Cresskill was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 8, 1894, from portions of Palisades Township.[24] 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.[25] A portion of the borough was annexed by Alpine in 1904.[24][26]
Railroads provided access from Cresskill to customers in New York City, including a chicken hatchery that was the world's largest by 1897.[22] Railroad access established the former Camp Merritt as a major debarkation point for more than a million American troops being sent abroad to fight in World War I. To commemorate the fact, a large obelisk memorial (referred to by locals as "The Monument"[27]), or "The Circle Monument" was dedicated in 1924, set in the center of the Camp Merritt Memorial Circle at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Knickerbocker Road (CR 505).[28]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.07 square miles (5.36 km2), including 2.07 square miles (5.35 km2) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.01 km2) of water (0.24%).[1][2]
It rests on land originally inhabited by the Munsee-Delaware.[34][35]
Of the 3,002 households, 40.5% had children under the age of 18; 66.2% were married couples living together; 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 22.8% were non-families. Of all households, 21.1% were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.32.[19]Same-sex couples headed 7 households in 2010, an increase from the 5 counted in 2000.[47]
26.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 88.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 85.7 males.[19]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $105,625 (with a margin of error of +/− $14,945) and the median family income was $128,382 (+/− $16,732). Males had a median income of $95,795 (+/− $24,665) versus $72,188 (+/− $16,155) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $56,485 (+/− $6,202). About 2.4% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.[48]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[16] there were 7,746 people, 2,630 households, and 2,161 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,625.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,400.0/km2). There were 2,702 housing units at an average density of 1,264.8 per square mile (488.3/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 78.05% White, 0.92% African American, 0.04% Native American, 18.64% Asian, 0.65% from other races, and 1.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.99% of the population.[45][46]
There were 2,630 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.1% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.26.[45][46]
In the borough the age distribution of the population shows 26.3% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.[45][46]
The median income for a household in the borough was $84,692, and the median income for a family was $96,245. Males had a median income of $61,194 versus $38,990 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $41,573. About 1.7% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.[45][46]
Government
Local government
Cresskill Municipal BuildingThe post office in Cresskill, c. 1915
Cresskill is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.[49] The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.[6] The borough form of government used by Cresskill is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.[50][51]
As of 2024[update], the mayor of the Borough of Cresskill is Republican Benedict Romeo, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Cresskill Borough Council are Leslie Kaplan (D, 2025), Arthur J. McLaughlin (D, 2026), Hector Olmo (R, 2026), Kathleen Savas (D, 2024), Kathy M. Schultz-Rummel (R, 2024) and Mark Spina (R, 2025).[52][53][54][55][56][57]
Emergency services
The Cresskill Fire Department is a combination career and volunteer fire department that serves Cresskill and neighboring municipalities. The Fire Department is led by a Career Chief of Department and a Volunteer Deputy Chief, that lead the career and volunteer firefighters. The CFD is comprised of a squad truck, two engines, one ladder truck, and a rescue vehicle. Since Cresskill's EMS service closed down in 2015, Emergency Medical Services are provided to residents under the umbrella of the Cresskill Fire Department, providing 24/7 EMS service with paid per-diem staff.[58]
The Cresskill Police Department is made up of 22 police officers, complemented by Class I Special Police Officer's. The Police Department is open 24/7, and is located at 67 Union Avenue, in the rear of Borough Hall.[59]
Federal, state, and county representation
Cresskill is located in the 5th Congressional District[60] and is part of New Jersey's 39th state legislative district.[61]
Bergen County is governed by a directly elected County Executive, with legislative functions performed by a Board of County Commissioners composed of seven members who are elected at-large to three-year terms in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each November; a Chairman and Vice Chairman are selected from among its seven members at a reorganization meeting held every January. As of 2024[update], the county executive is James J. Tedesco III (D, Paramus), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.[67]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,904 registered voters in Cresskill, of which 1,263 (25.8% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,234 (25.2% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 2,403 (49.0% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[89] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 57.2% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 78.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).[89][90]
In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 2,086 votes (52.8% vs. 54.2% countywide), ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 1,689 votes (42.7% vs. 41.1% countywide) and other candidates with 127 votes (3.2% vs 3.0% countywide), among the 3,953 ballots cast by the borough's 5,467 registered voters for a turnout of 72.3% (vs. 73% in Bergen County).[91] In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 1,805 votes (49.7% vs. 43.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,777 votes (48.9% vs. 54.8%) and other candidates with 22 votes (0.6% vs. 0.9%), among the 3,634 ballots cast by the borough's 5,163 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.4% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County).[92][93] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,989 votes (50.4% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 1,913 votes (48.5% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates with 23 votes (0.6% vs. 0.8%), among the 3,944 ballots cast by the borough's 5,074 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.7% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).[94][95] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 1,886 votes (50.5% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,813 votes (48.5% vs. 51.7%) and other candidates with 27 votes (0.7% vs. 0.7%), among the 3,738 ballots cast by the borough's 4,748 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.7% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county).[96]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.3% of the vote (1,412 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 34.9% (766 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (19 votes), among the 2,259 ballots cast by the borough's 4,949 registered voters (62 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 45.6%.[97][98] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,213 votes (49.5% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,106 votes (45.2% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 99 votes (4.0% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 8 votes (0.3% vs. 0.5%), among the 2,449 ballots cast by the borough's 4,975 registered voters, yielding a 49.2% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).[99]
Education
The Cresskill Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade[100] The district is governed by a board of education and administered by a superintendent of schools, a school business administrator / board secretary, and principals, as part of the district's staff of more than 320 employees.[101] Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[102]) are
Edward H. Bryan School[103] with 531 students grades PreK-5,
Merritt Memorial School[104] with 276 students in grades PreK-5 and
Cresskill Middle School / Cresskill High School[105] with 398 students in middle school for grades 6-8 and 474 in high school for grades 9-12.[106][107]
Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. 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.[108][109]
Despite efforts by parents, the Academy of Saint Therese of Lisieux, which opened in 1957, was shuttered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark at the end of the 2019–20 school year, in the wake of declining enrollment and an unsustainable subsidy from the diocese of more than $300,000 per year.[110]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 37.02 miles (59.58 km) of roadways, of which 33.65 miles (54.15 km) were maintained by the municipality and 3.37 miles (5.42 km) by Bergen County.[111]
^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."
^Rondinaro, Gene. "Start-Up Buyer Oasis in Affluent Bergen", The New York Times, January 19, 1997. Accessed September 8, 2008. "Utilizing the newly built railroad connections to New York, more than one million American soldiers passed through the camp before it was disbanded in 1920. In 1924, the Camp Merritt Memorial Obelisk at the traffic circle connecting Knickerbocker Road and Madison Avenue -- better known to residents as the Monument -- was dedicated to those troops by Gen. John J. Pershing."
^Fire Department, Borough of Cresskill. Accessed April 21, 2024. "The personnel of department consist of one (1) Chief of Department, one (1) Assistant Chief, one (1) Captain, two (2) Lieutenants, and approximately 16 Firefighters.... In 2015, Cresskill E.M.S. was disbanded and then became a Division of the Cresskill Fire Department. The Fire Department EMS is a fire-based New Jersey State Department of Health licensed ambulance service that provides the highest level of patient care. We are the only licensed paid ambulance in the Northern Valley area."
^Biography, Congressman Josh Gottheimer. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Josh now lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey with Marla, his wife who was a federal prosecutor, and their two young children, Ellie and Ben."
^Cattafi, Kristie. "Democrats pick Bergenfield councilman to fill vacancy on Bergen County commissioners board", The Record, March 13, 2023. Accessed March 16, 2023. "A Democratic councilman from Bergenfield will be sworn in as a Bergen County commissioner Wednesday night, filling a vacancy on the governing body for almost 1 million residents. Rafael Marte will serve until Dec. 31, taking on the unexpired term left by former Commissioner Ramon Hache, a Democrat who resigned last week to lead the Ridgewood YMCA as its chief executive officer."
^Cresskill School District Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Cresskill Public Schools. Accessed April 10, 2024. "Purpose The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through twelve in the Cresskill School District. Composition The Cresskill School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Cresskill."
^Board of Education Overview, Cresskill Public Schools. Accessed April 10, 2024. "The district is governed by a Board of Education and administered by a Superintendent of Schools, a School Business Administrator, and three principals. The staff, comprised of teachers, child study team specialists, area supervisors, nurses, secretaries, aides and custodians, totals 327."
^Kaulessar, Ricardo. "Parents' bid to keep Cresskill Catholic school open falls short", The Record, May 29, 2020. Accessed March 30, 2023. "Despite the efforts of parents and a $250,000 fundraising drive, the Academy of St. Therese of Lisieux school appears headed for closure next month.... The Archdiocese of Newark announced earlier this month that St. Therese, on Jefferson Avenue, was one of 10 New Jersey Catholic schools closing at the end of the academic year due to declining enrollment and other issues.... It calls for the pre-k through 8 school, which opened in September 1957, to stay open for one more year and allow time to create a financial plan to continue operating without the $326,000 subsidy that the archdiocese provides."
^Trotter, J.K. "Fox News Boss Roger Ailes Treats Cops as His Personal Minions", Gawker, September 15, 2014. Accessed July 6, 2016. "He's also made very good friends with the local cops of Cresskill, New Jersey. According to police records obtained by Gawker, the Cresskill Police Department supplies 24/7 security to Ailes' residence there—apparently at no cost to Ailes himself—and otherwise delivers on-demand police services to his family, regardless of whether or not they are in any obvious danger."
^Caldera, Pete. "Where are they now: Joe Azelby of Bergen Catholic", The Record, December 13, 2011, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 4, 2016. Accessed September 12, 2017. "These days Azelby, 49, regularly commutes to Manhattan from Cresskill, where he resides with his wife, Janet, and three daughters – though he must keep an up-to-date passport."
^Venutolo, Anthony. "Exploring the valleys in peak form", The Star-Ledger, December 14, 2007. Accessed July 8, 2011. "Throughout her career, Blige, a 36-year-old Bronx native who now lives in Cresskill, has used her music as a kind of public therapy, reflecting on where she is, where she has been and where she wants to go."
^Seachrist, Denise A. "The Musical World of Halim El-Dabh", p. 95, Kent State University Press, 2003. ISBN0-87338-752-X . Accessed July 8, 2011. "Mary and the girls were delighted to return to the United States, and when El-Dabh purchased a home in Cresskill, New Jersey, Mary was optimistic that her peripatetic husband was finally ready to settle down."
^Batipps, Mylin. "Dentist by Day, Musician by Night", TCNJ Journal, April 13, 2013. Accessed December 23, 2013. "Stephen Dadaian is an electric and classical guitarist from Cresskill, New Jersey."
^Staff. "The Rumble: Damons' open house", New York Post, September 27, 2009. Accessed December 23, 2013. "With a downstairs living section in their Cresskill home, Damon and his wife, Michelle, welcomed the Robertsons in."
^Lehmann, Marilyn. "Religion and Music Shape Bobby Hebb's Life Style", Ridgewood Herald-News, September 30, 1971. Accessed December 27, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Bobby Hebb of Cresskill, although best known for his record, "Sunny", which he composed, wrote and sang, and which went over the elevn million mark, is a man with such a multitude of talents, and with so much energy to pursue them all that trying to follow his activities for just one day would leave the ordinary person far behind."
^Jackson, Herb. "Obama taps Cresskill man for federal panel", The Record, January 10, 2014, backed up by the Internet Archive as of June 1, 2016. Accessed September 12, 2017. "President Obama nominated the Bergen County public relations executive Michael Kempner on Thursday to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the Voice of America service and other federally controlled outlets overseas."
^Levin, Jay. "Harold Martin, former Bergen County freeholder and state Assemblyman, dies", The Record, October 20, 2010. Accessed September 12, 2017. "Harold Martin, a Democrat from Cresskill who served one term as a Bergen County freeholder and three terms in the state Assembly, died Tuesday. He was 92. Mr. Martin, who worked at various times as a stockbroker, an electronic manufacturers sales representative and a research economist, used a seat on the Cresskill Planning Board and frequent attendance at Cresskill Council meetings as a springboard to higher office."
^Lyons, Richard D. "Reuben Mattus, 81, the Founder of Haagen-Dazs", The New York Times, January 29, 1994. Accessed December 4, 2013. "Reuben Mattus, the Polish immigrant who stuck an umlaut on a nonsensical name and parlayed the exotic result into the multimillion-dollar company that sold Haagen-Dazs ice cream, died on Thursday in the North Broward Medical Center in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Mr. Mattus, who lived in Cresskill, N.J., was 81."
^Hevesi, Dennis. "Rose Mattus, 90, Co-Creator of Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream, Dies", The New York Times, December 1, 2006. Accessed December 4, 2013. "Rose Mattus, who with her husband, Reuben, turned a family-owned ice cream business in the Bronx into a national brand with the invented name Häagen-Dazs, died Tuesday in Westwood, N.J. She was 90 and lived in Cresskill, N.J."
^Czerwinski, Mark. "A Big Positive for Whalers", The Record, November 21, 1993, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 2, 2015. Accessed September 12, 2017. "Pierre McGuire knows hockey. The former Bergen Catholic standoutand Cresskill resident also has paid his dues as an assistant coach."
^ abHalasz, Piri. "Ward Engravings on View", The New York Times, October 27, 1974. Accessed September 12, 2017. "Since then, Mr. Ward has illustrated more than 100 books for adults and children; they range from editions of Goethe's Faust and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to a number of children's books written by his wife, May McNeer Ward.... For the last 16 years, Mr. and Mrs. Ward have lived on Lambs Lane, in Cresskill, in a small house to which they have added a much larger studio."
^Chang, Kenneth. "R. Bruce Merrifield, Who Won Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Dies at 84", The New York Times, May 20, 2006. Accessed December 23, 2013. "R. Bruce Merrifield, who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing a much quicker way to synthesize proteins, streamlining many medical and scientific experiments, died Sunday at his home in Cresskill, N.J."
^Petkewich, Rachel. "Nobel Laureate R. Bruce Merrifield Dies At 84", Chemical & Engineering News, May 23, 2006. "Robert Bruce Merrifield, a biochemist who won the 1984 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for a method he named solid-phase peptide synthesis, died on May 14 at his home in Cresskill, N.J., after a long illness. He was 84."
^Coutros, Evonne; and Koloff, Abbott. "Nicholas Oresko of Cresskill, World War II hero, dies at 96", The Record, October 4, 2013, backed up by the Internet Archive as of September 7, 2013. Accessed September 12, 2017. "Nicholas Oresko of Cresskill, the nation's oldest Medal of Honor recipient, died Friday evening, having been watched over all week by veterans and military personnel who'd heard he was in a hospital with a broken leg. Oresko, 96, was a U.S. Army master sergeant during World War II, when, although badly wounded, he wiped out two enemy bunkers near Tettingen, Germany, during the Battle of the Bulge."
^Wagner, James. "The Mets Middleman Who's Always on Call", The New York Mets, November 18, 2016. Accessed September 12, 2017. "Ricco’s path to the Mets’ front office began in a newsroom. Growing up in Cresskill, N.J., Ricco was a Yankees fan — an allegiance that has long since fizzled."
^Kramer, Peter D. "9/11: Man in the red bandanna's finest hour", The Record, September 6, 2016, backed up by the Internet Archive as of October 11, 2016. Accessed September 12, 2017. "This week will find Tom Rinaldi pingponging from his home in Tenafly, New Jersey — less than a mile from the Cresskill home he grew up in — to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, to cover the U.S. Open."
^Yorio, Kara. "Cresskill native Tommy Savas in TNT's The Last Ship", The Record, June 19, 2014, backed up by the Internet Archive as of August 12, 2014. Accessed September 12, 2017. "Savas, who grew up in Cresskill, is part of an ensemble cast that includes Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra and Adam Baldwin, and he promises something new for the television audience."
^Levin, Jay. "Richard H. Tedford, 82; paleontologist and author", The Record, July 21, 2001, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 12, 2016. Accessed September 12, 2017. "Richard H. Tedford of Demarest, whose eminent, decades-long career as a vertebrate paleontologist took him on fossil explorations of Australia, China and the American West, died last Friday. He was 82.... Mr. Tedford, formerly of Cresskill, was predeceased by his first wife, Elizabeth."
^"Music Notes", The Star-Ledger, November 16, 2000, p. 71. "Wright returns. Singer-songwriter-keyboardist Gary Wright, who grew up in Cresskill and went to Tenafly High School, will perform in New York tonight for the first time in 20 years."
^Voger, Mark. "Hippiefest: Gary Wright interview", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, July 29, 2011. Accessed May 26, 2015. "Born in Cresskill and a graduate of Tenafly High School, Wright is coming home to perform on Aug. 9 in Red Bank, Aug. 10 in Morristown and Aug. 12 in Englewood as part of the Hippiefest tour alongside Felix Cavaliere, Mark Farner, Dave Mason and Rick Derringer."
Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties) prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.
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