Saddle River is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of New York City, located just over northwest of Manhattan. The town is known for its natural fields, farmland, horse farms, forests, and rivers, and has a bucolic atmosphere, due in part to a minimum zoning requirement of for homes.Geist, William E. "If You're Thinking Of Living In: Saddle River", The New York Times, October 9, 1983. Accessed September 10, 2014. The borough contains both stately historic homes and estates, as well as newer mansions. It offers many spacious properties in a countryside-like setting, while also having proximity to New York City.
Saddle River is one of the highest-income small municipalities in the United States and was ranked 9th in New Jersey in per capita income as of the 2010 Census.Median Household, Family, Per-Capita Income: State, County, Municipality and Census Designated Place (CDP) With Municipalities Ranked by Per Capita Income; 2010 5-year ACS estimates , New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed September 9, 2014. Saddle River was ranked among the Top 100 in Forbes Most Expensive Zip Codes in America in 2010. In 1989, Saddle River was ranked the richest suburb in the nation among those with 2,500 or more people (based on per capita income).Reardon, Patrick T. "Gold Coast Proves Big Wealth In Cities", Chicago Tribune, March 1, 1994. Accessed September 9, 2014. "The richest suburb of 2,500 people or more in the nation is Saddle River in Bergen County, N.J., with a per capita income of $78,703." The town has been home to notable residents including former US Presidents, celebrities, athletes, and businessmen (See Notable people list).
The New York Times described Saddle River as "a place where one can still keep horses—one per acre—see a deer, listen to the birds, and catch a fish in the trout stream that gives the town its name."Geist, William E. "If You're Thinking Of Living In: Saddle River", The New York Times, October 9, 1983. Accessed January 20, 2023.
As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,372, an increase of 220 (+7.0%) from the 2010 census count of 3,152, which in turn reflected a decline of 49 (−1.5%) from the 3,201 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
Saddle River is a dry town, where alcohol cannot be sold.New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. New Jersey ABC list of dry towns (May 1, 2013)Giordano, Rita. "More towns catching liquor-license buzz; Moorestown considers ending its dry spell", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, 2007. Accessed February 16, 2014.
History
European settlement of the area that is now Saddle River traces back to 1675, when the Lenape Native Americans sold a stretch of land along the Saddle River to Albert Zabriskie.History, Borough of Saddle River. Accessed January 20, 2023. Saddle River was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on November 22, 1894, from portions of Orvil Township, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 86. Accessed May 30, 2024. 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. Saddle River's referendum passed on November 19, one day before the referendum passed for the formation of the neighboring borough of Upper Saddle River.Harvey, Cornelius Burnham. Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey, p. 11, New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900. Accessed September 15, 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." Upper Saddle River and Saddle River share a zip code of 07458. An additional portion of Orvil Township was annexed in 1903.Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896–1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 245. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed September 30, 2015.
The borough is named after the Saddle River, which flows through the borough and is a tributary of the Passaic River, which in turn was named for a stream and valley in Saddell, Argyll, Scotland.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 30, 2015.Edwards, Richard. Industries of New Jersey, Part 1, p. 121. Historical Publishing Company, 1882. Accessed September 30, 2015.
Historic sites Saddle River is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places:New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places: Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Historic Preservation Office, updated December 20, 2022. Accessed February 2, 2023. Achenbach House – 184 Chestnut Ridge Road (added 1979, burned down in 2004)Fisher, Janon. "Bergen County House on Historic Register Is Fire Victim", The New York Times, March 20, 2004. Accessed February 4, 2012. "In the 1960s, the private house, known as the Achenbach House, was the home of the actor and producer Larry Blyden and his wife, the actress and dancer Carol Haney, who believed the house was haunted. Later it was owned by Mario Perillo of Perillo Tours, well known for his television commercials selling package tours to Italy; after his death, the house passed to Mr. Perillo's son Stephen, the current owner." Ackerman House – 136 Chestnut Ridge Road (added 1983) Abram Ackerman House – 199 East Saddle River Road (added 1983) Garret and Maria Ackerman House – 150 East Saddle River Road (added 1986) Garret Augustus Ackerman House – 212 East Saddle River Road (added 1986) Ackerman–Dewsnap House – 176 East Saddle River Road (added 1986) Ackerman–Smith House – 171 East Allendale Road (added 1986) Ackerman–Dater House – 109 West Saddle River Road (added 1983) J. J. Carlock House – 2 Chestnut Ridge Road (added 1986) Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saddle River and Ramapough Building – 96 East Allendale Road (added 1986) Alonzo Foringer House and Studio – 107 and 107B East Saddle River Road (added 1986) Hopper House – 45 West Saddle River Road (added 1984) Joe Jefferson Clubhouse – 29 East Saddle River Road (added 1986) O'Blenis House – 220 East Saddle River Road (added 1986) Garret K. Osborn House and Barn – 88 and 90 East Allendale Road (added 1986) Dr. E. G. Roy House – 229 West Saddle River Road (added 1986) Saddle River Center Historic District – Along West Saddle River Road at jct. of East Allendale Road (added 1986) Stillwell–Preston House – 9 East Saddle River Road (added 1986) Andries Thomas Van Buskirk House – 164 East Saddle River Road (added 1983) Laurance Thomas Van Buskirk House – 116 East Saddle River Road (added 1983) B. C. Wandell House – 214, 223, and 224 West Saddle River Road (added 1986) F. L. Wandell Estate and Ward Factory Site – 255–261 East Saddle River Road (added 1990) Dr. John Christie Ware Bungalow – 246 East Saddle River Road (added 1986)
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 4.97 square miles (12.86 km2), including 4.91 square miles (12.73 km2) of land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) of water (1.03%).
The borough is bounded by eight municipalities in Bergen County: the boroughs of Allendale, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Ramsey, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Washington Township and Woodcliff Lake.Areas touching Saddle River, MapIt. Accessed March 5, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 5, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Mount Pleasant and Villa Marie Claire are unincorporated communities located within Saddle River.
Property values and taxes The median home value in Saddle River was $1,960,294, compared to $596,000 for Bergen County, $440,000 for the state of NJ and $331,000 for the US overall, as of March 31, 2022.
Saddle River has a property tax rate of 1.021% which was the third-lowest property tax rate in Bergen County in 2023 2023 Bergen County Tax Rates, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed May 12, 2024.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Saddle River borough, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)2,8112,5702,55087.82%81.54%75.62%Black or African American alone (NH)2460650.75%1.90%1.93%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)03110.00%0.10%0.33%Asian alone (NH)2292914517.15%9.23%13.37%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)0220.00%0.06%0.06%Other race alone (NH)127140.37%0.22%0.42%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)4357981.34%1.81%2.91%Hispanic or Latino (any race)821621812.56%5.14%5.37%Total3,2013,1523,372 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Saddle River had a population of 3,372. The median age was 53.5 years. 16.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 30.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and older there were 92.8 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,246 households, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 63.1% were married-couple households, 12.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,458 housing units, of which 14.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 31.4%.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 3,152 people, 1,216 households, and 894 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,341 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 84.71% (2,670) White, 2.09% (66) Black or African American, 0.10% (3) Native American, 9.42% (297) Asian, 0.06% (2) Pacific Islander, 1.17% (37) from other races, and 2.44% (77) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.14% (162) of the population.
Of the 1,216 households, 27.1% had children under the age of 18; 65.5% were married couples living together; 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 26.5% were non-families. Of all households, 23.6% were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.
21.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 14.1% from 25 to 44, 35.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 89.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.9 males.