Englewood City

Bergen County, New Jersey

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Englewood City Hall is located at 2‑10 North Van Brundt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631.
Phone: 201‑871‑6637.

Beginnings [1]

Englewood's history begins with the Lenni Lenepe tribe settled in the valley. When Henry Hudson claimed the land of the Hackensack Valley for the Dutch in 1607, the Lenni Lenape population quickly dwindled. In 1664, when the Dutch gave the land to the British, the new Province of New Jersey became more attractive for settlement by English, Dutch, and French populations. A land grant including Englewood's boundaries was given to Garret Lydecker in 1703.

An inn, the Liberty Pole Tavern, sat near the present site of the traffic circle by West Palisade Avenue and Lafayette Avenue. The inn became the hub of the economic and sociopolitical life of the area. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington's army passed through the Liberty Pole Tavern, and in 1780 Washington had his headquarters in Englewood. During the war, Hackensack Valley was seen as a source of food for armies, so farmers had to protect their land.

After the war, as the farmers recovered, new settlers came to the area. A railroad was built in 1840 from Jersey City to Englewood for commuters to New York City. A new line extension was proposed in 1858. Lawyer J. Wyman Jones predicted resulting future development in the Englewood area, bought land and planned roads, and registered the settlement in 1859. The town grew as Jones recruited friends, many of who worked in New York City financial institutions, to move to Englewood. More local goods and services were produced, and the commercial activity attracted European immigrants. Reflecting the town's growth, a third railroad station was built in 1887, and by 1903 Englewood had thirteen hotels. Forty-six trains each way ran through Englewood daily.

Englewood became its own township in 1871 and was incorporated in 1896. Englewood's population tripled from 1900 to 1930, and financial leaders continued to move in, enjoying the convenient commute to Wall Street. A trolley service from Englewood to Edgewater Ferry (which connected to the New York City subway) started in 1896, but service stopped in 1937. The last passenger train ran in 1966.

Today, Englewood's population has stabilized at about 27,000. The area continues to benefit from its proximity to New York City and attracts a very diverse population.

  1. City of Englewood New Jersey Planning Board and Master Plan Subcommittee, City of Englewood Master Plan, 2014, www.cityofenglewood.org, accessed December, 2014.

Nearby Towns: Alpine Boro • Bergenfield Boro • Bogota Boro • Carlstadt Boro • Closter Boro • Dumont Boro • Edgewater Borough • Fairview Borough • Hackensack City • Hastings-on-Hudson Village • Maywood Boro • New Milford Boro • Oradell Boro • Paramus Boro • Ridgefield Park Vlg • River Edge Boro • Tenafly Boro • Washington Twp •


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