Washington Township, New Jersey | |
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Township | |
Township of Washington | |
Schlegel Lake (private)
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Map highlighting the Township of Washington's location within Bergen County. Inset: Bergen County's location within New Jersey. |
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Census Bureau map of the Township of Washington, Bergen County, New Jersey |
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Coordinates: 40°59′18″N 74°03′53″W / 40.988306°N 74.064693°WCoordinates: 40°59′18″N 74°03′53″W / 40.988306°N 74.064693°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New Jersey |
County | Bergen |
Incorporated | April 13, 1840 |
Named for | George Washington |
Government | |
• Type | Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) |
• Body | Township Council |
• Mayor | Janet Sobkowicz (R, term ends December 31, 2017) |
• Administrator | Mary Anne Groh |
• Clerk | Susan Witkowski |
Area | |
• Total | 2.959 sq mi (7.665 km2) |
• Land | 2.909 sq mi (7.534 km2) |
• Water | 0.050 sq mi (0.130 km2) 1.70% |
Area rank | 335th of 566 in state 26th of 70 in county |
Elevation | 89 ft (27 m) |
Population (2010 Census) | |
• Total | 9,102 |
• Estimate (2015) | 9,375 |
• Rank | 254th of 566 in state 40th of 70 in county |
• Density | 3,128.8/sq mi (1,208.0/km2) |
• Density rank | 208th of 566 in state 44th of 70 in county |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 07676 |
Area code(s) | 201 |
FIPS code | 3400377135 |
GNIS feature ID | 0882311 |
Website | www |
Washington Township, formally the Township of Washington, is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 9,102, reflecting an increase of 164 (+1.8%) from the 8,938 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 307 (-3.3%) from the 9,245 counted in the 1990 Census.
The Lenape Native Americans first inhabited the town and many names throughout the general area were passed down from the Lenape. and Kinderkamack are just two of these names. However, after Dutch and other European settlers began arriving in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Lenape population was decimated. It is estimated that by 1750, 90% of the Lenape population in and around present-day New Jersey was killed by European settlement through war and European diseases.
The Township of Washington was created by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 13, 1840, from the territories between the Hackensack River and Saddle River that had been part of Harrington Township. At the time of its creation, the township encompassed an area of 19,525 acres (79.01 km2), more than 30 square miles (78 km2). The township was named for George Washington, one of more than ten communities statewide named for the first president. It is one of five municipalities in the state of New Jersey with the name "". Another municipality, Washington Borough, is completely surrounded by Washington Township, Warren County.
Growth in the area exploded after the Civil War with the completion of the New Jersey and New York Railway through the Pascack Valley, as communities were established near the railroad's stations.