Ho-Ho-Kus was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on October 12, 1908, from what had originally been the borough of Orvil, which was in turn created on March 8, 1905, from portions of Orvil Township.[23][24]
As of the 2000 census, Ho-Ho-Kus was the 15th-wealthiest community in New Jersey with a per capita money income of $63,594 as of 1999, an increase of 36.9% from the $46,451 recorded in 1989.[25] The borough's median household income was $165,827 in 2013.[26] In 2011, New Jersey Monthly magazine named Ho-Ho-Kus the best place to live in the state of New Jersey, citing its affluence, low crime rate and the quality of its school system, as well as its proximity to New York City and other major commercial destinations.[27]
The meaning of the name Ho-Ho-Kus has been disputed. From the official history on the borough's website, the most likely origin is a contraction of the Delaware Indian term "Mah-Ho-Ho-Kus" (or "Mehokhokus"), meaning "the red cedar".[28][29]
Other meanings have been suggested over the years and are listed on the borough's website, including: a Lenape word for running water; a cleft in the rock, or under the rock, or hollow rock; the word "hohokes", signifying the whistle of the wind against the bark of trees; the Chihohokies Indians, whose chief lived here; the Dutch Hoog Akers for "high acorns" or Hoge Aukers for "high oaks"; the Lenape word hoccus, meaning "fox", or woakus, meaning "gray fox"; or that the "Ho" part means joy or spirit, and the rest of the name comes from "hohokes", referring to a type of tree bark.[30][31]
A constant source of confusion has been the manner in which the borough's name has been styled, with each syllable capitalized and separated by hyphens. The confusion is only exacerbated by the existence of Hohokus Township (now Mahwah), which comprised the area of present-day Ho-Ho-Kus and other surrounding communities, yet was styled without the multiple capitalization or the hyphens. Ho-Ho-Kus is served by interchange 168 on the Garden State Parkway which lists the municipality as "Hohokus" on its exit signing.[32]
The name "Ho-Ho-Kus" was used explicitly in the resolution requesting a change of name passed by the Borough Council on October 12, 1908, and submitted to the Secretary of State of New Jersey requesting "That the Borough now known as the Borough of Orvil be hereafter known as the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus..."
A few theories have been offered for the hyphens and capitalization. One is that it was intended to differentiate between the borough and Hohokus Township, which was formed on April 9, 1849, and continued to exist until November 7, 1944, when a referendum was passed changing the name to present-day Mahwah.[23][13] Another explanation was that it was meant to avoid confusion by postal clerks with mail being sent to Hoboken.
While efforts had been made in the ensuing decades to change the name or to alter the way in which the name of the borough is capitalized and punctuated, the borough remains as "Ho-Ho-Kus."[33]
Geography
[edit]Warren Avenue Bridge crossing the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.75 square miles (4.53 km2), including 1.74 square miles (4.51 km2) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) of water (0.63%).[1][2]
Of the 1,401 households, 40.7% had children under the age of 18; 74.2% were married couples living together; 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 17.6% were non-families. Of all households, 15.5% were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.26.[20]
29.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 18.8% from 25 to 44, 31.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.7 males.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $155,030 (with a margin of error of +/− $14,301) and the median family income was $157,202 (+/− $13,820). Males had a median income of $93,750 (+/− $26,877) versus $83,636 (+/− $27,361) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $67,238 (+/− $11,693). About 1.9% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.[44]
As of the 2000 United States census[17] there were 4,060 people, 1,433 households, and 1,199 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,331.1 inhabitants per square mile (900.0/km2). There were 1,465 housing units at an average density of 841.2 per square mile (324.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 92.66% White, 0.59% African American, 0.10% Native American, 5.22% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.97% of the population were HispanicorLatino of any race.[42][43]
There were 1,433 households, out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.6% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. Of all households 14.6% were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.11.[42][43]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.[42][43]
The median income for a household in the borough was $129,900, and the median income for a family was $144,588. Males had a median income of $92,573 versus $54,091 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $63,594. Of the population 2.1% of the people and 2.6% of families were below the poverty line. Of those 0.7% under the age of 18 and 1.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.[42][43]
Ho-Ho-Kus is primarily an upper-class and upper-middle class suburb of New York City, ranking 15th in the state of New Jersey in terms of per-capita income. According to the Forbes 2010 survey of the most expensive ZIP codes in America, Ho-Ho-Kus ranked 268th nationally, with a median home price of $901,841.[46]
Ho-Ho-Kus 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.[50] The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A 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.[7] The borough form of government used by Ho-Ho-Kus 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.[51][52]
As of 2023[update], the mayor of Ho-Ho-Kus is Republican Thomas W. Randall, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Douglas K. Troast (R, 2024), Kevin Crossley (R, 2025), Edmund M. Iannelli (R, 2023), Kathleen Moran (R, 2025), Dane M. Policastro (R, 2024) and Steven D. Shell (R, 2023).[3][53][54][55][56][57][58]
In February 2020, Kathleen Moran was selected from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Philip Rorty until he resigned from office earlier that month.[59] Moran served on an interim basis until the November 2020 general election, when she was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.[57]
Thomas Fiato was selected in January 2016 from a list of three candidates nominated by the municipal Republican committee to fill the seat of Kimberley Weiss, who had resigned earlier that month after announcing that she was relocating out of the borough.[60]
Bergen County is governed by a directly elected County Executive, with legislative functions performed by a Board of County Commissioners composed of seven members who are elected at-large to three-year terms in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each November; a Chairman and Vice Chairman are selected from among its seven members at a reorganization meeting held every January. As of 2024[update], the county executive is James J. Tedesco III (D, Paramus), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.[69]
As of March 2011, there was a total of 2,981 registered voters in Ho-Ho-Kus, of whom 546 (18.3% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,456 (48.8% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 976 (32.7% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as LibertariansorGreens.[91] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 73.1% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 103.3% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).[91][92]
In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 1,171 votes (48.1% vs. 41.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton with 1,131 votes (46.5% vs. 54.2%) and other candidates with 131 votes (5.4% vs. 4.6%), among the 2,462 ballots cast by the borough's 3,234 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.1% (vs. 72.5% in Bergen County).[93] In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 1,447 votes (62.8% vs. 43.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 826 votes (35.9% vs. 54.8%) and other candidates with 21 votes (0.9% vs. 0.9%), among the 2,303 ballots cast by the borough's 3,116 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.9% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County).[94][95] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 1,440 votes (58.1% vs. 44.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,009 votes (40.7% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 15 votes (0.6% vs. 0.8%), among the 2,478 ballots cast by the borough's 3,066 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.8% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).[96][97] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 1,547 votes (62.2% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 916 votes (36.8% vs. 51.7%) and other candidates with 18 votes (0.7% vs. 0.7%), among the 2,489 ballots cast by the borough's 2,987 registered voters, for a turnout of 83.3% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county).[98]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 74.4% of the vote (1,085 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 24.6% (358 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (15 votes), among the 1,479 ballots cast by the borough's 3,042 registered voters (21 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 48.6%.[99][100] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,063 votes (62.5% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 553 votes (32.5% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 76 votes (4.5% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 3 votes (0.2% vs. 0.5%), among the 1,701 ballots cast by the borough's 3,024 registered voters, yielding a 56.3% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).[101]
Education
[edit]Ho-Ho-Kus Public School hosts a "Country Fair".
The Ho-Ho-Kus School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Ho-Ho-Kus Public School.[102][103] As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 597 students and 49.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1.[104] The school population increased more than 200 students in the decade through 2008.[105]
Local secondary school students in public school attend Northern Highlands Regional High School in nearby Allendale, which serves students in the ninth through twelfth grades grades from Allendale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Upper Saddle River and some students from Saddle River, as part of sending/receiving relationships with the Ho-Ho-Kus district.[27][106] As of the 2020–21 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,364 students and 106.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.8:1.[107]New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Northern Highlands Regional High School as the 22nd-best high school of the 328 ranked schools in New Jersey in its 2012 rankings of the "Top Public High Schools" after being ranked 6th of 322 schools in 2010.[108] The ten voting seats on the high school district's board of education are allocated based on a percentage of the enrollment coming from each constituent municipality, with one seat allocated to Ho-Ho-Kus.[109]
After ending a long-standing sending relationship to Ridgewood High School in the mid-1970s, Ho-Ho-Kus students started attending Midland Park High School. The small size of the Midland Park school and the lack of electives led to efforts in the mid-1990s to find another high school to serve students from the borough.[28] Since then, high school students from Ho-Ho-Kus have been attending Northern Highlands Regional High School.[110] The send / receive agreement between Ho-Ho-Kus and Northern Highlands began in the 1990s.[111] In 2016, the Ho-Ho-Kus and Northern Highlands districts reached an agreement to extend the send / receive agreement through 2026 under a fixed-price contract by which Ho-Ho-Kus would pay $3.6 million for the 2016–2017 school year, escalating by 2% a year to $4.3 million in 2025–2026, regardless of the number of students from the borough sent to the high school.[112]
Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County AcademiesinHackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in TeterboroorParamus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.[113][114]
The borough is home to the Ho-Ho-Kus Waldwick Cooperative Nursery School.[115]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 26.52 miles (42.68 km) of roadways, of which 19.50 miles (31.38 km) were maintained by the municipality, 6.01 miles (9.67 km) by Bergen County and 1.01 miles (1.63 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[116]
David Duffield (born 1941), businessman and founder of Information Associates, Integral Software Systems, Business Software, PeopleSoft, and Workday[125][126]
Metta Victoria Fuller Victor (1831–1885), novelist, credited with authoring of one of the first American detective novels who wrote more than 100 dime novels, pioneering the field[135]
Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties) prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.
^ ab"Hohokus Or Ho-Ho-Kus?", The Morning Call, January 1, 1940. Accessed June 29, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Then Hoppertown became Ho-Ho-Kus, the spelling and capitalization intended to set it apart from the township which remained Hohokus. The councilmen thought the capitalization and spelling gave the borough that touch of individualism of which we Americans are so proud. Residents of Ho-ho-kus still hold to that belief.... Hail to the Ho-Ho-Kusite, all 925 of her united population, who are willing to battle the New Deal Administration, the State Government and the Motion Picture industry, in pursuit of an opinion they hold to be right."
^Mayor and Council Meeting Minutes for February 25, 2020, Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus. Accessed March 26, 2020. "Whereas, there presently exists a vacancy in the membership of the Governing Body by reason of the retirement of Councilman Philip Rorty, effective February 3, 2020; and Whereas, the Ho-Ho-Kus Republican County Committee has submitted three (3) nominees for the selection of a successor to fill the vacancy; and Whereas, the Governing Body has considered the matter; Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the Governing Body of the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus that it hereby appoints Kathleen Moran as the councilperson to serve until the next general election in November, 2020, at which time the vacancy shall be filled for its unexpired term."
^Janoski, Steve. "New Ho-Ho-Kus councilman sets focus on affordable-housing obligation", The Record, March 2, 2016. Accessed March 28, 2016. "Fiato, 55, was sworn in Jan. 26 after the resignation of five-year Councilwoman Kimberly Weiss. Weiss, who won reelection last November, resigned in early January because she was moving out of the borough, local officials said."
^Biography, Congressman Josh Gottheimer. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Josh now lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey with Marla, his wife who was a federal prosecutor, and their two young children, Ellie and Ben."
^Biography of Bob Menendez, United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Cattafi, Kristie. "Democrats pick Bergenfield councilman to fill vacancy on Bergen County commissioners board", The Record, March 13, 2023. Accessed March 16, 2023. "A Democratic councilman from Bergenfield will be sworn in as a Bergen County commissioner Wednesday night, filling a vacancy on the governing body for almost 1 million residents. Rafael Marte will serve until Dec. 31, taking on the unexpired term left by former Commissioner Ramon Hache, a Democrat who resigned last week to lead the Ridgewood YMCA as its chief executive officer."
^Ho-Ho-Kus Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Ho-Ho-Kus School District. Accessed September 4, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12 in the Ho-Ho-Kus School district. Composition The Ho-Ho-Kus School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus."
^About the Board of Education, Northern Highlands Regional High School, updated June 20, 2020. Accessed January 25, 2022. "The Northern Highlands Regional High School Board of Education is comprised of a ten board members who are elected by the constituents in the three municipalities (Upper Saddle River, Allendale, and Ho-Ho-Kus) whose students attend the Northern Highlands Regional High School district. As Saddle River has less than 10% of the entire districts population, they have a non-voting liaison on the Board who serves as the 11th member. Currently, five members are elected from the Borough of Upper Saddle River, four from the Borough of Allendale and one from the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus. The numeric breakdown of members is determined by total student population from each specific town, one member for each 10% of the entire schools population."
^Peterson, Iver. "Taxes May Fuse School Districts; Rising Expenses Test New Jerseyans' Love of Local Control", The New York Times, April 29, 1994. Accessed August 22, 2011. "The proposed district would send Ho-Ho-Kus ninth graders to Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale. Northern Highlands High is nationally known for quality, but it is operating at just over half capacity and desperately seeking ties to other districts. Now, Ho-Ho-Kus children go to Midland Park High School after eighth grade."
^Crusco, Jennifer. "Trustees approve new 10-year contract with Highlands", The Villadom Times, March 4, 2009. Accessed September 7, 2011. "The Ho-Ho-Kus Board of Education last week signed a new send/receive contract with Northern Highlands Regional High School in Annandale, which covers 2008 (retroactively) through 2018.... Ho-Ho-Kus has been sending its high school age students to Northern Highlands since the 1990s, when the district severed its send/receive relationship with Midland Park High School."
^Northern Highlands Regional High School and the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus announced a new 10-year send/receive agreement through 2026 last week.... The total tuition to be paid by Ho-Ho-Kus for the 2016 to 2017 school year is $3,580,675. The fee increases by approximately 2 percent per year to $4,279,238 in the 2025 to 2026 school year."
^Stoltz, Marsha A. "Ho-Ho-Kus receives $10M from tech entrepreneur David Duffield for new school gym", The Record, December 20, 2022. Accessed March 29, 2023. "The Board of Education has received a $10 million gift — the largest in its history — from tech entrepreneur and former student David Duffield for construction of a new gymnasium and wellness center, President Mary Ellen Nye announced Monday.... 'I loved my childhood in Ho-Ho-Kus,' Duffield said in a written statement."
^Schwartz, Paul. "Bergen Catholic alum takes over as Columbia University football coach", The Record, August 8, 2023. Accessed August 26, 2023. "Fabish, a 1993 Bergen Catholic graduate and native of Ho-Ho-Kus, was part of Bagnoli's first class of recruits at Penn and has spent the past 14 years as one of Bagnoli's assistants, both in his final six years at Penn and all eight years at Columbia."
^Anderson, Dave. "Sports of The Times; Fassel's Finished Basement", The New York Times, March 2, 2001. Accessed August 27, 2012. "Maybe that explains how the Fassels celebrated when he returned to their Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J., home on Tuesday with a four-year, $10.75 million contract -- a guarantee that they will be living at the same address for at least eight years, their longest consecutive residence."
^Langston, Lee S. "Our Founder – IGTI's R. Tom Sawyer", p. 79, Global Gas Turbine News, September 2015. Accessed July 2, 2017. His home was close to New York City in the singularly named New Jersey town of Ho-Ho-Kus (a contraction of a Delaware Indian name, 'the red cedar')."
^DeVencentis, Philip. "Ho-Ho-Kus native Chloe Troast makes her debut on Saturday Night Live", The Record, October 15, 2023. Accessed December 3, 2023. "Troast, 26, who grew up in Ho-Ho-Kus and graduated in 2015 from Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, is the only newcomer to the cast of the award-winning sketch comedy series, now in its 49th year."
^Richard Warch biographyArchived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Lawrence University. Accessed June 7, 2007. "A native of Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, Warch earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College in 1961, his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School in 1964, and the Ph.D. in American studies from Yale University in 1968."
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