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Saddle
Brook was originally part of
Saddle
River
Township
which was created in the early 1700's within the area known as New
Barbados. Barbadoes is an island in the
British West Indies
, and New Barbadoes was the name chosen by the English settlers in
that area.
Saddle
River
Township
derived its name from its resemblance to a saddle before its
boundaries were changed. It was bounded on the north by Ridgewood,
south by
Lodi
, east by
Saddle
River
(named from the Township) and west by the
Passaic
River
. In a point organization, which was in 1716, it is among the oldest
Townships in
Bergen
County
. In 1724, the Township seceded from New Barbadoes. As time passed,
other towns were carved from
Saddle
River
Township
. Among the towns that were part of the original community were
Ridgewood, Ho-Ho-Kus,
Franklin
,
Garfield
, East Paterson (now known as Elmwood Park), and
Fair Lawn
.
Franklin
separated from
Saddle
River
about 1772.
Ridgewood
and Ho-Ho-Kus seceded at this time also in order to form their own
governments. With each secession, the township was being whittled
down to its present size of 2.7 square miles. The township was
incorporated in 1798.
Garfield
seceded in 1898, East Paterson in 1916, and
Fair Lawn
was the last to secede in 1924.
Today,
he Township of Saddle Brook is located in
Bergen County
,
New Jersey
just 8 miles West of New York City. Saddle Brook is a small suburban
community with a population of approximately 13,155 (2000 census)
covering an area of approximately 2.69 square miles. The majority of
the Township is residential, however, it is a central transportation
hub as it is intersected by the
Garden State Parkway
(exit 159), Interstate Route 80 (exit 62), and State Highway 46. In
addition, State Highways 4 and 17 are within a quarter mile of its
border. Even with the large influx of daily traffic, Saddle Brook
still has that small town feel to it.
The government is a party system under the Faulkner Act run by a
Mayor and five Council people. The Emergency Services delivered to
the residents consist of a full-time paid Police Department and
Department of Public Works and a volunteer fire department and
ambulance corps.
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