West Milford, New Jersey
West Milford is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 24,862, a decrease of 988 from the 2010 census count of 25,850, which in turn reflected a decline of 560 from the 26,410 counted in the 2000 census. It is the largest in the county by total area, covering and more than 40% of the county.
West Milford was home to a Warner Bros.-owned theme park from 1972 to 1976 entitled Warner Bros. Jungle Habitat. The Jungle Habitat property, with of paved roads, was purchased by the state in 1988 for $1.45 million and remnants of the theme park remain until today.
History
West Milford started out as New Milford in what was then western Bergen County in the 18th century, having been settled by disenchanted Dutch from Milford, New Jersey. These same Dutch also built a town of New Milford in eastern Bergen County. When both New Milfords applied for post offices in 1828, a clerk in Washington, D.C. is said to have approved the other application first and assigned the name "West Milford" to the New Milford in western Bergen County in order to distinguish between the two locations.West Milford became a municipality by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 10, 1834, when it was formed from the westernmost half of Pompton Township, while the area was still part of Bergen County. On February 7, 1837, Passaic County was created from portions of both Bergen County and Essex County, with West Milford as the western end of the newly formed county. The township was named for Milford, Connecticut.
There are old place names in the township including Postville, Utterville, Corterville, Browns, Awosting, Echo Lake, Macopin, Charlottenburg, Clinton, Moe Mountain, Oak Ridge, Newfoundland, Apshawa, New City, and Smith Mills. Newfoundland is divided by the Pequannock River, which divides Passaic and Morris Counties; a small part of Newfoundland lies within Jefferson Township. A large part of the township, including the New City Village area, is reservoir property owned by the City of Newark in Essex County for its water supply. Prior to the Second World War, the township was a resort area with trains coming from New York City to stations at Charlotteburg, Newfoundland, Oak Ridge in the south and Hewitt and Awosting in the north. Railroad service in the south was from the New Jersey Midland starting around the 1850s and in the north around the 1870s from the Montclair Railroad, out of Montclair, New Jersey and later the Erie Railroad.
Greenwood Lake is an interstate lake approximately long and covering, lying in both West Milford and Greenwood Lake, New York, across the New York state line. It was originally called Long Pond. It was dammed up to increase the size of the lake for water power down stream. During the resort era, several steamboats operated on the lake, the most famous and grand was the two deck steamer, Montclair. These steamboats met the trains and took passengers to the various resorts around the lake in both states.
There is a seaplane area on Greenwood Lake, a few large marinas and lakeside restaurants with docks. A public airport called Greenwood Lake Airport is located just south of the lake on top of a mountain ridge; its runway is long enough to handle small jets. There is one private airport in the township on a private estate.
After World War II and for the next 20 years the area underwent a major change from a resort area to year-round residences. Before there were year-round houses, the summer residence of Cecil B. DeMille was West Milford. Road maps of the 1950s showing the population on the backside said 2,000 winter and 10,000 summer.
In 1972, Warner Brothers opened up a wildlife theme park called Jungle Habitat. This park consisted of a drive through safari and a small park with various shows. Initially, this brought huge tourist revenue to the township. Shortly after the park opened, a tourist being driven through the safari in a taxi was attacked by a lion on October 19, 1972, bringing negative publicity to the park. The park was plagued by problems, including reports of dangerous animals escaping into West Milford.
Jungle Habitat was a mixed blessing due to the amount of summer and weekend traffic into this rural area made up of small two lane roads. Jungle Habitat wanted to expand and become a huge amusement park, but residents concerned with excessive traffic voted this proposal down in 1976, which resulted in an abrupt closing and exit. Some of the animals in the wildlife park were subsequently moved to the then-recently established drive through safari at Great Adventure in Jackson Township. The former site of Jungle Habitat in recent years has become a location for various Township activities such as the annual Fourth of July Fireworks display and is a popular regional mountain biking destination.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 81.06 square miles, including 75.93 square miles of land and 5.13 square miles of water.Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Apshawa, Awosting, Bearfort Waters, Beaver Pond, Boy Scout Lake, Browns, Buckabear Pond, Camp Hope, Cedar Pond, Charlotteburg, Clinton, Clinton Reservoir, Cooper, Dunker Pond, Echo Lake, Forest Hill Lake, Fox Island, Gordon Lakes, Green Valley Park, Greenwood Lake, Greenwood Lake Glens, Hacks Pond, Henion Pond, Hewitt, Himes Pond, Lake Lockover, Lakeside, Lindy Lake, Littletown, Lower Mt. Glen Lake, Macopin, Matthews Lake, Moe, Mount Laurel Lake, Newfoundland, Oak Ridge, Pettets Pond. Pine Crest Lake, Pinecliff Lake, Postville, Shady Lake, Smiths Mills, Surprise Lake, Terrace Pond, Upper Greenwood Lake, Upper Macopin, Upper Mt. Glen Lake, Uttertown, Vreeland Pond, West Milford Lakes, West Pond, Wonder Lake and Zeliff Pond. According to Mayor Bettina Bieri, the township is "a larger geographical area consisting of numerous towns" and that "the massive territory covered by the township warrants the distinction" in place names commonly used in the township, with the four primary communities in the township being the township center, Hewitt, Newfoundland, and Oak Ridge.
The township borders the municipalities of Bloomingdale and Ringwood in Passaic County; Butler, Jefferson Township, Kinnelon and Rockaway Township in Morris County; Hardyston Township and Vernon Township in Sussex County; and Warwick in Orange County, New York.
Highlands Preserve is a county park that is located off Union Valley Road and adjacent to Abram S. Hewitt State Forest.
Pequannock River Watershed
Portions of the township are owned by the City of Newark, Essex County, for its Pequannock River Watershed, which supplies water to the city from an area of that also includes portions of Hardyston Township, Jefferson Township, Kinnelon, Rockaway Township and Vernon Township.A small residential development known as "New City Village" or "New City Colony" was built on the property early in the 20th century to house workers of the Newark water supply system. It included a school and health facility. Proposed alternative uses for the village never materialized and the buildings were demolished after falling into disrepair. The land is still owned by the City of Newark.
Newfoundland and Green Pond
Newfoundland is a neighborhood of West Milford located along the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway tracks and Route 23. It is also a mailing address for Green Pond, a private lake community owned by Green Pond Corporation and Lake End Corporation, which lies in Rockaway Township where the Pequannock River divides Passaic County from Morris County.The 2003 film The Station Agent was set, and filmed, largely in Newfoundland. There was an early silent movie produced in the township at the Mine Hole in the Hewitt section of the township. A still photo of that movie is published in the township's 1984 sesquicentennial book entitled The Day the Earth Shook and the Sky Turned Red.
Demographics
2020 census
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 25,850 people, 9,625 households, and 7,084 families in the township. The population density was. There were 10,419 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup was 94.06% White, 1.40% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.06% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.85% of the population.Of the 9,625 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18; 61.4% were married couples living together; 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 26.4% were non-families. Of all households, 21.7% were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.12.
22.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 33.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 98.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.8 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $88,692 and the median family income was $102,410. Males had a median income of $62,925 versus $45,449 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,905. About 1.7% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
Same-sex couples headed 63 households in 2010, an increase from the 58 counted in 2000.
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 26,410 people, 9,190 households, and 7,186 families residing in the township. The population density was. There were 9,909 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the township was 95.08% White, 1.23% African American, 0.60% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.38% of the population.There were 9,190 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.3% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% 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 3.23.
In the township the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $74,124, and the median income for a family was $80,264. Males had a median income of $51,105 versus $37,159 for females. The per capita income for the township was $28,612. About 2.6% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.