Glen Rock

Glen Rock is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,133, reflecting an increase of 532 (+4.6%) from the 11,601 counted in the 2010 census. The borough was formed on September 14, 1894, from portions of Ridgewood Township and Saddle River Township. It was settled around the Glen Rock, a large boulder in a small valley (glen), from which the borough gets its name. The Lenape Native Americans called the boulder "Pamachapuka" (meaning "stone from heaven" or "stone of the sky") and used it for signal fires and as a trail marker. In 1911, a trolley operator for the North Jersey Rapid Transit Company died in a crash with an opposing trolley around the intersection of Prospect and Grove Streets that was caused by signal problems. This crash in part hastened the demise of this transportation mode which ran from Elmwood Park to Suffern, New York and competed with the Erie Railroad. The right of way for this trolley line was purchased by the Public Service Enterprise Group and is still visible today. In 2018, Niche ranked it the 19th best place to live in New Jersey. The median household income of Glen Rock residents is $162,443, more than double the statewide median of $76,475. Glen Rock has been one of the state's highest-income communities.

History

Glen Rock was formed on September 14, 1894, from portions of Ridgewood Township and Saddle River Township. The borough was settled around the Glen Rock, a large boulder in a small valley (glen), from which the borough gets its name. The Lenape Native Americans called the boulder "Pamachapuka" (meaning "stone from heaven") and used it for signal fires and as a trail marker. In 1911, a trolley operator for the North Jersey Rapid Transit Company, one day away from retirement, died in a crash with an opposing trolley around the intersection of Prospect and Grove Streets that was caused by signal problems. The right of way for this trolley line was purchased by the Public Service Enterprise Group and is still visible today. This crash in part hastened the demise of this transportation mode which ran from Elmwood Park, New Jersey to Suffern, New York and competed with the Erie Railroad. It is believed to have been carried to the site by a glacier that picked up the rock 15,000 years ago near Peekskill and carried it for 20 miles (32 km) to its present location. The rock, a glacial erratic weighing in at 570 short tons (520 t) and located where Doremus Avenue meets Rock Road, is believed by some to be the birthplace of the Lenape tribe. It was also the site of one of Bergen County's most serious public transportation accidents. In addition to the death of the opposing trolleys operator, 12 people were injured.

Geography

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Ferndale. The borough borders the municipalities of Fair Lawn, Paramus and Ridgewood in Bergen County, and Hawthorne in Passaic County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.72 square miles (7.04 km²) of land and 0.01 square miles of water (0.51%) in 2010. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population of the borough in 2010 was 1,788. The population of Ferndal in 2010 is 1,856, according to the U.N. Census. The Borough's population at the time of the 2010 Census was 2,764. The United States Geological Survey recorded the borough as having a population of 1,638. The area is 2.70 square miles, or 7.00 km², with 0.04 square miles as its land area. It has a population density of 1.077 per square mile, or 1.08 per square kilometer. The city's population in 2010 stood at 1,787, or 2.01 per cent of the city's total population. It is located in New Jersey's Bergen and Passaic counties, and is part of the Passaic-Bergen Metropolitan Statistical Area. It also shares a border with New York's Hudson County and the city of Paramus, New Jersey. It's located in the Hudson River watershed.

Demographics

The 2010 U.S. census counted 11,601 people, 3,917 households, and 3,290 families in the borough. Same-sex couples headed 20 households in 2010, an increase from the 15 counted in 2000. The median household income was $140,882 (with a margin of error of +/ $13,445) in 2010. The per capita income for the borough was $61,013 (+/ $6,466). About 1.1% of families and 1.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 2.2% ofThose age 65 or over. The racial makeup of the borough is 90.07% White, 1.81% African American, 0.16% Native American, 6.48% Asian,0.02% Pacific Islander, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.72%. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.28. The average age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.1 males. In the borough, the median age was 40.9 years. The population density was 4,275.2 people per square mile (1,638.9/km²). There were 4,024 housing units at an average density of 1,479.9 per squaremile (571.2/ km²).

Economy

Glen Rock's central business district is situated on a roughly 0.2 mile (0.3 km) stretch of Rock Road between the borough's two train stations. Long-standing businesses include the Glen Rock Inn, a bar and restaurant in operation since 1948, and the Rock Ridge Pharmacy, opened in 1950. Corporate residents of Glen Rock include Genovese & Maddalene, an architectural firm that specialized in designing churches. The town is home to the New Jersey Museum of Natural History, which was founded in 1872. The museum is located on the site of the former Glen Rock High School, which opened in 1875. It is now home to a museum of natural history that opened in 1903. The city's main square is called Glen Rock Square, which is located in the center of the town. The borough's main street is known as Glen Rock Road, which runs through the heart of the city. It was built in the early 20th century as a main route for the town's residents to get to and from the city's two main train stations, which are located on opposite sides of the street. The area is also known as the "Rocky Mountains" because of its rocky terrain, which can be seen from a distance of more than a mile (1.5 km) away. It has a population of about 2,000 people, most of whom live in or near the town center. It also has one of the largest concentrations of Jewish communities in New Jersey, with more than 1,000 residents.

Arts and culture

In October 2005, many scenes of prominent locations in town were shot for the film World Trade Center, starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Oliver Stone. Glen Rock has had 11 residents who were killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Musical groups from the borough include the indie-rock band Titus Andronicus. The borough is home to the New Jersey Museum of Natural History, which was founded in 1903. The museum is located in Glen Rock and is open to the public. It is also home to a museum of natural history, the Glen Rock Museum, which opened in 1913. The New Jersey State Museum is also based in the borough, and opened in 1924. The Museum's collection includes the National Gallery of New Jersey, which dates back to the 17th century. The National Gallery also has a gallery of works of art, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens. The town is also the home of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, where 11 residents died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The Memorial was dedicated to the memory of those who died on the day of the attacks. It was also the site of a memorial service for the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, which took place on September 14, 2001. The memorial was held in the town's Glen Rock High School, which is located on the former site of the former Glen Rock Elementary School. The city also has its own version of the U.S. Supreme Court, which has been named after the town.

Government

Glen Rock is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis. New Jersey is located in the 5th congressional district and is part of the 38th state legislative district. For the 117th U.S. Congress, New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District is represented by Josh Gottheimer (D, Wyckoff) Glen Rock is represented in the New Jersey Legislature by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Bob Menendez (Harrison, term end 2025). For the 2022-2023 legislative session, the New. Jersey Legislature isrepresented in the General Assembly by Joseph. Tanaana (D), Lisa Swain (D) and Chris Tully (D-Bergen) Bergen County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, with legislative functions performed by a five-member Executive Offices Committee. Other County Offices are the County Clerk and Surrogate (both elected for a two-thirds majority vote each November) and the Clerk of the Superior Court. Glen Rock's borough government recognizes an annual Poverty Awareness Week. The community comes together for an annual project to combat extreme global poverty. On April 10, 2019, the Borough Council passed an ordinance outlawing single-use plastic bags in retail establishments. The Council appoints a professional borough administrator who is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Borough, responsible to the Mayor and Council.

Education

The Glen Rock Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2019-2020 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 2,567 students and 224.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentteacher ratio of 11.4:1. The operation of the district is overseen by a nine-member board of education. In September 2013, the school was one of 15 schools in New Jersey to be recognized by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Academy of Our Lady is a Catholic school for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade that is affiliated with St. Catharine's Roman Catholic Church located in Glen Rock and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in neighboring Ridgewood. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district. Public school students from the borough (and all of Bergen County) are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Ber gen County Technical Schools. The Bergen Tech campuses are in Teterboro and Paramus, and in Hackensack. The school district is a member of the New Jersey Council on Education (NCE), which is a state agency that provides funding for public education through the state education budget. The NCE is responsible for the creation of the state's K-12 public education funding system, which is funded by the state of New Jersey.

Transportation

As of May 2010, the borough had a total of 44.67 miles (71.89 km) of roadways. Glen Rock is served by Route 208, which runs southeast to northwest from Fair Lawn to Oakland. The borough has two separate NJ Transit train stations: Glen RockMain Line station on the Main Line located at Rock Road and Main Street, and Glen RockBoro Hall station at Harding Plaza between Maple Avenue and Rock Road. NJ Transit provides bus service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 148 (on Route 208), 164, and 196 (also on Route 208) bus lines, service to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station on the 175. Local service on the 722 (on Lincoln Avenue) and 746 bus lines. There are also transfers available at Secaucus Junction to Penn Station in midtown Manhattan and to most of NJ Transit's other train lines.

Culture

The Hendrick Hopper House is a historic building located on the corner of Ackerman and Hillman Avenues. Glen Rock is home to an architecturally prominent Sikh gurudwara. As much as 90% of the borough's Indian American constituency was estimated by one member in 2014 to have moved to Glen Rock within the preceding two-year period alone. In February 2015, the Glen Rock Board of Education voted to designate the Hindu holy day Diwali as an annual school holiday, making it the county's first district to do so. The Jewish community is centered around the GlenRock Jewish Center which offers prayer services and a Judaic education. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 as site #8300-1526. The Glen Rock School District is the only district in the county to have named a day of the week as a school holiday. The school district is also the first to designate a Hindu holiday as an official holiday, with the first day of school designated on November 1, 2014. The district is the home of the New Jersey School District's first Indian American student, who moved to the borough in the early 1990s. It is also home to a Sikh temple, which was built in the mid-20th century by the local Sikh community. The town is known as the "Sikhs of New Jersey" because of the large number of Sikhs living in the area. It also has a large Jewish community, which is represented by the Glenrock Jewish Center.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Glen Rock, Bergen County, New Jersey = 15.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Glen Rock = 3.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 12,133 individuals with a median age of 40 age the population dropped by -3.38% in Glen Rock, Bergen County, New Jersey population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,488.7 residents per square mile of area (1,733.1/km²). There are average 2.94 people per household in the 3,772 households with an average household income of $137,895 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.90% of the available work force and has dropped -4.60% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 22.90%. The number of physicians in Glen Rock per 100,000 population = 440.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Glen Rock = 49.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 27.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 122. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 204. 87 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 22.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 46, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Glen Rock, Bergen County, New Jersey which are owned by the occupant = 90.82%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 59 years with median home cost = $507,770 and home appreciation of -7.61%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $21.97 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $8,744 per student. There are 12.8 students for each teacher in the school, 1236 students for each Librarian and 412 students for each Counselor. 4.45% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 37.02% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 24.41% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).