Lyndhurst is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 22,519, an increase of 1,965 (+9.6%) from the 2010 census count of 20,554, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,171 (+6.0%) from the 19,383 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 On February 22, 1840, Hudson County was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature. The newly created county was created from territories that had been Bergen Township since 1691, as well as and from the southern portion of Lodi Township. The portion of Lodi Township taken at this time formed the new Harrison Township in Hudson County. The border between the newly created Harrison Township in Hudson County and the portion of Lodi Township remaining in Bergen County was the New Barbadoes Turnpike, which is now called Paterson Plank Road. Some of the residents of the northern portion of Harrison Township requested to be returned to Bergen County. On February 19, 1852, this area—which had been part of Lodi Township—was returned to Bergen County to become the newly formed Union Township.
On September 21, 1881, Rutherford became the first borough to be formed under the terms of the New Jersey Legislature's Borough Act of 1878, based on a referendum of voters that passed the previous day. Rutherford Borough was fully separated from the township form of government in 1890 and acquired an additional portion of Union Township in that year. On April 17, 1889, Boiling Springs Township was created from the northern portion of Union Township. This township was dissolved with the creation of the coterminous Borough of East Rutherford as of March 28, 1894. The borough of North Arlington was created as of March 11, 1896, as the result of a referendum that took place two days earlier. Finally, on March 27, 1917, the residents of the remaining portions of Union Township passed a referendum to change the name to Lyndhurst Township, which became effective as of May 15, 1917.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 80 re Lyndhurst, p. 87 re Union Township. Accessed May 29, 2024. The township is named for Lord Lyndhurst.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 3, 2015.
Kingsland is a former post village within the township. The Kingsland family possessed a large tract of land in the area known as Kingsland Manor. In 1872, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad established a railway through the township, and erected a depot in the area named "Kingsland" in honor of the family. A railroad shop was built, and houses erected for the railroad employees. Church services were held in the train depot.
Kingsland explosion
On January 11, 1917, a fire started in Building 30 of the Canadian Car and Foundry Company, in what is now Lyndhurst, in a plant that was producing munitions for sale to the United Kingdom and the Russian Empire during World War I. After a spill of flammable liquid started a fire in a building where shells were cleaned, about 500,000, three-inch (76 mm) explosive shells were discharged in about four hours, destroying the entire facility.The Kingsland Explosion, Lyndhurst Historical Society. Accessed September 6, 2011. It was said to have been a spectacle more magnificent than the explosion at Black Tom in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Tessie McNamara, who operated the company switchboard, was credited with saving 1,400 lives, contacting each of the buildings and shouting the warning, "Get out or go up!" Thanks to her dedication, no one was killed in the fire.Staff. "Tessie Now the Telephone Heroine: Saved Thousands of Lives at Kingsland Explosion Phone Girl in Munitions Plant Plugged Warnings Under Fire", Boston Globe, January 14, 1917. Accessed September 6, 2011. The Lyndhurst Historical Society has created a vest pocket park dedicated to the memory of McNamara.90th Anniversary of the Kingsland Explosion, Lyndhurst Historical Society. Accessed October 13, 2013. The park is located on Clay Avenue, between Valley Brook Avenue and Wall Street West. The brick stack can be seen from this park.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 4.96 square miles (12.86 km2), including 4.58 square miles (11.87 km2) of land and 0.38 square miles (0.99 km2) of water (7.66%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Kingsland and South Rutherford.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 5, 2015.
The township borders North Arlington and Rutherford in Bergen County; Belleville and Nutley in Essex County; Kearny and Secaucus in Hudson County; and Clifton in Passaic County.Areas touching Lyndhurst, MapIt. Accessed February 26, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed February 26, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
The Passaic River, crossed by the Avondale Bridge and the Lyndhurst Draw, creates the municipal and county border at the west. The eastern portion of the municipality is part of the uninhabited wetlands in the New Jersey Meadowlands.
Demographics
2020 census +Lyndhurst township, Bergen County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)16,16614,70913,38883.40%71.56%59.45%Black or African American alone (NH)983256880.51%1.58%3.06%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)71090.04%0.05%0.04%Asian alone (NH)1,0421,3331,5875.38%6.49%7.05%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1600.01%0.03%0.00%Other race alone (NH)431162230.22%0.56%0.99%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)2822865431.45%1.39%2.41%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,7443,7696,0819.00%18.34%27.00%Total19,38320,55422,519 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 20,554 people, 8,337 households, and 5,394 families in the township. The population density was . There were 8,787 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 82.97% (17,053) White, 1.98% (406) Black or African American, 0.17% (34) Native American, 6.59% (1,355) Asian, 0.03% (6) Pacific Islander, 5.57% (1,144) from other races, and 2.71% (556) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.34% (3,769) of the population.
Of the 8,337 households, 25.5% had children under the age of 18; 47.9% were married couples living together; 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 35.3% were non-families. Of all households, 28.7% were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.07.
18.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.4 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $68,177 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,370) and the median family income was $79,579 (+/− $4,878). Males had a median income of $56,299 (+/− $6,347) versus $44,468 (+/− $2,406) for females. The per capita income for the township was $34,233 (+/− $2,119). About 3.8% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Lyndhurst township, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed April 23, 2012.
Same-sex couples headed 58 households in 2010, an increase from the 35 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 September 29, 2014.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census there were 19,383 people, 7,877 households, and 5,206 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 8,103 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 89.94% White, 9.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.40% Asian, 0.61% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.95% from two or more races, and 2.05% from other races.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Lyndhurst township , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 8, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 – Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Lyndhurst township, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 8, 2013.
As of the 2000 Census, 33.8% of township residents were of Italian ancestry, the 19th-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States, and eighth-highest in New Jersey, among all places with more than 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.Italian Communities , EPodunk. Accessed June 9, 2007.
There were 7,877 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the township, the age distribution of the population shows 19.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males. Lyndhurst has the highest proportion of single females ages 18–25.
The median income for a household in the township was $53,375, and the median income for a family was $63,758. Males had a median income of $42,359 versus $35,429 for females. The per capita income for the township was $25,940. About 2.8% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those aged 65 or over.
Economy Lyndhurst was historically home to manufacturers of machinery and metal products.
Lyndhurst was home to locally owned and operated businesses such as Mazur's Bakery, which closed in 2013.Staff. "Mazur's Bakery", South Bergenite, September 24, 2013. Accessed January 9, 2024.
Because portions of the township are located in the New Jersey Meadowlands, a number of radio stations have their transmitters and towers located in Lyndhurst. These include AM stations WINS-1010, WSNR-620, and WLIB-1190 along with Amateur Radio and HD TV station W2INS.Jaker, Bill; Sulek, Frank; and Kanze, Peter. The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 AM Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921–1996, p. 85. McFarland & Company, 2008. . Accessed October 13, 2013.
Lyndhurst Meadowlands is home to one of nine Medieval Times dinner theaters nationwide.Home Page, Medieval Times. Accessed September 29, 2014.