Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson)"The Borough's Name Change", Accessed September 4, 2015. "The Nov. 2008 referendum passed by a slim margin, with 2,136 voters in favor and 2,111 opposed. As a simple majority is all that is required for passage, the governing body did as required by state statute and approved Resolution R08-253 on Dec. 17, 2008 making the official name the Borough of Woodland Park, effective Jan. 1, 2009." is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. At the 2020 United States census, the population was 13,484.
What is now Woodland Park was formed as a borough, under the name West Paterson, by an act of the New Jersey Legislature in 1914, from portions of the township of Little Falls.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 211. Accessed May 30, 2024.
In 2008, the citizens of West Paterson voted to change the official name of the borough from West Paterson to Woodland Park.Appel, Heather. "West Paterson no more", The Record, November 5, 2008, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 16, 2009. Accessed September 4, 2015. "Voters in West Paterson tonight approved a name change to Woodland Park. A referendum to change the borough's name to Woodland Park passed by a margin of just 33 votes, according to preliminary results Tuesday night."Appel, Heather. "Recount wanted in vote to change town's name", Herald News, November 10, 2008. Accessed November 13, 2008.The Borough's Name Change, Borough of Woodland Park. Accessed August 14, 2011. "As a simple majority is all that is required for passage, the governing body did as required by state statute and approved Resolution R08-253 on Dec. 17, 2008 making the official name the Borough of Woodland Park, effective Jan. 1, 2009.""Woodland Park officially wins out", The Record, December 18, 2008. Accessed January 1, 2009.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.08 square miles (7.97 km2), including 2.94 square miles (7.61 km2) of land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km2) of water (4.51%).
Slippery Rock Brook is a tributary of the Passaic River that flows north as it drains part of the western flank of First Watchung Mountain. Traveling south from its confluence with the Passaic River, it passes through the city of Paterson and the borough of Woodland Park.
The borough borders the Passaic County municipalities of Clifton, Little Falls, Paterson and Totowa.Areas touching West Paterson, MapIt. Accessed March 12, 2020.Passaic County Map , Coalition for a Healthy NJ. Accessed March 12, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Borough renaming Borough residents voted in November 2008 to change the community's name to Woodland Park. This close decision—the majority was only 33 votes according to early results—marked the fourth attempt to change the borough's historic name of West Paterson: voters rejected the names "Whispering Pines", "West Park," and "Garret Mountain" in 1989, 1995, and 2001 respectively.A new push for a new name, The Record, October 2, 2008. Accessed November 5, 2008
Such a change is not unique in recent New Jersey history: Dover Township in Ocean County became Toms River Township in November 2006,Toms the Word in N.J., New York Post, November 12, 2006. Accessed November 5, 2008 and Washington Township in Mercer County became Robbinsville Township in November 2007.Then there were five, South Jersey News Online, November 7, 2007. Accessed November 5, 2008 The borough of East Paterson, located in adjacent Bergen County, changed its name to Elmwood Park in 1972.
Both East and West Paterson changed their names in hopes of dissociating themselves from the larger city of Paterson, which is significantly poorer and faces higher levels of crime, while preserving their E.P. and W.P. initials. In West Paterson, proponents of name change argued that their proposal would improve the borough's reputation and thus property values within the borough, as outsiders would be less likely to confuse it with Paterson. Opponents of the renaming saw no need to change, with businesses and the fire department citing the cost of changing references to the borough's name and the consequences of forgetting the community's history as West Paterson. The name change has been marred with accusations of racism and discrimination due to the city of Paterson's lower quality of life and diverse minority demographics. Some Paterson residents and advocates have jokingly suggested renaming Paterson to East Woodland Park and West Elmwood Park.Schweber, Nate. "Bid for Name Change Roils Town", The New York Times, November 14, 2008. Accessed August 14, 2011. "Thomas Rooney, who was sworn in as mayor in Paterson on the day East Paterson became Elmwood Park, joked in the 1970s that Paterson should rename itself 'West Elmwood Park.' Today he jokes that Paterson should call itself 'East Woodland Park' because it sounds 'elegant.' "
Residents who voted "No" to the name change petitioned the municipal government in an attempt to change the name back to West Paterson. A referendum was held on November 3, 2009, and the proposal was defeated by 2,248 votes to 2,216.via Associated Press. "After final count, voters choose to affirm name change to Woodland Park", NJ.com, November 14, 2009. Accessed August 12, 2013.
There is an unincorporated area called Woodland Park in the city of Summit, in Union County, adjacent to New Providence.
Economy Cytec Industries is a specialty chemicals and materials technology company. Cytec was created in a 1993 spin off of American Cyanamid's industrial chemicals businesses. In July 2015, Solvay S.A. announced its intent to acquire Cytec for a purchase price of US$5.5 billion.Morley, Hugh R. "Woodland Park-based Cytec bought by Solvay for $5.5 billion", The Record, July 29, 2015. Accessed November 5, 2015. "Woodland Park-based Cytec Industries Inc. has been acquired by a Belgium-based chemical maker Solvay SA in a $5.5 billion deal aimed at strengthening the European company's position in the auto and aerospace industries, the companies said Wednesday."
North Jersey Media Group, owned by Gannett, is the parent company of The Record and Herald News newspapers. The company relocated the operations of the Herald News to Woodland Park in 1999, and shifted its staff at The Record from Hackensack to Woodland Park from 2008 through 2010.Strupp, Joe. "'The Record' to Vacate New Jersey Building in 2010", Editor & Publisher, December 8, 2009. Accessed November 5, 2015. "The Record of Hackensack, N.J., which has been slowly relocating staff to its sister paper, the Herald News of Woodland Park, plans to completely vacate its main building at the end of 2010, according to an internal memo obtained by E&P.... The Herald News, formerly located in Passaic, moved to the Woodland Park location in 1999."
Parks and recreation Garret Mountain Reservation is a county park covering . The site of Lambert Castle, the park offers views of the New York City skyline, as it rises above sea level.Garret Mountain Reservation , Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed November 5, 2015. "Garret Mountain Reservation, a 568-acre recreational area, situated more than 500 feet above sea level provides sweeping views of northern New Jersey and the New York City skyline.... Lambert Castle and its Observation Tower, two of Passaic County's many historical treasures are also located in Garret Mountain Reservation." The park is primarily within Woodland Park, but it also extends into the cities of Paterson and Clifton.
Rifle Camp Park is a county park covering located mostly within Woodland Park, but its eastern edge extends into Clifton as well. The park includes hiking trails, an observatory, nature center, fitness trail, amphitheater, a bird watching blind, and an overnight camping facility for local scout organizations.Rifle Camp Park , Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed November 5, 2015.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Woodland Park had a population of 13,484. The median age was 43.9 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.6 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 5,252 households in Woodland Park, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.3% were married-couple households, 16.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 5,495 housing units, of which 4.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.5%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 8,723 64.7% Black or African American 603 4.5% American Indian and Alaska Native 92 0.7% Asian 701 5.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 1 0.0% Some other race 1,833 13.6% Two or more races 1,531 11.4% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 3,816 28.3%
2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 11,819 people, 4,632 households, and 3,215 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 4,835 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 82.33% (9,730) White, 4.23% (500) Black or African American, 0.16% (19) Native American, 4.20% (496) Asian, 0.10% (12) Pacific Islander, 6.15% (727) from other races, and 2.83% (335) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.66% (2,442) of the population.
Of the 4,632 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18; 52.7% were married couples living together; 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.6% were non-families. Of all households, 25.7% were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.06.
19.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.7 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $67,250 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,035) and the median family income was $75,080 (+/− $7,661). Males had a median income of $48,514 (+/− $6,624) versus $41,659 (+/− $6,602) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $31,623 (+/− $3,252). About 5.6% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Woodland Park borough, Passaic County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 21, 2012.
Same-sex couples headed 32 households in 2010, a 60% increase from the 20 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 10, 2014.
2000 census