Mountain Lakes is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 4,160, reflecting a decline of 96 (-2.3%) from the 4,256 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 409 (+10.6%) from the 3,847 counted in the 1990 Census.
Mountain Lakes was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 3, 1924, from portions of Boonton Township and Hanover Township, subject to the results of a referendum passed on April 29, 1924. The borough was named for a pair of lakes in the area.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Mountain Lakes as the 26th best place to live in New Jersey in its rankings of the “New Jersey’s Top Towns 2011-2012” in New Jersey.
According to Neighborhood Scout, Mountain Lakes is one of New Jersey’s most highly educated municipalities, with 85.94% of adults attaining a four-year undergraduate or graduate degree, quadruple the national average of 21.84%, while the percentage of white-collar workers was 98.77%.
Grimes Homestead, is an 18th-century historic home that served as a way station on the Underground Railroad.
Mountain Lakes was originally a planned community, founded in 1910 by Herbert Hapgood. It became an independent town in 1924.
The United States Navy’s Underwater Sound Reference Laboratories was located in Mountain Lakes during World War II.
Mountain Lakes had a discriminatory “gentleman’s agreement” from its inception up through the 1960s, preventing African-Americans, Jews, Latinos, Catholics, and other “undesirable groupings” from living there. While this has changed in recent years, the town still has a less diverse population than the rest of New Jersey, or Morris County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.885 square miles (7.473 km2), including 2.616 square miles (6.775 km2) of land and 0.269 square miles (0.698 km2) of water (9.34%).
Part of The Tourne county park is in Mountain Lakes.
Man-made lakes in Mountain Lakes include Birchwood Lake, Crystal Lake, Mountain Lake, Sunset Lake, Wildwood Lake, and Cove Lake. It is only legal to swim in Birchwood Lake, and Mountain Lake in the areas that are roped off. Swimming is allowed between the hours of 5 am to 10 PM every day between the months of June and August with a beach badge purchased at the borough hall.
The borough borders Parsippany-Troy Hills, to the east and south, the town of Boonton to the northeast, Boonton Township to the northwest and Denville to the west all of which are located in Morris County.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 4,160 people, 1,313 households, and 1,144 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,590.3 per square mile (614.0/km2). There were 1,363 housing units at an average density of 521.1 per square mile (201.2/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 89.57% (3,726) White, 0.36% (15) Black or African American, 0.07% (3) Native American, 7.64% (318) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.34% (14) from other races, and 2.02% (84) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.55% (106) of the population.
Source: Wikipedia
