Wallington, New Jersey

Wallington 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 11,868,

Wallington was created as a borough on January 2, 1895, based on a referendum held on December 31, 1894, from area taken from Bergen Township and Saddle River Township. Sections of Wallington were ceded to Garfield in 1898. The borough is said to have been named for Walling Van Winkle (1650–1725), who built a home in the future borough. In the early 1900s Wallington was advertised as a "Slovak colony" for Slovak migrants living in urban areas to find suburban real estate.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.05 square miles (2.71 km2), including 0.99 square miles (2.57 km2) of land and 0.05 square miles (0.14 km2) of water (5.05%).

The borough is located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan.

Demographics

The borough is one of 41 municipalities statewide where a majority of residents do not speak English as their primary language. Based on data from the United States Census Bureau's 2012–2016 American Community Survey data, Wallington had 62.8% of residents not speaking English as their dominant language, the 13th highest perecentage in the state.

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Wallington 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)

|9,733

|9,048

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,286

|84.03%

|79.82%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |69.82%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|284

|303

|style='background: #ffffe6; |320

|2.45%

|2.67%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.70%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|14

|style='background: #ffffe6; |11

|0.06%

|0.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.09%

|Asian alone (NH)

|574

|610

|style='background: #ffffe6; |694

|4.96%

|5.38%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.85%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%

|Other race alone (NH)

|17

|style='background: #ffffe6; |91

|0.07%

|0.15%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.77%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|201

|118

|style='background: #ffffe6; |161

|1.74%

|1.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.36%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|776

|1,225

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,299

|6.70%

|10.81%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19.37%

|Total

|11,583

|11,335

|style='background: #ffffe6; |11,868

|100.00%

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Wallington had a population of 11,868. The median age was 40.5 years. 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.2 males.

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

There were 4,825 households in Wallington, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.2% were married-couple households, 21.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Same-sex couples headed 25 households in 2010, a decrease from the 30 counted in 2000.

2000 census

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"

! Languages (2000) !! Percent

| Spoke English at home || 47.64%

| Spoke Polish at home || 40.79%

| Spoke Spanish at home || 4.68%

| Spoke Italian at home || 2.51%

| Spoke Arabic at home || 1.64%

| Spoke Gujarati at home || 1.49%

| Spoke Korean at home || 0.58%

| Spoke Hindi at home || 0.53%

| Spoke German at home || 0.14%

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 4,752 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.05.

At 51.5%, Wallington has one of the highest per capita levels of Polish ancestry in the area.

Arts and culture

Each December, Wallington holds a holiday parade. Fire departments and ambulances from the surrounding area (including the Wallington Fire Department) put Christmas lights on their trucks. There is a contest to determine which department's apparatus has the best Christmas lights. The winning department gets a trophy.

Parks and recreation

Samuel Nelkin County Park is located on Parkview Drive, covering . It has a playground, tennis courts, athletic fields, a dog park, picnic areas, and a shallow, artificial pond for fishing.

Borough parks and green spaces include:

Dul Field, which is home to a baseball/softball field and a playground.
Spring Street Soccer Field, which has baseball/softball and soccer facilities as well as a concession stand.
Little League Field/Park, which is a little league baseball field and also features a playground, basketball courts, and a concession stand.
Crescent Park, which is a green space with a playground.
Hathaway Street Skate Park, which has a roller hockey rink and playground.
Washington Crossing Park, which features a green space, gazebo, and monument on the banks of the Passaic River.
Wallington High School Athletic Field, which is between Wallington High School and Frank W. Gavlak Elementary School, has football, soccer, and baseball/softball fields.

Lucky Strike Wallington is a bowling alley that has 48 lanes, an arcade, restaurant and bar.

Government

Local government

Wallington 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 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 Wallington 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 Wallington Borough is Republican Melissa Dabal, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. Members of the Wallington Borough Council are Council President WendySu Ivanicki (R, 2023), Khaldoun Androwis (R, 2024), Beata Balik (R, 2025), Susanne Preinfalk (R, 2025), Eugeniusz Rachelski (R, 2024) and Tomasz Sadecki (R, 2023).

In December 2021, the borough council selected Beata Balik from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that became vacant following the resignation of Tomasz Orzechowski.

Federal, state and county representation

Wallington is located in the 9th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 36th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,964 registered voters in Wallington, of which 1,428 (28.8% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 681 (13.7% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 2,852 (57.5% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 43.8% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 53.4% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).

In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 2,222 votes (55.7% vs. 41.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton with 1,643 votes (41.2% vs. 54.2%) and other candidates with 126 votes (3.2% vs. 4.6%), among the 4,039 ballots cast by the borough's 5,869 registered voters, for a turnout of 68.8% (vs. 72.5% in Bergen County). In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,967 votes (54.4% vs. 54.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 1,548 votes (42.8% vs. 43.5%) and other candidates with 59 votes (1.6% vs. 0.9%), among the 3,615 ballots cast by the borough's 5,384 registered voters, for a turnout of 67.1% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,912 votes (50.4% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 1,783 votes (47.0% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates with 54 votes (1.4% vs. 0.8%), among the 3,793 ballots cast by the borough's 5,370 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.6% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 1,963 votes (53.2% vs. 51.7% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 1,668 votes (45.2% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 18 votes (0.5% vs. 0.7%), among the 3,690 ballots cast by the borough's 5,187 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.1% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 63.6% of the vote (1,365 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 35.1% (754 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (28 votes), among the 2,264 ballots cast by the borough's 5,138 registered voters (117 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 44.1%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,131 votes (47.5% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,053 votes (44.2% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 129 votes (5.4% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 20 votes (0.8% vs. 0.5%), among the 2,383 ballots cast by the borough's 5,191 registered voters, yielding a 45.9% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).

Education

The Wallington Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2024–25 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,232 students and 88.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.9:1. Schools in the district (with 2024–25 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Jefferson Elementary School with 253 students in grades K–2,

Frank W. Gavlak Elementary School with 361 students in grades 3–6 and

Wallington High School with 545 students in grades 7–12.

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.

Due to declining enrollment, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark closed Most Sacred Heart School after the 2013–2014 school year. The school district is in talks with the Archdiocese to temporarily lease Most Sacred Heart School starting during the 2014–2015 school year, so that Jefferson Elementary School can be closed for repair/rebuilding without straining the capacity of Frank W. Gavlak Elementary School.

Emergency services

Police

The Wallington Police Department (WPD) provides emergency and protective services to the borough. The WPD consists of 20 sworn officers, as well as special officers and crossing guards, and is headed by a Chief of Police. The WPD responds to approximately 13,000 calls per year.

Fire / EMS

The Wallington Fire Department (WFD) is an all-volunteer fire department. The WFD was organized in October 1894 and consists of three fire companies operating out of three firehouses. The department is staffed by 85 fully trained firefighters. The Wallington Fire Department Emergency Squad provides emergency medical and rescue services.

Transportation

thumb|right|[[New Jersey Route 21|Route 21 briefly passes through Wallington]]

Roads and highways

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

A very short section of New Jersey Route 21 passes through Wallington. This section was built over a section of the Passaic River which was filled in to allow the highway to be constructed. However, the municipal boundary still follows the old river bed, resulting in a small section of Wallington on the west bank of the river which is mostly occupied by the highway.

County Route 507 is the most significant road directly serving Wallington. Three bridges, the Gregory Avenue Bridge (built in 1905), the Market Street Bridge (dating back to 1894) and the Eighth Street Bridge (originally constructed in 1915) cross the Passaic River from Wallington to the city of Passaic.

The New Jersey Turnpike Western Roadway (Interstate 95) is accessible at Exit 16W in neighboring East Rutherford.

Public transportation

NJ Transit's Bergen County Line passes through, but does not stop in, Wallington. Wesmont station is located along the border between Wallington and Wood-Ridge, but it can only be accessed from the latter. NJ Transit bus routes 160 and 161 provide service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, and routes 703, 707, and 780 provide local service.

Notable people

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

Elizabeth Calabrese, member of the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 2004 to 2010
George Fischbeck (1922–2015), television weatherman
Steve Hamas (1907–1974), professional football player in the National Football League who turned to professional boxing, defeating former heavyweight champions Tommy Loughran and Max Schmelling
Henry Helstoski (1925–1999), U.S. Congressman from 1965 to 1977, representing
Ralph Kirchenheiter (born ), former head football coach and athletic director for Muhlenberg College
Doris Mahalick (1924–2008), politician who served on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Mayor of Wallington and as the nation's first woman to serve as a county police commissioner
Frankie Perez (born 1989), mixed martial artist who has competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ed Sanicki (1923–1998), outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies
Walling Van Winkle (1650–1725), namesake of Wallington who built a home here

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

Borough of Wallington official website
Wallington Public Schools
School Data for the Wallington Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics