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BHistory
History · Alpine

Alpine’s post office opened in 1871, and 4 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 57% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Alpine was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Palisades Interstate Park, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 25 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1900.

1871first post office
4on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Alpine’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Alpine began

When was Alpine founded?

1871

The Alpine post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 268 in 19002020 census: 1,762155 years

How historic is Alpine?

B

More historic than 57% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Alpine post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Alpine’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Alpine is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Alpine’s overall grade.
Founding era1871, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19407.3% of homes (±4.0) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register4 listings, 27 historic buildings, 170 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 57%
NewerOlder

New Jersey towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Jersey town has 3.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Alpine’s 170 sits above most of its state (90% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 27 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Alpine’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18974 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1998. Watch Alpine change.A historic districtThe Upper Closter-Alpine Historic District takes in 25 historic buildings.A National Historic Landmark4 places on the National Register, including Palisades Interstate Park, a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Alpine’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Alpine’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewCornwallis Headquarters, Palisade Inter…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Alpine on the map, 1897 to 1998

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Alpine. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Alpine on the 1897 USGS mapAlpine on the 1900 USGS mapAlpine on the 1979 USGS mapAlpine on the 1998 USGS map1897Harlem sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Alpine.

On the National Register

4 listings protect 27 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmark
1
Palisades Interstate Park
historic buildings protected
27
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Palisades Interstate Park
Blackledge-Kearney, built 1750Upper Closter-Alpine Historic DistrictWittmer, William A., Lustron House, built 1949Palisades Interstate Park★
BuildingsDistrictsSites★ landmark
★ Landmark
Palisades Interstate ParkSite
Blackledge-KearneyBuilt 1750
Upper Closter-Alpine Historic DistrictDistrict
Wittmer, William A., Lustron HouseBuilt 1949

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story so far

Alpine, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Alpine yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Alpine is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of Midtown Manhattan. It is the easternmost town in New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,762, a decrease of 87 (−4.7%) from the 2010 census count of 1,849, which in turn reflected a decline of 334 (−15.3%) from the 2,183 counted in the 2000 census. In 2012, Forbes ranked Alpine as America's most expensive ZIP Code with a median home price of $4.25 million. It was ranked 4th in the magazine's 2010 listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $3,814,885. In 2009, Forbes ranked Alpine first, along with Greenwich, …

Its first post office opened in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,849 to 1,762 (-5%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Alpine, 1750 to 1983

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1750BuiltBlackledge-Kearney is built
  3. 19th century
  4. 1871Post officeThe Alpine post office opens
  5. 1892Born hereHarold Lamb is born here
  6. 1895Born hereKatharine Lamb Tait is born here
  7. 1897On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1949BuiltWittmer, William A., Lustron House is built
  10. 1954Born hereSuzanne L. Topalian is born here
  11. 1965LandmarkPalisades Interstate Park named a National Historic Landmark
  12. 1983Born hereRobbie E is born here
By decade

Alpine, decade by decade

Date unknown2 to date
Cornwallis Headquarters, Palisade Interstate ParkDate?Cornwallis Headquarters, Palisade Interstate ParkHuyler Dock House, Palisades Interstate ParkDate?Huyler Dock House, Palisades Interstate Park
Today6 recent
Lil Kim Alpine Home2021Lil Kim Alpine HomeChris Rock2021Chris RockBergen County, New Jersey2013Bergen County, New JerseyWilliam A Wittmer Lustron Hse2011William A Wittmer Lustron HseCensus Bureau map of2008Census Bureau map ofMapUS AlpineNJ2007US AlpineNJ
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Cornwallis Headquarters, Palisade Interstate Park
Retake this viewCornwallis Headquarters, Palisade Interstate Park

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Alpine’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Alpine, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,183

Between 268 and 2,183 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Alpine’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Alpine

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Harold LambAmerican historian and novelist · b. 1892
Robbie EAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1983
S
Suzanne L. TopalianAmerican oncologist · b. 1954
K
Katharine Lamb TaitAmerican artist · b. 1895
Places that used to be

Old corners

Alpine’s post office has been open since 1871.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Kings Woods

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Demarest6 historic placesBCresskill4 historic placesB−Closter10 historic placesB+Tenafly6 historic placesBNorwood7 historic placesB−Rockleigh5 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Alpine’s history

What year was Alpine founded?

The Alpine post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Alpine rank for history?

Alpine is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Alpine?

4 listings: 2 buildings, 1 historic district, the Upper Closter-Alpine Historic District, with 25 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 27 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Alpine?

7% of Alpine’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1982.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.