North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count of 6,183, which in turn reflected a decline of 1,192 (−16.2%) from the 7,375 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.
North Caldwell was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 31, 1898, from portions of Caldwell Township (now known as Fairfield Township).Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 130. Accessed May 30, 2024. The borough derives its name from Presbyterian minister James Caldwell.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 10, 2015.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 63. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed September 10, 2015.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked North Caldwell as its 10th-best place to live in its 2010 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey, and its third-best place to live in its 2013 ranking."Best Places To Live - The Complete Top Towns List 1-100", New Jersey Monthly, February 21, 2010. Accessed February 21, 2010. In 2017, a Bloomberg analysis ranked North Caldwell the 34th richest town in the United States.del Giudice, Vincent; and Lu, Wei. "America's 100 Richest Places", Bloomberg News, March 22, 2017. Accessed November 5, 2019.
History North Caldwell was part of the Horseneck Tract, which was an area that consisted of what are now the municipalities of Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Fairfield, Verona, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Roseland, and portions of Livingston and West Orange. In 1702, settlers purchased the from the Lenape Native Americans for goods equal to $325. The explanation for the name "Horse Neck" lies in the language of its first Dutch settlers and not (as has been inaccurately reported) because of its irregular shape. This purchase encompassed much of western Essex County, from the First Mountain to the Passaic River.Hilltop Reservation, Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. Accessed January 3, 2012.
In 1982, the borough was one of four Essex County municipalities to pass a referendum to become a township, joining 11 municipalities that had already made the change. Ultimately, more than a dozen Essex County municipalities reclassified themselves as townships in order take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis."Chapter VI: Municipal Names and Municipal Classification", p. 73. New Jersey State Commission on County and Municipal Government, 1992. Accessed September 24, 2015."Removing Tiering From The Revenue Sharing Formula Would Eliminate Payment Inequities To Local Governments", Government Accountability Office, April 15, 1982. Accessed September 24, 2015. "In 1978, South Orange Village was the first municipality to change its name to the 'township' of South Orange Village effective beginning in entitlement period 10 (October 1978 to September 1979). The Borough of Fairfield in 1978 changed its designation by a majority vote of the electorate and became the 'Township of Fairfield' effective beginning entitlement period 11 (October 1979 to September 1980).... However, the Revenue Sharing Act was not changed and the actions taken by South Orange and Fairfield prompted the Town of Montclair and West Orange to change their designation by referendum in the November 4, 1980, election. The municipalities of Belleville, Verona, Bloomfield, Nutley, Essex Fells, Caldwell, and West Caldwell have since changed their classification from municipality to a township."Narvaez, Alfonso A. "New Jersey Journal", The New York Times, December 27, 1981. Accessed September 24, 2015. "Under the Federal system, New Jersey's portion of the revenue sharing funds is disbursed among the 21 counties to create three 'money pools.' One is for county governments, one for 'places' and a third for townships. By making the change, a community can use the 'township advantage' to get away from the category containing areas with low per capita incomes."Karcher, Alan J. New Jersey's Multiple Municipal Madness, pp. 119-120. Rutgers University Press, 1998. . Accessed September 24, 2015. Effective January 1, 1992, it again became a borough.Geographic Change Notes: New Jersey in 1990s, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 3, 2012.
The borough housed the Essex County Penitentiary, constructed in 1872 and used as the Essex County Jail Annex until 2004. It was sold to K. Hovnanian Companies in 2002, which redeveloped the site into a residential community.Khavkine, Richard. "Historians lament destruction of former penitentiary in North Caldwell", The Star-Ledger, June 12, 2011. Accessed January 3, 2012. "Designed in the prevailing Italianate Victorian style and built in 1872 of locally quarried and crafted brownstone on a hill overlooking what is now the border of North Caldwell and Verona, the jail is making room for a different demographic — a housing development."
In 1994, the "Unabomber", Theodore Kaczynski, sent a mail bomb that killed Thomas J. Mosser, an advertising executive who lived in the borough."Unabom Case Plea To Be Made via TV", The New York Times, November 20, 1996. Accessed November 6, 2012. "Lawyers for Theodore J. Kaczynski, suspected Unabomber, agree to waive his right to appear in person in Newark court to enter plea to charges he killed Thomas J. Mosser, advertising executive who lived in North Caldwell, NJ."
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.07 square miles (7.96 km2), including 3.07 square miles (7.95 km2) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.01 km2) of water (0.16%). The highest point in Essex County is located in the Hilltop of North Caldwell at .Official Guide and Manual of the 250th Anniversary Celebration of the Founding of Newark, New Jersey, 1666-1916, p. 163. Accessed February 24, 2020. "At North Caldwell is the Essex County Penitentiary, near by which is the highest point in Essex county, 691 feet above tide."
The borough is bordered by the municipalities of Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield Township, Verona and West Caldwell in Essex County; and Little Falls and Wayne in Passaic County.Areas touching North Caldwell, MapIt. Accessed March 1, 2020.Municipalities, Essex County, New Jersey Register of Deeds and Mortgages. Accessed February 27, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, North Caldwell had a population of 6,694. The median age was 44.4 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.2 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,258 households in North Caldwell, of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 75.3% were married-couple households, 8.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 13.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 11.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,364 housing units, of which 4.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 25.8%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 5,556 83.0% Black or African American 88 1.3% American Indian and Alaska Native 10 0.1% Asian 522 7.8% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.0% Some other race 97 1.4% Two or more races 421 6.3% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 405 6.1%
2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 6,183 people, 2,092 households, and 1,820 families in the borough. The population density was 2,053.2 per square mile (792.7/km2). There were 2,134 housing units at an average density of 708.6 per square mile (273.6/km2). The racial makeup was 91.69% (5,669) White, 0.73% (45) Black or African American, 0.03% (2) Native American, 5.73% (354) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.49% (30) from other races, and 1.34% (83) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.21% (260) of the population.
Of the 2,092 households, 41.3% had children under the age of 18; 78.1% were married couples living together; 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 13.0% were non-families. Of all households, 10.7% were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.19.
27.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 33.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 99.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 97.0 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $151,953 (with a margin of error of +/− $28,824) and the median family income was $178,750 (+/− $38,265). Males had a median income of $140,729 (+/− $14,382) versus $74,750 (+/− $15,480) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $71,798 (+/− $8,574). About none of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for North Caldwell borough, Essex County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 3, 2012.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census there were 7,375 people, 2,070 households, and 1,834 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 2,108 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 79.63% White, 14.51% African American, 0.03% Native American, 4.71% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.16% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for North Caldwell borough , United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 3, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for North Caldwell borough, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 5, 2012.
There were 2,070 households, out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.5% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.4% were non-families. 9.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% 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 3.23.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 118.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.2 males.