English Neighborhood
- Identifier
- NJS-PLC-00357
- Place Type
- Region
- Description
-
The English Neighborhood was the historical name for a region in the eastern part of Bergen County, New Jersey. The region was located between the Hudson River and the Hackensack River, occupying the area around Overpeck Creek (a main tributary of the Hackensack River). This area was commonly referred to as the "English Neighborhood" starting in the 1670s. Prior to the English takeover of New Netherland (present-day New York and New Jersey), parts of Bergen County had been settled by Dutch colonists. After the English takeover in 1664, English migrants from Europe, New England, and the Caribbean came to settle in this area, giving rise to the name "English Neighborhood" (although a significant Dutch presence persisted in the area).
The original center of the community during the colonial era was in the area of present-day Ridgefield. Grand Avenue, which runs from Ridgefield to Leonia, was known as the English Neighborhood Road. Multiple unincorporated villages sprung up in the region, and they were officially part of a municipality called Hackensack township that was founded in 1693 and occupied a large part of Bergen County (not to be confused with the present-day city of Hackensack). Many slavery-era documents for the English Neighborhood region are filed under Hackensack township.
In the late 19th century, Hackensack township began to break up into smaller municipalities. The section known as the English Neighborhood turned into many small independent boroughs. These modern communities are located in the area that was once known as the English Neighborhood: Ridgefield, Ridgefield Park, Fairview, Palisades Park, Leonia, Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Fort Lee, Bogota, Teaneck, and Englewood. Some sites around Overpeck Creek still carry on the English Neighborhood name today. - County (Modern)
- Bergen County
- State or Province
- New Jersey
- Country
- United States of America
- Region
- English Neighborhood
- Related Place
- Hackensack Township
- Latitude
- 40.834215
- Longitude
- -74.011995
- References
-
John P. Snyder, The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries, 1606–1968 (Trenton, Bureau of Geology and Topography, 1969; New Jersey Geological Survey, 2004), pages 84-85, 263, https://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf.
"English Neighborhood Road," Historical Marker Database, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=40770.
"English Neighborhood Reformed Church," Historical Marker Database, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=7153.
- Record Contributor
- Jesse Bayker
- Resource class
- Location