Hillsdale is a historic town with ample picturesque charm. Home to about 10,500 residents, the town has a sensitively restored downtown of Victorian buildings, cobble sidewalks, gas-lamp style streetlamps, an expansive green, and a pretty Victorian gazebo. The slate blue train station was built in 1869 and is now on both the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places; commuters to Manhattan appreciate the fact that they can get to work in less than 40 minutes. A Victorian clock tower presides over all and numerous raised flower beds only add to the overall appeal.
No doubt due to its charm, Hillsdale’s downtown shopping district is always popular, despite the major malls five miles away in neighboring Paramus, and there is always plenty to see and do, from fine dining to picnicking in one of the many parks. Residents enjoy community events together like the popular “Music in the Park” concerts in summer and the fall fun at Demarest Farms.
The Hillsdale public school system is top ranking and the Pascack Valley High School is known for its academic excellence. Students consistently average well above state-wide levels in SATs and 87 percent of last year’s graduates went on to four-year colleges.
A thriving local economy and ease of commute to surrounding cities (including New York City) makes Hillsdale a great place to live and only adds to its appeal for families seeking the character of a small town and the amenities of a larger center.
Location
Hillsdale is in Bergen County, New Jersey, about 8 miles east of the Hudson River and 23 miles north of New York City.
Hillsdale has an agreeably central location to New Jersey towns and cities. Paterson, NJ is just over 10 miles south and Jersey City is just under 20 miles away. New York City is 23 miles south of Hillsdale.
Geography
In the heart of New Jersey’s pretty Pascack Valley, Hillsdale sits between the shores of Woodcliff Lake to the north and the town of Westwood to the south, with River Vale and Old Tappan directly to the east and Woodcliff Lake Township to the west. Wood Dale County Park, Hillsdale’s largest, is in the eastern part of town. The southernmost part of Hillsdale is low lying; Pascack Brook meanders through it. The westernmost part of Hillsdale, on or near Wierimus Road, is hilly and tree-lined.
Jobs
Business is booming in New Jersey thanks to the state’s sophisticated and diverse economic climate. The Bergen County Economic Development Corporation supports local business owners, offering helpful resources and economic incentives. A well educated local workforce is on hand and New Jersey’s sophisticated highway and transport systems provide further supportive infrastructure.
While the educational, health and social service sectors make up most of Hillsdale’s local employment, the professional, management, and administrative sectors also provide work. Hillsdale has a large waste transfer station and a thriving retail sector. Manufacturing provides further diversity.
Housing
Hillsdale’s residential real estate market is on fire at the present time, with housing prices continuing to rise steadily, and somewhat dramatically, over the last five years. The market is fairly diverse, with affordable housing in low lying southern Hillsdale and prestigious real estate in the hilly western part of the city. Homes on or near Wierimus Road are particularly large and elegant, and sections are lush; streets are tree lined. Typically, prices for single family homes in Hillsdale range from about $450,000 to $1,200,000.
About two thirds of Hillsdale homes were built before 1970, and the majority of these during the post-WWII building boom. Charming colonial homes are generally found closest to the center of town, sturdy 1950s homes encircle those, and new estate homes and modern town houses and single family homes surround these.
Hillsdale has two condominium complexes, Stony Brook Manor on the town’s eastern border, and the stucco and brick Colonial Village just east of the railroad tracks. Currently a typical 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condo sells for about $335,000. Many of the homes in Hillsdale’s west side are lovely 1950s split-level and ranch homes, known locally as “Tandy-Allens” after the developers who originally had them built. Updated or expanded four-bedroom, two-bath Tandy-Allens sell for around $525,000 to $750,000.
Property taxes are relatively low (about $200 less than surrounding boroughs) thanks to Hillsdale’s refuse transfer station, (where waste from surrounding communities is compacted and transferred out of state) which pays a tax to the city for its contract.
Recreation
Hillsdale has a lovely downtown green and many attractive parks. Beechwood Park has a nice picnic area, a playground and ball fields, and residents enjoy open air concerts performed in the band shell there in summer.
Demarest Farms in West Hillsdale is a great place to take the kids apple picking in the fall, with hayrides and other fun events.
Residents may enjoy boating on Woodcliffe Lake in summer and skating in winter, and the lower Hudson River is just 8 miles east, offering kayaking and canoeing in summer and skating in winter. The green areas along its banks may be hiked or biked, and skied in winter, and there are several historic sites in the vicinity that are worth a visit.
The Pascack Brook County Park in neighboring Westwood has baseball and softball fields, basketball and tennis courts, a good playground and bike path, and fishing in the lake in season.
Wood Dale County Park, on Hillsdale’s eastern border, has tennis courts, a children’s playground, a bike path, and lake fishing.
Hillsdale is known for the excellence of its recreational facilities. Revenue from Hillsdale’s refuse transfer station helps pay for the wealth of local parks and athletic and ball fields in the city, including Centennial Field, a 12-acre park with two lighted baseball diamonds and soccer fields, a tot lot and a field house. The city offers a wide range of recreational events for all ages and summer camps for children, and Hillsdale has baseball, softball, wrestling, figure and ice skating, lacrosse and athletics teams.
The Stony Brook Swim Club is a fantastic facility, with an Olympic sized swimming pool, intermediate and diving pools, a fun toddler pool with an elephant shaped fountain and a snack bar.
Bergen County has several excellent golfing facilities, the Orchard Hills County course in Paramus being the closest to Hillsdale residents. Orchard Hills has a challenging par 35 9-hole course that can also be played as 18 holes, set among lush groves of trees.
Special Attractions/Events
One of Hillsdale’s primary attractions is its not inconsiderable charm. Chosen as the site to film the small-town television drama series “Ed”, the pretty downtown has an historic gazebo, a quaint green with park benches, gas-lamp style street lighting, lovely stone sidewalks, historic Dutch colonial homes and a picturesque train station.
Hillsdale also has a top school district and the local high school sees many of its graduates leave to attend some of the wider region’s superb universities and colleges.
An excellent bus and rail system affords an easy commute to New York City, bringing the economic and cultural opportunities of this world-class city within easy reach.
The Bergen Museum of Arts and Science in nearby Paramus exhibits works by local and national artists, hosts performance artists and has an engaging natural science section.
The Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood hosts top musical and dance acts, including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and music can be enjoyed close to home during summer when the city hosts a fantastic free “Music in the Park” festival.
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
Hillsdale is a picturesque town with plenty of historic charm. It was first settled by pioneers from Holland, and many of the town’s older colonial homes show a Dutch architectural influence. Sensitive restoration has preserved the character of downtown Hillsdale, which still has cobble sidewalks and gas-lamp style streetlights. Many Victorian buildings house one of a kind shops.
The pretty slate blue 1869 train station has white gingerbread trim and a mansard roof and is on both the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places. The station is a stop on New Jersey Transit's Pascack Valley Line, which carries commuters into Secaucus for transfer to Penn Station and into Hoboken for transfer to the PATH train to Lower Manhattan.
Between 1869 and the nineteen-thirties there was a railroad roundhouse at Hillsdale, where steam locomotives were serviced and routed to various tracks. Most of Hillsdale’s pre-war housing was built for railroad employees.
The post-WWII building boom saw the majority of Hillsdale’s present-day housing built; the wider town is one of split-level and ranch homes built in the open and elegant style of the day.
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