Overpeck County Park
Encyclopedia
Overpeck County Park is an 811 acres (3.3 km²) county park
in Bergen County
, New Jersey
, with major sections in Leonia
, Palisades Park
, Ridgefield Park
, and Teaneck
, surrounding Overpeck Creek
, a tributary of the Hackensack River
.
The Overpeck Creek
flows to the west of the Henry Hoebel Area and the South Area of the park.
In 1954, the president of the Bergen County Park Commission, A. Thornton Bishop, proposed a plan to build a county park. This park was originally planned to rival Central Park
in New York City
.
In the 1950s, Leonia, Palisades Park, Ridgefield Park, and Teaneck donated municipal land for the development of the Overpeck County Park. Henry Hoebel Area was the first area to undergo development; the other areas remained undeveloped and were used as dumping sites for garbage and car tires until they posed environmental hazards to their surroundings. The park vicinity was notable being filled with solid waste. Ridgefield Park and Teaneck filed a lawsuit against Bergen County because the park land was not developed and used properly. The project began in 2003 and it is expected to be completed in September 2009.
In 2002, the Teaneck Creek Conservancy
and the Bergen County Parks Department began to establish a 46 acres (186,155.6 m²) environmental and cultural park as part of Overpeck Park.
Area in Leonia alongside Fort Lee Road.
The Henry Hoebel Area consists of a small playground, a 9/11
World Trade Center
Memorial, bicycle and jogging path, and track and field. There are four tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, and a practice backstop. The bicycle-pedestrian path is approximately one and a quarter-mile long and it forms a figure-8, dividing the Henry Hoebel Area into two sections, separated by a tributary of the Overpeck Creek.
The area consists of four picnic areas. Along with a playground for children up to age 12, there is a baseball/softball field and volleyball and basketball courts. The Bergen Equestrian Center, formerly known as the Overpeck Riding Center, is located in this area. The center is a horseback riding center that features a riding arena and paddocks.
County park
A county park is a park managed by a county. In the United States, county parks are lower in hierarchy than state parks. In the United Kingdom, similar parks for recreation are named country parks....
in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, with major sections in Leonia
Leonia, New Jersey
Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,937. It is located near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge....
, Palisades Park
Palisades Park, New Jersey
Palisades Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 19,622....
, Ridgefield Park
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
Ridgefield Park is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The population was 12,729 at the 2010 United States Census. Of 566 municipalities statewide, Ridgefield Park is only one of three with a village type of government in New Jersey, along with Loch Arbour and Ridgewood.The...
, and Teaneck
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, surrounding Overpeck Creek
Overpeck Creek
Overpeck Creek is a tributary of the Hackensack River, approximately 8 miles long, in Bergen County in northern New Jersey in the United States. The upper creek flows through suburban communities west of New York City...
, a tributary of the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
.
The Overpeck Creek
Overpeck Creek
Overpeck Creek is a tributary of the Hackensack River, approximately 8 miles long, in Bergen County in northern New Jersey in the United States. The upper creek flows through suburban communities west of New York City...
flows to the west of the Henry Hoebel Area and the South Area of the park.
History
The first inhabitants of the area were Ashkineshacky Native Americans, who lived around Leonia. Approximately a thousand Native Americans had their seasonal activities, collecting shells for wampum and hosting their bath festivals in Overpeck Creek.In 1954, the president of the Bergen County Park Commission, A. Thornton Bishop, proposed a plan to build a county park. This park was originally planned to rival Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In the 1950s, Leonia, Palisades Park, Ridgefield Park, and Teaneck donated municipal land for the development of the Overpeck County Park. Henry Hoebel Area was the first area to undergo development; the other areas remained undeveloped and were used as dumping sites for garbage and car tires until they posed environmental hazards to their surroundings. The park vicinity was notable being filled with solid waste. Ridgefield Park and Teaneck filed a lawsuit against Bergen County because the park land was not developed and used properly. The project began in 2003 and it is expected to be completed in September 2009.
In 2002, the Teaneck Creek Conservancy
Teaneck Creek Conservancy
The Teaneck Creek Conservancy is an eco-art park located in Bergen County, New Jersey. It is part of the Bergen County Park system managed independently managed by the member-supported, non-profit incorporation of the Teaneck Creek Conservancy. The park contains 1.4 miles of groomed trails and...
and the Bergen County Parks Department began to establish a 46 acres (186,155.6 m²) environmental and cultural park as part of Overpeck Park.
Regions
- There are four major regions of the park: (five, if Overpeck Bergen County Golf Course is included)
Henry Hoebel Area
The Henry Hoebel Area consists of a small playground, a 9/11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
Memorial, bicycle and jogging path, and track and field. There are four tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, and a practice backstop. The bicycle-pedestrian path is approximately one and a quarter-mile long and it forms a figure-8, dividing the Henry Hoebel Area into two sections, separated by a tributary of the Overpeck Creek.
South Area
Area in Leonia south of the Henry Hoebel Area alongside Fort Lee Road.The area consists of four picnic areas. Along with a playground for children up to age 12, there is a baseball/softball field and volleyball and basketball courts. The Bergen Equestrian Center, formerly known as the Overpeck Riding Center, is located in this area. The center is a horseback riding center that features a riding arena and paddocks.
Palisades Park Area
Area in Palisades Park along Roosevelt Street. The area consists of four hard surface tennis courts, four premier ball fields (one with artificial turf), an artificial turf football stadium with track, and a tot lot. Picnicking and horseshoes are available.Ridgefield Park Area
Area in Ridgefield Park along Challenger Road, off Emerson Road. This area is 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) and consists of two softball fields, two soccer fields, amphitheater (3,000 lawn seats), six tennis courts, playground, lawn, 700 parking spaces, boat launch, and walking trails. The park's grand opening was on July 5, 2010.Map of Ridgefield Park Area
External links
- On Overpeck County Park NY-NJ-CT Botany Online.
- Overpeck County Park Official Site
- Teterboro Online about the park
- Leonia, NJ - About Overpeck Park