Pompton Lakes was established on February 26, 1895, from portions of Pompton Township, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier.[25] The borough was named for the Pompton people, a sub-tribe of Native Americans who lived in the area.[26] It was the first borough to be formed in Passaic County as part of the "boroughitis" that had struck the state at the time. Pompton Lakes did not acquire territory from more than one township, which would have entitled the borough to a seat on the County's Board of Chosen Freeholders.[27]
An outer-ring suburb of New York City, Pompton Lakes is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Midtown Manhattan. From the higher mountains in and around the borough one can see the New York skyline. Three rivers, the Ramapo, Pequannock and Wanaque, run through the borough, which historically provided much of the energy for various industries in the borough. In the mid-20th century, Pompton Lakes served as a local shopping destination, but lost its status as shopping malls opened in the area in the 1970s and 1980s.
Pompton was situated along the main north–south route during the Revolutionary War, and as such the Continental Army passed through often. Casparus Schuyler, a member of the prominent Schuyler family, owned a tavern in the town that became known as the Yellow Tavern or the Yellow Cottage, and the various army encampments in the area supplied much of the business.[29]
General George Washington and his army stayed in the Pompton area twice during the course of the war, and he visited the Yellow Tavern both times.[30] He first visited on July 11, 1777, when he met with local ironmasterRobert Erskine at the tavern. François-Jean de Chastellux, a major general in the French Expeditionary Force led by General Rochambeau, visited the Yellow Tavern on his way from Philadelphia to New England in December 1780, and remarked on his experience there in an account published later.[29] Washington returned to the tavern on March 30, 1782, as he traveled north with his wife Martha.[29] During this time, it was serving as the winter headquarters of Colonel Phillip Van Cortlandt. The tavern was torn down around 1900 to widen the adjacent road, and the site is noted by a historical marker.
Pompton Township was formed shortly after the Revolution, in 1797. During the Civil War, knives, saws, nails, and springs for railroad cars were manufactured at the Pompton Ironworks. The Morris Canal, completed in 1832, was linked to the town via the Pompton Feeder, which barges used to supply coal to blast furnaces.[31] Despite this, Pompton remained predominantly rural through the 19th century, and various summer resorts around Pompton Lake served vacationing New Yorkers. The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad opened a local train station in the late 1870s, driving further development in the town. In 1895, Pompton Lakes voted to split from Pompton Township, and the borough was officially incorporated on February 26 of that year.[25]
The population of Pompton Lakes increased during the early 1900s, due to the rapid growth of local employers like the German Artistic Weaving Company and the Smith Powder Works. The latter company was purchased in 1905 by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and formed the basis of the DuPont Pompton Lakes Works, which operated in the borough until 1994.[32]
In 1923, Joseph "Doc" Bier opened a "health farm" in Pompton Lakes, where boxers such as Pancho Villa and Jimmy McLarnin trained. In 1935, Joe Louis began training at the camp, and continued to use the camp until his retirement in 1949. He prepared for his famed bout with Max Schmeling there, and often invited local children to watch him practice. During his time in the borough he held boxing exhibitions at the camp to raise $2,600 for the purchase of an ambulance and an additional $2,000 to help build a police communications tower.[33] The camp closed in the 1950s.
In 1938, Reaction Motors successfully designed and perfected the world's first regenerative cooling rocket at a basement laboratory in a building in downtown Pompton Lakes. The technology they invented made liquid-fueled rockets capable of burning for long enough periods to be practical, and all future liquid-fueled rockets would build off this technology. The company tested this rocket at Lake Inez in the borough, not far from the laboratory it was built in.[28]
Decades-old industrial pollution and its connection to cancer and other illness among residents in a section of the borough was the subject of a week-long front-page investigative series in The Record newspaper in February 2018. The four-part series documented ground and water pollution that has impacted hundreds of homes surrounding a DuPont munitions plant that had operated for decades in the area, and the impact on the health of nearby residents exposed to the pollutants.[34]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.16 square miles (8.19 km2), including 2.89 square miles (7.48 km2) of land and 0.27 square miles (0.71 km2) of water (8.67%).[1][2]
Much of the borough sits in a valley formed by the confluence of the Ramapo, Pequannock, and Wanaque rivers, which leads to common flooding events, the most recent of which was in 2011. A few taller hills ring the valley, including Federal Hill, which is notable as the site of the Pompton Mutiny, a revolt of Continental Army troops that occurred there on January 20, 1781, under the command of Colonel Israel Shreve.[38]
Of the 4,190 households, 31.6% had children under the age of 18; 56.0% were married couples living together; 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.0% were non-families. Of all households, 24.7% were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.20.[22]
22.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.9 males.[22]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $88,352 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,890) and the median family income was $97,074 (+/− $10,183). Males had a median income of $61,426 (+/− $7,225) versus $50,203 (+/− $4,456) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $35,872 (+/− $3,011). About 2.0% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.[45]
Same-sex couples headed 29 households in 2010, almost double the 15 counted in 2000.[46]
As of the 2000 United States census[19] there were 10,640 people, 3,949 households, and 2,803 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,585.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,384.4/km2). There were 4,024 housing units at an average density of 1,356.1 per square mile (523.6/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.01% White, 1.21% African American, 0.19% Native American, 3.03% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.57% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.74% of the population.[43][44]
There were 3,949 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.24.[43][44]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.[43][44]
The median income for a household in the borough was $65,648, and the median income for a family was $74,701. Males had a median income of $46,776 versus $38,221 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,802. About 1.6% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.[43][44]
The 2023 documentary film Flipside, directed and co-written by Chris Wilcha, was partially based upon, and filmed at, the eponymous record store in downtown Pompton Lakes.[49]
The southern portion of Ramapo Mountain State Forest lies within the northernmost area of Pompton Lakes, and the park's Cannonball Trail begins in the borough.[50] There are also six municipal parks: Hershfield Park, Stiles Park, Gallo-Pacifico Park, Lakeside Park, Rotary Park, and John Murrin Park.
The Joe Louis Memorial features a granite monument dedicated to the boxer who lived and trained in the borough for a time.[51]
Pompton Lakes and Riverdale share their youth sports teams. The Pompton Lakes-Riverdale Little League (PLRLL) runs youth tee-ball, baseball and softball leagues, while the Pompton Lakes-Riverdale Youth Organization (PLRYO) runs football, lacrosse and cheerleading, and the Pompton Lakes-Riverdale Soccer Association (PLRSA) runs the soccer teams. The Pompton Lakes Recreation Department also runs an annual summer day camp at Hershfield Park, as well as special programs including art classes and karate lessons.
Pompton Lakes is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.[52] The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.[9] The borough form of government used by Pompton Lakes is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.[53][54]
As of 2023[update], the mayor of Pompton Lakes is Republican Michael A. Serra, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023.[5] Members of the Borough Council are William D. Baig (R, 2025), Robert Cruz (R, 2024), Erik I. DeLine (R, 2024), Maria Kent (R, 2023), Jennifer Polidori (R, 2025) and Ekamon "Ek" Venin (R, 2023).[55][56][57][58][59][60][61]
In July 2018, Jennifer Polidori was selected from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2019 that had been held by Christian Baranco until he resigned from office earlier that month as he was moving out of the borough; Polidori served on an interim basis until the November 2018 general election, when voters selected a candidate to serve the balance of the term.[62]
Passaic County is governed by Board of County Commissioners, composed of seven members who are elected at-large to staggered three-year terms office on a partisan basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At a reorganization meeting held in January, the board selects a Director and Deputy Director from among its members to serve for a one-year term.[71] As of 2024[update], Passaic County's Commissioners are:
Constitutional officers, elected on a countywide basis are:
Clerk Danielle Ireland-Imhof (D, Hawthorne, 2028),[84][85]
Acting Sheriff Gary Giardina (D, Wayne, 2024)[86][87] and
Surrogate Zoila S. Cassanova (D, Wayne, 2026).[88][89][80]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 7,357 registered voters in Pompton Lakes, of which 1,726 (23.5% vs. 31.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,006 (27.3% vs. 18.7%) were registered as Republicans and 3,623 (49.2% vs. 50.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered to other parties.[92] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 66.3% (vs. 53.2% in Passaic County) were registered to vote, including 85.2% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.8% countywide).[92][93]
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 49.6% of the vote (2,418 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 49.1% (2,396 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (63 votes), among the 4,923 ballots cast by the borough's 7,536 registered voters (46 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 65.3%.[94][95] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 2,803 votes (50.6% vs. 37.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 2,567 votes (46.3% vs. 58.8%) and other candidates with 53 votes (1.0% vs. 0.8%), among the 5,541 ballots cast by the borough's 7,587 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.0% (vs. 70.4% in Passaic County).[96] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,847 votes (53.9% vs. 42.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 2,330 votes (44.1% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 45 votes (0.9% vs. 0.7%), among the 5,283 ballots cast by the borough's 7,217 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.2% (vs. 69.3% in the whole county).[97]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 65.9% of the vote (1,968 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 33.0% (985 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (34 votes), among the 3,030 ballots cast by the borough's 7,657 registered voters (43 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 39.6%.[98][99] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,848 votes (52.5% vs. 43.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,389 votes (39.4% vs. 50.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 196 votes (5.6% vs. 3.8%) and other candidates with 45 votes (1.3% vs. 0.9%), among the 3,523 ballots cast by the borough's 7,298 registered voters, yielding a 48.3% turnout (vs. 42.7% in the county).[100]
WGHT, a daytime-only station, is located in Pompton Lakes. Founded as WKER in 1964, the station ceased broadcasting on December 14, 2017 as ownership was transferred to the borough.[115] The station resumed broadcasting in April 2019 and is temporarily simulcasting programming from WTBQ in Warwick, New York while local programs are being developed. The transmitting tower for William Paterson University's WPSC-FM is also located in the borough.[116]
The Borough of Pompton Lakes runs Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Accounts, which is managed by Public Information Officer Michael Carelli. The borough also runs a town informational channel named PLTV77, airing on Optimum cable channel 77.
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 33.49 miles (53.90 km) of roadways, of which 26.51 miles (42.66 km) were maintained by the municipality, 6.52 miles (10.49 km) by Passaic County and 0.46 miles (0.74 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[117]
Larry Elgart (1922–2017), jazz bandleader who recorded the theme to the long-running dance show American Bandstand with his brother Les (see below)[124]
Les Elgart (1917–1995), trumpet player who recorded the theme to the long-running dance show American Bandstand with his brother Larry[125]
Christine Terhune Herrick (1859–1944), author of housekeeping books; built a home in the borough she named The Outlook, where she lived for 13 years[128]
James Hart Wyld (1912–1953), engineer and rocket scientist who helped to found Reaction Motors; developed a cooling system that is the basis for all modern liquid-propelled rocket motors[145]
^Passaic County Morris Canal Greenway Status Map, Morris Canal Greenway. Accessed October 10, 2017. "The Morris Canal passed through today's Passaic County towns of Wayne, Little Falls, Woodland Park, Paterson, and Clifton. It collected water from the Pompton Feeder Canal which began in Pompton Lakes and joined the Morris Canal at Mountain View in Wayne."
^Site History, Pompton Lakes Works. Accessed October 10, 2017.
^O'Neill, James M.; and Fallon, Scott. "Coming this week: 'Toxic Secrets: Pollution, evasion and fear in North Jersey'", The Record, February 12, 2018. Accessed May 28, 2018. "The Record and NorthJersey.com will launch "Toxic Secrets" this week, a four-part investigative series that reveals the secret history behind DuPont’s toxic pollution in Pompton Lakes. A review of 40 years worth of government documents shows DuPont engaged in a pattern of delay and pushback when regulators prodded the company to investigate the extent of its pollution migrating under a Pompton Lakes neighborhood of 400 homes from the company's now-shuttered munitions plant."
^Kolton, Tara. "Simpler Times, filmed in downtown Pompton Lakes, returns to the Garden State", Suburban Trends, April 20, 2015. Accessed March 21, 2017. "Simpler Times, the 33-minute comedy starring Jerry Stiller and written/directed by Pompton Lakes native Steve Monarque, was filmed primarily in Pompton Lakes and West Milford."
^Ramapo Mountain State Forest, New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. Accessed August 7, 2013. "The forest, which includes wild lands in the municipalities of Oakland, Pompton Lakes, Ringwood and Wanaque, borders Ringwood State Park and the Ramapo Valley County Reservation, a part of the Bergen County Park System."
^Borough Council, Borough of Pompton Lakes. Accessed April 16, 2023. "The six member Borough Council is elected at large and the members serve three-year terms."
^Zimmer, David M. "Pompton Lakes councilman Christian Barranco resigns to move out of town; replacement named", The Record, July 19, 2018. Accessed September 13, 2018. "Newly appointed councilwoman Jennifer Polidori said she's ready to spend the next five months actively serving her community and not just filling a seat on the dais. Polidori, 42, was appointed to fill an expiring term for the remainder of 2018.The seat was vacated Wednesday night by Christian Barranco, who resigned to move out of Pompton Lakes."
^Biography, Congressman Bill Pascrell. Accessed January 3, 2019. "A native son of Paterson, N.J., Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. has built a life of public service upon the principles he learned while growing up on the south side of the Silk City."
^ abBoard of County Commissioners, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022. "Passaic County is governed by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners. Each County Commissioner is elected at large for a three-year term. The board is headed by a director, who is selected for a one-year term at the board's annual reorganization meeting (at the first meeting of the year in January)."
^Bruce James, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.
^Pompton Lakes Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Pompton Lakes School District. Accessed March 5, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through twelve in the Pompton Lakes School District. Composition: The Pompton Lakes School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Pompton Lakes."
^Superintendent's Welcome, Pompton Lakes School District. Accessed May 14, 2020. "The Pompton Lakes schools serve over 1700 students in grades K-12. We have two elementary schools, a middle and high school. Pompton Lakes enjoys a sending-receiving relationship with the borough of Riverdale; these students attend Pompton Lakes High School."
^Zimmer, David M. "St. Mary's School in Pompton Lakes to close for good June 30", The Record, May 18, 2020. Accessed November 16, 2021. "St. Mary’s School on Pompton Avenue will close at the end of June, parish officials announced Saturday, with the pandemic helping destabilize what has already been a precarious financial standing for the private parochial school.... St. Mary’s opened on Sept. 10, 1951 with 256 students in Kindergarten through 8th grade, the Herald-News reported the following day.... St. Mary’s ran independently of financial assistance from the diocese and was projected to amass an operating deficit of $334,000 for the 2020-21 school year, according to a parish projection."
^Rouse, Karen. "N.J. Transit bus No. 75, running from Passaic County to Newark, will no longer operate", The Record, August 29, 2012. Accessed August 5, 2015. "Starting Saturday, the NJ Transit No. 75 bus — which runs from Butler through Pompton Lakes, Pequannock, Wayne and Little Falls on its way to Newark — will no longer operate as NJ Transit's plan to save $2.5 million in operating costs takes effect."
^Cecil B. DeMilleArchived October 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed July 27, 2007. "The world-renowned motion picture producer and director spent a good portion of his youth in Pompton Lakes."
^"Carolyn Hoffman Wed in Pompton", The News, March 8, 1949. Accessed February 7, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The marriage of Miss Carolyn Mae Hoffman, daughter of Mrs. Carolyn Hoffman of 438 Van Dyke St. and Harvey C. Ellsworth, of 81 Lakeside Ave., Pompton Lakes, took place Saturday at the Pompton Reformed Church.... The bridegroom, a graduate of Pompton Lakes High School, is a student at New York University, and is employed in the university store."
^Fox, Ron. "Where's What's-His-Name", The Record, May 1, 1993. Accessed August 13, 2008. "At Pompton Lakes High School, Charlie Getty was All-State in football and track, and a State bronze medalist in wrestling."
^Historic Preservation Property Description-The Outlook, Borough of Pompton Lakes. Accessed October 10, 2017. "Built by Christine Terhune Herrick circa 1890. Mrs. Herrick called her home Outlook. Mrs. Herrick lived there for thirteen years."
^Montayne, Ken. "Local Secret Labs", The Oakland Journal, October 3, 2012. Accessed October 10, 2017. "Pompton Lakes natives James Hart Wyld and Lovell Lawrence, Jr. along with John Shesta and Hugh Franklin Pierce, formed Reaction Motors, Inc on December 18, 1941 – just eleven days after the start of World War II."
^Anderson, Dave. "Sports of The Times; The Monument Where Joe Louis Trained", The New York Times, May 30, 1999. Accessed July 3, 2012. "When Joe Louis was the heavyweight champion, he put this leafy little town on the map. 'When I was in the Pacific during the war,' Russ Pagana, a retired contractor, was saying, 'guys would ask me where I was from. When I'd say, Pompton Lakes, N.J., they'd say, Yeah, that's where Joe Louis trains.' And now the town has put Joe Louis on a monument."
^Jackson, Herb. "Senate confirms Judge Patty Shwartz to federal appeals post", The Record, April 9, 2013. Accessed January 27, 2015. "More than a year and a half of political fighting that featured Sen. Bob Menendez shifting from critic to cheerleader ended Tuesday when the Senate confirmed 51-year-old Passaic County native Patty Shwartz to a lifetime appointment on a federal appeals court. Shwartz, a former federal prosecutor who grew up in Pompton Lakes and has served for the past decade as a U.S. magistrate judge in Newark, was nominated by President Obama to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in October 2011."
^Staff. "A Talk with Marion Harland at Her Home in New Jersey.", The New York Times, May 17, 1902. Accessed September 13, 2018. "The name of Sunnybank, an old homestead in Virginia which is also the title of her eighth novel, appropriately names Marion Harland's present home on Ramapo Lake, in the picturesque Valley of Pompton, in New Jersey."
^Ognjen Topic, New Jersey State Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Accessed January 24, 2018. "Ognjen Topic is a Muay Thai fighter from Pompton Lakes who trains with North Jersey Muay Thai in Lodi."
^"Arthur Vervaet Jr. of Oakland, 86", The Record, November 23, 1999. Accessed August 28, 2019. "Mr. Vervaet, who was born in Pompton Lakes and attended a one-room schoolhouse in Oakland, graduated from Butler High School in 1931."
^Graziano, Dan. "N.J. native Michael Weiner in line to become head of MLBPA"Archived August 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, June 26, 2009. Accessed May 24, 2011. "Weiner's New Jersey roots run deep. He was born on Dec. 21, 1961 in Paterson, where his mother and father were raised and went to high school. The family moved to Pompton Lakes when Weiner was two years old, and he went to high school there."
^Dr. Hook's John Wolters, MTV News. Accessed June 14, 2017. "John Wolters was the drummer for country-rock act Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, later known simply as Dr. Hook on their late '70s and early '80s hits. He was born John Christian Wolters on April 28, 1945, in Pompton Lakes, N.J."