Location of Palisades Park in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.28 square miles (3.32 km2), including 1.24 square miles (3.21 km2) of land and 0.04 square miles (0.11 km2) of water (3.28%).[1][2]
The town's central business district centered around Broad Avenue has been called Koreatown[38][39][40][41][42] In mid-2015, a proposal was submitted by the Korean-American Association of Palisades Park to the mayor and council to add a second name to Broad Avenue, such as "Korean Market Street" (Meokjagolmok) or "Korea Way".[43]
History
Until the 1980s, Palisades Park was overwhelmingly Caucasian, a mix of blue-collar workers and professionals whose families originated largely from Italy, Croatia, Germany, and Greece. Its houses were inexpensive, and it had a number of vacant shops and offices.[44] In the 1990s, a continuous stream of Korean immigrants emerged into Palisades Park. A substantial number of affluent and educated Korean Americanprofessionals have settled in Bergen County since the early 2000s and have founded various academic and communally supportive organizations, including the Korean Parent Partnership Organization at the Bergen County Academiesmagnet high school and the Korean-American Association of New Jersey. Approximately 120 Korean stores were counted in Palisades Park in 2000,[30] a number which has risen significantly since then, featuring restaurants and karaoke (noraebang) bars, grocery markets, education centers and bookstores, financial institutions, offices, electronics vendors, apparel boutiques, and other commercial enterprises.
In May 2012, borough officials rejected requests by two diplomatic delegations from Japan to remove a small monument from a public park, a brass plaque on a block of stone, dedicated in 2010 to the memory of comfort women, tens of thousands of women and girls, many Korean, who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II.[45][46] Days later, a South Korean delegation endorsed the borough's decision.[47] The first Japanese delegation cited apologies offered by their country's government for its involvement as justifying the removal of the monument, while officials from the second delegation controversially claimed that "comfort women were a lie". However, in neighboring Fort Lee, various Korean American groups could not reach consensus on the design and wording for such a monument as of early April 2013.[48][49]
In May 2014, the Palisades Park Public Library created a memorial dedicated to the victims of the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry off the South Korean coast on April 16, 2014.[50]
The per capita Korean American population of Bergen County, 6.3% by the 2010 United States Census,[51][52] (increasing to 6.9% by the 2011 American Community Survey),[53] is the highest of any county in the United States,[52] with all of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population[54] and an absolute total of 56,773 Korean Americans (increasing to 63,247 by the 2011 American Community Survey)[53] living in the county.[51][55] The concentration of Korean Americans in Palisades Park in turn is the highest of any municipality in the United States,[44] at 52% of the population,[51] enumerating 10,115 residents of Korean ancestry as of the 2010 Census.[56] Palisades Park is often referred to as the Korean village.[57] Along with Koreatowns in New York City and Long Island, Bergen County serves as the nexus for an overall Korean American population of 218,764 individuals in the Greater New YorkCombined Statistical Area,[58] the second largest population of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea.[59]
The 2010 United States census counted 19,622 people, 6,934 households, and 5,020 families in the borough. The population density was 15,681.6 per square mile (6,054.7/km2). There were 7,362 housing units at an average density of 5,883.6 per square mile (2,271.7/km2). The racial makeup was 28.90% (5,670) White, 1.96% (385) Black or African American, 0.31% (60) Native American, 57.84% (11,350) Asian, 0.05% (10) Pacific Islander, 9.00% (1,765) from other races, and 1.95% (382) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.22% (3,575) of the population.[20]
Of the 6,934 households, 26.1% had children under the age of 18; 53.7% were married couples living together; 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.6% were non-families. Of all households, 19.8% were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.20.[20]
16.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 37.9% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 99.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 98.3 males.[20]
As of the 2010 Census, 51.5% of the population (10,115) reported themselves as being of Korean ancestry,[20][68] with both the highest Korean-American density and percentage of any municipality in the United States.[69] Broad Avenue [60] has been characterized as a major epicenter of Korean American life.[70] Based on data from the 2012-2016 American Community Survey, 80.9% of borough residents did not speak English as their dominant language, the third-highest percentage in the state; the Korean language is spoken at home by more than half of the residents of Palisades Park.[71]
Same-sex couples headed 41 households in 2010, an increase from the 37 counted in 2000.[72]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $55,602 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,300) and the median family income was $66,725 (+/− $8,196). Males had a median income of $43,919 (+/− $8,170) versus $46,014 (+/− $6,780) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $30,666 (+/− $2,900). About 12.0% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.[73]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[17] there were 17,073 people, 6,247 households, and 4,447 families residing in the borough. The population density was 14,112.4 inhabitants per square mile (5,448.8/km2). There were 6,386 housing units at an average density of 5,278.6 per square mile (2,038.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 48.27% White, 1.38% African American, 0.19% Native American, 41.09% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.80% from other races, and 3.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.48% of the population.[66][67]
In 2000, 36.38% of Palisades Park residents identified as being of Korean heritage. This was the highest percentage of Korean Americans of any place in the country with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry and more than double that of second-ranked Cerritos, California.[74] Also in the 2000 Census, 3.1% of Palisades Park's residents identified themselves as being of Croatian ancestry. This was the second highest percentage of people with Croatian ancestry in any place in New Jersey with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.[75]
There were 6,247 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20.[66][67]
In the borough, the population was spread out, with 19.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 37.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.[66][67]
The median income for a household in the borough was $48,015, and the median income for a family was $54,503. Males had a median income of $37,204 versus $31,997 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,607. About 8.5% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.[66][67]
Palisades Park is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.[76] The government is comprised of a mayor and a borough council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.[7] The borough form of government used by Palisades Park is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.[77][78]
In July 2015 Gina S. Kim became the borough's municipal clerk, reflecting the growing political influence of the Korean American population.[79] Korean Americans, who compose more than half of the borough's population and have attended town meetings in large numbers, have requested Korean interpreters to be present at these meetings as of August 2016.[80] In 2017, the borough created a Korean language version of its website.[81]
As of 2023[update], the mayor of Palisades Park is Democrat Chong "Paul" Kim, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. His predecessor, Christopher Chung, was the first Korean-American mayor in Bergen County, and second ever in New Jersey.[82] Members of the Palisades Park Borough Council are Council President Cynthia A. Pirrera (D, 2023), Stephanie S. Jang (R, 2024), Son K. "Andy" Min (D, 2025), Suk Min (D, 2024; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Jae K. Park (R, 2023) and Michael P. Vietri (D, 2025).[3][83][84][85][86][87][88]
After Chong "Paul" Kim took office as mayor in January 2023, the borough council declined to pick from one of the three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee and chose Andy Min to fill the council seat he had held expiring in December 2024, after which the Democratic committee chose Suk Min to fill the seat.[89] With two people chosen to fill the seat, the Democratic committee and a group of three elected officials prevailed in a suit, with a judge deciding to give the vacant seat to Suk Min.[90]
During the 2018 primary election for mayor, former mayor James Rotundo's mother Lorraine Rotundo went on a "racist tirade" on Facebook two days after the primary election. The race was extremely close with Christopher Chung winning by a narrow margin. Lorraine Rotundo made the post in response to the massive number of Koreans at the voting booths. She stated that Palisades Park should "go to hell," and said that the Korean residents could "have this F'n town." She later went on to post that only English should be spoken in the Borough Hall.[91] Former mayor James Rotundo apologized on behalf of his mother and strongly denounced her comments. "I'm disgusted with her statement," he said. Rotundo claimed that he was not raised by these sentiments.[92]
Christopher Chung was sworn into office as a council member in January 2014, having been selected by the council from among three names submitted by the Democratic Municipal Committee to fill the vacant seat of Jason Kim, who had resigned earlier that month.[93]
Federal, state, and county representation
Palisades Park is located in the 5th Congressional District[94] and is part of New Jersey's 37th state legislative district.[95][96][97]
In redistricting following the 2010 census, the borough was in the 9th congressional district, which was in effect from 2013 to 2022.[98][99]
Bergen County is governed by a directly elected County Executive, with legislative functions performed by a Board of County Commissioners comprised of seven members who are elected at-large to three-year terms in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each November; a Chairman and Vice Chairman are selected from among its seven members at a reorganization meeting held every January. As of 2024[update], the county executive is James J. Tedesco III (D, Paramus), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.[106]
As of March 2011, there were 6,410 registered voters, of which 1,839 (28.7% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,128 (17.6% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 3,443 (53.7% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.[128] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 32.7% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 39.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).[128][129]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,487 votes here (67.1% vs. 54.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 1,147 votes (31.0% vs. 43.5%), for a turnout of 53.5% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County).[130][131]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 50.6% of the vote (919 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 47.6% (864 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (33 votes), among the 1,878 ballots cast by the borough's 6,473 registered voters (62 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 29.0%.[132][133]
Culture
Palisades Park has emerged as a dominant nexus of Korean American culture.[134] Palisades Park High School has hosted national Kumdo martial arts tournaments.[135][136]
Broad Avenue has been referred to as a "Korean food walk of fame",[137] with diverse offerings.[134] Palisades Park now incorporates the highest concentration of Korean restaurants within a one-mile radius in the United States,[138] and Broad Avenue has evolved into a Korean dessert destination as well.[139][140]Korean Chinese cuisine is now also available in Koreatown, as is misugaru.[141]Bulgogi and galbi are staples on Broad Avenue in the Palisades Park.[142] Korean cafés have become a major cultural element within Palisades Park, not only for the coffee, bingsu (shaved ice), and pastries, but also as communal gathering places.[143]
Korean and English are both spoken prevalently in Palisades Park. Korean is spoken at home by more than half of the residents of Palisades Park and nearby Englewood Cliffs, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released in 2017.[144]Retail signs using Hangul are ubiquitous. In 1996, an ordinance was passed that storefront signage be same size in English as in Korean.[145]
Additionally, as of 2010, more than 15 percent of Palisades Park’s residents speak Spanish.
Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.[153][154]
According to The Record, the Korean-American Association of New Jersey petitioned Palisades Park school officials in 2013 to use textbooks that refer to the Sea of Japan as the East Sea as well.[155]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 28.00 miles (45.06 km) of roadways, of which 22.80 miles (36.69 km) were maintained by the municipality, 1.01 miles (1.63 km) by Bergen County and 4.19 miles (6.74 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[156]
^Morsemere in Ridgefield, New Jersey (Map). May 25, 1940. doi:10.7282/T3VM4CX7 – via rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu. Map of the Morsemere section of Ridgefield, Bergen County, N.J. with insets of Palisades Park, Ridgefield and Teaneck, showing properties for sale at public auction by the State of New York Banking Department.
^Morgan, Arlene Notoro; Pifer, Alice Irene; Woods, Keith (2006). The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity. Columbia University Press. ISBN9780231132893. Broad Avenue is the fulcrum of something larger: a parallel universe - that re-creates American traditions in Korean style. Koreans call it "Koreatown".
^Pyong Gap Min (August 5, 2012). "Population Growth and Racial Composition in Korean Enclaves in the New York-New Jersey Area, 1980-2010"(PDF). Research Center For The Korean Community Queens College Of CUNY. Retrieved May 20, 2021. the Korean business district in Palisades Park: on ten blocks along Broad Avenue, on a few blocks along Grand Avenue, and a few blocks along Bergen Boulevard. This business district created in a very suburban Korean enclave has no high buildings and no major shopping malls
^Lee, Jinsok (2015), Language, Ethnicity and Identity in a New Jersey Korean-American Community, Washington, D.C.: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University, Broad Avenue, the street running through the center of the borough is considered to be the heart of the Korean American commercial district in Bergen County. The avenue is full of Korean businesses for 13 blocks (between Harriet Avenue and Oakdene Avenue, southwest to northeast, respectively). Almost all the store signs are in Korean only or English/Korean bilingual (Figure 3.5), and there are also a lot of chain stores which came directly from Korea such as 'Paris Baguette' (popular Korean bakery chain) and 'Caffe Bene' (popular Korean coffee shop chain). Broad Avenue of Palisades Park provides the biggest and densest Korean commercial district among the Korean American commercial districts in Bergen County.
^Semple, Kirk. "In New Jersey, Memorial for 'Comfort Women' Deepens Old Animosity", The New York Times, May 18, 2012. Accessed June 30, 2012. "The monument, a brass plaque on a block of stone, was dedicated in 2010 to the memory of so-called comfort women, tens of thousands of women and girls, many Korean, who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II. "
^Perez-Pena, Richard. "Palisades Park Journal; As Koreans Pour In, a Town Is Remade", The New York Times, December 16, 2010. Accessed July 24, 2014. "But none more so than Palisades Park, whose population is now 54 percent Asian-American and 44 percent Korean-American, the Census Bureau reported this week. Major population centers like Queens and Los Angeles have more Koreans, but Palisades Park, with fewer than 20,000 people, is, proportionally, the most heavily Korean municipality in the country, according to Pyong Gap Min, a distinguished professor of sociology at Queens College."
^Astudillo, Carla. "The 41 N.J. towns where English is not the dominant language", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 10, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed March 2, 2020. "New Jersey is home to 41 towns where English is not the dominant language for the majority of the population. Towns like Union City and West New York are primarily dominated by Spanish speakers, while Korean is the language spoken by more than half of residents in Palisades Park and Englewood Cliffs.... 3. Palisades Park, Bergen- 80.9%"
^Ma, Myles. "As Korean population grows, Palisades Park learns the language", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 18, 2017, updated January 16, 2019. Accessed June 6, 2021. "Becoming multi-lingual is an outsize undertaking for the 1.25-square-mile town. Palisades Park was the last town in the county to get a website in 2014--now it's creating another one in Korean.... The borough is also creating a Korean version of its website to allow Korean residents easier access to borough news and documents, Lorenzo said.... All these will be available once the Korean website goes live in a few months, Kim said."
^Cattafi, Kristie. "Palisades Park makes history in Bergen County, swears in first Korean-American mayor", The Record, January 2, 2019. Accessed October 6, 2019. "Over 200 people packed the high school auditorium Wednesday night to watch Christopher Chung be sworn in by Gov. Phil Murphy. Chung's running mates, Jongchul Lee and Paul Chong Kim, were also sworn in. Chung also became the first Korean-American mayor in Bergen County, according to John Hogan, Bergen County Clerk."
^Cattafi, Kristie. "Two people for one seat: How this Bergen County town botched filling a council vacancy", The Record, February 10, 2023. Accessed March 15, 2023. "A council vacancy was created when Democratic Councilman Chong 'Paul' Kim won a mayoral election in November 2022. At the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting, Palisades Park Democratic County Committee Chair James Rotundo said, he submitted a letter to the mayor and council and read out loud during the public meeting the names of the three people submitted to fill the seat: himself, Suk Min and Arlene Star.... Based on timelines and advice from special counsel, on Jan. 31 they voted and swore in Democratic former Councilman Andy Min, who was not on the list of recommendations to fill the seat. The Democratic County Committee believes the council did not act properly, and the committee swore in Suk Min to fill the council seat the next day."
^Cattafi, Kristie. "Judge has decided on who will fill Palisades Park's vacant council seat",The Record, February 27, 2023. Accessed March 15, 2023. "A judge has sided with the Democratic County Committee, ultimately deciding it swore in the rightful council person to a vacant seat.... The decision was a 'complete and total victory,' said Scott Salmon of Jardim, Meisner & Susser, the attorney representing Mayor Kim, Councilman Jason Kim, Councilman Michael Vietri and the Democratic County Committee of Palisades Park. Suk Min, the resident whom the Palisades Park Democratic County Committee selected to fill the vacant seat, sat in his rightful place at Monday's meeting, Salmon said."
^Salant, Jonathan D. "Big change, N.J.! 1.4M shifting to another congressional district. Use our tracker before voting.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 31, 2022. Accessed December 8, 2022. "But now more than 1.4 million residents are moving due to new district lines drawn by New Jersey’s independent redistricting commission to reflect population shifts under the 2020 census.... Redistricting will shift 106 municipalities — nearly one in five — into new congressional districts.... Moving from the 9th Congressional District, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., to the 5th Congressional District, represented by Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer."
^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.."
^Cattafi, Kristie. "Democrats pick Bergenfield councilman to fill vacancy on Bergen County commissioners board", The Record, March 13, 2023. Accessed March 16, 2023. "A Democratic councilman from Bergenfield will be sworn in as a Bergen County commissioner Wednesday night, filling a vacancy on the governing body for almost 1 million residents. Rafael Marte will serve until Dec. 31, taking on the unexpired term left by former Commissioner Ramon Hache, a Democrat who resigned last week to lead the Ridgewood YMCA as its chief executive officer."
^Spasevski, Angela. Request for Proposal for Legal Services, Palisades Park Board of Education, December 18, 2019. Accessed May 27, 2021. "The Palisades Park Board of Education is a PreK-12 public school district providing educational services to approximately 1,800 students with a budget of $28.8 million. The school district is comprised of one early childhood learning center, one elementary school, one junior/senior high school, together with separate buildings that house the Board of Education Office and the buildings and grounds annex."
^Staff. "Republican Elected In Palisades Park", The New York Times, August 4, 1965. Accessed June 30, 2012. "William J. Dorgan, Republican who was defeated by four votes as incumbent Mayor last November, was returned to his post today by more than 200 votes in a special election."
^Kim, Yung. "William J. Dorgan, 81; former mayor and freeholder director", The Record, October 15, 2003. Accessed October 29, 2013. "William J. Dorgan, a former Bergen County freeholder director and mayor of Palisades Park, died Saturday in Florida. He was 81. A Republican, Mr. Dorgan won his first term as Palisades Park mayor in 1960 and served until 1967."
^Goodridge, Michael. Filmcraft: Editing: Editing, p. 55. Taylor & Francis US, 2011. ISBN9780240818658. Accessed December 12, 2013. "Certainly the profession would have been a less inclusive one without the pioneering career of Barbara McLean, who, like Booth, was one of the first women to work as a film editor in Hollywood. Born in 1903 in Palisades Park, N.J., she grew up working in the film laboratory of her father, Charles Pollut, and became an assistant editor at First National Studio before going to work at 20th Century Pictures (before it merged with Fox Film Corporation in 1935)."
^Pascrell, Bill. "Honorable Patrick J. Roma", p. 15615, Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, Vol.160, pt. 11, November 12, 2014. Accessed June 11, 2020. "During his time as Partner at Freidman, Pearlman & Roma, P.C., Judge Roma was elected as Council President and Police Commissioner for the Borough of Palisades Park."
Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties) prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.
United States
New Jersey
