Ho-Ho-Kus () is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,258, an increase of 180 (+4.4%) from the 2010 census count of 4,078, which in turn reflected an increase of 18 (+0.4%) from the 4,060 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. The borough 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.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 80. Accessed May 28, 2024.Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey p. 7, lists a date of October 15, 1908 for the incorporation of Ho-Ho-Kus.
As of the 2000 census, Ho-Ho-Kus was the 15th-wealthiest community in New Jersey with a per capita money income of $63,594 as of 1999, an increase of 36.9% from the $46,451 recorded in 1989.Money Income (1989 and 1999) and Poverty (1999) New Jersey, Counties and Municipalities, New Jersey State Data Center, April 2003. Accessed August 27, 2012. The borough's median household income was $165,827 in 2013.Income in the past 12 months (in 2013 inflation-adjusted dollars) - Ho-Ho-Kus borough, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed April 20, 2015. In 2011, New Jersey Monthly magazine named Ho-Ho-Kus the best place to live in the state of New Jersey, citing its affluence, low crime rate and the quality of its school system, as well as its proximity to New York City and other major commercial destinations."The #1 Town: Ho-Ho-Kus", New Jersey Monthly, August 15, 2011. Accessed September 7, 2011.
History of the name The meaning of the name Ho-Ho-Kus is disputed. 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".Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Ho-Ho-Kus; A Borough That Guards Its Traditions", The New York Times, February 5, 1995. Accessed August 22, 2011. "The district serves kindergarten through eighth grades. High school students are sent to nearby Midland Park, an arrangement Mayor Sayers terms 'unsatisfactory' because, he says, Midland Park High School is small and offers few electives. The Ho-Ho-Kus Board of Education is discussing possible alternatives."Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 1, 2015.
Other meanings have been suggested over the years and are listed on the borough's website, including: a Lenape 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 for "high oaks"; the Lenape word hoccus, meaning "fox", or woakus, meaning "gray fox"; or that the "Ho" part means joy or spirit, and the rest of the name comes from "hohokes", referring to a type of tree bark.About, Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus. Accessed July 3, 2022.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 156. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed September 1, 2015.
Ho-Ho-Kus versus Hohokus A constant source of confusion has been the manner in which the borough's name has been styled, with each syllable capitalized and separated by hyphens. The confusion is only exacerbated by the existence of Hohokus Township (now Mahwah), which comprised the area of present-day Ho-Ho-Kus and other surrounding communities, yet was styled without the multiple capitalization or the hyphens.
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. 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 capitalized and punctuated, the borough remains as "Ho-Ho-Kus."Background of Ho-Ho-Kus History pp. 149–150.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.75 square miles (4.53 km2), including 1.74 square miles (4.51 km2) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) of water (0.63%).
The borough borders Hillsdale, Ridgewood, Saddle River, Waldwick and Washington Township.Areas touching Ho-Ho-Kus, MapIt. Accessed February 24, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed February 24, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Ho-Ho-Kus borough, Bergen County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)3,6963,6003,47591.03%88.28%81.61%Black or African American alone (NH)209260.49%0.22%0.61%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)3310.07%0.07%0.02%Asian alone (NH)2122353215.22%5.76%7.54%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)8000.20%0.00%0.00%Other race alone (NH)76190.17%0.15%0.45%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)34571140.84%1.40%2.68%Hispanic or Latino (any race)801683021.97%4.12%7.09%Total4,0604,0784,258 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Ho-Ho-Kus had a population of 4,258. The median age was 43.7 years. 27.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.5 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,416 households in Ho-Ho-Kus, of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 74.8% were married-couple households, 8.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 15.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,473 housing units, of which 3.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 4,078 people, 1,401 households, and 1,154 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,462 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 92.03% (3,753) White, 0.22% (9) Black or 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.
Of the 1,401 households, 40.7% had children under the age of 18; 74.2% were married couples living together; 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 17.6% were non-families. Of all households, 15.5% 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.
29.3% of the population were 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, the population had 95.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.7 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $155,030 (with a margin of error of +/− $14,301) and the median family income was $157,202 (+/− $13,820). Males had a median income of $93,750 (+/− $26,877) versus $83,636 (+/− $27,361) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $67,238 (+/− $11,693). About 1.9% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Ho-Ho-Kus borough, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 6, 2012.
Same-sex couples headed 8 households in 2010, unchanged from 2000.Lipman, Harvy; and Sheingold, Dave. "North Jersey sees 30% growth in same-sex couples", The Record (Bergen County), August 14, 2011, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 3, 2013. Accessed December 1, 2014.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census there were 4,060 people, 1,433 households, and 1,199 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,465 housing units at an average density of . 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.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Ho-Ho-Kus borough, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 5, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Ho-Ho-Kus borough, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 5, 2013.
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. Of all households 14.6% 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.
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.
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. Of the population 2.1% of the people and 2.6% of families were below the poverty line. Of those 0.7% under the age of 18 and 1.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Affluence
Ho-Ho-Kus is primarily an upper-class and upper-middle 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.Most Expensive ZIP Codes: Ho-Ho-Kus, Forbes. Accessed October 10, 2010.