The Wood-Ridge post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1894. Another post office, Wood Ridge (1872), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 348 in 18802020 census: 10,137154 years
How historic is Wood-Ridge?
B
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Wood-Ridge post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1894.
History grade
What drives Wood-Ridge’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wood-Ridge is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #251 of 468 in New Jersey. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wood-Ridge’s overall grade.
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 Wood-Ridge’s 3.9 sits near the middle of its state (51% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% 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 (±5.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1894 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Wood-Ridge’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wood-Ridge. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Paterson 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 Wood-Ridge.
The story so far
Wood-Ridge, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Wood-Ridge yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Wood-Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 10,137, an increase of 2,511 (+32.9%) from the 2010 census count of 7,626, which in turn reflected a decline of 18 (-0.2%) from the 7,644 counted in the 2000 census. Wood-Ridge was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on December 6, 1894, from portions of Bergen Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day. The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone.
Its first post office opened in 1872. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 7,626 to 10,137 (+33%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Wood-Ridge, 1792 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Wood-Ridge post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1894.
How does Wood-Ridge rank for history?
Wood-Ridge is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #251 of 468 in New Jersey. 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 Wood-Ridge?
Two places: the Brinkerhoff House (listed 1984) and the Fridolin Arnault House (2009).
How old are the homes in Wood-Ridge?
20% of Wood-Ridge’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
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