Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In Teaneck, N.J.; A Town That Champions Its Diversity", The New York Times, June 11, 2000. Accessed March 24, 2024. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 41,246, an increase of 1,470 (+3.7%) from the 2010 census count of 39,776, which in turn reflected an increase of 516 (+1.3%) from the 39,260 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. As of 2020, Teaneck was the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County, behind Hackensack, which had a population of 46,030.
Teaneck was created on February 19, 1895, by an act of the New Jersey Legislature from portions of Englewood Township and Ridgefield Township, both of which are now defunct (despite existing municipalities with similar names), along with portions of Bogota and Leonia.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 87.Accessed May 30, 2024. Independence followed the result of a referendum held on January 14, 1895, in which voters favored incorporation by a 46–7 margin.A Centennial Review of Bergen County Borough Fever 1894–95: Part 4 , Bergen County Historical Society. Accessed January 7, 2007. To address the concerns of Englewood Township's leaders, the new municipality was formed as a township, rather than succumbing to the borough craze sweeping across Bergen County at the time. On May 3, 1921, and again on June 1, 1926, portions of what had been Teaneck were transferred to Overpeck Township.Bergen County New Jersey Municipalities, accessed January 7, 2007.
Teaneck lies at the junction of Interstate 95 and the eastern terminus of Interstate 80.Staff. "These numbers have been in the news" , Endeavor News, August 11, 2007. Accessed January 16, 2012. "Interstate 80 is 2,909 miles long. It starts in Teaneck, N. J., at its junction with Interstate 95. Its western terminus is in San Francisco, Calif., at the Rt. 101 junction." The township is bisected into north and south portions by Route 4 and east and west by the River Subdivision of CSX Transportation. Commercial development is concentrated in four main shopping areas, on Cedar Lane, Teaneck Road, DeGraw Avenue, and West Englewood Avenue and Queen Anne Road, more commonly known as "The Plaza".
Teaneck's location at the crossroads of river, road, train and other geographical features has made it a site of many momentous events across the centuries. After the American defeat at the Battle of Fort Washington, George Washington and the troops of the Continental Army retreated across New Jersey from the British Army, traveling through Teaneck and crossing the Hackensack River at New Bridge Landing, which has since been turned into a state park and historic site commemorating the events of 1776 and of early colonial life. In 1965, Teaneck voluntarily integrated its public schools, after the Board of Education approved a plan to adopt a bussing program by a 7–2 vote on May 13, 1964."Decades of Pride Shattered", The New York Times, April 12, 1990. Accessed September 30, 2009. "And in 1965, the town became the first predominantly white community in the United States to desegregate its schools voluntarily through busing."Kane, Joseph Nathan. Famous First Facts, p. 511. H.W. Wilson Company, 2006. . Teaneck has a diverse population, with large Jewish and African American communities, and growing numbers of Hispanic and Asian residents."If You're Thinking of Living In/Teaneck, N.J.; A Town That Champions Its Diversity", The New York Times, June 11, 2000. Accessed September 30, 2009.
History Early history The origin and meaning of the name "Teaneck" is not known, but speculation is that it could come from various Dutch or English words, or it could be Native American in origin, meaning "the woods".A Piece Of Land Becomes A Town , text of article from The Teaneck Shopper, October 21, 1970. "According to a Lenape-English dictionary compiled by Moravian missionaries to further their work among the Indians, "'Tekene'" meant woods, or uninhabited place. 'Nek"' was the plural of 'Ne', thus the word could have been 'Tekenek' or simply 'The Woods'. The Dutch, who Hollandized so many Indian place names, would quite naturally have spelled it "'Tiene Neck' or tiny neck." An alternative is from the Dutch "Tiene Neck" meaning "neck where there are willows" (from the Dutch "tene" meaning willow).
The earliest uses of the word "Teaneck" were in reference to a series of Lenni Lenape Native American camps near the ridge formed by what became Queen Anne Road. Chief Oratam was the leader of a settlement called "Achikinhesacky" that existed along Overpeck Creek in the area near what became Fycke Lane.A History of Teaneck , Township of Teaneck. Accessed December 17, 2013.
A neighborhood variously called East Hackensack or New Hackensack was established along a ridge on the east bank of the Hackensack River, site of a Native American trail that followed the river's path along what is now River Road, with the earliest known buildings constructed dating back as far as 1704. Other early European settlements were established along what became Teaneck Road, which is the site of a number of Dutch stone houses that remain standing since their construction in the 1700s, several of which have been added to the National Register of Historic Places.Griffin, Robert. "Looking Back on the History of Teaneck", Teaneck Public Library. Accessed October 1, 2009.
Revolutionary War period During November 1776, General George Washington passed through Teaneck in the aftermath of the Battle of Fort Lee, as part of the hasty retreat of Colonial forces from Fort Lee on the Hudson River.
Phelps Estate
Subsequent development and house construction were focused along the perimeters of the township, with the central part of the community remaining a large property crisscrossed by of paved roads and trails that were constructed and improved by Phelps.Taylor, Mildred. "Commuter Had Dream In 1865: Teaneck", The New York Times, October 1, 1972. Accessed November 21, 2023. "When Mr. Phelps came to Teaneck, New Jersey roads were noted for their red mud and deep sand. So the new resident set out to build up public sentiment for road improvement in general, building 30 miles of roads on his own property, much of it macadamized."
Township formed
The Township of Teaneck was established on February 19, 1895, and included portions of Englewood Township, Ridgefield Township and Bogota. Teaneck's choice to incorporate as a township was unusual in an era of "Boroughitis", in which a flood of new municipalities were being formed using the decentralized and locally controlled borough form of government. The other two municipalities formed in Bergen County in 1895 were both boroughs, in addition to the 26 boroughs that were formed in the county in 1894 alone.Harvey, Cornelius Burnham. Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey, p. 11, New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900. Accessed September 15, 2013. "For a period of sixteen years following the passage of this act few boroughs were organized in the State, only three of them being in Bergen County.... As it was twenty-six boroughs were created in the county from January 23, 1894, to December 18, of the same year."
In a referendum held on January 14, 1895, 46 of 53 voters approved incorporation as a borough. Citizens of Englewood Township challenged the creation of a borough, but accepted the new municipality as a township, given its more rural character. A bill supporting the creation of the Township of Teaneck was put through the New Jersey General Assembly on February 18, 1895, and the New Jersey Senate on the next day. New Jersey Governor George Werts signed the bill into law, and Teaneck was an independent municipality.
At its incorporation, Teaneck's population was 811. William W. Bennett, overseer of the Phelps Estate, was selected as chairman of the first three-man Township Committee, which focused in its early years on "construction of streets and street lamps (originally gaslights), trolley lines (along DeGraw Avenue), telephones and speeding traffic.""A History of Teaneck – 1895 – 1995" , copy of article from The Record, October 20, 1995. Accessed May 15, 2008.
Early 20th century The opening of the Phelps Estate in 1927 led to substantial population growth.History , Teaneck Chamber of Commerce. Accessed May 15, 2008. The George Washington Bridge was completed in 1931, and its connection to Teaneck via Route 4 brought thousands of new home buyers. From 1920 and 1930, Teaneck's population nearly quadrupled, from 4,192 to 16,513.
Rapid growth led to financial turmoil, and inefficiencies in the town government resulted in the adoption of a new nonpartisan Council-Manager form of government under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law in a referendum on September 16, 1930. A full-time Town Manager, Paul A. Volcker Sr. (the father of future Chairman of the Federal Reserve Paul A. Volcker Jr.), was appointed to handle Teaneck's day-to-day business affairs. During his 20-year term, from 1930 to 1950, Volcker implemented financial management practices and a development plan that included comprehensive zoning regulations, along with a civil service system for municipal employees and a professional fire department.
The New Jersey Supreme Court issued a ruling in 1942 upholding a Teaneck ordinance that had banned pinball machines on the grounds that they were gambling devices rather than a form of amusement.Staff. "Pinball in Jersey Banned by Court; Ruling, Upholding Teaneck Law, Terms Machines Ingenious Gambling Devices Raids Start at Once Essex Prosecutor Tells Police in 22 Municipalities to Seize the Games", The New York Times, February 25, 1942. Accessed January 22, 2012. "The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled today possession of pinball or bagatelle machines to be illegal and upheld the Township of Teaneck in banning their use under a local ordinance."
Post–World War II Teaneck was selected in 1949 from more than 10,000 communities as America's model community, with the United States Army saying that the township was chosen because of its "fine municipal spirit and the high quality of its governmental service." Photographs were taken and a film produced about life in Teaneck, which were shown in Occupied Japan and Austria as a part of the Army's education program to show democracy in action.Teaneck Virtual Village: Teaneck as a Model Town, accessed May 9, 2006.Seigel, Kalman . "Teaneck On Film As Model Town; Army Completes 3-Day Effort to Picture U. S. Community for Propaganda Abroad", The New York Times, September 22, 1949. Accessed January 13, 2024.
In 1953, Fairleigh Dickinson College, then with 2,800 students based in Rutherford, New Jersey, merged with the 400-student Bergen Junior College, acquiring its campus in Teaneck, with the Bergen Junior College president saying that "the Teaneck property lends itself to considerable expansion"."Fairleigh and Bergen Junior Colleges to Merge", The News, November 23, 1953. Accessed January 13, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Fairleigh Dickinson College of Rutherford and Bergen Junior College of Teaneck, will merge under the name of Fairleigh Dickinson College....Merger of the two institutions will provide educational facilities fur potentially 4,000 students. Fairleigh Dickinson, presently the third largest college in the state, has a total enrollment of 2,851, approximately 1,200 of whom are day students. Bergen Junior College presently has an enrollment of 197 day students and 207 in its Evening Division."