Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,304, an increase of 367 (+4.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,937, which in turn reflected an increase of 23 (+0.3%) from the 8,914 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. The borough is a suburb of New York City, near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge.
Leonia was formed as the result of a referendum passed on December 5, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township. The borough formed during the "boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone.Harvey, Cornelius Burnham. Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey, p. 11, New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900. Accessed September 15, 2013. "For a period of sixteen years following the passage of this act few boroughs were organized in the State, only three of them being in Bergen County.... As it was twenty-six boroughs were created in the county from January 23, 1894, to December 18, of the same year." Portions of Leonia were taken on February 19, 1895, to form the Township of Teaneck.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 80. Accessed May 29, 2024.History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630-1923; p. 371.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Leonia the 31st-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 Leonia's original inhabitants were the Hackensack tribe (Ashkineshacky) of Native Americans. The population was about 1,000 before the Europeans settled in the area. At the time of the American Revolutionary War, Leonia was known as part of the English Neighborhood, a name that survives in neighboring Englewood. It was settled in 1668 mainly by Dutch and English farmers, making it one of the oldest communities in the state.Friendly, Jonathan. "Leonia Offers Films of Old", The New York Times, September 21, 1975. Accessed July 10, 2012. "The borough dates its original settlement to 1668, and seven years ago it celebrated its Tricentennial." A third of the population was African slaves. It was on the western slope of the Palisades, and started as a quiet farming community. Leonia's proximity to New York City and its major universities, theaters, and performing venues contributed to its place in the world of art and academics, with many artists and leading thinkers living there in the 20th century.
The local economy that had focused on agriculture underwent economic and cultural growth during the late 19th century, marked by the introduction of train service. Leonia was originally called West Fort Lee. In 1865, J. Vreeland Moore and other town leaders chose the name "Leonia" in honor of American Revolutionary War General Charles Lee, for whom Fort Lee is named.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 2, 2015.
In 1899, after traveling through Leonia upon arriving in New Jersey by ferry at Edgewater, advertising executive Artemus Ward purchased a large piece of land and established the Leonia Heights Land Company to develop and market housing in the community. His advertising attracted many academics and artists who were drawn to Leonia's small size, culture, and location, leading to the town's nickname, the "Athens of New Jersey".Llorente, Elizabeth. If You're Thinking of Living in: Leonia", The New York Times, February 10, 1985. Accessed July 13, 2011. "In 1899, his Leonia Heights Land Company set out to create a community that was to be unique - an idea sparked by a trip to Leonia on the Edgewater Ferry that year. Ward, the head of a New York advertising concern, envisioned a white-collar community whose residents would enjoy open space and an upper- class residential environment with an emphasis on education and culture."
In 1915, Harvey Dunn established the Leonia School of Illustration, fostering the artists' colony that emerged over the next decade.Falkenstein, Michelle. "Jersey Footlights", The New York Times, July 31, 2005. Accessed November 7, 2018. "Dunn settled in Leonia in 1914 to be near the New York market for illustration and enjoyed a successful career." By the 1930s, it had the highest number of residents per capita in Who's Who in America, and 80% of its residents were college graduates. Transportation through the borough was enhanced by access to ferries and trolley systems, and Leonia became a refuge for many of America's most creative thinkers, including five Nobel Prize winners.Cheslow, Jerry. "Well-Read, Well-Shaded and Well-Placed", The New York Times, June 15, 1997. Accessed July 13, 2011. "Among the other widely used facilities is the Civil War Drill Hall, a cavernous building constructed by the New Jersey Blues Infantry regiment as a training center in 1859. The hall is now home to the Players Guild of Leonia, established in 1919 and the oldest community theater group in New Jersey."
For 200 years, one of Leonia's two major north-south avenues, Grand Avenue (the other is Broad Avenue), was called the English Neighborhood Road. In colonial times, it served as the main inland route between Paulus Hook, Bergen, and the English Neighborhood. Leonia was a crossroads of the American Revolution and a training ground for American Civil War soldiers.
Historic places in Leonia include the Civil War Drill Hall and Armory and the Cole-Allaire House, constructed around 1765, making it the borough's oldest dwelling, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.Revolutionary War Sites in Leonia, New Jersey, Revolutionary War New Jersey. Accessed December 11, 2014. "Cole-Allaire-Boyd House; oldest dwelling in Leonia - circa 1765. Home of noted loyalist, Sam Cole prior to and during part of the Revolution." The Vreeland House, constructed in 1786 by Dirck Vreeland and expanded in 1815, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.Rutt, Walter E. Vreeland House, Historic American Buildings Survey, July 1938. Accessed December 11, 2014.
Leonia celebrates "Leonia Day" annually on the third Sunday in May.Annual Events , Borough of Leonia. Accessed May 19, 2008.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has an area of 1.63 square miles (4.22 km2), including 1.52 square miles (3.94 km2) of land and 0.11 square miles (0.27 km2) of water (6.50%).
The borough center's elevation is , but the borough's western part can reach and the eastern part .Leonia, New Jersey, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed July 13, 2011.
The borough borders the Bergen County municipalities of Englewood, Fort Lee, Palisades Park, Ridgefield Park and Teaneck.Areas touching Leonia, MapIt. Accessed February 25, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed February 25, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Leonia is designated as a Tree City USA, receiving its 21st annual recognition in 2010 from the National Arbor Day Foundation.Staff. "Leonia named Tree City USA", Leonia Life, May 14, 2010. Accessed July 13, 2011.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Leonia borough, Bergen County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)5,1233,9413,25657.47%44.10%35.00%Black or African American alone (NH)1851692022.08%1.89%2.17%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4620.04%0.07%0.02%Asian alone (NH)2,3173,1223,87625.99%34.93%41.66%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1000.01%0.00%0.00%Other race alone (NH)1032320.11%0.36%0.34%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1391782671.56%1.99%2.87%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,1351,4891,66912.73%16.66%17.94%Total8,9148,9379,304 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Leonia had a population of 9,304. The median age was 44.2 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.5 males.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,359 households, of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 60.8% were married-couple households, 11.1% had a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.0% had a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 3,476 housing units, of which 3.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.9%.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 8,937 people, 3,284 households, and 2,519 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 3,428 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 55.22% (4,935) White, 2.34% (209) Black or African American, 0.16% (14) Native American, 35.12% (3,139) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 3.71% (332) from other races, and 3.44% (307) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.66% (1,489) of the population. Korean Americans accounted for 26.5% of the population.
Of the 3,284 households, 34.8% had children under the age of 18; 61.2% were married couples living together; 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 23.3% were non-families. Of all households, 20.0% were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.13.
22.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 31.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.9 males.
Same-sex couples headed 35 households in 2010, more than double the 17 counted in 2000.Lipman, Harvy; and Sheingold, Dave. "North Jersey sees 30% growth in same-sex couples", The Record, August 14, 2011, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 3, 2013. Accessed December 1, 2014.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $66,271 (with a margin of error of +/− $9,365) and the median family income was $91,129 (+/− $16,890). Males had a median income of $54,754 (+/− $8,175) versus $60,057 (+/− $8,680) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $40,030 (+/− $4,132). About 5.8% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Leonia borough, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 9, 2012.
2000 census