Fort Lee, New Jersey | |
---|---|
Borough of Fort Lee | |
![]() Fort Lee, New Jersey, in the foreground, connected by the George Washington Bridge to Upper Manhattan, New York City, across the Hudson River, in the background (2014) | |
![]() Map highlighting Fort Lee's location within Bergen County. Inset: Bergen County's location within New Jersey | |
![]() | |
Coordinates: 40°51′02″N73°58′16″W / 40.85064°N 73.971007°W Coordinates: 40°51′02″N73°58′16″W / 40.85064°N 73.971007°W [1] [2] | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
County | ![]() |
Incorporated | March 29, 1904 |
Named for | Fort Lee / General Charles Lee |
Government | |
• Type | Borough |
• Body | Borough Council |
• Mayor | Mark Sokolich (D, term ends December 31, 2023) [4] [5] |
• Administrator | Alfred R. Restaino [6] |
• Municipal clerk | Evelyn Rosario [7] |
Area | |
• Total | 2.87 sq mi (7.44 km2) |
• Land | 2.52 sq mi (6.52 km2) |
• Water | 0.35 sq mi (0.92 km2) 12.33% |
• Rank | 344th of 565 in state 30th of 70 in county [1] |
Elevation | 289 ft (88 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 35,345 |
• Estimate (2019) [11] | 38,605 |
• Rank | 67th of 566 in state 3rd of 70 in county [12] |
• Density | 13,910.9/sq mi (5,371.0/km2) |
• Rank | 16th of 566 in state 5th of 70 in county [12] |
Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
ZIP Code | |
Area code(s) | 201 [15] |
FIPS code | 3400324420 [1] [16] [17] |
GNIS feature ID | 0885223 [1] [18] |
Website | www |
Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, New Jersey, in the United States, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades.
As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 35,345, [9] [19] reflecting a decline of 116 (−0.3%) from the 35,461 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 3,464 (+10.8%) from the 31,997 counted in the 1990 Census. [20] Along with other communities in Bergen County, it is one of the largest and fastest-growing ethnic Korean enclaves outside of Korea.
Fort Lee is named for the site of an American Revolutionary War military encampment. [21] At the turn of the 20th century it became the birthplace of the American film industry. In 1931 the borough became the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge, which crosses the Hudson River and connects to the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Fort Lee's population and housing density increased considerably during the 1960s and 1970s with the construction of highrise apartment buildings.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Fort Lee borough had a total area of 2.87 square miles (7.44 km2), including 2.52 square miles (6.52 km2) of land and 0.35 square miles (0.92 km2) of water (12.33%). [1] [2]
The borough is situated atop the escarpment of the Hudson Palisades on the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson rivers. The borough is bisected by the confluence of roads at GWB Plaza leading to the George Washington Bridge.
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Coytesville, Linwood, [22] Palisade and Taylorville. [23] [24]
The borough borders Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Leonia, Palisades Park, Ridgefield in Bergen County; and the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. [25] [26] [27] Given its evolving cosmopolitan ambiance [28] and adjacent proximity to Manhattan, Fort Lee is one of Northern New Jersey's Hudson Waterfront communities that has been called New York City's Sixth Borough, [29] [30]
Fort Lee was named for General Charles Lee [28] after George Washington and his troops had camped at Mount Constitution overlooking Burdett's Landing, in defense of New York City. It was during Washington's retreat in November 1776 (beginning along a road which is now Main Street) that Thomas Paine composed his pamphlet, The American Crisis , which began with the recognized phrase, "These are the times that try men's souls." These events are recalled at Monument Park and Fort Lee Historic Park.
Fort Lee was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 29, 1904, from the remaining portions of Ridgefield Township. [31] [32] With the creation of Fort Lee, Ridgefield Township became defunct and was dissolved as of March 29, 1904. [33] The Fort Lee Police Department was formed under borough ordinance on August 9, 1904, and originally consisted of six marshals. [34]
The history of cinema in the United States can trace its roots to the East Coast where, at one time, Fort Lee was the motion picture capital of America. The industry got its start at the end of the 19th century with the construction of Thomas Edison's "Black Maria", the first motion picture studio, in West Orange, New Jersey. New Jersey offered land at costs considerably less than New York City, and the cities and towns along the Hudson River and the Palisades benefited greatly as a result of the phenomenal growth of the film industry at the turn of the 20th century. [35] [36] [37]
Film-making began attracting both capital and an innovative workforce, and when the Kalem Company began using Fort Lee in 1907 as a location for filming in the area, other filmmakers quickly followed. In 1909, a forerunner of Universal Studios, the Champion Film Company, built the first studio. [38] They were quickly followed by others who either built new studios or who leased facilities in Fort Lee. In the 1910s and 1920s, film companies such as the Independent Moving Pictures Company, Peerless Studios, The Solax Company, Éclair Studios, Goldwyn Picture Corporation, American Méliès (Star Films), World Film Company, Biograph Studios, Fox Film Corporation, Pathé Frères, Metro Pictures Corporation, Victor Film Company, and Selznick Pictures Corporation were all making pictures in Fort Lee. Such notables as Mary Pickford got their start at Biograph Studios. [39] [40] [41]
With the offshoot businesses that sprang up to service the film studios, for nearly two decades Fort Lee experienced unrivaled prosperity. However, just as the development of Fort Lee production facilities were gaining strength, Nestor Studios of Bayonne, New Jersey, built the first studio in Hollywood in 1911. [42] Nestor Studios, owned by David and William Horsley, later merged with Universal Studios; and William Horsley's other company, Hollywood Film Laboratory, is now the oldest existing company in Hollywood, now called the Hollywood Digital Laboratory. California's more hospitable and cost-effective climate led to the eventual shift of virtually all filmmaking to the West Coast by the 1930s. At the time, Thomas Edison owned almost all the patents relevant to motion picture production. Movie producers on the East Coast acting independently of Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company were often sued or enjoined by Edison and his agents, while movie makers working on the West Coast could work independently of Edison's control, in part due to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals–which was headquartered in San Francisco and covered most of Southern California–being well known for not enforcing patents claims. [43] In nearby Little Ferry on July 9, 1937, a major fire broke out in a 20th Century-Fox storage facility containing hazardous nitrate film reels.
Television and film in New Jersey remains an important industry. Since 2000, the Fort Lee Film Commission has been charged with celebrating the history of film in Fort Lee, as well as attracting film and television production companies to the borough. [44] The Barrymore Film Center promotes films, film making and its history in the borough. [45] Local film is being promoted, especially because of NJ Tax Credit Programs.
In 1957, market researcher James Vicary claimed that quickly flashing messages on a movie screen, in Fort Lee, had influenced people to purchase more food and drinks. Vicary coined the term subliminal advertising and formed the Subliminal Projection Company based on a six-week test. Vicary claimed that during the presentation of the movie Picnic he used a tachistoscope to project the words "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Hungry? Eat popcorn" for 1/3000 of a second at five-second intervals. Vicary asserted that during the test, sales of popcorn and Coke in that New Jersey theater increased 57.8% and 18.1% respectively. [46] [47]
In 1962, Vicary admitted to lying about the experiment and falsifying the results, the story itself being a marketing ploy. [48] [49] An identical experiment conducted by Henry Link showed no increase in cola or popcorn sales. [47] The claim that the small cinema handled 45,699 visitors in six weeks has led people to believe that Vicary actually did not conduct his experiment at all. [47]
A small number of Korean immigrants have resided the area as early as the 1970s. In the 1990s, a continuous stream of Korean immigrants emerged into Fort Lee. A substantial number of affluent and educated Korean American professionals have settled in Bergen County since the early 2000s and have founded various academic and communally supportive organizations, including the Korean Parent Partnership Organization at the Bergen County Academies magnet high school and The Korean-American Association of New Jersey. Approximately 130 Korean stores were counted in downtown Fort Lee in 2000, [50] a number which has risen significantly since then, featuring restaurants and karaoke ( noraebang ) bars, grocery markets, education centers and bookstores, banking institutions, offices, electronics vendors, apparel boutiques, and other commercial enterprises.
Various Korean American groups could not reach consensus on the design and wording for a monument in Fort Lee as of early April 2013 to the memory of comfort women, tens of thousands of women and girls, many Korean, who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II. [51] [52] In May 2012, borough officials in neighboring Palisades Park rejected requests by two diplomatic delegations from Japan to remove such a monument from a public park, a brass plaque on a block of stone, dedicated in 2010; [53] [54] [55] days later, a South Korean delegation had endorsed Palisades Park's decision. [56] In October 2012, a similar memorial was announced in nearby Hackensack, to be raised behind the Bergen County Courthouse, alongside memorials to the Holocaust, the Great Famine of Ireland, and the Armenian genocide, [57] and was unveiled in March 2013. [58] [59] On May 23, 2018, a comfort women memorial was installed in Constitution Park in Fort Lee, NJ. [60] Youth Council of Fort Lee, a student organization led by Korean American high school students in Fort Lee designed the memorial.
The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, also known as Bridgegate, was a political scandal concerning the actions taken by the staff of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his Port Authority appointees to create a traffic jam in Fort Lee when dedicated toll lanes for one of the Fort Lee entrances to the upper level on the George Washington Bridge were reduced from three to one from September 9, 2013, to September 13, 2013. [61] [62] Three members of the Christie administration were convicted on federal conspiracy charges for their roles in the lane closures. [63]
One of the reasons suggested for these actions was to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, for not supporting the Republican Chris Christie in the 2013 New Jersey gubernatorial election. Another theory was that Christie or his aides sought to punish New Jersey Senate majority leader, Loretta Weinberg, who represented the New Jersey district containing Fort Lee, as retribution for the Democrats' blocking of Christie's reappointment of a New Jersey Supreme Court justice. Christie withdrew his appointee consideration and delivered a speech referring to New Jersey Senate Democrats as "animals" just one day before emails were sent by Christie's aides to the Port Authority requesting the lane closures. [64]
At the turn of the 21st century, Fort Lee saw a large Korean migration which has converted much of the town into a large Koreatown, [65] in that many traditional Korean stores and restaurants may be seen in Fort Lee, and the hangul letters of the Korean alphabet are as common as signs in English in parts of the downtown area. This Koreatown is separate from the similar Korean enclave in the adjacent town of Palisades Park. [65] The rapid increase of the Korean population has seen the decline of many other immigrant communities once centered in Fort Lee, notably the Greek and Italian communities, once quite large but now all but extinct. A sizable Russian immigrant community has also sprung up in recent years.
The per capita Korean American population of Bergen County, 6.3% by the 2010 United States Census, [66] [67] (increasing to 6.9% by the 2011 American Community Survey), [68] is the highest of any county in the United States, [67] with all of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population [69] and an absolute total of 56,773 Korean Americans (increasing to 63,247 by the 2011 American Community Survey) [68] living in the county. [66] [70] The concentration of Korean Americans in nearby Palisades Park in turn is the highest of any municipality in the United States, [71] at 52% of the population, [66] enumerating 10,115 residents of Korean ancestry; [72] while Fort Lee has nearly as many Koreans by absolute numbers, at 8,318, representing 23.5% of its 2010 population. [73] Along with Koreatowns in New York City and Long Island, the Bergen County Koreatowns serve as the nexus for an overall Korean American population of 218,764 individuals in the Greater New York Combined Statistical Area, [74] the second largest population of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea. [75]
Historical population | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
1880 | 1,424 | — | |
1890 | 1,253 | −12.0% | |
1900 | 2,612 | 108.5% | |
1910 | 4,472 | 71.2% | |
1920 | 5,761 | 28.8% | |
1930 | 8,759 | 52.0% | |
1940 | 9,468 | 8.1% | |
1950 | 11,648 | 23.0% | |
1960 | 21,815 | 87.3% | |
1970 | 30,631 | 40.4% | |
1980 | 32,449 | 5.9% | |
1990 | 31,997 | −1.4% | |
2000 | 35,461 | 10.8% | |
2010 | 35,345 | −0.3% | |
2019 (est.) | 38,605 | [11] [76] [77] | 9.2% |
Population sources: 1910–1920 [78] 1910 [79] 1910–1930 [80] 1900–2010 [81] [82] 2000 [83] [84] 2010 [9] [10] [19] |
In March 2011 about 2,500 Japanese-Americans were living in Edgewater and Fort Lee, the largest concentration of Japanese-Americans in New Jersey. [85]
There were 1,119 Fort Lee residents who filed claims to recover lost money from the Madoff investment scandal, the most from any ZIP code. [86]
The 2010 United States census counted 35,345 people, 16,371 households, and 9,364 families in the borough. The population density was 13,910.9 per square mile (5,371.0/km2). There were 17,818 housing units at an average density of 7,012.7 per square mile (2,707.6/km2). The racial makeup was 53.49% (18,905) White, 2.75% (973) Black or African American, 0.14% (50) Native American, 38.44% (13,587) Asian, 0.02% (7) Pacific Islander, 3.08% (1,090) from other races, and 2.07% (733) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.97% (3,877) of the population. [9] Korean Americans accounted for 23.5% of the 2010 population, or 8,306 people. [9]
Of the 16,371 households, 21.8% had children under the age of 18; 45.6% were married couples living together; 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 42.8% were non-families. Of all households, 38.4% were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.89. [9] Same-sex couples headed 127 households in 2010, an increase from the 65 counted in 2000. [87]
17.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 86.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 83.8 males. [9]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $72,341 (with a margin of error of +/- $4,502) and the median family income was $86,489 (+/- $11,977). Males had a median income of $66,015 (+/- $3,526) versus $55,511 (+/- $3,404) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $44,996 (+/- $2,903). About 5.5% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over. [88]
As of the 2000 United States Census [16] there were 35,461 people, 16,544 households, and 9,396 families residing in the borough. The population density was 14,001.7 people per square mile (5,411.7/km2). There were 17,446 housing units at an average density of 6,888.5 per square mile (2,662.4/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 62.75% White, 31.43% Asian, 1.73% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.69% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.87% of the population. [83] [84]
There were 16,544 households, out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.88. [83] [84]
In the borough the age distribution of the population shows 17.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males. [83] [84]
The median income for a household in the borough was $58,161, and the median income for a family was $72,140. Males had a median income of $54,730 versus $41,783 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,899. About 5.7% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over. [83] [84]
As of the 2000 Census, 17.18% of Fort Lee's residents identified themselves as being of Korean ancestry, which was the fifth highest in the United States and third highest of any municipality in New Jersey; behind neighboring Palisades Park (36.38%) and Leonia (17.24%) – for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. [89] In the same census, 5.56% of Fort Lee's residents identified themselves as being of Chinese ancestry, [90] and 6.09% of Fort Lee's residents identified themselves as being of Japanese ancestry, the highest of any municipality in New Jersey for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. [91] In the 2010 Census, 23.5% of residents (8,318 individuals) identified themselves as being of Korean ancestry, 7.5% (2,653) as Chinese and 3.7% (1,302) as Japanese. [9]
Companies based in Fort Lee include Bank of New Jersey, [92] the American Bank Note Company [93] and Cross River Bank. [94]
Since 2007, the Hudson Shakespeare Company has brought their Shakespeare in the Park touring shows to Fort Lee in "Shakespeare Tuesdays". The group now performs regularly at Monument Park (1588 Palisade Avenue, next to the Fort Lee Museum) with two Tuesday shows per month during the summer. The festival also tours similar dates in Hackensack. [95]
Since the mid-1980s, Fort Lee Koreatown has become a Korean dining destination. [96] [97] Fort Lee's Korean food has been described by local food writers as being better than in Koreatown, Manhattan. [98] Korean Chinese cuisine is now also available in Koreatown, as is misugaru. [99] Korean cafés have become a major cultural element within Fort Lee's Koreatown, not only for the coffee, bingsu (shaved ice), and pastries, but also as communal gathering places. [100]
Fort Lee is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The borough is one of 218 municipalities (of the 565) statewide that use this form of government. [101] The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the six-member Borough Council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. [3] The Borough form of government used by Fort Lee is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council. [102] [103]
As of 2022 [update] , the Mayor of Fort Lee is Democrat Mark Sokolich, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. [4] Members of the Borough Council are Council President Ila Kasofsky (D, 2022), Joseph L. Cervieri Jr. (D, 2024), Harvey Sohmer (D, 2024), Michael Sargenti (D, 2023), Peter J. Suh (D, 2022) and Paul K. Yoon (D, 2023). [104] [105] [106] [107] [108] [109]
Fort Lee is located in the 9th Congressional District [110] and is part of New Jersey's 37th state legislative district. [19] [111] [112] Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, Fort Lee had been in the 38th state legislative district. [113]
For the 117th United States Congress , New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District is represented by Bill Pascrell ( D , Paterson ). [114] [115] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker ( Newark , term ends 2027) [116] and Bob Menendez ( Harrison , term ends 2025). [117] [118]
For the 2022–2023 session , the 37th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Gordon M. Johnson ( D , Englewood ) and in the General Assembly by Shama Haider (D, Tenafly ) and Ellen Park (D, Englewood Cliffs ). [119]
Bergen County is governed by a directly elected County Executive, with legislative functions performed by the seven-member Bergen County Board of County Commissioners (formerly the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders). The freeholders are elected at-large in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year; a Chairman, Vice Chairman and Chairman Pro Tempore are selected from among its seven members at a reorganization meeting held every January. Other Bergen County Constitutional Offices include County Clerk, Sheriff, and Surrogate. These offices all have 3 year terms, and are elected on a partisan basis.
As of July 2021 [update] , the County Executive is Democrat James J. Tedesco III of Paramus, whose term of office ends December 31, 2022. [120] The current members of the Bergen County Board of Commissioners are Freeholder Chairman Steven A. Tanelli (D, North Arlington, 2021), [121] Freeholder Vice-Chairwoman Tracy Silna Zur (D, Franklin Lakes, 2021), [122] Freeholder Chairman Pro-Tempore Dr. Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee, 2023) [123] Mary J. Amoroso (D, Mahwah, term as freeholder ends 2022), [124] Germaine M. Ortiz (D, Emerson, term as freeholder ends 2022), [125] Ramon M. Hache, Sr. (D, Ridgewood, 2023), [126] and Thomas J. Sullivan Jr., (D, Montvale, term as freeholder ends 2022), [127]
Bergen County's constitutional officials are County Clerk John S. Hogan (D, Northvale, 2021), [128] Sheriff Anthony Cureton (D, Emerson, 2021) [129] and Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill, 2021). [130] [ needs update ]
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 18,382 registered voters in Fort Lee, of which 7,537 (41.0% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,487 (13.5% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 8,350 (45.4% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 8 voters registered to other parties. [131] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 52.0% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 62.6% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide). [131] [132]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 7,891 votes (60.9% vs. 54.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 4,737 votes (36.6% vs. 43.5%) and other candidates with 104 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 12,950 ballots cast by the borough's 19,738 registered voters, for a turnout of 65.6% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County). [133] [134] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 8,624 votes (61.0% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 5,236 votes (37.0% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates with 114 votes (0.8% vs. 0.8%), among the 14,144 ballots cast by the borough's 19,352 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.1% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County). [135] [136] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 8,367 votes (61.1% vs. 51.7% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 5,161 votes (37.7% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 100 votes (0.7% vs. 0.7%), among the 13,692 ballots cast by the borough's 18,294 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.8% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county). [137]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 55.3% of the vote (3,735 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 43.5% (2,941 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (78 votes), among the 6,992 ballots cast by the borough's 18,356 registered voters (238 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 38.1%. [138] [139] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 5,187 ballots cast (58.8% vs. 48.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 3,191 votes (36.2% vs. 45.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 287 votes (3.3% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 38 votes (0.4% vs. 0.5%), among the 8,817 ballots cast by the borough's 18,854 registered voters, yielding a 46.8% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county). [140]
The borough council created the Fort Lee Police Department in 1904, although it was not until 1927 that the council authorized the appointment of a full-time paid police chief. [141] As of 2019, the police department had about 100 members. [142]
The Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corps, founded in 1971, provides emergency medical services to the Borough of Fort Lee, the George Washington Bridge, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway. One of the largest EMS agencies in the surrounding area, the Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corps operates a fleet of four medium-duty ambulances, one first responder vehicle, and two command vehicles from its headquarters on the corner of Main Street and Anderson Avenue. In 2011, the agency purchased a new state-of-the-art ambulance, designated FLA-1, in order to begin retiring some of its aging ambulances. The agency plans to purchase a second ambulance sometime in 2013. With approximately 50 active members, the corps operates 24 hours a day on weekends and from 7 PM to 6 AM on weekdays, with paid borough employees staffing the ambulances during the day on weekdays. The Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corps responds to approximately 3,400 emergency medical calls annually. The corps is a member agency of the East Bergen Ambulance Association (EBAA) with a standing mutual aid agreement with surrounding East Bergen boroughs. [143]
Fort Lee is protected around the clock by the volunteer firefighters of the Fort Lee Fire Department, which was founded in 1888 when the borough was still a part of Ridgefield Township and operates out of four fire stations. [144] The Fort Lee Fire Department operates a fire apparatus fleet of six engines (including spares), two ladders, one heavy rescue, one squad (light rescue), two support services units, a mobile air cascade unit, four command vehicles(battalion and deputy chiefs), and six fire prevention units. [145] The Fort Lee Fire Department's volunteer fire companies respond to, on average, approximately 1,800 emergency calls annually. [146]
Engine company | Truck company | Special unit | Address |
---|---|---|---|
Engine 1, Engine 5 | 146 Main Street | ||
Engine 2 | Rescue 2 (heavy), Squad 2(light rescue) | Lemoine Avenue | |
Engine 3 | Ladder 1, Ladder 2 | 557 Main Street | |
Engine 4, Engine 6 | S.S.U. 1, S.S.U. 2 (support service units) | 4 Brinkerhoff Avenue |
The Fort Lee School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. [147] As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 4,103 students and 301.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1. [148] Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics [149] ) are School 1 [150] (761 students in grades K-4), School 2 [151] (493; PreK-4), School 3 [152] (596; K-4), School 4 [153] (614; K-4), Lewis F. Cole Intermediate School [154] / Lewis F. Cole Middle School [155] (585; 5-8) and Fort Lee High School [156] (1,012; 9-12). [157]
During the 2010–11 school year, School #3 was awarded the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive, one of only ten schools statewide to be honored. [158] The school was one of three in Bergen County honored that year. [159]
Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district. [160] [161]
Private schools in the area include Christ the Teacher (PK–8, 314 students), First Step Day Care Center (PK, 101 students), Fort Lee Education Center (7–12, 78 students), Fort Lee Montessori Pre-School (PK, 49 students), Fort Lee Youth Center Playgroup (PK, 30 students), Futures Best Nursery Academy (PK, 98 students), Green House Preschool and Kindergarten (PK–K, 125 students), Happy Kids Pre-School (PK, 75 students), Hooks Lane School (PK, 54 students), Itsy Bitsy Early Learning Center (PK, 60 students), Genesis Preschool & Academy (PK, K-6, 83 students), Palisades Pre-School (PK, 108 students), Rainbow School DC (PK, 88 students), and Small World Montessori School (PK, 51 students). [162] Christ the Teacher Interparochial School operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. [163]
The Japanese Weekend School of New Jersey (ニュージャージー補習授業校), a Japanese supplementary educational school, holds its classes at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus while its offices are in Fort Lee. [164] It is one of the two weekend Japanese school systems operated by the Japanese Educational Institute of New York (JEI; ニューヨーク日本人教育審議会 Nyūyōku Nihonjin Kyōiku Shingi Kai), a nonprofit organization which also operates two Japanese day schools in the New York City area. [165]
In 1987 there were two juku (Japanese-style cram schools) in Fort Lee. One of the Fort Lee schools, Hinoki School, had 130 students. There were additionally two institutions trying to open juku in Fort Lee. [166]
As of May 2010 [update] , the borough had a total of 51.12 miles (82.27 km) of roadways, of which 35.44 miles (57.04 km) were maintained by the municipality, 6.20 miles (9.98 km) by Bergen County and 6.22 miles (10.01 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 3.26 miles (5.25 km) by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. [167]
Fort Lee is served by the Palisades Interstate Parkway, Route 4, Route 5, Route 67, Interstate 95 (the northern terminus of the New Jersey Turnpike), U.S. Route 9W, U.S. Route 1-9, U.S. Route 46, and County Route 505. The George Washington Bridge (signed as I-95/US 1-9/US 46), the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, crosses the Hudson River from Fort Lee to the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. [168] [169] Many of these roads converge at GWB Plaza, a busy crossroads at the northern end of the borough.
Fort Lee is served by NJ Transit buses 154, 156, 158 and 159 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan; the 171, 175, 178, 181, 182, 186 and 188 lines to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal; and local service on the 751, 753, 755 and 756. [170] [171]
Rockland Coaches provides service along Route 9W on the 9T and 9AT bus lines and on the 14ET to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan and on the 9 / 9A to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal. [172] [173] Saddle River Tours / Ameribus provides service to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station on route 11C. [174]
The Fort Lee Parking Authority issues and controls parking passes, meter fees, and provides shuttles and non-emergency transportation. [175] Marc Macri] a former law partner of Mayor Mark Sokolich, serves as Commissioner of the Fort Lee Parking Authority. [176]
As of 2016 [update] two Taiwanese airlines, China Airlines and EVA Air, provide private bus services to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City for customers based in New Jersey. These bus services stop in Fort Lee. [177] [178]
As of 2021, OurBus offers intercity bus service from the George Washington Bridge bus stop to various locations such as Rochester and Buffalo, New York. [179]
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Fort Lee has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. [180]
The George Washington Bridge (GWB), at 604 ft (184 m) meters in height as measured from its base, is the tallest structure in Fort Lee. The cliffs of the Palisades rise to about 260 ft (79 m). [182] Since the 1960s, numerous residential high-rise buildings have been built along the Palisade Avenue-Boulevard East corridor. [183] [184] Fort Lee's population and housing density increased considerably during the 1960s and 1970s with the construction of highrise apartments. [185] [186] [187] [188] As of 2019, including from the bridge itself, there were 10 structures over 300 ft (91 m) tall in Fort Lee.
Rank | Name | Image | Height ft / m | Floors | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1= | The Modern 1 | ![]() | 496 ft (151 m) | 47 | 2014 | [189] [190] [185] [191] [192] [193] [194] [195] |
1 | The Modern 2 | 496 ft (151 m) | 47 | 2018 | [196] [189] [190] [192] [193] | |
3 | The Palisades | ![]() | 445 ft (136 m) | 41 | 2001 | [197] |
4 | The Plaza | ![]() | 347.2 ft (105.8 m) | 32 | 1975 | [198] |
4 | The Colony | ![]() | 347.2 ft (105.8 m) | 32 | 1972 | [199] |
6= | River Ridge | ![]() | 336.4 ft (102.5 m) | 31 | 1985 | [200] |
6 | Century Towers | ![]() | 336.4 ft (102.5 m) | 31 | 1981 | [201] |
8 | Horizon Towers North | 304 ft (93 m) | 28 | 1968 | [202] | |
8 | Horizon Towers South | 304 ft (93 m) | 28 | 1968 | [203] | |
9 | Mediterrean Towers West | | 293 ft (89 m) | 27 | 1982 | [204] |
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Fort Lee include:
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 955,732, an increase of 50,616 (5.6%) from the 905,116 residents enumerated in the 2010 census by the United States Census Bureau, which in turn represented an increase of 20,998 (2.4%) from the 884,118 counted in the 2000 Census. Located in the northeastern corner of New Jersey and its Gateway Region, Bergen County is part of the New York City metropolitan area and is directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan, to which it is connected by the George Washington Bridge.
Alpine is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of Midtown Manhattan. It is the easternmost community in the State of New Jersey.
Bogota is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,187, reflecting a decline of 62 (−0.8%) from the 8,249 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 425 (+5.4%) from the 7,824 counted in the 1990 Census.
Cliffside Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 23,594, reflecting an increase of 587 (+2.6%) from the 23,007 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,614 (+12.8%) from the 20,393 counted in the 1990 Census.
Closter is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,373, reflecting a decline of 10 (-0.1%) from the 8,383 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 289 (+3.6%) from the 8,094 counted in the 1990 Census.
Little Ferry is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 10,626, reflecting a decline of 174 (-1.6%) from the 10,800 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 811 (+8.1%) from the 9,989 counted in the 1990 Census.
Norwood is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 5,711, reflecting a decline of 40 (-0.7%) from the 5,751 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 893 (+18.4%) from the 4,858 counted in the 1990 Census.
Palisades Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 19,622, reflecting an increase of 2,549 (+14.9%) from the 17,073 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,537 (+17.5%) from the 14,536 counted in the 1990 Census. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program put the borough's population at 20,715 in 2019.
Ramsey is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located 26 miles (42 km) northwest of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 14,473, reflecting an increase of 122 (+0.9%) from the 14,351 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,123 (+8.5%) from the 13,228 counted in the 1990 Census.
Ridgefield is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 11,032, reflecting an increase of 202 (+1.9%) from the 10,830 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 834 (+8.3%) from the 9,996 counted in the 1990 Census.
Tenafly is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 census the borough had a population of 15,409, an increase of 6.4% over the 14,488 counted in the 2010 census. Tenafly is a suburb of New York City.
Demarest is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,881, reflecting an increase of 36 (+0.7%) from the 4,845 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 45 (+0.9%) from the 4,800 counted in the 1990 Census. Located in the northeastern corner of New Jersey and its Gateway Region, Demarest is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area.
Edgewater is a borough located along the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a population of 11,513, reflecting an increase of 3,836 (+50.0%) from the 7,677 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,676 (+53.5%) from the 5,001 counted in the 1990 Census.
Englewood Cliffs is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 5,281, reflecting a decline of 41 (-0.8%) from the 5,322 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 312 (-5.5%) from the 5,634 counted in the 1990 Census.
Fairview is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 13,835, reflecting an increase of 580 (+4.4%) from the 13,255 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,522 (+23.5%) from the 10,733 counted in the 1990 Census.
Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,937, reflecting an increase of 23 (+0.3%) from the 8,914 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 549 (+6.6%) from the 8,365 counted in the 1990 Census. It is a suburb of New York City located near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge.
New Milford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 16,341, reflecting a decline of 59 (-0.4%) from the 16,400 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 410 (+2.6%) from the 15,990 counted in the 1990 Census.
Teterboro is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 67, reflecting an increase of 49 (+272.2%) from the 18 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 4 (−18.2%) from the 22 counted in the 1990 Census. After being ranked as the fourth-smallest municipality, by population, in New Jersey through the 2010 census, the borough is the third-smallest since the combination of Pine Valley into Pine Hill in 2022.
The Hudson Waterfront is an urban area of northeastern New Jersey along the lower reaches of the Hudson River, the Upper New York Bay and the Kill van Kull. Though the term can specifically mean the shoreline, it is often used to mean the contiguous urban area between the Bayonne Bridge and the George Washington Bridge that is approximately 19 miles (31 km) long. Historically, the region has been known as Bergen Neck, the lower peninsula, and Bergen Hill, lower Hudson Palisades. It has sometimes been called the Gold Coast.
Koreatown in the borough of Palisades Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, is centered around the business district on Broad Avenue, which has been called a "Korean food walk of fame".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), Murray Sabrin. Accessed December 6, 2013. "He lives with his wife of 39 years, Florence, in Ft. Lee, New Jersey."![]() | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Lee, New Jersey . |
![]() | Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Fort Lee . |
![]() | Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article " Fort Lee ". |