Paramus, New Jersey

History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630–1923, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1923.

=== 18th century === Albrycht Zaborowski, whose descendants became known by the family name "Zabriskie", immigrated from Poland via the Dutch ship Deb Ves in 1662.

In 1777, the British raided the Hackensack area and Burr marched troops to Paramus, where he attacked the British, forcing them to withdraw.

General George Washington was in Paramus several times during the War: December 1778; July 1780; and, December 1780.

The oldest known portion that can be reliably dated is from 1807 to 1808, with an older adjoining section of the house dating back as far as 1707.

Suez North America, founded as Hackensack Water Company in 1869 and later named United Water, is an American water service company headquartered in Paramus.

Reid Branch library on Midland Avenue, which was originally a four-room schoolhouse built in 1876.

History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men., Philadelphia: Everts and Peck, 1882.

The tower was built in 1899 and was originally housed as a water pump that sits alongside the Saddle River.

New York: New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Co., 1900.

=== 20th century === In 1909, the Arcola Country Club and golf course was created in 1909 and the neighborhood by that name grew around it.

It was founded in 1916 and is the largest hospital and licensed nursing home in the entire state of New Jersey.

Paramus was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 2, 1922, and ratified by a referendum held on April 4, 1922, that passed by a vote of 238 ...

Arcola Park was an outdoor amusement park built in 1926.

A fire in 1929 destroyed the entire park, with the exception of the pool.

By 1940, Paramus' population was just 4,000, with no town center and 94 retail establishments.

Local blue laws in Paramus were first proposed in 1957, while the Bergen Mall and Garden State Plaza were both under construction.

It had a seating capacity of 635 seats and was opened in 1960.

1963 – Paramus Place was built on the north side of Route 4 across from Bergen Mall.

The Triplex and Tenplex theatres was opened on October 12, 1965, by Century Theatres and was closed on May 24, 2007, by Loews Cineplex Entertainment.

1967 – The Fashion Center was built on a 33-acre (13 ha) site of old celery farms, aimed at quality-oriented shoppers by developer Associated Dry Goods, with a 135,000-square-fo...

During the 1950s and 1960s, Paramus, lacking any master plan until 1969, was redeveloped into two shopping corridors when its farmers and outside developers saw that shopping ma...

The pool was destroyed by another fire in 1970 and closed down for good.

1972 – The 35 Plaza Shopping Center is built on Route 4, just located 2 minutes away from Paramus Place.

1974 – Paramus Park was built by the Rouse Company, offering a gross leasable area of 755,000 square feet (70,100 m2).

Zabriskie Farmhouse – 7 East Ridgewood Avenue (added 1977).

Midland Avenue (added 1978).

The theater closed in 1982 due to rising costs and low attendance and was converted into retail space in 1986.

In 1983, Paramus was the location of one of the first Kids "R" Us stores.

Zabriskie Tenant House – 273 Dunkerhook Road (added 1984).

1986 – The Shoppes on IV opened up and was built on 236 acres (96 ha) in the westbound area of Route 4.

The Paramus Drive-In closed in 1987 after the last movie presentation, a double-feature of "Crocodile" Dundee and The Untouchables.

Three of the district's schools have been formally recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence: Paramus High School in 1988–1989, Parkway Elementary Scho...

Nordstrom's Paramus location was its first New York–area store when it opened in September 1990, with strong sales volume.

Opened in 1992, it featured hands-on exhibits for children such as a fire truck, a news studio, a helicopter, and other fun pretend attractions that drew 700,000 visitors per year.

More than 63% of Bergen County voters rejected a referendum on the ballot in 1993 that would have repealed the county's blue laws, though the Paramus restrictions would have rem...

American ska punk band Less Than Jake has a song entitled 24 Hours in Paramus on their 1995 album Losers, Kings and Things We Don't Understand.

Terhune House – 470 Paramus Road (added 1996).

The Paramus Picture Show, known as Cinema 35 until 1997, closed in December 2004 in the wake of declining attendance.

1998 – The Paramus Towne Square opened up and was built on the north side of Route 17.

=== 2000 census === As of the 2000 United States census there were 25,737 people, 8,082 households, and 6,780 families residing in the borough.

K–8 co-ed Jewish day schools in Paramus include Yavneh Academy; Yeshivat Noam, founded in 2001; and Ben Porat Yosef, which was established in 2001 and relocated to Paramus in 2008.

Paramus was the former headquarters location for Toys "R" Us before the company relocated to Wayne in 2002 and went bankrupt.

2003 – IKEA opens a 370,000-square-foot (34,000 m2) store, its second-largest location in North America, at the intersection of Routes 4 and 17 on the site of the old Alexander'...

In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W.

The 2005 Sesame Street direct-to-video All Star Alphabet, featuring Stephen Colbert and Nicole Sullivan, was filmed on location at Garden State Plaza.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $104,986 (with a margin of error of +/− $9,1...

On May 25, 2007, the new AMC Theatres opened at Westfield Garden State Plaza.

In 2008, the Paramus Golf Course opened a miniature golf course that is themed after the borough of Paramus as well as the state of New Jersey.

In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 4,298 votes here (49.7% vs.

Same-sex couples headed 35 households in 2010, more than double the 17 counted in the 2000 census.

Paramus Little League were the 2011 New Jersey State Little League Baseball Champions.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 6,123 votes here (50.0% vs.

It closed in 2014 after Valley Hospital bought the property near its Ridgewood location.

Hudson City Bancorp had its headquarters located at West 80 Century Road until its acquisition by M&T Bank, which was completed in 2015.

However, when Sports Authority went out of business in 2016, the store was closed.

== Economy == === Corporate headquarters === Paramus was home to the America regional headquarters of Hanjin Shipping, located on the eastbound side of Route 4 before it decla...

Paramus also housed a Babies "R" Us on the northbound side of Route 17, but it closed in 2018.

When Toys "R" Us was revived in 2019 after emerging from bankruptcy, the first new Toys "R" Us store opened at Garden State Plaza on November 27, 2019.

when an outbreak at the New Jersey Veterans Home resulted in 74 deaths, all former soldiers through May 2020, with some 60% of the home's 314 residents being infected.

However, by 2021, both locations closed, due to the company's bankruptcy from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bed Bath and Beyond and Christmas Tree Shops both followed suit when their businesses went defunct in 2023, leaving IKEA the only open business left.

As of 2024, the mayor is Republican Christopher DiPiazza, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026.

Quintana (R, 2025), Mary Ellen Rizzo (R, 2026) and Jeanne T.

Nadera (R, 2026), Jorge E.

New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Andy Kim (Moorestown, term ends 2031).