| Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| — Borough — | |
| Map highlighting Ho-Ho-Kus's location within Bergen County. Inset: Bergen County's location within New Jersey | |
| Census Bureau map of Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Bergen |
| Incorporated | October 12, 1908 |
| Government[1] | |
| • Type | Borough |
| • Mayor | Thomas Randall (R, term ends 2011)[2] |
| • Administrator | Donald G. Cirulli[3] |
| Area[4] | |
| • Total | 1.75 sq mi (4.5 km2) |
| • Land | 1.74 sq mi (4.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.026 km2) 0.57% |
| Elevation[5] | 118 ft (36 m) |
| Population (2010 Census)[6][7][8] | |
| • Total | 4,078 |
| • Density | 2,350.3/sq mi (907.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07423[9] |
| Area code(s) | 201/551 |
| FIPS code | 34-32310[10][11] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0885258[12] |
| Website | http://www.ho-ho-kusboro.com |
Ho-Ho-Kus is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 4,078.[6][8] It is the home of several historical landmarks, including the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn and The Hermitage.
Ho-Ho-Kus was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on October 12, 1908, from what had originally been the borough of Orvil, which was in turn created on March 8, 1905, from portions of Orvil Township.[13][14]
Ho-Ho-Kus was 15th highest in New Jersey according to per-capita income as of the 2000 United States Census.[15]
In 2011, New Jersey Monthly magazine named Ho-Ho-Kus the best place to live in the state of New Jersey, citing its affluence, its low crime rate, and the quality of its school system, as well as its proximity to New York City and other major commercial destinations.[16] The magazine also named Ho-Ho-Kus the eighth wealthiest community in New Jersey overall, with a median household income of $157,656.[17]
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The meaning of the name Ho-Ho-Kus is in dispute. From the official history on the borough's website, the most likely origin is a contraction of the Delaware Indian term "Mah-Ho-Ho-Kus" (or "Mehokhokus"), meaning "the red cedar."[18]
Other meanings have been suggested over the years and are listed on the borough's website, including an Indian word for running water, a cleft in the rock or under the rock or hollow rock, the word "hohokes", signifying the whistle of the wind against the bark of trees, the Chihohokies Indians whose chief lived here, the Dutch Hoog Akers for "high acorns" or Hoge Aukers, Dutch for "high oaks", the Indian word hoccus meaning "fox", or woakus, "gray fox", or that the "Ho" part means joy or spirit, and the rest of the name from "hohokes," meaning a kind of bark of a tree.[19]
A constant source of confusion has been the manner in which the borough's name has been spelled, with each syllable capitalized and separated by hyphens. The confusion is only exacerbated by the existence of Hohokus Township, which comprised the area of present-day Ho-Ho-Kus and other surrounding communities, yet was spelled without the multiple capitalization or the hyphens. Ho-Ho-Kus is served by interchange 168 on the Garden State Parkway which spells the municipality as "Hohokus" on its exit signing.
The name "Ho-Ho-Kus" was used explicitly in the resolution requesting a change of name passed by the Borough Council on October 12, 1908 and submitted to the Secretary of State of New Jersey requesting "That the Borough now known as the Borough of Orvil be hereafter known as the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus..."
A few theories have been offered for the hyphens and capitalization. One is that it was intended to differentiate between the borough and Hohokus Township, which was formed on April 9, 1849, and continued to exist until November 7, 1944, when a referendum was passed changing the name to present-day Mahwah.[13] Another explanation was that it was meant to avoid confusion by postal clerks with mail being sent to Hoboken.
While efforts had been made in the ensuing decades to change the name or to alter the way in which the name of the borough is spelled, the borough remains as "Ho-Ho-Kus."[20]
Ho-Ho-Kus is located at (41.001695, -74.102396)[21].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.75 square miles (4.5 km2), of which 1.74 square miles (4.5 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.026 km2), or 0.57%, is water.[4]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 316 |
|
|
| 1910 | 488 | 54.4% | |
| 1920 | 586 | 20.1% | |
| 1930 | 925 | 57.8% | |
| 1940 | 1,626 | 75.8% | |
| 1950 | 2,254 | 38.6% | |
| 1960 | 3,988 | 76.9% | |
| 1970 | 4,348 | 9.0% | |
| 1980 | 4,129 | −5.0% | |
| 1990 | 3,935 | −4.7% | |
| 2000 | 4,060 | 3.2% | |
| 2010 | 4,078 | 0.4% | |
| Population sources:1910-1930[22] 1900-1990[23][24] 2000[25][26] 2010[6][8][7] |
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As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 4,078 people, 1,401 households, and 1,154 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,350.3 inhabitants per square mile (907.5 /km2). There were 1,462 housing units at an average density of 842.6 per square mile (325.3 /km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 92.03% (3,753) White, 0.22% (9) African American, 0.07% (3) Native American, 5.79% (236) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.39% (16) from other races, and 1.50% (61) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.12% (168) of the population.[6]
There were 1,401 households out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.2% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.6% were non-families. 15.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% 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.[6]
In the borough the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 18.8% from 25 to 44, 31.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.3 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.[6]
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 4,060 people, 1,433 households, and 1,199 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,331.1 people per square mile (900.9/km²). There were 1,465 housing units at an average density of 841.2 per square mile (325.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 92.66% White, 0.59% African American, 0.10% Native American, 5.22% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[25][26]
There were 1,433 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.6% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.11.[25][26]
In the borough the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.[25][26]
The median income for a household in the borough was $129,900, and the median income for a family was $144,588. Males had a median income of $92,573 versus $54,091 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $63,594. 2.1% of the population and 2.6% of families were below the poverty line. 0.7% of those under the age of 18 and 1.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.[25][26]
Ho-Ho-Kus is primarily an upper middle-class and upper-class suburb of New York City, ranking 15th in the state of New Jersey in terms of per-capita income. According to the Forbes 2010 survey of the most expensive ZIP codes in America, Ho-Ho-Kus ranked 268th nationally, with a median home price of $901,841.[27]
The Ho-Ho-Kus Public School District is classified in District Factor Group "J," the highest of eight categories, in both the 2000 and 1990 rankings. District Factor Groups are used in the state of New Jersey to rank school districts according to common socioeconomic characteristics. Northern Highlands Regional High School, which receives students from Ho-Ho-Kus, Allendale, Upper Saddle River, and part of Saddle River, is placed in the same category.[28]
Ho-Ho-Kus is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only votes to break a tie. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[1]
As of 2011[update], the Mayor of Ho-Ho-Kus is Thomas W. Randall, whose term of office ends December 31, 2011. Members of the Council are Council President Kevin Crossley, Maryellen Lennon, John R. Mongelli, Philip Rorty, Kevin Shea and Douglas Troast. Donald G. Cirulli is the Borough Administrator.[3]
Ho-Ho-Kus is in the 5th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 39th state legislative district.[29] The borough was relocated to the 40th state legislative district by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission based on the results of the 2010 Census.[8] The new district is in effect for the June 2011 primary and the November 2011 general election, with the state senator and assembly members elected taking office in the new district as of January 2012.[29]
New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District is represented by Scott Garrett (R, Wantage Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
39th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Gerald Cardinale (R, Demarest) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Bob Schroeder (R, Washington Township) and Charlotte Vandervalk (R, Hillsdale).[30] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).[31] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).[32]
Bergen County's County Executive is Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford; term ends December 31, 2014).[33] The Board of Chosen Freeholders is the county's legislative body and its seven members are elected at-large on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year.[34] As of 2011, Bergen County's Freeholders are Chairman John Driscoll, Jr. (R, 2012; Paramus),[35] Vice-Chairwoman Maura DeNicola (R, 2013; Franklin Lakes),[36] Chair Pro Tempore John D. Mitchell (R, 2013; Cliffside Park)[37] John A. Felice (R, 2013; River Edge),[38] David L. Ganz (D, 2011; Fair Lawn),[39] Robert G. Hermansen (R, 2012; Mahwah)[40] and Bernadette P. McPherson (D, 2011; Rutherford).[41][42] Other countywide constitutional officials are Sheriff Michael Saudino (R), Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill) and County Clerk Elizabeth Randall (R, Westwood).[43]
As of Election Day, November 4, 2008, there were 2,837 registered voters. Of registered voters, 532 (18.8% of all registered voters) were registered as Democrats, 1,484 (52.3%) were registered as Republicans and 821 (28.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.[44]
In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 58.9% of the vote here (1,342 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama, who received 40.4% of the vote (919 ballots), with 80.4% of registered voters participating.[44] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 62.2% of the vote in Ho-Ho-Kus (1,547 cast), ahead of Democrat John Kerry, who received around 36.8% (916 votes), with 2,489 ballots cast among the borough's 2,997 registered voters, for a turnout of 83.0%.[45]
Ho-Ho-Kus Public School serves public school students in preschool through eighth grade. As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 680 students.[46] The school population has seen an increase of more than 200 students in the preceding decade.[47]
Local secondary school students in public school attend Northern Highlands Regional High School in nearby Allendale, which serves students in the 9th-12th grades from Allendale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Upper Saddle River and Saddle River, as part of sending/receiving relationships with the Ho-Ho-Kus district.[16][48]
After ending a long-standing sending relationship to Ridgewood High School in the mid-1970s, Ho-Ho-Kus students started attending Midland Park High School. The small size of the Midland Park school and the lack of electives led to efforts in the mid-1990s to find another high school to serve students from the borough.[18] Since then, high school students from Ho-Ho-Kus have been attending Northern Highlands Regional High School.[49] The current agreement between Ho-Ho-Kus and Northern Highlands runs through 2018.[50]
Ho-Ho-Kus is also home to the Ho-Ho-Kus Waldwick Cooperative Nursery School.
Ho-Ho-Kus is served by New Jersey Transit by both the Bergen County Line and Main Line at the Ho-Ho-Kus train station.[51] The station is located at Brookside Avenue and 1st Street, one block from Franklin Turnpike.
The train lines runs north-south to Hoboken Terminal with connections via the Secaucus Junction transfer station to New Jersey Transit one-stop service to New York Penn Station and to other NJ Transit rail service. Connections are available at the Hoboken Terminal to other New Jersey Transit rail lines, the PATH train at the Hoboken PATH station, New York Waterways ferry service to the World Financial Center and other destinations and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service.
Route 17, County Route 507, and County Route 502 travel through Ho-Ho-Kus.
Notable current and former residents of Ho-Ho-Kus include: