Elmwood Park, NJ Real Estate Guide: Buy, Sell & Rent

Elmwood Park is a Bergen County borough of about 21,400 residents as of the 2020 Census, set on roughly 2.6 square miles of land along the east bank of the Passaic River. Until 1973 it was called East Paterson. It's defined by its highway access, a housing stock split almost evenly between houses and apartments, and a riverfront where former industrial land is finding new uses. It also borders Garfield, where The Thompson Realty Group's office sits at 20 MacArthur Avenue, so Elmwood Park is right next door for us.

Why People Choose Elmwood Park

For many buyers, it comes down to location. Elmwood Park sits between the Passaic River, with Paterson and Clifton on the far bank, and the Bergen County towns of Fair Lawn, Saddle Brook and Garfield. Interstate 80, the Garden State Parkway, U.S. Route 46 and Route 4 (called Broadway locally) all pass through or along the borough.

The borough also has a long local story. The area was once known as Dundee Lake, named for the lake formed when the Dundee Dam was completed on the Passaic in 1860. Residents voted to break away from Saddle River Township on April 18, 1916, forming the Borough of East Paterson, and the Rosemont section joined in 1917. Voters approved the name Elmwood Park in November 1972, and it took effect January 1, 1973.

Getting Around: Commuting from Elmwood Park

• Bus: NJ Transit route 160, the Elmwood Park–Wallington–New York line, begins at Boulevard and Market Street and runs to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.
• Train: NJ Transit's Bergen County Line runs through Elmwood Park but doesn't stop in the borough. The nearest stations are Broadway and Radburn, both in Fair Lawn. Broadway sits above Route 4 at East 55th Street, and its 80-space permit lot is across Broadway on the Elmwood Park side. Trains run to Hoboken Terminal, with a transfer at Secaucus Junction for New York Penn Station.
• Car: I-80, the Garden State Parkway, Route 46 and Route 4 connect the borough to the rest of North Jersey.

Neighborhoods and Housing Types

Elmwood Park was largely built out in the mid-20th century. According to the borough's own history, the federal government bought the Cherry Hill section in the early 1940s to house defense-plant workers, and after World War II the borough added large housing developments and garden apartments. Census estimates show roughly three-quarters of today's housing was built before 1970, and the stock divides about evenly between houses and apartment or other multi-unit buildings. Historic section names you'll still hear include Cherry Hill, Dundee Lake and Rosemont.

• Single-family homes: Largely mid-century houses.
• Two-to-four-family homes: A practical option for owner-occupants who want rental income.
• Garden apartments: Postwar low-rise complexes that remain a core part of the rental supply.
• Newer riverfront rentals: Riverwalk on River Drive, developed by Riverfront Residential, was billed as Elmwood Park's first luxury apartment community when its first phase was completed in 2012. A second phase added apartments and ground-floor retail.

Buying a Home in Elmwood Park

A single-family home gives you space; a two-family lets the second unit's rent help with the mortgage. If you're using an FHA loan, you can buy a two-to-four-family property with a low down payment as long as you live in one of the units.

A few things we help buyers check:

• Older-home inspections: With most of the borough's homes built before 1970, we pay close attention to heating systems, electrical service, roofs, foundations and any buried oil tanks.
• Rental unit details: On a multi-family, we review existing leases, rent history and whether utilities are separately metered.
• Local rent rules: The borough has a Rent Leveling Board, so we help you understand how local rent rules may apply to an income property before you commit.
• Property taxes: Taxes are a major part of any New Jersey budget. We pull the current tax figure for every home you're considering.

Need financing? We can connect you with a lender for pre-approval before you start touring.

Selling Your Elmwood Park Home

Elmwood Park sellers can market to several buyer pools at once: commuters who want I-80 and Parkway access, FHA buyers shopping for a two-family, cash investors and first-time buyers moving up from renting. A mid-century single-family and a two-family compete in different markets and need their own pricing strategy. We'll prepare a free comparative market analysis using recent sales of homes like yours, then market your home across the MLS and every major online channel. With our office next door in Garfield, we're close by for showings and walk-throughs.

Renting and Investing in Elmwood Park

Census figures show a little over half of the borough's homes are owner-occupied, so there's a substantial rental market here, from apartments in two-family homes to postwar garden complexes and the newer riverfront buildings. We help renters find the right unit and help landlords price, market and screen tenants.

For investors, the draw is a large supply of multi-unit housing in a borough with direct highway access. Commercial reinvestment is also visible. The historic Marcal Paper site at 25 Market Street, badly damaged by a 2019 fire, has been redeveloped by Crow Holdings Development into a 207,000-square-foot industrial building completed in 2024. Marcal Paper still operates next door. Before you buy, we'll run realistic numbers on rents, taxes, insurance and repairs.

Local Landmarks and Amenities

• Artesian Fields County Park, a 40-acre Bergen County park with athletic fields and a nature walking path through mostly untouched forest
• Borough Park at 500 Boulevard, with a playground, baseball and soccer fields, street hockey and a spray park
• Van Houten–Hillman House at 891 River Road, an early stone house listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983
• Elmwood Park Public Library, 210 Lee Street, part of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System
• The Passaic River waterfront along River Drive
• Public schools: Elmwood Park Public Schools, including Elmwood Park Memorial High School

Nearby Town Guides

Comparing Elmwood Park with nearby towns? Read our guides to Garfield, Saddle Brook, Fair Lawn and Paterson, or browse all of our North Jersey town guides.

Talk to a Local Broker

The Thompson Realty Group is a licensed New Jersey real estate brokerage based at 20 MacArthur Ave in Garfield, serving buyers, sellers, renters and investors across Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties. Whether you're a first-time FHA buyer, a cash investor, or a homeowner wondering what your place is worth, we'll give you straight answers about Elmwood Park.

Call or text 201-928-5562 or book a free 15-minute consultation. You can also search every active New Jersey listing on our website.

Information on this page is provided for general guidance and is believed accurate as of October 2026. Programs, ordinances, taxes and transit schedules change, so please verify details for any specific property. Equal Housing Opportunity.