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Paramus
is a borough in
Bergen County
,
New Jersey
,
United States
. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was
25,737. As of the Census Bureau's 2005 estimate, the population was
26,545. Paramus
is one of the largest shopping meccas in the country, with over $5
billion in annual retail sales, more than any other ZIP Code in the
United States
. This is despite the
fact that Paramus is noted for having some of the most restrictive
blue laws in the United States (even stricter than those prevailing
in the rest of Bergen County), banning nearly all retail and
white-collar businesses from opening on Sundays.
The
term
Paramus
comes from the Lenape Native American word meaning "land of the
wild turkey" or "place of fertile soil.” That
is why there is a giant metal statue of a turkey in the
Paramus
Park
mall
Paramus,
and the neighboring communities of Ridgewood and
Hackensack
, was the scene of a great deal of activity during the American
Revolutionary War.
A
section of
Paramus
known as Dunkerhook (meaning dark corner in Dutch) was
an African-American community dating back to the early 18th century.
Although historical markers on the current site and local oral
tradition maintain that this was a slave community, contemporary
records document that this was actually a community of free blacks,
not slaves.
During
World War II,
Farview Avenue
was closed off by the United States Army. The military had lined up
anti-aircraft cannons along the street to prevent any attack on
New York City
.
Farview Avenue
is located at the highest
peak
of
Paramus
and has a clear view of the
New York City
skyline.
Paramus
was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey
Legislature on March 2, 1922, based on the results of a referendum
held on April 4, 1922 that passed by a vote of 238 for, 10 against.
Paramus was created from portions of
Midland
Township
, which now exists as Rochelle Park.
The
Paramus Public Schools serve students in Kindergarten through
twelfth grade. Schools in the district five K-4 schools — Memorial
Elementary School, Midland Elementary School, Parkway Elementary
School, Ridge Ranch Elementary School and Stony Lane Elementary
School — both Eastbrook Middle School and Westbrook Middle School
for grades 5-8 and Paramus High School for grades 9-12. Three of the
district's schools have been formally designated as National Blue
Ribbon Schools:
Paramus
High School
,
Parkway
Elementary School
and
Ridge
Ranch
Elementary School
.
Bergen
Community College
, the county college of
Bergen
County
, is based in
Paramus
, with other satellite centers located elsewhere around the county.
The
Bergen
campus of
Berkeley
College
is located in
Paramus
.
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