North Caldwell

History

North Caldwell was part of the Horseneck Tract, which was an area that consisted of what are now the municipalities of Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Fairfield, Verona, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Roseland, and portions of Livingston and West Orange. In 1702, settlers purchased the from the Lenape Native Americans for goods equal to $325. The explanation for the name "Horse Neck" lies in the language of its first Dutch settlers and not (as has been inaccurately reported) because of its irregular shape. This purchase encompassed much of western Essex County, from the First Mountain to the Passaic River. In 1982, the borough was one of four Essex County municipalities to pass a referendum to become a township, joining 11 municipalities that had already made the change. Ultimately, more than a dozen Essex County municipalities reclassified themselves as townships in order take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis. Effective January 1, 1992, it again became a borough. The borough housed the Essex County Penitentiary, constructed in 1872 and used as the Essex County Jail Annex until 2004. It was sold to K. Hovnanian Companies in 2002, which redeveloped the site into a residential community. In 1994, the "Unabomber", Theodore Kaczynski, sent a mail bomb that killed Thomas J. Mosser, an advertising executive who lived in the borough.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.07 square miles (7.96 km2), including 3.07 square miles (7.95 km2) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.01 km2) of water (0.16%). The borough is bordered by the municipalities of Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield Township, Verona and West Caldwell in Essex County; and Little Falls and Wayne in Passaic County.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  41,311
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  38,932
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  36,212
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  35,248
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  34,578
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  30,432
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  30,252
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  29,944

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-08-05
  1 km N of Hillsdale, New Jersey
• M 3 — 2025-08-03
  0 km W of Little Ferry, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-05-24
  6 km E of Califon, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-05-01
  1 km NW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-04-27
  7 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-04-10
  5 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey