Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area () in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 25,487, a decrease of 403 (−1.6%) from the 2010 census count of 25,890, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,828 (+7.6%) from the 24,062 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.Staff. "Census 2010: Mahwah" , The Record, February 9, 2011. Accessed March 31, 2011. The name "Mahwah" is derived from the Lenape language word "mawewi" which means "Meeting Place" or "Place Where Paths Meet".Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names , New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 4, 2015.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living in: Mahwah" , The New York Times, June 2, 1991.Mahwah High School Mission Statement , Mahwah High School. Accessed June 23, 2012. "The Leni Lenape Indians called it Mawewi – the meeting place of rivers and paths – and though its modern name, Mahwah, is slightly different, it is as appropriate today as it was in 1700, when the first white settler, Blandina Bayard, established a trading post there."
The area that is now Mahwah was originally formed as Hohokus Township on April 9, 1849, from portions of the former Franklin Township (now Wyckoff). While known as Hohokus Township, territory was taken to form Orvil Township (on January 1, 1886; remainder of township is now Waldwick), Allendale (November 10, 1894), Upper Saddle River (November 22, 1894), and Ramsey (March 10, 1908). On November 7, 1944, the area was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature as the Township of Mahwah, based on the results of a referendum held that day, replacing Hohokus Township. New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Mahwah as its ninth best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey."Best Places To Live – The Complete Top Towns List 1-100" , New Jersey Monthly, February 21, 2008. Accessed February 24, 2008.
History The Lenape and ancestral Indigenous peoples were the original inhabitants of Mahwah (the meeting place) and surrounding area.
In 1849, Hohokus Township was established from the northern part of Franklin Township in Bergen County. It extended from the Saddle River on the east to the western boundary of Bergen County with Passaic County and north to the New York border. Hohokus Township was first subdivided in 1886 with the creation of Orvil Township on both sides of the Saddle River, consisting of the eastern portion of Hohokus Township and the western portion of Washington Township. 1894's outbreak of "Boroughitis" brought the creation of the boroughs of Allendale and Upper Saddle River, both of which were created from portions of Hohokus and Orvil Townships. Next to leave was Ramsey, which was created in 1908.
Hohokus Township ceased to exist on November 7, 1944, when a referendum was passed creating Mahwah Township from the remaining portions of Hohokus Township.Bergen County New Jersey Municipalities , Dutch Door Genealogy. Accessed October 16, 2007. "Mahwah Township was incorporated November 15, 1944 (referendum November 7, 1944) replacing Hohokus Township.". Accessed October 16, 2007. "1944 – Mahwah Township incorporated, replacing Hohokus Township."Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 81. "Mahwah township - 1944 Nov. 7 - Replaced Hohokus twp.". Accessed May 29, 2024.
For twenty-five years, beginning in 1976, Mahwah hosted the A&P Tennis Classic, a tune-up for the U.S. Open tennis tournament held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City's Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.Kaplan, Ari. Reinventing Professional Services: Building Your Business in the Digital Marketplace, p. 126. John Wiley & Sons, 2011. . Accessed February 14, 2016. "The A&P Tennis Classic, which he owned and operated for 25 years, beginning in 1976, turned out to be one of the most profitable in the sport thanks to the timing of the A&P Classic the week before the U.S. Open."
The 75-room, three-story Crocker-McMillin Mansion, also known as Darlington, was built in 1901 for George Crocker, son of railroad magnate Charles Crocker. The estate, located at Crocker Mansion Drive, is one of New Jersey's historical landmarks.General Historic Information , Crocker Mansion. Accessed March 31, 2011.
Ford Motor Company operated the Mahwah Assembly plant from 1955, producing 6 million cars in the 25 years it operated before the last car rolled off the line on June 20, 1980.via Associated Press. "Last Ford Rolls Off Line At Mahwah Plant" , Toledo Blade, June 20, 1980. Accessed November 27, 2013. "A two-door, cream-and-tan-colored Fairmont Futura became the last of 6 million vehicles to roll of Ford's Mahwah assembly line as the 25-year-old plant shut down Friday, idling more than 3,700 employees."Staff. "Majority From Ford's Mahwah Plant Still Jobless" , The New York Times, April 25, 1982. Accessed December 19, 2011. "Mr. Pfeiffer is one of 3,359 auto workers who lost their jobs when the Ford Motor Company closed its assembly plant in Mahwah, N.J., nearly two years ago." At the time of its completion, it was the largest motor vehicle assembly plant in the United States. The Ford plant, along with other businesses such as American Brake Shoe and Foundry Company, helped contribute to the economic development of the township and its reputation for low home property taxes.Sikorsky, Kate. The Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant, Mahwah, NJ, Mahwah Museum. Accessed October 3, 2019. "The Ford Motor Company operated an assembly plant in Mahwah from 1955 to 1980. At the time of its completion, it was the largest motor vehicle assembly plant in the United States. The Ford Plant, along with other businesses, such as, American Brake Shoe and Foundry Company, helped contribute to the economic development of the town of Mahwah." The Mahwah town sports teams remain named Thunderbirds in honor of the Ford plant.
Due to contractors' dumping of hazardous wastes at the Ringwood Mines landfill site before federal regulation, it has been designated as an EPA Superfund site which needs extensive environmental cleanup. In 2006, some 600 Ramapough Indians filed a mass tort claim against Ford for damages.McGrath, Ben. "Strangers on the Mountain; They had lived in the woodlands, twenty-five miles from New York City, for generations. Why were people so afraid of them?" , The New Yorker, March 1, 2010. Accessed November 15, 2014. Mahwah, and the closure of the Ford plant, is mentioned in the opening line of the 1982 Bruce Springsteen song "Johnny 99".Mervis, Scott. "27 Years of Glory Days in the 'Burgh", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 23, 2000. Accessed January 11, 1996, via Newspapers.com. "And he launched into 'Johnny 99,' with the opening line 'Well, they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late last month.'""Johnny 99" Lyrics , BruceSpringsteen.net. Accessed June 13, 2008. "Well they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late that month"
In July 2017, while holding the position of Bergen County prosecutor prior to becoming New Jersey Attorney General, Gurbir Grewal ordered the Mahwah police department not to enforce a ban on non-New Jersey residents using parks in Mahwah, stating his concern that a ban could lead to anti-Semitic religious profiling against the growing population of Orthodox Jews in Mahwah and those visiting from neighboring Rockland County, New York. On December 14, 2017, following the advice of legal counsel, the Mahwah council repealed the still-unenforced ban on out-of-state park users, and abandoned an attempt to amend the sign ordinance to bar "other matter" (the lechis) from being affixed to utility poles to form an Orthodox Jewish eruv.Nobile, Tom. "Mahwah walks back controversial eruv and parks bans" , The Record, December 15, 2017. Accessed October 3, 2019. "The council introduced an ordinance Thursday that would do away with a ban on non-state residents in township parks and replace it with language that states Mahwah's parks and playgrounds may be used by 'residents and non-residents alike.' The council also approved a separate resolution disavowing a proposed law that would have prohibited the posting of devices or 'other matter,' such as the white PVC pipes used to denote a Jewish boundary known as an eruv, on utility poles. That ordinance was introduced but never adopted."
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 25.88 square miles (67.04 km2), including 25.39 square miles (65.76 km2) of land and 0.49 square miles (1.27 km2) of water (1.90%). It is the largest municipality in Bergen County by area, more than 2½ times larger than the next-largest municipality, Paramus, and covering 10.6% of the total area of the entire county.GCT-PH1: Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County – County Subdivision and Place from 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 10, 2012.
Mahwah is near the Ramapo Mountains and the Ramapo River. Interstate 287 passes through Mahwah, but the only point of access is at the New Jersey–New York border, where 287 meets Route 17. U.S. Route 202 runs through Mahwah from Oakland to Suffern, across the state line.
Several county parks are located in Mahwah, including Campgaw Mountain Reservation, Darlington County Park and Ramapo Valley County Reservation, all operated by Bergen County.Bergen County Parklands , Township of Mahwah. Accessed August 13, 2013. The Ramapo River runs through the western section of Mahwah.
Mahwah is bordered by the municipalities of Allendale, Franklin Lakes, Oakland, Ramsey, Upper Saddle River and Wyckoff in Bergen County; Ringwood in Passaic County; and Airmont, Hillburn, Ramapo and Suffern in Rockland County, New York.General Information , Township of Mahwah. Accessed July 10, 2012.Areas touching Mahwah , MapIt. Accessed February 26, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities , Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed February 26, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries , New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Unincorporated communities, localities, and place names located partially or completely within the township include the residential areas of Ackermans Mills, Bear Swamp, Bogerts Ranch Estates, Cragmere, Cragmere Park, Darlington, Fardale, Halifax, Havemeyers Reservoir, Masonicus, Mountainside Farm, Pulis Mills, Ramapo Farm and Wanamakers Mills, along with the mixed residential and commercial area of West Mahwah.Statistics , Township of Mahwah. Accessed August 13, 2013.Locality Search , State of New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2015.
Climate Mahwah has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa).
Economy Corporate residents of Mahwah include:
Nuance Communications, voice, natural language understanding, reasoning and systems integration DialAmerica Marketing corporate headquarters.Locations , DialAmerica. Accessed October 25, 2007. Inserra Supermarkets, a member of the ShopRite retail cooperative, operating approximately 22 stores. It is a family-owned business and is one of the 500 largest private companies in the United States. Jaguar Cars and Land Rover vehicles North American Headquarters.Contact Us , Land Rover. Accessed December 10, 2013. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, book publisher. Maquet Datascope Corporation – manufacturer of intra-aortic balloon pumps and sterile collagen products.MAQUET Cardiac Assist Locations in the U.S.| , Maquet. Accessed November 15, 2014.