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In 1872, Tenafly
joined with six neighboring villages to form
Palisades
Township
. Tenafly was incorporated as an independent borough by a vote of
137 to 130 on January 24, 1894. The population was 1,532. The first
borough election followed promptly and the first council meeting a
week later.
Tenafly evolved
from grants of land to David desMarets (Demarest) in 1677, to
Jacobus Van Cortlandt in 1688, and to Roelof Westervelt in 1695.
Westervelt repaid the Indians in 1705 for his portion thus
establishing more harmonious relations.
In 1776, Tenafly
was surrounded by forests. There were four homes, a militia
headquarters and a schoolhouse.
Today, Tenafly
takes up 4.4 square miles with a population of 13,806. It is
predominately a residential community with a total of 4,897 housing
units. Tenafly's street plan and overall development were largely
determined by its hills, its valleys and its tall trees, which have
given the borough its special charm.
Since it became a
Borough, Tenafly has been governed by a Mayor and Council who are
chosen through partisan elections. The Mayor is the chief executive
officer and the six Council members handle legislative functions.
The
Municipal
Center
located at
100 Riveredge Road
is the seat of Tenafly's government.
The Board of
Education is the policy-making body of the school district. The
Superintendent of Schools is the Board's chief executive officer
responsible for administering the entire school system. Schools
include
Tenafly
High School
, the Middle School, and four elementary schools:
Malcolm
S.
Mackay
School
,
Ralph
S.
Maugham
School
, J. Spencer Smith School and
Walter
Stillman
School
.
Fine schools,
quality housing, recreational facilities, parks and woodlands, good
cultural programs, diverse houses of worship, and quality borough
services all help to attract newcomers to and keep older residents
in this historic town.
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