Wood-Ridge, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Wood-Ridge is a borough
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....

 in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,626.

Wood-Ridge was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...

 on December 6, 1894, from portions of Bergen Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day.

New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly is a monthly glossy publication featuring issues of possible interest to residents of the United States state of New Jersey...

magazine ranked Wood-Ridge as its 39th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

Geography

Wood-Ridge is located at 40.847638°N 74.087549°W (40.847638, -74.087549).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the borough has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land. The average elevation of the borough is 174 feet (53 m) above sea level.

Wood-Ridge is bordered by Lodi
Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 24,136. The borough of Lodi is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.Lodi owes its name to the Italian city of Lodi...

 and Hasbrouck Heights
Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey
Hasbrouck Heights is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 11,842. An inner-ring suburb of New York City, Hasbrouck Heights is located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan and west of Upper Manhattan.Hasbrouck Heights was...

 to the north, Wallington
Wallington, New Jersey
Wallington is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,335.Wallington was created as a borough on January 2, 1895 , at the height of the "Boroughitis" fever then sweeping through Bergen County...

 to the west, Carlstadt
Carlstadt, New Jersey
Carlstadt is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,127.Carlstadt was originally formed as a village by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 12, 1860, within Lodi Township. It was named after Dr...

 to the south, and Moonachie
Moonachie, New Jersey
Moonachie is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, in the Hackensack River watershed. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,708....

 to the east.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 7,644 people, 3,024 households, and 2,137 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 6,958.5 people per square mile (2,683.1/km2). There were 3,087 housing units at an average density of 2,810.2 per square mile (1,083.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 91.01% White, 0.84% African American, 0.08% Native American, 5.02% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.77% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.27% of the population.

There were 3,024 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the borough the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $60,949, and the median income for a family was $72,500. Males had a median income of $48,309 versus $40,025 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the borough was $29,865. About 0.8% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

The Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of the Borough of Wood-Ridge is Mayor Paul Sarlo
Paul Sarlo
Paul A. Sarlo is an American Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey State Senate since 2003, where he represents the 36th Legislative District...

 (D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, term ends December 31, 2011), who also represents the district in the New Jersey Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...

. Members of the Wood-Ridge Borough Council are Ezio I. Altamura (D, 2009), Dominick Azzolini (D, 2008), Richard Carbonaro (D, 2010), Catherine Cassidy (D, 2010), Thomas C. Gonnella (D, 2008) and
Robert Riccardella (D, 2009).

In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters filled an open mayoral seat and two seats on the borough council. Incumbent Democrats ran unopposed for all three seats, with Mayor Paul Sarlo (1,117 votes) and Councilmembers Catherine Cassidy (1,313) and Richard Carbonaro (1,236), all winning re-election.

On Election Day, November 7, 2006, Wood-Ridge voters filled two seats on the Borough Council. As of Election Day, the council was composed entirely of Democrats in a community in which registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 7-5 margin. Democratic incumbents Ezio Altamura (1,733) and Robert Riccardella (1,718) ran unopposed, winning re-election to three-year terms in office.

Federal, state and county representation

Wood-Ridge Borough is in the 9th Congressional district.

Wood-Ridge is also in the

Politics

As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 7,657 in Wood-Ridge, there were 4,698 registered voters (61.4% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 1,016 (21.6% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, 722 (15.4% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 and 2,960 (63.0% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared
Undeclared (New Jersey)
Unaffiliated is a status for registered voters in New Jersey. Those voters who do not specify a political party affiliation when they register to vote are listed as unaffiliated....

. There were no voters registered to other parties.

In the past two Presidential Elections, Wood-Ridge leaned toward the Republican Party. In the 2004 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...

, Republican George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 received 53% of the vote here, defeating Democrat John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

, who received around 46%. Similar results occurred in 2008, where John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

 won by a 53% to 47% margin over Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 However, Democrat Frank Lautenberg
Frank Lautenberg
Frank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:...

 narrowly defeated Republican Dick Zimmer 52% to 48% in Wood-Ridge for the race for United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 and Democrat Steven Rothman defeated Republican Vincent Micco 57% to 43% for the seat in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...


Education

Students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade attend the schools of the Wood-Ridge School District
Wood-Ridge School District
The Wood-Ridge School District is a comprehensive community public school district serving students in Pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade from Wood-Ridge in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States....

. Schools in the district (with 2005–06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...

) are Catherine E. Doyle Elementary School, with 470 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade; Gretta R. Ostrovsky Middle School, with 238 students in grades 6–8; and Wood-Ridge High School
Wood-Ridge High School
Wood-Ridge High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Wood-Ridge, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Wood-Ridge School District...

, with 425 students in grades 9–12.

For grades nine through twelve, students from Moonachie
Moonachie, New Jersey
Moonachie is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, in the Hackensack River watershed. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,708....

 attend Wood-Ridge High School, as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...

 with the Moonachie School District
Moonachie School District
The Moonachie Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Moonachie, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States....

.

Additionally, Assumption School is a Catholic School serving the area. Assumption currently has Pre K through 8th graders attending its school. Students from Wood-Ridge as well as surrounding towns attend this school with students coming from as far away as Paterson.

In April 2010 the Archdiocese of Newark announced that it would be closing Assumption School as of June 2010. Despite efforts of parents, educators and local community members to keep the school open, it will close its doors as of June.

Police

The Wood-Ridge Police Department (WRPD) provides emergency and protective services to the borough of Wood-Ridge. The WRPD consists of 21 officers. The WRPD is augmented in times of emergency by the Police Auxiliary.

Fire

The Wood-Ridge Fire Department (WRFD) is an all-volunteer fire department
Volunteer fire department
See also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries.A volunteer fire department is a fire department composed of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction.The first organized force of...

. The WRFD was organized in 1897 and consists of one Chief
Fire chief
Fire Chief is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department, either elected or appointed...

 and two assistant chiefs. The department is staffed by 40 fully trained firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...

s. The WRFD also provides emergency medical service
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...

 to the borough. The WRFD utilizes three Engines, a Ladder truck, a Heavy Rescue
Heavy rescue vehicle
A heavy rescue vehicle is a type of specialty firefighting or EMS apparatus. They are primarily designed to provide the specialized equipment necessary for technical rescue situations such as auto accidents requiring vehicle extrication, building collapses, confined space rescue, rope rescues and...

 and two ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...

s.

Transportation

Wood-Ridge is served by New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...

 on the Pascack Valley Line
Pascack Valley Line
The Pascack Valley Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Hoboken Division of New Jersey Transit. The line runs north from Hoboken, New Jersey through Bergen County and into Rockland County, New York, terminating at Spring Valley. Service within New York is operated under contract with...

 at the Wood-Ridge
Wood-Ridge (NJT station)
Wood-Ridge Station is a New Jersey Transit rail station on the Pascack Valley Line. The station is in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey and is located at Park Place East, near the intersection of Route 17. The station originates back to the 1860s as part of the Hackensack and New York Railroad...

 train station. The station is located at Park Place East near the intersection with Route 17. As of October 2007, the Pascack Valley Line offers service throughout the day in both directions, with service available seven days a week.

Another station was recently approved to be built in Wood-Ridge on the Bergen County Line
Bergen County Line
The Bergen County Line is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line loops off the Main Line between the Meadowlands and Glen Rock, with trains continuing in either direction along the Main Line...

. This station is to be called Wesmont
Wesmont (NJT station)
Wesmont Station is a proposed New Jersey Transit train station that is part of a $400 million dollar redevelopment effort of an old Curtiss-Wright aircraft assembly plant in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey....

 and will serve a new residential development.

This line runs north-south to Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is one of the New York Metropolitan area's major transportation hubs. The commuter-oriented intermodal facility, is located on the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey...

 with connections via the Secaucus Junction
Secaucus Junction
The Frank R. Lautenberg Secaucus Junction Station is a major commuter rail hub in Secaucus, New Jersey...

 transfer station to New Jersey Transit one-stop service to New York Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...

 and to other NJ Transit rail service. Connections are available at the Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is one of the New York Metropolitan area's major transportation hubs. The commuter-oriented intermodal facility, is located on the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey...

 to other New Jersey Transit rail lines, the PATH
Port Authority Trans-Hudson
PATH, derived from Port Authority Trans-Hudson, is a rapid transit railroad linking Manhattan, New York City with Newark, Harrison, Hoboken and Jersey City in metropolitan northern New Jersey...

 train at the Hoboken PATH station, New York Waterways ferry service to the World Financial Center
World Financial Center
The World Financial Center is a complex of buildings across West Street from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan in New York City, overlooking the Hudson River. This complex is home to offices of companies including Merrill Lynch, RBC Capital Markets, Nomura Group, the Wall Street...

 and other destinations and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail is a light rail system in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Owned by New Jersey Transit and operated by the 21st Century Rail Corporation, it connects the communities of Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City , and North Bergen.The system began...

 service.

Wood-Ridge is also serviced by several New Jersey Transit bus routes. The 76 bus runs from Hackensack
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....

 along Terrace Avenue through Wood-Ridge to Newark Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (Newark)
Pennsylvania Station is a major transportation hub in Newark, New Jersey. Located at Raymond Plaza, between Market Street and Raymond Boulevard, Newark Penn Station is served by the Newark Light Rail, New Jersey Transit commuter rail, Amtrak long distance trains, the PATH rapid transit system, and...

. The 144, 145, 148, 163 and 164 buses run from various New Jersey terminals such as Midland Park
Midland Park, New Jersey
Midland Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 7,128....

 and Hackensack along Valley Boulevard through Wood-Ridge to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City...

 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

Route 17 passes through Wood-Ridge.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Wood-Ridge include:
  • Guy W. Calissi
    Guy W. Calissi
    Guy W. Calissi , was an American Democratic Party politician, prosecutor, lawyer and judge, who served for seven years as mayor of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, 16 years as Bergen County, New Jersey prosecutor and was appointed in 1970 to serve as a judge on New Jersey Superior Court, a post he served...

     (c. 1909-1980), New Jersey Superior Court
    New Jersey Superior Court
    The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with state-wide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The Superior Court has three divisions: the Appellate Division is essentially an intermediate appellate court while the Law and Chancery Divisions function as trial courts...

     judge who served as mayor of Wood-Ridge from 1947 to 1954.
  • Frankie Muniz
    Frankie Muniz
    Francisco "Frankie" Muniz IV is an American actor, musician, writer, producer, and racecar driver. He is known primarily as the star of the FOX television family sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. In 2003, he was considered "one of Hollywood's most bankable teens". In 2008, he put his acting career...

     (born 1985), actor and professional racer, spent most of his childhood to early teen years growing up on North Avenue and being a student within the Wood-Ridge School District.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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