Upper Saddle River, New Jersey

Upper Saddle River 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 8,353,

Upper Saddle River had a per capita income of $73,639 and was ranked 20th in New Jersey based on data from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey (ACS) from the United States Census Bureau, more than double the statewide average of $34,858. In the 2013–2017 ACS, Upper Saddle River had a median household income of $176,674 (ranked 8th in the state) and included 42.9% of households earning more than $200,000 annually.

History

Upper Saddle River was originally settled by the Lenape Native Americans and was colonized in the 18th century principally by Dutch settlers who built mills along the Saddle River. The area was granted borough status in 1894 and remained principally rural until the 1950s. The suburban growth of New Jersey included Upper Saddle River and surrounding municipalities, as the borough's population increased tenfold from 1950 to 1970. The population has remained fairly constant since 1970.

thumb|left|[[Hopper-Goetschius House Historic Marker in Upper Saddle River]]

Predominantly a residential community consisting of one-acre (4,000 m2) lots, Upper Saddle River also contains a library, police station, fire station, ambulance corps, municipal hall, and three primary schools. Commerce and industry are concentrated along the town's western border along Route 17. Postal service is shared with the neighboring borough of Saddle River. The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone. Upper Saddle River's referendum passed on November 20, one day after the referendum passed for Saddle River. The name of the river, and hence the borough, is thought to come from early explorers who thought that the geography of the area resembled that of the Sadle Burn, the valley surrounding a stream in the Scottish area of Argyll.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 5.27 square miles (13.66 km2), including 5.25 square miles (13.60 km2) of land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) of water (0.38%).

Upper Saddle River is bounded by seven municipalities: Mahwah, Montvale, Ramsey, Saddle River, as well as small portions of Woodcliff Lake in Bergen County, New Jersey; and both Airmont and Chestnut Ridge in the Town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York.

The borough is served by several major highways, including the Garden State Parkway at exits 172 and 171 in Montvale and Woodcliff Lake, and Route 17, which runs through the borough, though some portions of Upper Saddle River are served by roads located in Saddle River, Ramsey and Mahwah.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Upper Saddle River borough, 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)

|6,936

|6,809

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,120

|89.60%

|82.96%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |73.27%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|72

|108

|style='background: #ffffe6; |129

|0.93%

|1.32%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.54%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1

|0.01%

|0.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Asian alone (NH)

|484

|822

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,240

|6.25%

|10.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14.84%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Other race alone (NH)

|13

|11

|style='background: #ffffe6; |33

|0.17%

|0.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.40%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|65

|92

|style='background: #ffffe6; |250

|0.84%

|1.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.99%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|169

|355

|style='background: #ffffe6; |579

|2.18%

|4.33%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.93%

|Total

|7,741

|8,208

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,353

|100.00%

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Upper Saddle River had a population of 8,353. The median age was 44.2 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.8 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 2,658 households in Upper Saddle River, of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 75.7% were married-couple households, 8.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 13.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 10.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Same-sex couples headed 13 households in 2010, an increase from the 12 counted in 2000.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 2,497 households, out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 83.6% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.2% were non-families. 8.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.27.

Pearson Education (formerly Prentice Hall), a scholastic division of Pearson, which had employed 1,400 at its location in Upper Saddle River, left the borough at the end of 2014, when the company relocated to offices in Hoboken and Manhattan.

Parks and recreation

Parks in the borough include:

Hess Park – located on Hess Court, the park has athletic fields and a playground
Lions Memorial Park – located on Lake Street, this park has athletic playing fields, walking paths, and a playground. This park was built and funded by the Saddle River Valley Lions Club. The park is also home to the annual Saddle River Valley Lions Club carnival; held every year on Memorial Day weekend.
Liberty Pond Park – located on Hopper Farm Road, this park has a gazebo and swing benches, as guests view the West Branch Saddle River pond.

Government

Local government

Upper Saddle River is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected at-large. 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 Upper Saddle River 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 is Republican Arman Fardanesh, who is a term expiring December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Jonathan W. Ditkoff (R, 2025), Sarah Drennan (R, 2025), Joanne Florio (R, 2024), Donna A. Friedlander (R, 2026), Richard Lyons (R, 2024; elected to serve an unexpired term) and Roger Masi (R, 2026).

Mayor Joanne Minichetti resigned from office in October 2022 over issues related to the construction of a sports facility in the borough. Councilmember Arman Fardanesh was appointed in November to fill Minichetti's vacant seat expiring in December 2023. In December, Richard Lyons was appointed to Fardanesh's vacant council seat expiring in December 2024.

In July 2021, the borough council appointed Sarah Drennan to occupy the seat expiring in December 2022 that became vacant following the resignation of Douglas Rotella. In the November 2021 general election, Drennan was elected to serve the remainder of the term of office.

Federal, state and county representation

Upper Saddle River is located in the 5th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 39th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,587 registered voters in Upper Saddle River, of which 996 (17.8% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,840 (32.9% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 2,746 (49.1% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 5 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 68.1% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 98.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).

In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 2,350 votes (52.7% vs. 41.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton with 1,945 votes (43.6% vs. 54.2%) and other candidates with 161 votes (3.6% vs. 4.6%), among the 4,510 ballots cast by the borough's 6,330 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.3% (vs. 72.5% in Bergen County). In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 2,726 votes (65.3% vs. 43.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,405 votes (33.7% vs. 54.8%) and other candidates with 22 votes (0.5% vs. 0.9%), among the 4,174 ballots cast by the borough's 5,987 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.7% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 2,565 votes (58.1% vs. 44.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,788 votes (40.5% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 29 votes (0.7% vs. 0.8%), among the 4,415 ballots cast by the borough's 5,648 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.2% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,671 votes (61.5% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,635 votes (37.6% vs. 51.7%) and other candidates with 24 votes (0.6% vs. 0.7%), among the 4,345 ballots cast by the borough's 5,319 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.7% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 78.0% of the vote (1,817 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 21.2% (493 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (19 votes), among the 2,369 ballots cast by the borough's 5,699 registered voters (40 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 41.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,830 votes (63.8% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 899 votes (31.3% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 115 votes (4.0% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 9 votes (0.3% vs. 0.5%), among the 2,869 ballots cast by the borough's 5,620 registered voters, yielding a 51.0% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).

Education

Public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade attend the Upper Saddle River School District. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,099 students and 115.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.6:1. The schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Robert D. Reynolds Primary School with 345 students in grades PreK–2,

Edith A. Bogert Elementary School with 361 students in grades 3–5 and

Emil A. Cavallini Middle School with 387 students in grades 6–8.

Public school students in Upper Saddle River for ninth through twelfth grades attend Northern Highlands Regional High School, which also serves students from Allendale and Ho-Ho-Kus, along with some students from Saddle River, New Jersey (who have the option of attending either Northern Highlands or Ramsey High School, as part of sending/receiving relationships with the two districts). As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,261 students and 113.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.2:1. The ten voting seats on the high school district's board of education are allocated based on a percentage of the enrollment coming from each constituent municipality, with five seats allocated to Upper Saddle River.

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.

Rodie Child Care Center, run by the YWCA of Bergen County, is open to children from 6 weeks old to 6 years old, including an all-day private Kindergarten class, and is located on Pleasant Avenue.

Transportation

thumb|right|View north along [[New Jersey Route 17|Route 17 in Upper Saddle River]]

Roads and highways

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

Route 17, West Saddle River Road, East Saddle River Road, and Lake Street are the main roads in Upper Saddle River.

Public transportation

Short Line offers limited service from stops on Lake Street and Saddle River Road between the borough and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Upper Saddle River include:

Kristie Ahn (born 1992), professional tennis player
Jim Bankoff (born 1969), chairman and CEO of Vox Media and a senior advisor for Providence Equity Partners
Beth Beglin (born 1957), field hockey player who represented the United States three times at the Summer Olympics
Joe Cinderella (1927–2012), jazz guitarist
Dean DeNobile (born 2003), college football quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles
Harold Dow (1947–2010), television news correspondent, journalist and investigative reporter with CBS News
Wes Ellis (1932–1984), professional golfer
Jay Feely (born 1976), professional NFL kicker who played for the New York Jets
Michael Ray Garvin (born 1986), wide receiver for the Las Vegas Locomotives
George Gately (1928–2001), cartoonist who was creator of the popular Heathcliff comic strip
Edward H. Hynes (born 1946), politician who served two terms in the New Jersey General Assembly
Kristine Johnson (born 1972), co-anchor at WCBS-TV in New York City
Margaret Juntwait (1957–2015), the voice of the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts
Jason Kidd (born 1973), head coach of the Dallas Mavericks
Vincent Lamberti (–2014), lab researcher whose work resulted in 118 patents, most notably the development of Dove soap
Ken Levine (born 1966), video game developer who is the creative director and co-founder of Ghost Story Games
Jason Miller (1939–2001), playwright and actor, who won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play for his play That Championship Season
Tomas J. Padilla, politician who served on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders and has served as Borough Administrator in Woodcliff Lake
Bill Parcells (born 1941), NFL head coach for the New York Giants from 1983 to 1990.
Jason Patric (born 1966 as Jason Patric Miller), actor who has appeared in The Lost Boys and Sleepers
Kevin J. Rooney (born 1960), politician who represents the 40th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly
Gary Saul Stein (born 1933), attorney and former Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, who served for 17 years where he wrote over 365 published opinions
Lawrence Taylor (born 1959), retired Hall of Fame American football player
Ron Villone (born 1970), pitcher who played for the New York Yankees and 11 other teams during his MLB career
Roy White (born 1943), professional baseball player who played for the New York Yankees
George Young (1930–2001), American football player, coach and executive who served as the general manager of the New York Giants from 1979 to 1997
Matthew Ziff (born 1991), actor and producer

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.
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

Upper Saddle River Today – community website
Upper Saddle River Public Schools
Data for Upper Saddle River Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
Northern Highlands Regional High School