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History · Rockleigh

Rockleigh dates to 1923, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 19 buildings. Below: the census since 1900.

1923founded
5on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Rockleigh began

When was Rockleigh founded?

1923

Rockleigh dates its founding to 1923 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 32 in 19002020 census: 407103 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.

What stands out about Rockleigh’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Rockleigh are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1960 and 1980, then more than doubled.Landmarks on the Register5 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rockleigh’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Rockleigh, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020430 in 1960Low: 192

Lost half of its people between 1960 and 1980, then more than doubled.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

On the National Register

5 listings protect 25 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
25
each building in a district counts
first listed
1977
Rockleigh Historic District
Rockleigh Historic DistrictAbraham A. Haring House, built 1758Concklin-Sneden HouseNicholas Haring House, built 1805Haring-Corning House
BuildingsDistricts
Rockleigh Historic DistrictDistrict
Abraham A. Haring HouseBuilt 1758
Concklin-Sneden HouseBuilding
Nicholas Haring HouseBuilt 1805
Haring-Corning HouseBuilding

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

The story so far

Rockleigh, in brief

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

Rockleigh (; ROCK-lee) is a borough in northeastern Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 407, a decrease of 124 (−23.4%) from the 2010 census count of 531, which in turn reflected an increase of 140 (+35.8%) from the 391 counted in the 2000 census. Bordering Alpine, a community ranked America's most expensive ZIP Code by Forbes, Rockleigh has a similar residential character, with large single-family homes on large plots of land. Rockleigh was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1923 (based on the results of a referendum held on April 10, 1923) from portions of Northvale. T…

Rockleigh was established in 1923. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 531 to 407 (-23%).

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

Timeline

Rockleigh, 1758 to 2010

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1758BuiltAbraham A. Haring House is built
  3. 19th century
  4. 1805BuiltNicholas Haring House is built
  5. 20th century
  6. 1923
    FoundingRockleigh is established
  7. 21st century
  8. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 531
By decade

Rockleigh, decade by decade

Today4 recent
HARING-CORNING HOUSE2015HARING-CORNING HOUSEABRAHAM A. HARING HOUSE2015ABRAHAM A. HARING HOUSEConcklin-Sneden House front view2013Concklin-Sneden House front viewCensus Bureau map of2008Census Bureau map ofMap
Famous people

Famous people close to Rockleigh

Nobody well known was born in Rockleigh itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jon VoightAmerican actor · b. 1938
James GandolfiniAmerican actor · b. 1961
Carlos AlazraquiAmerican actor · b. 1962
Antony BlinkenAmerican lawyer and diplomat (born 1962) and fo… · b. 1962
John Howard NorthropAmerican biochemist · b. 1891
Robert Sean LeonardAmerican actor · b. 1969
Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Saint Josephs Village
Gone or out of use
Willowbrook Nurserylocale

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.

Northvale1 historic placeC+Norwood7 historic placesB−Alpine4 historic placesB

Questions about Rockleigh’s history

What year was Rockleigh founded?

In 1923, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1900 counted 32 people here.

What is on the National Register in Rockleigh?

5 listings: 4 buildings and 1 historic district, the Rockleigh Historic District, with 19 contributing buildings. 25 historic buildings in all.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (5), U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.