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Englewood
is situated in the southern part of
Bergen
County
's
Northern
Valley
region, just north of the great Jersey meadowlands, three miles west
of the
George
Washington
Bridge
and ten miles from
Times Square
. It occupies 4.9 square miles descending from a height of 410 feet
on the western slope of the
Palisades
to almost sea level in the valley.
The Wisconsin
Glacier, the last of three glaciers that covered this part of
New Jersey
, was responsible for many of the features which made the area
desirable to early European settlers. Tumbled rocks provided
building material; may streams could be dammed to create water power
for lumber and grist mills; the soil of the valley was rich enough
for good crops and grazing land.
The selection of
the name was a subject of considerable discussion. The village
encompassed much of the portion of English Neighborhood which had
been known as Liberty Pole. Area residents and friends of Mr. Jones
met in Van Brunt and Walters' carpentry shop to consider various
names, including Paliscene and Brayton. The group finally adopted
Englewood
, Mr. Jones original proposal. According to Adelaide Sterling's 1922
history, the derivation of the name is not certain. Some said it was
a variation of "English Neighborhood", while others
claimed it stemmed from the Engle family name and woods of the hill
section.
The
village
of
Englewood
was part of
Hackensack
Township
from its inception until 1871, when the state legislature divided
Bergen
County
into four townships:
Hackensack
, Palisade,
Ridgefield
, and
Englewood
. An act of the state legislature in 1894 eliminated large township
school districts and made each municipality a separate district.
Residents were compelled to pay off the debts of the old district on
a pro-rata basis. For some reason, boroughs, towns, villages and
cities were exempted from the law. Consequently, there was a rush to
form such governments and
Englewood
moved to incorporate as a city in 1896. Because of a defect in state
legislation, the process was not completed until March 1899.
At present
Englewood
is a sophisticated city which combines much of its historic grace
and charm with an exciting cosmopolitan atmosphere. It has many
contrasts - between elaborate Victorian mansions and modern low-rise
condominiums, between quiet tree-lined residential neighborhoods and
the bustling central business district, between large estates and
affordable apartments. Its proximity to
New York City
continues to be a significant feature, but it also has a vital and
distinctive character of its own, forged from the richly
heterogeneous backgrounds, interests and talents of its citizens.
Englewood
's population is far more diverse than that of most suburbs,
including many of its
Bergen
County
neighbors. Occupations range from highly paid professionals to
unskilled trades. Due to the proximity of
New York
hospitals and the ever-expanding, doctors abound. There are also
many lawyers, business men and women, engineers and professors, as
well as a number of artists, musicians, and entertainment and sports
figures. One of many distinguished residents was Dizzy Gillespie,
after whom a downtown area is named.
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