tunnel – Cork Hill Road, north of Passaic Avenue intersection (added 2005)
  • Sterling Hill Mining Museum – 30 Plant Street (added 1991)
  • The Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum, operated by the Ogdensburg Historical Society, was designated an Ogdensburg Historic Site in 2006.
  • In the late 19th Century, Thomas A. Edison built the Edison Ore-Milling Company near Ogdensburg, in Sparta, to enable production of iron from low grade ores using an electromagnetic process. The process proved unsuccessful on a production scale.

<gallery heights=160px mode="packed">

File:Backwards Tunnel, Wallkill River Bridge, Ogdensburg, NJ - 2025.jpg|Backwards Tunnel

File:Sterling Hill Mining Museum, Visitor Center, Ogdensburg, NJ - 2025.jpg|Sterling Hill Mining Museum

File:6 Passaic Avenue, Ogdensburg, NJ - 2025.jpg|Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum

</gallery>

Notable people

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

  • Jason Davis (born 1974), record executive

References

Further reading

  • McCabe, Wayne T. and Kate Gordon. A Penny A View...An Album of Postcard Views...Ogdensburg, N.J. (Newton, NJ: Historic Preservation Alternatives, 1999).
  • Truran, William R. Franklin, Hamburg, Ogdensburg, and Hardyston (Images of America). (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2004).
  • Truran, William R. Mining for America: the Franklin-Sterling Hill, N.J. Zinc; The Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World. (Sparta, NJ: Trupower Press, 2006).
  • Borough website