Haledon ( Kanzler, Kaitlyn. "How do you saythat? You may be mispronouncing the names of these North Jersey Towns", Neighbor News, September 11, 2019. Accessed February 1, 2023. "Haledon HAIL-don It’s easy to mispronounce this Passaic County bor- ough as HAL-eh-don. But residents know the town as HAIL-don."McCloskey, Joseph. Memoirs of a Biker: Traveling the Long Road, p. 7. Xlibris Corporation, 2009. . Accessed August 10, 2011. "('Haledon,' by the way, is pronounced with only two syllables: HALE-dun.)") is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,052, an increase of 734 (+8.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,318, which in turn reflected an increase of 66 (+0.8%) from the 8,252 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.
Haledon was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1908, replacing the now-defunct Manchester Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 21, 1908.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 209. Accessed May 28, 2024.
History Haledon developed along the northern side of the industrial city of Paterson. It was settled by farmers with colonial Dutch heritage including the Van Riper, Berdan, Banta, Post and Zabriskie families. Prior to the Civil War they were joined by the Roe, Leonhard and Stansfield families, who helped establish St. Mary's Episcopal Church and leading businesses including a general store and the Leonhard Wax Company.
The area became a streetcar suburb of Paterson in the years following the Civil War, with the central area known as Haledon, while the area surrounding the large pond along High Mountain Road was called Oldham. The Paterson and Haledon Horse Rail Road Company, formed in 1871, laid trolley tracks from Paterson along the current-day Belmont Avenue, which were electrified by 1888.
Many of the trolley company's owners were among the founders of the Cedar Cliff Land Company, which bought up large portions of the area, and the street names in the borough reflect these industrialists and businessmen: Morrissee, Hoxey, Van Dyke, John Ryle and Barbour.
The flat, lower part of the community was laid out in city-sized lots of , while the hillsides were plated as sites for larger Victorian "villas" for such individuals as Vice President Garret A. Hobart (now the location of William Paterson University) and the Barbour family of linen flax manufacturers. Haledon's villa development was rather limited and throughout much of the 20th century Haledon was a typical blue-collar community set by the small property sizes planned by the Cedar Cliff Land Company.
A never-constructed grand hotel was planned for the highest point of the community above the intersection of the current day Central and West Haledon Avenues. The Cedar Cliff Land Company ran newspaper advertisements targeted at upwardly mobile immigrants who worked in Paterson's silk industry, offering the city-sized lots for sale at auctions (with free lunches and brass bands) held at St. Mary's Parish Hall, and also opened the Cedar Cliff Silk Mill, which became one of several silk mills in the community.
The residential appeal of Haledon was to escape the crowded industrial city and still have access to the textile mills by using the trolley. As a result of the land sales of Cedar Cliff Land Company and of independent landowner William Buschmann, the town was settled by immigrants who came as skilled workers from textile centers in Europe.Herbst, John A.; and Keene, Catherine, et al. Life and Times in Silk City, A Photographic History of Paterson, NJ. Published American Labor Museum, 1986.
Paramount Dining Car Company was based in Haledon, and built many of New Jersey's iconic stainless steel modular diners,Gabriele, Michael C. "Classic Diners, Offering a Glimpse Into the Past, are True Jersey Gems", New Jersey Monthly, May 1, 2018. Accessed January 29, 2024. "Other Jersey manufacturers of that golden age included Fodero Dining Car Company (Bloomfield); Mountain View Diner Company (Singac/Little Falls); Swingle Diner Manufacturing Inc. (Middlesex); Paramount Dining Car Company (Haledon); and Manno Dining Car Company (Fairfield)." including White Manna in HackensackPatrick, Kevin. North Jersey Diner Tour, Society for Commercial Archeology, September 26–27, 2015. Accessed January 29, 2024. "The White Manna in Hackensack, and the White Mana in Jersey City are the most famous little, white hamburger diners in the state. .... They were both built by Paramount, which designed the circular Jersey City White Mana as a prototype displayed at the 1939-40 New York World's Fair..... The square Hackensack White Manna was the hamburger unit Paramount actually built, and sold after World War II to a new generation of grill men who brought fame to the little hamburgers un-officially but widely known as sliders." and Rosie's Diner that was once on Route 46 in Little Ferry.Anderson, Elizabeth. "Remembering When Diners Were for More Than Just Eating", The New York Times, March 11, 1990. "Like Rosie's Farmland Diner of Little Ferry, known for its role in the Bounty paper-towel commercial and recently moved to Michigan, the Teamsters is a streamlined Paramount diner made in Haledon."
Haledon was incorporated in 1908, having been the Oldham district of the former Passaic County municipality of Manchester Township.
Socialist William Bruekmann was elected mayor in 1912 by the borough's immigrant resident base of skilled silk workers.Shea, Georgia, Spoiled Silk: The Red Mayor and the Great Paterson Textile Strike (2001) During the 1913 Paterson silk strike, Haledon's mayor offered the strikers the opportunity to hold meetings in Haledon, as worker meetings were prohibited in Paterson. The Pietro and Maria Botto House, located on the side of a hill surrounded by open spaces, provided a natural amphitheater for labor leaders of the day to address thousands of people who gathered to hear Big Bill Haywood, Carlo Tresca, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and John Reed. The Botto House is now a National Historic Landmark and the home of the American Labor Museum.Herbst, John A. A Slice of the Earth, published by the American Labor Museum, 1981 (first published in New Jersey History by the New Jersey Historical Society).
In 2008, Councilman Alan Souto, at the time an officer with the Passaic County Sheriff's Department, was arrested for stealing heroin and cocaine from the evidence room from the sheriff's department in order to distribute narcotics, amounting to over $250,000. After being found guilty, he was sentenced to 85 months in federal prison in May 2009.Cowen, Richard. "Ex-Passaic Sheriff's officer sentenced to 85 months", The Record, May 18, 2009. Accessed August 13, 2015. "Souto, a former Haledon councilman and trustee on the Board of Education, was immediately led from the courtroom to begin his sentence, after Linares rejected a request that he be allowed a few weeks to gather his belongings and say goodbye to his wife and four children." Souto was replaced in April 2008 by Marc Battle, a commercial litigator and former civil rights attorney.Cowen, Richard. "Haledon's first black council member resigns", The Record, October 3, 2009. Accessed August 13, 2015. "Marc Battle, the first African-American to serve on the Borough Council, resigned the post this week, citing time constraints brought on by a new job.... Battle, 38, was appointed to the council in April 2008 to fill the unexpired term of Alan Souto, a Passaic County sheriff's officer who was caught selling drugs."
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.22 square miles (3.15 km2), including 1.22 square miles (3.15 km2) of land and <0.01 square miles (<0.01 km2) of water (0.08%). The borough is home of a Passaic River inlet known as Molly Ann Brook.
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bridges Pond and Valley View.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.
The borough borders the Passaic County communities of North Haledon, Paterson, Prospect Park, Totowa and Wayne.Areas touching Haledon, MapIt. Accessed August 13, 2015.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Haledon had a population of 9,052. The median age was 36.4 years. 23.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,017 households, of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.0% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 3,117 housing units, of which 3.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.2%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 3,233 35.7% Black or African American 1,184 13.1% American Indian and Alaska Native 81 0.9% Asian 648 7.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 1 0.0% Some other race 2,521 27.9% Two or more races 1,384 15.3% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 4,476 49.4%
2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 8,318 people, 2,778 households, and 2,028 families in the borough. The population density was 7,203.9 per square mile (2,781.4/km2). There were 2,932 housing units at an average density of 2,539.3 per square mile (980.4/km2). The racial makeup was 62.38% (5,189) White, 11.77% (979) Black or African American, 0.53% (44) Native American, 6.35% (528) Asian, 0.10% (8) Pacific Islander, 14.72% (1,224) from other races, and 4.16% (346) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.60% (3,460) of the population.
Of the 2,778 households, 39.0% had children under the age of 18; 44.1% were married couples living together; 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.0% were non-families. Of all households, 21.2% were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.48.
26.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.3 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,049 (with a margin of error of +/− $11,220) and the median family income was $65,833 (+/− $15,887). Males had a median income of $36,204 (+/− $9,406) versus $45,211 (+/− $6,778) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,317 (+/− $4,090). About 3.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Haledon borough, Passaic County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 15, 2012.