Location of West Milford in Passaic County highlighted in yellow (left). Inset map: Location of Passaic County in New Jersey highlighted in black (right).
West Milford is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 24,862,[9][10] a decrease of 988 (−3.8%) from the 2010 census count of 25,850,[18][19] which in turn reflected a decline of 560 (−2.1%) from the 26,410 counted in the 2000 census.[20] It is the largest in the county by total area, covering 80.32 square miles (208.0 km2) and more than 40% of the county.[1]
West Milford was home to a Warner Bros. owned theme park from 1972 to 1976 entitled Warner Bros. Jungle Habitat. The 800-acre (320 ha) Jungle Habitat property, with 26 miles (42 km) of paved roads, was purchased by the state in 1988 for $1.45 million and remnants of the theme park remain until today.[21]
West Milford started out as New Milford in what was then western Bergen County in the 18th century, having been settled by disenchanted Dutch from Milford, New Jersey (later renamed by the British as Newark). These same Dutch also built a town of New Milford in eastern Bergen County. When both New Milfords applied for post offices in 1828, a clerk in Washington, D.C. is said to have approved the other application first and assigned the name "West Milford" to the New Milford in western Bergen County in order to distinguish between the two locations.[22]
West Milford became a municipality by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 10, 1834, when it was formed from the westernmost half of Pompton Township, while the area was still part of Bergen County. On February 7, 1837, Passaic County was created from portions of both Bergen County and Essex County, with West Milford as the western end of the newly formed county.[23] The township was named for Milford, Connecticut.[24]
There are old place names in the township including Postville, Utterville, Corterville, Browns, Awosting, Echo Lake, Macopin, Charlottenburg (now under the Charlotteburg Reservoir, the community was named after Queen Charlotte), Clinton (or sometimes called Clinton Furnace, now under the Clinton Reservoir, and the furnace still stands), Moe Mountain, Oak Ridge (partly located in Jefferson Township), Newfoundland, Apshawa, New City, and Smith Mills. Newfoundland is divided by the Pequannock River, which divides Passaic and Morris Counties; a small part of Newfoundland lies within Jefferson Township. A large part of the township, including the New City Village area, is reservoir property owned by the City of Newark in Essex County for its water supply. Prior to the Second World War, the township was a resort area with trains coming from New York City to stations at Charlotteburg, Newfoundland, Oak Ridge in the south and Hewitt (also known as Sterling Forest station) and Awosting in the north. Railroad service in the south was from the New Jersey Midland starting around the 1850s and in the north around the 1870s from the Montclair Railroad, out of Montclair, New Jersey and later the Erie Railroad (before their merger with the Lackawanna Railroad).
Greenwood Lake is an interstate lake approximately 9 miles (14 km) long and covering 1,920 acres (780 ha), lying in both West Milford and Greenwood Lake, New York, across the New York state line. It was originally called Long Pond. It was dammed up to increase the size of the lake for water power down stream. During the resort era, several steamboats operated on the lake, the most famous and grand was the two deck steamer, Montclair. These steamboats met the trains and took passengers to the various resorts around the lake in both states.[25]
There is a seaplane area on Greenwood Lake, a few large marinas and lakeside restaurants with docks. A public airport called Greenwood Lake Airport is located just south of the lake on top of a mountain ridge and has two landing strips; one is long enough to handle small jets.[26] There is one private airport in the township on a private estate.
After World War II and for the next 20 years the area underwent a major change from a resort area to year-round residences. Before there were year-round houses, the summer residence of Cecil B. DeMille was West Milford. Road maps of the 1950s showing the population on the backside said 2,000 winter and 10,000 summer.[27]
In 1972, Warner Brothers opened up a wildlife theme park called Jungle Habitat. This park consisted of a drive through safari and a small park with various shows. Initially, this brought huge tourist revenue to the township. Shortly after the park opened, a tourist being driven through the safari in a taxi was attacked by a lion on October 19, 1972, bringing negative publicity to the park.[28] The park was plagued by problems, including reports of dangerous animals escaping into West Milford.[29]
Jungle Habitat was a mixed blessing due to the amount of summer and weekend traffic into this rural area made up of small two lane roads. Jungle Habitat wanted to expand and become a huge amusement park, but residents concerned with excessive traffic voted this proposal down in 1976, which resulted in an abrupt closing and exit. Some of the animals in the wildlife park were subsequently moved to the then-recently established drive through safari at Great Adventure in Jackson Township. The former site of Jungle Habitat in recent years has become a location for various Township activities such as the annual Fourth of July Fireworks display and is a popular regional mountain biking destination.[30][31]
Jeremiah "Jerry" Goodfellow, a white German shepherd and the senior canine member of the New Jersey Search and Rescue was inducted into the Animal Hall of Fame in 2009.[32]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 81.06 square miles (209.94 km2), including 75.93 square miles (196.66 km2) of land and 5.13 square miles (13.28 km2) of water (6.32%).[1][2]
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Apshawa, Awosting, Bearfort Waters, Beaver Pond, Boy Scout Lake, Browns, Buckabear Pond, Camp Hope, Cedar Pond, Charlotteburg, Clinton, Clinton Reservoir, Cooper, Dunker Pond, Echo Lake, Forest Hill Lake, Fox Island, Gordon Lakes, Green Valley Park, Greenwood Lake, Greenwood Lake Glens, Hacks Pond, Henion Pond, Hewitt, Himes Pond, Lake Lockover, Lakeside, Lindy Lake, Littletown, Lower Mt. Glen Lake, Macopin, Matthews Lake, Moe, Mount Laurel Lake, Newfoundland, Oak Ridge, Pettets Pond. Pine Crest Lake, Pinecliff Lake, Postville, Shady Lake, Smiths Mills, Surprise Lake, Terrace Pond, Upper Greenwood Lake, Upper Macopin, Upper Mt. Glen Lake, Uttertown, Vreeland Pond, West Milford Lakes, West Pond, Wonder Lake and Zeliff Pond.[33] According to Mayor Bettina Bieri, the township is "a larger geographical area consisting of numerous towns" and that "the massive territory covered by the township warrants the distinction" in place names commonly used in the township, with the four primary communities in the township being the township center, Hewitt, Newfoundland, and Oak Ridge.[34]
A small residential development known as "New City Village" or "New City Colony" was built on the property early in the 20th century to house workers of the Newark water supply system. It included a school and health facility. Proposed alternative uses for the village never materialized and the buildings were demolished after falling into disrepair. The land is still owned by the City of Newark.[41]
The 2003 film The Station Agent was set, and filmed, largely in Newfoundland.[42] There was an early silent movie produced in the township at the Mine Hole in the Hewitt section of the township. A still photo of that movie is published in the township's 1984 sesquicentennial book entitled The Day the Earth Shook and the Sky Turned Red.
West Milford township, Passaic County, New Jersey – Racial and Ethnic Composition (NH = Non-Hispanic) Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Of the 9,625 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18; 61.4% were married couples living together; 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 26.4% were non-families. Of all households, 21.7% were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.12.[18]
22.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 33.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 98.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.8 males.[18]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $88,692 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,308) and the median family income was $102,410 (+/− $7,418). Males had a median income of $62,925 (+/− $3,467) versus $45,449 (+/− $2,738) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,905 (+/− $2,289). About 1.7% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.[56]
Same-sex couples headed 63 households in 2010, an increase from the 58 counted in 2000.[57]
As of the 2000 United States census[15] there were 26,410 people, 9,190 households, and 7,186 families residing in the township. The population density was 350.1 inhabitants per square mile (135.2/km2). There were 9,909 housing units at an average density of 131.4 per square mile (50.7/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 95.08% White, 1.23% African American, 0.60% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.38% of the population.[52][53]
There were 9,190 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.3% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.23.[52][53]
In the township the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.[52][53]
The median income for a household in the township was $74,124, and the median income for a family was $80,264. Males had a median income of $51,105 versus $37,159 for females. The per capita income for the township was $28,612. About 2.6% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.[52][53]
West Milford businesses are represented by the West Milford Chamber of Commerce, an organization of business men and women that has worked to improve and enhance the business community in West Milford since it was established in 1949.[58]
The Abby Theater opened in 1976 and was designed by Milton Herson for Music Makers Theaters, with a seating capacity of 1,400. The theater was named for Abby Leigh, wife of Mitch Leigh, then board chairman of Music Makers.[59] The Abby Theater closed down in 2009 after several unsuccessful business attempts, as the township did not have enough residents to keep the business in operation. It was slated to be demolished in order to make room for an expansion of the ShopRite supermarket in 2012.[60][61]
In May 2009, Eden Farms, an 8-acre (3.2 ha) floral farm on Union Valley Road, became the first "preserved farm" in Passaic County. County officials used money from the Farmland Preservation Funds to purchase development rights to the farm.[62] Owners George and Diana Cluff initially began working on the agreement in 2007. The deal prevents the farm from being built upon.[63]
West Milford sports are overseen by the township department of Community Services and Recreation. The township has individual organizations that run each youth sports program, including: Junior wrestling, Youth Lacrosse, Little League Baseball (WMLL), Police Athletic League (PAL) Basketball, PAL Soccer, West Milford-Star Athletics Cheerleading, Midget Football Association (WMMFA) Football, WMMFA Cheerleading, Amateur Baseball Association (WMABA) Baseball, and Girls Softball Association softball (WMGSA).[64]
The Township of West Milford operates under the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council-Administrator plan adopted as of January 1, 2004. This plan is described as a "Faulknerized" version of the borough form of government, which was added to the Faulkner Act as the fourth optional form of municipal government in 1981 by the New Jersey Legislature.[65] The township is one of three (of the 564) municipalities statewide that use this form of government.[66][67][68] The voters of West Milford Township adopted the Mayor-Council-Administrator Plan at a special election held on December 10, 2002.[69] Under the mayor-council-administrator plan, the governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Township Council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The Township Council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year. A municipal administrator is appointed to oversee the day-to-day operation of the township. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office.[7][70]
As of 2023[update], the Mayor of West Milford Township is Republican Michele A. Dale, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023.[3] Members of the Township Council are Council President Kevin L. Goodsir (R, 2025), Michael Chazukow (R, 2023), Matthew P. Conlon (R, 2025), Ada Erik (R, 2024), Marilyn Lichtenberg (R, 2024) and David S. Marsden (R, 2023).[71][72][73][74][75][76]
In December 2019, the Township Committee unanimously passed a non-binding resolution declaring West Milford to be a "Second Amendment sanctuary" that opposes the enforcement of gun control on the local level, becoming the first municipality in the state to do so.[77]
Passaic County is governed by Board of County Commissioners, composed of seven members who are elected at-large to staggered three-year terms office on a partisan basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At a reorganization meeting held in January, the board selects a Director and Deputy Director from among its members to serve for a one-year term.[87] As of 2024[update], Passaic County's Commissioners are:
Constitutional officers, elected on a countywide basis are:
Clerk Danielle Ireland-Imhof (D, Hawthorne, 2028),[98][99]
Acting Sheriff Gary Giardina (D, Wayne, 2024)[100][101] and
Surrogate Zoila S. Cassanova (D, Wayne, 2026).[102][103][96]
Each of the four primary communities in the township has a post office.[34]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 17,588 registered voters in West Milford, of which 3,397 (19.3% vs. 31.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 5,070 (28.8% vs. 18.7%) were registered as Republicans and 9,111 (51.8% vs. 50.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 10 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[106] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 68.0% (vs. 53.2% in Passaic County) were registered to vote, including 87.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.8% countywide).[106][107]
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 58.4% of the vote (7,003 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 40.3% (4,832 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (154 votes), among the 12,074 ballots cast by the township's 18,268 registered voters (85 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.1%.[108][109] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 7,672 votes (56.5% vs. 37.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 5,515 votes (40.6% vs. 58.8%) and other candidates with 161 votes (1.2% vs. 0.8%), among the 13,575 ballots cast by the township's 18,016 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.3% (vs. 70.4% in Passaic County).[110] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 7,920 votes (60.9% vs. 42.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 4,783 votes (36.8% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 109 votes (0.8% vs. 0.7%), among the 13,000 ballots cast by the township's 16,932 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.8% (vs. 69.3% in the whole county).[111]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 69.3% of the vote (5,380 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 29.2% (2,264 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (122 votes), among the 7,885 ballots cast by the township's 18,420 registered voters (119 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.8%.[112][113] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 5,261 votes (60.8% vs. 43.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 2,720 votes (31.5% vs. 50.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 525 votes (6.1% vs. 3.8%) and other candidates with 84 votes (1.0% vs. 0.9%), among the 8,646 ballots cast by the township's 17,322 registered voters, yielding a 49.9% turnout (vs. 42.7% in the county).[114]
The West Milford Township Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade at its five elementary schools (grades K–5), one middle school (grade 6–8) and one high school (grades 9–12).[115] As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 3,028 students and 279.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1.[116] Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[117]) are
Apshawa Elementary School[118] with 999 students in grades K-5,
Maple Road Elementary School[119] with 231 students in grades PreK-5,
Marshall Hill Elementary School[120] with 251 students in grades K-5,
Paradise Knoll Elementary School[121] with 192 students in grades K-5,
Upper Greenwood Lake Elementary School[122] with 192 students in grades K-5,
Macopin Middle School[123] with 777 students in grades 6-8 and
West Milford High School[124] with 936 students in grades 9-12.[125][126][127][128] Westbrook Elementary School, which had 238 students in grades K-5 in 2021-22, was closed for the start of the 2023-24 school year.[129]
Our Lady Queen of Peace was a Catholic school located in the community of Hewitt until it was closed in June 2010 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson in the face of declining enrollment.[130] OLQP School celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009, and had its Fourth Grade teacher, Lorraine Ford, named as a finalist for the 2008 New Jersey Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year award.[131]
The old Newfoundland, two-room schoolhouse was the Village Square Inn Restaurant until it closed in 2010. The old Hillcrest School was formerly the township's community center. The few one-room schoolhouses are all gone; the last one was the Hewitt School, destroyed by fire set by vandals (it had been the former Methodist church before a new, larger church was built).
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 198.30 miles (319.13 km) of roadways, of which 163.20 miles (262.64 km) were maintained by the municipality, 26.61 miles (42.82 km) by Passaic County and 8.49 miles (13.66 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[132]
The stoplight at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Route 23 has been identified by The New York Times as the longest red cycle in the United States. Drivers can wait up to 5 minutes and 33 seconds to turn onto Route 23 from Clinton Avenue.[133][134]
The township provides its own bus service, on two routes. One that runs by Upper Greenwood Lake, and operates Monday-Friday, and one that runs between Oak Ridge & Newfoundland, which runs Wednesdays only.[139]
Portions of the 2015 made-for-television comedy Simpler Times—starring Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, and written / directed by Steve Monarque—were filmed in West Milford.[140]
In 2019, the film Clinton Road, starring Ice-T, was made based on the infamous 10-mile (16 km) stretch of supposedly "haunted" road in the Newfoundland and Hewitt sections of West Milford.[141]
^Staff Writers (May 11, 2024). "West Milford Jungle Habitat". West Milford, New Jersey: West Milford Museum. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
^Stewart, Holly. "Where we're at", Suburban Trends, July 19, 2012. Accessed January 15, 2013. "In the 18th century, West Milford was part of Bergen County; it was comprised of the westernmost areas of Franklin and Saddle River townships. It was settled by Dutch who moved north from the place we now call Newark; as they had called their former home 'Milford,' they wished to call the new place 'New Milford,' but another faction of the same migrants had already done the same in a community near the Hudson River. When both locales petitioned for a post office in 1828, a federal clerk is said to have applied the adjective 'west' to one in order to distinguish them."
^Laplaca, Bryan. "Back in the Day - Oct. 8, 1997: 'Hal from North Bergen' sued Bloomingdale", Suburban Trends, October 15, 2012. Accessed September 22, 2014. "The man in the picture is Abraham Levy who was in the intensive care unit of Chilton Hospital in Pompton Plains. He was bitten by a lion while visiting Jungle Habitat in West Milford.... Two eyewitnesses to the mauling of Levy on Oct. 9, 1972 blasted the Habitat management for allowing what they called dangerous conditions to exist."
^Jungle Habitat, Jersey Off Road Biking Association.Accessed May 17, 2023.
^"Jungle Habitat Trail Revitalization Project Begins", New York–New Jersey Trail Conference, December 1, 2020. Accessed May 17, 2023."The New Jersey Park Service is revitalizing the trail network at the former Jungle Habitat in West Milford. The project will improve trail conditions and connectivity, as well as contiguous trails in Long Pond Ironworks State Park and northern Norvin Green State Forest. Project partners include the Trail Conference and the Jersey Off Road Bicycle Association (JORBA)."
^Highlands Preserve, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 15, 2017. "This county park, located in the Township of West Milford, is largely undeveloped. It contains multiple hiking trails.... The hiking trails meander through the Preserve and are connected to the A. Abram S. Hewitt State Forest."
^Primerano, Jane. "Newark appealing watershed taxes against Jefferson", AIM Jefferson, May 8, 2015. Accessed July 2, 2015. "Besides West Milford and Jefferson, Newark owns watershed land in Hardyston, Vernon, and Rockaway Townships and Kinnelon Borough, Leach said."
^City of Newark v. Vernon Tp., Leagle from Tax Court of New Jersey, April 1, 1980. Accessed July 2, 2015. "The City of Newark appeals the denial of the Sussex County Tax Board of its claim for a reduction of assessments of 5,424 acres of vacant watershed land in the Township of Vernon for the years 1973, 1974 and 1976.... Generally, the lands are part of the 35,000-acre Pequannock Watershed (approximately two times the size of Newark), which was purchased by Newark at the turn of the century to provide a water supply. The watershed, which contains five major bodies of water, is located in Vernon and Hardyston in Sussex County, Jefferson, Rockaway and Kinnelon in Morris County, and West Milford in Passaic County."
^DeStefano, Robert. "Choo choo choosing a home with personality", The West Milford Messenger, May 26, 2005. Accessed January 15, 2013. "They moved into the old Newfoundland building last July, and are hard at work to make it their comfortable, if slightly offbeat, living quarters.... In 2002 the building gained celebrity status when the independent film The Station Agent was filmed there."
^"Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey", p. 15. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023. "The Mayor-Council-Administrator Form of municipal government was added to the Optional Municipal Charter Law in 1981. As of July 1, 2011 only three municipalities, the townships of Berkeley Heights, North Brunswick and West Milford, had adopted it."
^Zimmer, David M. "Mayor-Council-Administrator", Suburban Trends, April 26, 2010. Accessed October 1, 2014. "Voters approved the Mayor-Council-Administrator form of government during a special election in December 2002, making West Milford only one of three towns in New Jersey to operate under this charter."
^Form of Government, Township of West Milford. Accessed April 29, 2022. "The voters of the Township adopted the Mayor-Council-Administrator Plan at a Special Election held on December 10, 2002. The Mayor-Council-Administrator plan provides that an elected Mayor and Council shall govern a municipality with an appointed Municipal Administrator. The Council consists of the Mayor and six Council people, elected at large, in the partisan general election in November. The Mayor serves a four-year term. The six Council members serve staggered three-year terms with two council seats up for election each year."
^Town Council, Township of West Milford. Accessed April 17, 2023.
^Jennings, Rob. "N.J. town declares itself a sanctuary for 2nd Amendment. ‘We’re gun-friendly.’", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 13, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2019. "West Milford is now a self-proclaimed 'sanctuary township' for law-abiding gun owners, though the provocative designation is purely symbolic. The township council approved last week a non-binding resolution that 'opposes further interference with, or abridging of, the rights of lawful gun owners.' West Milford Council President Pete McGuinness said the local resolution, introduced by another council member and approved in a 5-0 vote on Dec. 4, was modeled after a resolution adopted in Illinois. It appears to be the first of its kind in New Jersey."
^Biography, Congressman Josh Gottheimer. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Josh now lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey with Marla, his wife who was a federal prosecutor, and their two young children, Ellie and Ben."
^Biography of Bob Menendez, United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^ abBoard of County Commissioners, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022. "Passaic County is governed by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners. Each County Commissioner is elected at large for a three-year term. The board is headed by a director, who is selected for a one-year term at the board's annual reorganization meeting (at the first meeting of the year in January)."
^Bruce James, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed June 21, 2022.
^West Milford Public Schools District Bylaw 0110 - Identification, West Milford Township Public Schools. Accessed October 10, 2023. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the West Milford School District. Composition: The West Milford School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of West Milford."
^Zummo, Mike. "Westbrook School will no longer serve elementary students next fall", West Milford Messenger, November 30, 2022. Accessed October 10, 2023. "The West Milford Township School District Board of Education on Tuesday voted to repurpose the Westbrook Elementary School into Highlander Academy, an inclusive special education program. The Restructuring Committee recommended changing the Westbrook School, starting in 2023-24 school year, into an academy for two separate Emotional Regulation Impairment programs, one for middle schoolers and the other for high schoolers."
^Zimmer, David M. "Our Lady Queen of Peace School to close in June", Suburban Trends, March 29, 2010. Accessed January 15, 2013. "The Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) School on Union Valley Road in the Hewitt section of West Milford will officially be closing at the end of the year, due to a lack of enrollment and operating revenue."
^Chesler, Caren. "On The Road; The Longest Light", The New York Times, June 24, 2001. Accessed January 12, 2018. "Welcome to West Milford, home of the country's longest traffic light. Drivers pulling up to the light at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Route 23 in Passaic County can wait as long as 5 minutes and 33 seconds during the morning rush hour if they approach it as it is turning red. Looked at another way, residents on Clinton Avenue who need to use Route 23 could spend about 20 hours a year waiting at the light. The only light that comes close to being as long, transportation officials say, is in Delaware -- and that light lasts only four minutes."
^Bus Schedule, Township of West Milford. Accessed October 1, 2014.
^Kolton, Tara. "Simpler Times, filmed in downtown Pompton Lakes, returns to the Garden State", Suburban Trends, April 20, 2015. Accessed March 21, 2017. "Simpler Times, the 33-minute comedy starring Jerry Stiller and written/directed by Pompton Lakes native Steve Monarque, was filmed primarily in Pompton Lakes and West Milford."
^Zimmer, David M. "Ice-T movie about West Milford's 'haunted' Clinton Road set to premiere June 14", The Record, May 31, 2019. Accessed November 30, 2019. "What's behind the urban legends of Clinton Road and Dead Man's Curve? What is known about this 10-mile stretch in West Milford that has been associated with ghost stories and strange happenings? Clinton Road is not haunted. There are no roving bands of witches, albinos or deranged murderers in the dense woods alongside the long, desolate stretch, nor is there a yeti."
^Charles L. Banks, The Hall of Valor Project. Accessed June 19, 2020. "Place of Birth: West Milford, New Jersey"
^Biography, ChuckBurgi.com. Accessed May 26, 2016.
^Alfano, George. "$30,000 Allocated To Cooley House", The Record, February 19, 1987. Accessed January 15, 2013. "Mayor Stewart Perry said he had estimates of between $73,000 and $96,000 to move the home, which belonged to 19th-Century artist Jasper Francis Cropsey. Cropsey lived in the Greenwood Lake home, and was a painter of the Hudson River School and a noted architect." - See Clipping from Newspapers.com.
^Guererro, Millie. "NY Giant shares his passion for football with local kids", West Milford Messenger, April 23, 2007. Accessed January 15, 2013. "Garnes moved to West Milford seven years ago and has just recently been able to reach out to the community and give back the knowledge he obtain throughout his career by forming a football clinic that he is expanding into neighboring towns."
^Makin, Robert. "Album Reviews", Courier News, June 1, 2000. Accessed October 25, 2015. "Keenan formed the band with West Milford-raised guitarist Billy Howerdel, who performed on 'Aenima.'"
^Genader, Ann. "Township council to honor Derek Jeter?", Aim West Milford, November 27, 2009. Accessed April 14, 2012. "One of the homes he presently owns is Tiedemann Castle on the West Milford/Greenwood Lake, N.Y. border."
^Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, Volume 213, p. 239. E. J. Mullin, 2008. Accessed July 7, 2023. "Steve V. Oroho, Rep., Franklin (Sussex)... Senator Oroho was born July 26, 1958, in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in West Milford. He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from St. Francis University, Loretto, Pa., in 1980."
^Rohan, Virginia. "Former fan now in charge of 'Sesame Street'", The Record, August 13, 2007. Accessed January 15, 2013. "Born in Queens, Parente largely grew up in West Milford, having moved there from Long Island when she was 8."
^Kolton, Tara. "Young actress from West Milford lands role in upcoming Cameron Crowe movie", Suburban Trends, January 20, 2014. Accessed September 10, 2016. "Fourteen-year-old Danielle Russell, of West Milford, has recently returned after spending three-and-a-half-months in Hawaii on the set of writer/director Cameron Crowe's latest movie, which counts among its star-studded cast Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski."
^Keller, Ilana. "Orange Is The New Black actor connects with murderous character's past", Asbury Park Press, February 12, 2019. Accessed June 19, 2020. "Through the past few seasons, Soules, a veteran stage and screen actor and activist celebrating 50 years in the show business, has found she connects with Frieda in many ways as the show explores her character's past. Perhaps most surprising, she finds parallels with Frieda's survivalist experiences in her own upbringing around Greenwood Lake in West Milford."
^Laplaca, Bryan. "Back in the Day - April 24, 1988: Sparta man survived shark attack", Suburban Trends, April 22, 2013. Accessed October 25, 2015. "West Milford's Kevin Walker was the second selection in the third round for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was the first football player from the township's high school to be drafted into the NFL's ranks."