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The Borough of
Westwood is in the northeastern part of the State of New Jersey
.
The Borough is
located in the Pascack
Valley
in the center of
Bergen
County
and is approximately 10 miles north-northwest of the George
Washington
Bridge
and approximately 7 miles south of the
New Jersey-
New York
state border.
During the early
colonial period, the area that is now Westwood was home to the
Lenni-Lenape Indians of the Eastern Algonquin Nation, and prior to
the Civil War, the area was primarily farm land. The
only means of public transportation being a stage coach line between
Westwood and Hackensack
.
It was not until
the mid-1700s that the first permanent settlers arrived in the area. In April 1780, Isaac Bogert purchased 500 acres of land and soon
thereafter moved his family from the city, establishing his
residence in the area. The Bogert family was to become
one of the more prominent families in the history of Westwood, and
today the Bogert name can still be found on streets, buildings and
landmarks in the Borough.
In the early 19th
century, the area was known as Pleasantville and in 1826 it became a
part of
Harrington
Township
, which was renamed
Washington
Township
in 1840. Finally, in 1875 the name of Pleasantville was
changed to Westwood.
Around that time,
Westwood had fewer than 25 houses. Its first general
store, run by Isaac D. Bogert and Z.B. Van Emburgh, had been opened
in 1869 on the northeast corner of Westwood Avenue & Railroad
Avenue, and that same year the Westwood Hotel, the first hotel in
the Borough, was built by A.B. Bogert on the corner across the
street from the general store. Then, in 1870 the Erie
Railroad was extended from Hackensack
to Hillsdale, ushering in a era of growth for the area and of
greater mobility for its residents.
Westwood was
officially incorporated as the 'Mayor and Council of the Borough of
Westwood' on May 8, 1894, with Isaac D. Bogert serving as the first
mayor of the Borough.
In April 1909, the
area of Westwood was enlarged through the annexation of the 'Old
Hook' section of the Borough of Emerson, and in June 1914 the
Borough changed its corporate title to 'Borough of Westwood'.
By 1923, the population had grown to 2,597, and it was estimated to
be 6,100 in 1948.
Today, the Borough
has grown to approximately 11,000 residents, with a thriving
downtown business district that befits it's name as 'The Hub of the Pascack
Valley.
The Borough is
governed by an elected Mayor and Borough Council (6 members), with
the day-to-day affairs being handled by a professional Borough
Administrator. Its emergency services are provided by a
professional Police force, an all volunteer Fire Department and an
all volunteer Ambulance Corps.
The Borough also
provides a free public library for its residents, and Westwood
Regional School System, which is a regional venture with the Township
of
Washington, serves the educational needs of the Borough's school age
population.
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