Wanaque, New Jersey

thumb|right|250px|Aerial view of Wanaque (lower right) and [[Wanaque Reservoir]]

Wanaque () is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,317,

History

Wanaque was incorporated as an independent borough on February 23, 1918, when Pompton Township was split up into three boroughs, along with Bloomingdale and Ringwood, and affirmed by a referendum held on March 22, 1918. The borough's name Wanaque (original pronunciation 'Wa Na Kee') is thought to have been derived from a Lenni Lenape Native American word meaning "land of sassafras".

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 9.33 square miles (24.15 km2), including 8.07 square miles (20.89 km2) of land and 1.26 square miles (3.26 km2) of water (13.50%).

Both Wanaque (formerly Midvale) and Haskell have their own ZIP Codes and are served by separate post offices.

The borough borders the municipalities of Bloomingdale, Pompton Lakes and Ringwood in Passaic County; and Oakland in Bergen County.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Wanaque had a population of 11,317. The median age was 45.9 years. 16.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.2 males age 18 and over.

97.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,392 households in Wanaque, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.6% were married-couple households, 14.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Same-sex couples headed 20 households in 2010, a decline from the 22 counted in 2000.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 3,444 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.23. Accessible trails include the Wanaque Ridge, which overlooks the town at its peak, as well as the Indian Hills Trail, which connects to the Ramapo Valley County Reservation in Mahwah.

Law and government

Local government

Wanaque 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 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 Wanaque 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 Wanaque Borough is Republican Daniel Mahler, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the Borough Council are Thomas Balunis (R, 2024), Dominick Cortellessa (R, 2025), Edward Leonard (R, 2025), Donald Pasquariello (R, 2023), Bridget A. Pasznik (R, 2024), and Robert Pettet (R, 2023).

Federal, state, and county representation

Wanaque is located in the 5th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 26th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 7,085 registered voters in Wanaque, of which 1,646 (23.2% vs. 31.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,191 (30.9% vs. 18.7%) were registered as Republicans and 3,243 (45.8% vs. 50.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 5 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 63.7% (vs. 53.2% in Passaic County) were registered to vote, including 80.3% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.8% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 51.7% of the vote (2,633 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 47.2% (2,400 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (55 votes), among the 5,132 ballots cast by the borough's 7,472 registered voters (44 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 68.7%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 2,798 votes (52.1% vs. 37.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 2,428 votes (45.2% vs. 58.8%) and other candidates with 46 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 5,374 ballots cast by the borough's 7,117 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.5% (vs. 70.4% in Passaic County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,452 votes (55.1% vs. 42.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,876 votes (42.1% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 39 votes (0.9% vs. 0.7%), among the 4,451 ballots cast by the borough's 6,132 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.6% (vs. 69.3% in the whole county).

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

|+ Presidential elections results

|- bgcolor=lightgrey

! Year

!Republican

!Democratic

!Third Parties

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

| style="text-align:center;" |55.3% 3,524

| style="text-align:center;" |42.3% 2,697

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |2.4% 127

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

| style="text-align:center;" |51.8% 3,532

| style="text-align:center;" |45.6% 3,110

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |2.6% 109

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

| style="text-align:center;" |54.0% 2,992

| style="text-align:center;" |41.8% 2,315

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |3.2% 175

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

| style="text-align:center;" |51.7% 2,633

| style="text-align:center;" |47.2% 2,400

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |1.1% 55

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

| style="text-align:center;" |52.1% 2,798

| style="text-align:center;" |45.2% 2,428

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.9% 46

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

| style="text-align:center;" |55.1% 2,452

| style="text-align:center;" |42.1% 1,876

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.9% 39

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.1% of the vote (2,107 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 32.7% (1,042 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (38 votes), among the 3,235 ballots cast by the borough's 7,614 registered voters (48 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,802 votes (53.1% vs. 43.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,338 votes (39.4% vs. 50.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 194 votes (5.7% vs. 3.8%) and other candidates with 34 votes (1.0% vs. 0.9%), among the 3,396 ballots cast by the borough's 6,887 registered voters, yielding a 49.3% turnout (vs. 42.7% in the county).

Education

The Wanaque Borough Schools serves students in public school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 861 students and 92.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.4:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Haskell Elementary School 367 students in grades PreK–8 and

Wanaque Elementary School 484 students in grades PreK–8.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Lakeland Regional High School, which serves students from the Boroughs of Ringwood and Wanaque. The high school is located in Wanaque and is part of the Lakeland Regional High School District. As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 902 students and 81.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1.

Wanaque is the site of Passaic County Community College's Wanaque Academic Center.

Transportation

thumb|right|[[Interstate 287 southbound in Wanaque]]

Roads and highways

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

Several major roadways traverse through the borough. Interstate 287 passes through Wanaque for , where it is accessible at Exit 55, near the intersection of Union and Ringwood Avenues (County Route 511).

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 197 route.

Notable people

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

Kevin Carolan (born 1968), actor and comedian
Bobby Czyz (born 1962), boxer who is both a former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion
Loretta Ford (1920–2025), nurse who was the co-founder of the first nurse practitioner program
John McCutcheon (1879–1942), politician who served as the New Jersey State Comptroller and the Passaic County Clerk
Bill Palatucci, (born 1958), attorney who served on the Republican National Committee and the New Jersey Apportionment Commission, and headed selection of staff for the first presidential transition of Donald Trump
Ernestine Petras (1924–2017), infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
John Pfahl (1939–2020), photographer
Chris Port (born 1967), former NFL offensive lineman who played for five seasons for the New Orleans Saints
Fred Strickland (born 1966), former professional football player who played linebacker in the NFL for 12 seasons

Points of interest

Elks Camp Moore is an Elks accredited summer overnight camp for children with special needs. The camp is located high on top of a mountain overlooking Route 287 in Haskell. Admission is free for the campers, and the camp is funded in part by local New Jersey Elks lodges.

References

External links

Wanaque Borough official website
Wanaque Borough Schools
School Data for the Wanaque Borough Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
Lakeland Regional High School
Wanaque Chamber of Commerce website
Wanaque Borough Republicans Club
Wanaque Borough Democratic Club
Wanaque Haskell Education Foundation