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Wyckoff New Jersey

Wyckoff is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. According to the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 16,508. The most commonly given origin for the name Wyckoff, which was the origin accepted by the town committee when the town was established, is that Wyckoff is Indian for "high ground". New Jersey, Wyckoff, Properties A less widely held theory is that the town was named for Brooklyn judge Pieter Claesen Wyckoff (1625-1694). The surname comes from the Dutch words "Wyk," meaning parish and "Hof," meaning court. Neither of these origins are supported with solid historical evidence. The town has 13 churches, one synagogue, five public schools, three volunteer fire stations, and one volunteer ambulance corps.

History of Wyckoff New Jersey

The first inhabitants of the area were Lenni Lenape Native Americans who lived north of the Raritan River and spoke a Munsee dialect of Algonquian. Sicomac, said to mean "resting place for the departed", is an area of Wyckoff that according to tradition was the burial place of many Native Americans, including Chief Oratam of the Ackingshacys. Most Native Americans had left by the 19th century, although a small group lived near Clinton Avenue until 1939.

What is today Wyckoff was part of Saddle River Township, which included all of Bergen County west of the Saddle River. Saddle River Township was split up in 1771 with the area containing Wyckoff becoming Franklin Township. By 1755, about 100 families lived in the Franklin Township area, of which, no more than 20 were in what is now Wyckoff. Franklin Township (1771) consisted of what is today Ho-Ho-Kus (seceded 1849), Ridgewood (seceded 1876), Midland Park (seceded 1894), Oakland (seceded 1902), Franklin Lakes (seceded 1922), and Wyckoff. The size of Franklin Township decreased as areas seceded and were incorporated into their own towns. After Franklin Lakes was established in 1922, Franklin Township consisted of only the area known locally as Wyckoff. On November 2, 1926, residents voted (243 positive votes out of 337) to change the name from Franklin Township to the Township of Wyckoff. In 1931, part of Wyckoff was transferred to Midland Park.

The first recorded permanent settlers were John and William Van Voor Haze (Voorhees), who purchased 550 acres (2.2 km²) of land in the area in 1720. Other early settlers (mostly Dutch) included the Van Horns, Terhunes, Ackermans, Quackenbushes, Pulises, and Vanderhoffs. In 1940 the population was just under 4,000 consisting of roughly 100 families with 30% of the land was devoted to farming. By 1969 the number of farms had dropped to 13 covering 3 acres (12,000 m²), 6% of the town. Today only three farms remain: Abma's Farm, Russel Orchards, and Goffle Road Poultry Farm, which is Bergen County's only remaining live market. As of September 2006, there will only be two farms left. Russell Orchards is closing. Train service by the New Jersey Midland Railroad began in 1870. Train service ended abruptly in 1966.

Local government of Wyckoff New Jersey

Wyckoff is governed by a Township Committee, which consists of five members elected at large for staggered three-year terms, so that no more than two committee members are elected each year. On January 1, the Township Committee conducts an annual reorganization meeting to organize the government for the new year. The Committee selects a chairperson from among its members who serves as Mayor, and another member to serve as Deputy Mayor. The Mayor chairs meetings of the Township Committee, signs documents on behalf of the Township and performs wedding ceremonies. The Township Committee, as a whole, exercises legislative and executive powers

Wyckoff New Jersey Education

The Wyckoff School District serves students in Kindergarten through eighth grade.

For the 1998-99 school year, Eisenhower Middle School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve[6]. In the 2003-04 school year, Eisenhower Middle School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.

There are 5 public schools in Wyckoff: Coolidge, Eisenhower, Lincoln, Sicomac, and Washington. Calvin Coolidge School, located at 420 Grandview Avenue, is an elementary school which opened in 1932 as a 6-room K-6 school and has been expanded several times over the years. Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School, located at 344 Calvin Ct., was approved in 1960 and dedicated 1963. Since 1996 Eisenhower has served grades 6, 7, and 8. Abraham Lincoln School, located at 325 Mason Ave., was dedicated in 1953 on land purchased in 1950. Sicomac School, located at 356 Sicomac Ave., was completed in 1967. George Washington School, located at 270 Woodland Ave., was constructed as an 11-room brick building on the site where the previous school had burned down.

High school students attend Ramapo High School, a regional high school in Franklin Lakes which serves most of Wyckoff and part of Franklin Lakes. The other part of Franklin Lakes, all of Oakland, and a small portion of Wyckoff students attend Indian Hills High School located in Oakland. Both high schools are part of the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District

Wyckoff Police Department

The Township of Wyckoff is served 24 hours a day by a full-time professionally trained police department. Headed by Police Chief John W. Ydo, the police department consists of 25 police officers, 12 full and part-time civilian dispatchers, and a secretary. Police headquarters is located on the southeast side of Wyckoff Town Hall in Scott Plaza off Franklin Avenue.

Wyckoff Fire Department

The Wyckoff Volunteer Fire Department consists of three neighborhood fire companies. They are staffed by your neighbors who volunteer their time and energy to serve their community.

Wyckoff Volunteer Ambulance Corps

The Wyckoff Volunteer Ambulance Corps is comprised of a dedicated group of residents and business operators who unselfishly dedicate their time and energy to help their neighbors in a time of need. It is one of the oldest volunteer ambulance corps in the State of New Jersey originally formed in 1929 as the American Legion Ambulance Corps.