Woodcliff Lake is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,128, an increase of 398 (+6.9%) from the 2010 census count of 5,730, which in turn reflected a decline of 15 (−0.3%) from the 5,745 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. Most of the borough mandates a minimum lot size of for single-family homes, with portions on the borough's east zoned for and portions of the borough's northwest and southwest zoned for lots.Zoning Map, Borough of Woodcliff Lake. Accessed August 2, 2022.

Woodcliff Lake is also the name of the reservoir that lies predominantly within the borough, with a small portion at the southeastern edge located in neighboring Hillsdale.Redmon, Kimberly. "United Water to begin dam upgrades in Woodcliff Lake Reservoir", Pascack Valley Community Life, February 28, 2014. Accessed March 18, 2015. "United Water plans to lower Church Road, which is situated above the dam, for additional spillway capacity, as well as widen the narrow roadway. As a result, Church Road, an east-west thoroughfare through Hillsdale, will be closed to traffic from April 1 through Dec. 31, 2015."United Water New Jersey, Inc. v. Borough of Hillsdale, Justia. Accessed March 18, 2015. "The relevant facts are essentially undisputed. UWNJ provides water to customers in sixty municipalities in Bergen and Hudson Counties. To do so, UWNJ utilizes, among other facilities, the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir, which is located in Hillsdale and the Borough of Woodcliff Lake ('Woodcliff Lake'). One of the reservoir's structures is a dam across the Pascack Brook, which UWNJ's predecessor, Hackensack Water Company, constructed in 1904. The dam is traversed by Church Road, a private road owned by UWNJ that is subject to use easements held by Hillsdale and Woodcliff Lake."

History The borough was originally incorporated as the Borough of Woodcliff, on August 31, 1894, from parts of Orvil Township and Washington Township, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 88. Accessed May 30, 2024. The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs 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 1, 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." The borough derives its name from the characteristics of its geography.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed November 5, 2015.

On March 1, 1910, after the creation of the reservoir, the name of the borough was changed to Woodcliff Lake, to match the name of the post office. Prior to the creation of ZIP Codes as a way to uniquely identify addresses, United States Postal Service policy was that two post offices in a state could not have the same name, and there was already a "Woodcliff" in Hudson County.Burrow, Megan. "Putting the lake into Woodcliff Lake", Pascack Valley Community Life, June 17, 2010. Accessed June 12, 2012. "Before 1910, the borough was simply known as Woodcliff, but the moniker was changed a century ago to reflect the shining new lake in the center of the rural hamlet, and to match the town's post office, whose name had been changed shortly before to distinguish it from a mail center in the Hudson County town of Woodcliff. In the era before zip codes, each post office in the state had to have a unique name in order to avoid confusion." On January 1, 1956, and again on July 1, 1958, Woodcliff Lake exchanged sections of land with Park Ridge. On October 13, 1960, portions were exchanged with Hillsdale.Bergen County New Jersey Municipalities, Dutch Door Genealogy. Accessed May 30, 2006.

Woodcliff Lake has many historic houses and buildings, some dating from the 18th century. Many old buildings are also present, but are likely to have been modified through the years. The borough has seen intense development over the past 50 years, as virtually all areas available for construction have been developed.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.55 square miles (9.19 km2), including 3.38 square miles (8.74 km2) of land and 0.17 square miles (0.45 km2) of water (4.85%).

The borough is bordered by the Bergen County municipalities of Hillsdale, Montvale, Park Ridge, River Vale, Saddle River, and small portions of Upper Saddle River.Areas touching Woodcliff Lake, MapIt. Accessed March 15, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 15, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019. Woodcliff Lake is located approximately northwest of Manhattan.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Woodcliff Lake borough, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)5,2744,9464,95591.80%86.32%80.86%Black or African American alone (NH)4947460.85%0.82%0.75%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1020.02%0.00%0.03%Asian alone (NH)2573715364.47%6.47%8.75%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)0010.00%0.00%0.02%Other race alone (NH)08280.00%0.14%0.46%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)30481530.52%0.84%2.50%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1343104072.33%5.41%6.64%Total5,7455,7306,128 100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Woodcliff Lake had a population of 6,128. The median age was 45.5 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,114 households, of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 70.0% were married-couple households, 8.6% had a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.5% had a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,235 housing units, of which 5.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 19.3%.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 5,730 people, 1,916 households, and 1,600 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,980 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 90.30% (5,174) White, 0.82% (47) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 6.47% (371) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.20% (69) from other races, and 1.20% (69) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.41% (310) of the population.

Of the 1,916 households, 42.3% had children under the age of 18; 75.4% were married couples living together; 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 16.5% were non-families. Of all households, 15.0% were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.28.

27.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 17.1% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $150,404 (with a margin of error of +/− $25,298) and the median family income was $172,019 (+/− $32,763). Males had a median income of $105,045 (+/− $11,151) versus $65,119 (+/− $22,660) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $62,925 (+/− $7,887). About 1.1% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Woodcliff Lake borough, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 12, 2012.

Same-sex couples headed five households in 2010, an increase from the one household 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 November 18, 2014.

2000 census As of the 2000 United States census, there were 5,745 people, 1,824 households, and 1,605 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,842 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 93.84% White, 0.87% African American, 0.03% Native American, 4.47% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 2.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Woodcliff Lake borough, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 4, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Woodcliff Lake borough, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 4, 2013.

There were 1,824 households, out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.2% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.0% were non-families. 10.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 29.9% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $123,022, and the median income for a family was $133,925. Males had a median income of $90,000 versus $45,150 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $53,461. 1.5% of the population and 0.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.4% of those under the age of 18 and 2.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Economy The borough was the world headquarters of Ingersoll Rand until the company moved in 2004, after which its property was taken over by the North American headquarters of BMW. The borough is also the corporate headquarters of Perillo Tours, which consists of an elaborate Italian revival where Richard Nixon had an office after his presidency.

Tice's Corner Marketplace is a strip mall located on the site of the original Tice's Farms that features more than 20 stores. Due to Bergen County's blue laws, all the retail stores are closed on Sundays, but two of its restaurants are open.Home Page, Tice's Corner Marketplace. Accessed March 10, 2015.

Arts and culture