Closter (Westergaard, Barbara. "Closter: Bergen", New Jersey: A Guide to the State, p. 78. Rutgers University Press, 2006. . Accessed July 22, 2011. "Known locally as the "hub of the Northern Valley," Closter (pronounced with a long o) was an early settlement - the first individual purchases in the records date to 1701 - and many of its Dutch houses remain (try Hickory La. and Piermont Rd.)"Melisurgo, Len. "Here's the right way to pronounce 25 N.J. town names everyone botches", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 25, 2017. Accessed June 26, 2017. "Closter (Bergen County) - There's been some debate over whether this small borough is pronounced CLOSS-ter, with a soft O, CLOSE-ter, with a long O (rhyming with glows or Lowe's), or CLOOS-ter, which rhymes with rooster. Which one is correct? The locals say it's CLOSE-ter, rhyming with glows and Lowe's.") 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 8,594, an increase of 221 (+2.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,373, which in turn reflected a decline of 10 (−0.1%) from the 8,383 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
History The Lenape Native Americans tilled the soil, hunted in the woods, and fished in the rivers and streams before the Dutch arrived in the early 18th Century. The Dutch settlers, though, left an indelible mark on the area. Early records show that after the English takeover of New Netherland, English Governor Philip Carteret in 1669 granted a real estate speculator named Balthaser De Hart a strip of property which extended east and west from the Hudson River to the Tiena Kill, and north and south from today's Cresskill into Palisades, New York.Budke, George H., Abstracts of early deeds, patents, mortgages and other instruments affecting the land titles of Rockland County, NY. (New City, New York : Library Association of Rockland County, 1975), pp. 165-167. It is within these geographical boundaries that lies what is now known as Closter. The first land grant deed for the area today known as Closter was not written until April 13, 1671.Isaac Bedlow & Balthasar De Hart deed recorded March 15, 1744, Liber No.1, page 115, of East Jersey Patents, Office of the Secretary of State, Trenton, N.J. The northern half of this tract of land consisting of (extending from what is Closter Dock Road northward) was purchased by Barent and Resolvert Nagel on April 25, 1710,April 25, 1710 Deed between Lancaster Symes and Barent and Resolvert Nagel (Early Orange County Deeds, Orange County Court House, Goshen, New York), p. 68Closter History, Borough of Closter Historic Preservation Commission, Accessed July 26, 2017. who along with the Vervalen family first settled what is now Closter.
The name Closter is of Dutch origin and first appears in a November 18, 1721, deed between the surviving Tappan Patentees and Peter Haring (who owned land in Harrington Park/Norwood east of Tappan Road and between Harrington and Blanche Avenues)—the meets and bounds of the deed begin “Beginning at the bridge which comes out of the Clooster by the Dwars Kill..."Orange County Deeds Book C, Page 75 At that time, Closter was in an area under dispute between the colonial provinces of New Jersey and New York. In the Dutch language, Klooster or "clooster" means "a quiet place, a monastery or cloister."Translate klooster from Dutch to English, Interglot. Accessed August 29, 2015. The name was originally pronounced with an "ow" sound, phonetically, "Klowster." Later, just before the American Revolution, these isolated settlers began to feel the impact of the British Crown in their lives—not only in governmental affairs but also by the influx of English culture on their own language and practices. As a result, the "K" in Klooster was dropped and was replaced with a "C" so the now growing village became known as Clooster. By 1795, with the emerging new American culture, the second "o" in Clooster was dropped, and the American English "long o" sound was adopted which led to today's pronunciation of Closter.
The topography gave a sense of isolation and protection, tucked behind the highest point of the Palisades and protected by limited access. Alternatively, sources indicate that the name derives from an early settler named Frederick Closter who is said to have been granted the land in the area in the 1600s.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 28, 2015.Pinto, Jennifer. "At Home In: Closter", The Record, May 31, 2012, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 10, 2016. Accessed September 11, 2017. "According to the borough's website, 'It is believed that Closter was named after Frederick Closter, who received a grant of several thousand acres as a military reward from King Charles I of England.'""A Curious Land Claim. An Old Title to Property In Bergen County", Passaic Daily News, March 29, 1894. Accessed January 30, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "More than two hundred and fifty years ago, as the story goes, one Frederick Closter, a Scandinavian by birth was a soldier in the army of King Charles I. of England. For heroism on the field of battle the King granted to his brave vassal, by patent under the great seal of the kingdom, a tract of several thousand acres of wild land on the West bank of the Hudson river, including within it the sites of the present villages of Closter and Alpine and much of the country round about. Frederick Closter, the patentee, abandoned the life of a soldier, came to America, settled on the tract in question and built a dock on the river front, which he called Closter dock. In order to further perpetuate his surname, he bestowed it on the whole tract. This was in 1639 or 1640. In 1643 Frederick Closter and his adventurous companions were all murdered by Indians, but, although the immigrant was completely wiped out, his plantation and his dock have ever since retained his name."
Reminders of Closter's early Dutch history abound - with local streets named after some of the early families (Bogert, Demarest, Durie, Naugle, Parsells, Vervalen, Auryansen, Haring, and Westervelt), and a rich collection of unique Jersey Dutch houses.Historic Sites, Borough of Closter. Accessed June 3, 2014.
The arrival of the Northern Branch in 1859,Map of the Northern Rail Road of New Jersey, Library of Congress. Accessed June 3, 2014. followed by additional train service from what became the West Shore Railroad, brought residents to the community who could commute to Manhattan via the ferry across the Hudson River at the railroad's Weehawken depot. Closter's central location earned it the nickname "Hub of the Northern Valley".Sustainable Closter Initiative, Borough of Closter, April 2008. Accessed September 11, 2017.
Closter was formed as an incorporated municipality by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 1, 1904, from portions of Harrington Township. On March 29, 1904, Harrington Park was created from portions of Closter, Harrington Township and Washington Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. Accessed May 1, 2026."History of Bergen County" p. 343 has the date as April 13, 1903 for the formation of Closter.
After the turn of the 20th century, Closter changed from being sprawling estates and farms into an upper middle class suburban town.DePalma, Anthony. "Closter", The New York Times, February 27, 1983. Accessed July 22, 2011.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.30 square miles (8.55 km2), including 3.16 square miles (8.18 km2) of land and 0.14 square miles (0.37 km2) of water (4.30%).
Closter has a humid subtropical climate similar to the rest of the Middle Atlantic region of the United States.
Closter borders the Bergen County municipalities of Alpine, Demarest, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth and Norwood.Areas touching Closter, MapIt. Accessed March 24, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 24, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
As of 2026, the borough is a member of Local Leaders for Responsible Planning in order to address the borough's Mount Laurel doctrine-based housing obligations.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Closter borough, Bergen County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)6,0595,0194,49672.28%59.94%52.32%Black or African American alone (NH)76100830.91%1.19%0.97%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)8120.10%0.01%0.02%Asian alone (NH)1,8002,6493,00921.47%31.64%35.01%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)0100.00%0.01%0.00%Other race alone (NH)1010300.12%0.12%0.35%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)87922491.04%1.10%2.90%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3435017254.09%5.98%8.44%Total8,3838,3738,594 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Closter had a population of 8,594. The median age was 43.8 years. Of residents, 24.9% were under the age of 18 and 16.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males age 18 and over.
In Closter, 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,762 households in Closter, of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 70.9% were married-couple households, 11.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 16.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 13.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,891 housing units, of which 4.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.8%.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 8,373 people, 2,747 households, and 2,327 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 2,860 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 64.17% (5,373) White, 1.31% (110) Black or African American, 0.05% (4) Native American, 31.65% (2,650) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 1.54% (129) from other races, and 1.27% (106) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.98% (501) of the population.
Of the 2,747 households, 43.4% had children under the age of 18; 73.2% were married couples living together; 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 15.3% were non-families. Of all households, 12.9% were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.30.
26.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.4 males.
Korean Americans accounted for 21.2% of the population.
Same-sex couples headed 15 households in 2010, an increase from the 10 counted in 2000.Lipman, Harvy; and Sheingold, Dave. "North Jersey sees 30% growth in same-sex couples", The Record, August 14, 2011, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 3, 2013. Accessed August 28, 2014.