Oradell 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 8,244, an increase of 266 (+3.3%) from the 2010 census count of 7,978, which in turn reflected a decline of 69 (-0.9%) from the 8,047 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 includes a dam on the Hackensack River that forms the Oradell Reservoir. Oradell is a suburb of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan.
Oradell was originally formed on March 8, 1894, as the borough of Delford, from portions of Harrington Township, Midland Township (now Rochelle Park) and Palisades Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 76 re Delford, p. 82 re Oradell. Accessed May 30, 2024 The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through 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 1, 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." Note that the source lists May 8 as the date of the borough's formation, while other sources show March 8. The name "Delford" was a portmanteau created from the names of two communities within the new borough: Oradell and New Milford.Capuzzo, Jill P. "Living In | Oradell, N.J.: Town May Activate Your Homing Device", The New York Times, December 2, 2011. Accessed December 25, 2011. "The borough of Delford — made up of Oradell and New Milford — was formed in 1894. " The Hotel Delford had been constructed in 1870 after the construction of the first railroad to reach the area.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living in: Oradell", The New York Times, November 11, 1990. Accessed December 25, 2011. "The area had its first growth spurt after the Hackensack and New Jersey Extension Railroad opened a line to Carlstadt in 1870. Soon afterward, the 40-room Hotel Delford was opened, Grove Street was laid out and businessmen from New York City built their Victorian homes there. The hotel has since been torn down." On November 12, 1920, the borough's name was officially changed to "Oradell", based on the results of a referendum held ten days earlier.Bergen County New Jersey Municipalities: Oradell, Dutch Door Genealogy. Accessed September 14, 2006. Oradell derives its name from "ora" (Latin for "edge") and "dell".Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 15, 2015.
New Jersey Monthly ranked Oradell as the 68th best place to live in New Jersey in its 2010 rankings of the "Top Towns" in the state. This ranking also makes the borough the seventh best place to live in Bergen County."Best Places to Live in New Jersey 2010 (Top Towns) as Listed by County", New Jersey Monthly, February 9, 2010. Accessed December 17, 2010.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.57 square miles (6.65 km2), including 2.41 square miles (6.25 km2) of land and 0.16 square miles (0.40 km2) of water (6.07%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Delford.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.
The borough borders the Bergen County municipalities of Dumont, Emerson, Haworth, New Milford, Paramus and River Edge.Areas touching Oradell, MapIt. Accessed March 2, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 2, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Oradell Reservoir was formed by the Oradell Reservoir Dam placed on the Hackensack River, which was started in 1921 and finished in 1923. The reservoir is fed by the Pascack Brook and Dwars Kill in addition to the Hackensack River. The Dam has greatly reduced the amount of flooding in the eastern part of Oradell caused by the Hackensack River, though it also resulted in the loss of flora and fauna that depended on the fresh water that flowed down the river.The Hackensack River: A True Come-Back Story, Hackensack Riverkeeper. Accessed September 6, 2011. Fed by rain from Hurricane Irene in August 2011, the water level in the reservoir rose two feet above the top of the dam, allowing billions of gallons of water to flow over the dam and exacerbating flooding conditions in Oradell and New Milford.Fallon, Scott; and Superville, Denisa R. "Oradell Dam water levels remain high", The Record, August 29, 2011. Accessed September 6, 2011.
As of 2026, the borough is a member of Local Leaders for Responsible Planning in order to address the borough's Mount Laurel doctrine-based housing obligations. Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Oradell has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Oradell, New Jersey
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Oradell borough, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)7,0476,5375,88987.57%81.94%71.43%Black or African American alone (NH)3446730.42%0.58%0.89%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)0570.00%0.06%0.08%Asian alone (NH)6498951,2778.07%11.22%15.49%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1000.01%0.00%0.00%Other race alone (NH)27390.02%0.09%0.47%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)65912250.81%1.14%2.73%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2493977343.09%4.98%8.90%Total8,0477,9788,244 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Oradell had a population of 8,244. The median age was 43.9 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and older, there were 90.8 males age 18 and older.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,782 households, of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 73.2% were married-couple households, 7.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 17.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 15.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,850 housing units, of which 2.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.5%.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 7,978 people, 2,749 households, and 2,293 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 2,831 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 85.79% (6,844) White, 0.68% (54) Black or African American, 0.08% (6) Native American, 11.26% (898) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.80% (64) from other races, and 1.40% (112) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.98% (397) of the population.
Of the 2,749 households, 39.1% had children under the age of 18; 73.5% were married couples living together; 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 16.6% were non-families. Of all households, 14.8% were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.20.
26.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.2 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $123,750 (with a margin of error of +/− $23,641) and the median family income was $147,139 (+/− $14,419). Males had a median income of $91,332 (+/− $10,621) versus $68,208 (+/− $17,195) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $51,654. About 1.4% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Oradell borough, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 25, 2011.
Same-sex couples headed 14 households in 2010, an increase from the 13 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 October 14, 2014.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census, there were 8,047 people, 2,789 households and 2,300 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 2,833 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 90.07% White, 0.48% African American, 0.04% Native American, 8.09% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.09% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Oradell borough, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 11, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Oradell borough, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 11, 2013.
3.1% of Oradell's residents identified themselves as being of Armenian American ancestry. This was the 11th highest percentage of Armenian American people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.Armenian Communities , EPodunk. Accessed June 28, 2006.
There were 2,789 households, of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.9% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.5% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.17.
Age distribution was 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The 2000 Census showed that median household income was $91,014 and the median family income was $102,842. Males had a median income of $76,683 versus $42,318 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $39,520. About 1.7% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy