Moving to Elmwood Park? 🌳 | What It's Like Living in Elmwood Park NJ
Are you thinking about moving to Elmwood Park? The quiet borough of Elmwood Park is tucked away in Bergen County, just 14 miles from New York. This family-friendly community offers a great quality of life with easy access to amenities and shopping, low crime, and good schools.
Here's what you'll love about living in Elmwood Park NJ, and everything you have to look forward to!
Is Elmwood Park NJ a Good Place to Live?
Living in Elmwood Park NJ offers a strong balance of suburban charm and urban convenience, with a high quality of life. With its close proximity to New York City, residents enjoy the benefits of quiet neighborhoods while maintaining easy access to big-city amenities. The town’s excellent schools, low crime rates, and family-friendly atmosphere contribute to its impressive livability. It's popular with first-time home buyers, young families, retirees, and young professionals alike.
What Is Elmwood Park, NJ Known for?
Elmwood Park NJ is known for its strong sense of community, convenient location near New York City, rich cultural diversity, and Revolutionary War sites. The borough combines suburban charm with plenty of commercial development and amenities. Elmwood Park is also recognized for its great school system, beautiful parks, and active recreational programs. It was formerly known as East Paterson until 1972, when voters chose a new name.
Where Is Elmwood Park?
The borough of Elmwood Park is located in Bergen County, New Jersey, along the Passaic River. It offers an ideal location for commuters with the I-80 and Garden State Parkway interchange near the border with Saddle Brook and the interchange of U.S. 46 and CR 507 near the river. It's also served by Route 4, which runs along the border with Fair Lawn.
Elmwood Park offers easy access to the entire region with bus and commuter rail service. While living in Elmwood Park NJ, you will be served by the NJ Transit Bergen County Line with the Broadway and Radburn stations nearby in Fair Lawn. NJ Transit buses 160 and 161 provide transit from the borough to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown.
The suburb is just 17 miles from Midtown Manhattan.
Moving to Elmwood Park or the surrounding area? Harrington Moving & Storage is based in Maplewood, just 19 miles away. Call our Elmwood Park movers at (973) 313-2246 to get started with a free moving quote today.
What Towns Are Near Elmwood Park NJ?
The boroughs of Clifton and Paterson are across the river from Elmwood Park to the west in Passaic County. The Bergen County municipalities of Garfield, Saddle Brook, and Fair Lawn border the borough to the north, east, and south.
Elmwood is also close to Paramus, Maywood, and Rochelle Park. Hackensack is just five miles away.
What Is the Population of Elmwood New Jersey?
According to the 2020 Census, the Elmwood population is 21,422, with a population density of 8,105 people per square mile. The population has grown from 19,403 in 2010.
Elmwood Park is a diverse community in terms of ethnicity, racial makeup, national origin, and cultural background. More than 53% of residents speak a language other than English at home. More than one out of every three people living in Elmwood NJ were born outside the U.S. That's higher than average for the NYC metropolitan area!
Demographics of people living in Elmwood Park NJ:
- Median age: 39.9 years
- Senior population 65 and older: 18%
- Sex ratio: 53% female to 47% male
- Educational attainment: 35.7% bachelor's degree or higher
- Median household income: $100,852
- Per capita income: $40,732
- Veteran population: 3.2%
- Foreign-born population: 35.6%
- Racial composition: 57.6% White (48.8% non-Hispanic), 29.7% Hispanic, 9.9% Black or African American, 9.7% Asian, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, and 9.5% two or more races
Is Elmwood Park NJ Safe?
Elmwood Park is a very safe place to live. The 2022 crime rate was 1,527 crimes per 100,000 people, with 189 violent crimes per 100,000. There were no homicides reported. The borough's crime rate is 34% below the U.S. average with a violent crime rate 49% below the national average.
While living in Elmwood Park NJ, you will be served by the Elmwood Park Police Department.
What's the Cost of Living in Elmwood Park NJ?
The Elmwood Park cost of living is about 32% higher than the national average. Groceries, transportation, and utilities are about 5% more expensive. Housing is one of the biggest factors pushing up the cost of living in Elmwood Park NJ.
The median home price is $550,000 and $344 per square foot. Homes sell in a median of 72 days on the market. You'll find a range of Cape Cod, Colonial, and duplex homes, most built after WWII. You can explore houses for sale on Redfin to see what's available.
If you're planning to rent after moving to Elmwood Park, there are two apartment complexes to choose between:
- Riverwalk: a luxury development with apartments in several buildings. One- to three-bedroom units start at $2,600 to $3,450.
- Elmwood Village Apartments & Townhomes: One- to three-bedroom units starting at $2,440 to $3,230
Best Neighborhoods in Elmwood Park
Before moving to Elmwood Park, you'll need to decide which area of town to call home. As a general rule, the area south of I-80 is more affordable. There are a couple of condominium co-ops, including Carrington Estates Condos with two-story townhouses and below-ground garages built in 1988, and The Meadows Condos, a small community of 16 two-bedroom condos built in 1985.
Riverwalk is one of the best places to live in Elmwood Park for singles, millennials, and young professionals. This luxury residential enclave boasts a secluded atmosphere with a private riverfront walking path, a large waterfront patio area and lounge, an activity area, an outdoor fireplace, and a fenced dog park. There are one- to three-bedroom apartments and lofts in Riverwalk Phase I, Riverwalk Phase II, and the new Landings at Riverwalk.
For seniors, there are two desirable 55+ communities. Parkview Cooperative is an age-restricted 55+ co-op community with one-bedroom units starting in the low $100s. The monthly HOA fee is $708. The Altair Active Adult Condominiums community has 187 two-bedroom condos in four age-restricted buildings. Condos start in the mid-$400s.
Elmwood Park NJ Weather & Climate
While living in Elmwood Park NJ, you will experience a humid continental climate (Köppen classification Dfa), characterized by four distinct seasons. Summers are warm to hot and humid, with average highs between 77°F and 84°F. Winters are cold to freezing, with average highs ranging from 35°F to 39°F.
You'll get 48.5" of annual rainfall, peaking in July with 4.6" on average. The borough gets an average of 25" of snowfall per year, peaking in February with an average of 7.3".
Things to Do in Elmwood Park
Ready to see all the fun activities you can enjoy while living in Elmwood Park NJ? The borough is known for its fantastic outdoor recreation. The borough's Recreation Department manages nine parks with a spray park, dog park, and playgrounds. The department also manages the Recreation Complex with a gym, weight room, and senior center. Older adults benefit from diverse social and educational programs, nutritious lunches, fitness classes, and other services.
There's also convenient shopping at Elmwood Park Shopping Center and the Westfield Garden State Plaza nearby in Paramus.
Here are some of the best things to do in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.
Artesian Fields County Park
This central park, managed by Bergen County Parks and Recreation, features a small zoo, a playground, athletic fields, and walking trails.
Artesian Fields County Park, 211 Mola Blvd, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407
Cutting Edge Ice Academy
This elite ice hockey training facility offers hockey classes and clinics, hockey leagues, rink rentals, and more.
Cutting Edge Ice Academy, 71 Midland Ave, Garfield, NJ 07026 (201) 773-6647
Parkway Lanes
This long-standing bowling alley has been a family-friendly destination for competitive and casual bowling since 1959.
Parkway Lanes, 200 US-46, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 (201) 791-4680
Other things to do within 15 minutes of Elmwood Park:
- Elmwood Park Library
- Saddle River County Park
- Dahnert’s Lake County Park
- Paterson Great Falls National Park
- Garret Mountain Reservation and Lambert Castle
- Bergen County Zoo & Van Saun County Park
- Bowlero Fair Lawn
- The Ridgewood Country Club
Best Restaurants in Elmwood Park
While living in Elmwood Park NJ, you'll benefit from amazing and diverse cuisine ranging from upscale restaurants, upbeat brewpubs, casual diners, and seafood eateries to authentic French, Indian, Peruvian, Italian, and Middle Eastern fare. Here are just some of the best-rated Elmwood Park restaurants.
Blue 42 Restaurant and Bar
This casual sports bar is known for its regular lively events like beer pong, karaoke, and live DJ nights.
Blue 42 Restaurant and Bar, 158 Market St, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 (201) 773-0970
Elmwood Park Diner
A favorite among locals, this retro diner serves up old-school diner fare, including char-broiled burgers, pasta dishes, fish and chips, and meatloaf.
Elmwood Park Diner, 375 Market St, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 (201) 796-6641
Pierre & Michel Authentic French Bakery
Stop by in the morning for fresh-baked French bread, pastries, croissants, macarons, and Instagram-worthy cakes.
Pierre & Michel Authentic French Bakery, 95 Broadway, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 (201) 300-6580
Economy & Jobs in Elmwood Park NJ
While living in Elmwood Park NJ, you'll benefit from a central location close to many of the county's largest employers. Residents have an average commute of 27 minutes, much lower than the 36-minute average in the metro area! Major industries include healthcare and social assistance, education, retail, manufacturing, and professional services.
More than 56% of people living in Elmwood Park NJ work in Bergen County, while 14.5% work in New York City. About 6% work in Hudson County, 5% work in Passaic County, and 4% work in Essex County.
Major employers in the Elmwood Park area include:
- Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc. in Elmwood Park, the third largest employer in the county
- Hackensack University Medical Center
- Valley Health Systems, Inc. in Ridgewood
- Express Scripts in Franklin Lakes
- County of Bergen
- Quest Diagnostics, Inc. in Teterboro and Lyndhurst
- Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus
The borough's median household income is $100,852, slightly lower than the county median of $104,623. The Bergen County median family income is $126,103.
Start the job hunt by exploring jobs in Elmwood Park NJ on Indeed and look for job opportunities with the Borough of Elmwood Park.
Are There Good Schools in Elmwood Park NJ?
The Elmwood Park Public Schools district serves families living in Elmwood Park NJ. There are five public schools serving about 2,600 students:
- Gantner Elementary
- Sixteenth Avenue Elementary
- Gilbert Avenue Elementary
- Elmwood Park Middle School
- Elmwood Park Memorial High School
Students living in Elmwood Park NJ can attend education programs through Bergen County Technical Schools (BCTS). This includes Bergen Tech campuses in Paramus and Teterboro and the Bergen County Academies (BCA) in Hackensack, a free public career technical high school. Students accepted to BCTS schools have tuition covered by their home district.
St. Leo's Catholic School is a private school in the borough that provides a traditional Franciscan and Catholic education from preschool through 8th grade.
Bergen Community College is just minutes away in Paramus.
Elmwood Park NJ Borough Information
- Elmwood NJ county: Bergen County
- Area: 2.7 square miles
- Elmwood Park zip code: 07407
- Elmwood Park area code: 201
- Elevation: 46 feet
- Elmwood Park time zone: Eastern Time Zone (UTC -4 and -5)
- Closest airports to Elmwood Park NJ: Teterboro Airport (TEB), 4 miles away, and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), 22 miles away
Elmwood Park Map
Moving to Elmwood Park? Get Started With a Free Moving Quote Today!
Does living in Elmwood Park NJ seem like what you're looking for? The Elmwood Park movers at Harrington Moving & Storage are standing by to streamline the moving process and help you settle into your new home. Call us today at (973) 313-2246 to discuss your moving needs and get a free, personalized estimate.
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