Wanaque

Wanaque is defined by reservoir water and wooded ridges, not by a strip of shops. Two post-office neighborhoods, Wanaque (once called Midvale) and Haskell, sit along Ringwood Avenue. This is Highlands living in northern New Jersey, near Verona. Groceries and a pharmacy are on the local roads. Medical care is in the Chilton area, shared with neighboring boroughs. Drives toward Verona are shorter than from Toms River. Choose it when you want that quiet near your daughter, rather than a community of ranch homes for adults 55 or older in Ocean County.

Incorporated as an independent borough on February 23, 1918, when Pompton Township was divided into Wanaque, Bloomingdale, and Ringwood; confirmed by referendum on March 22, 1918.

Local history records the name as derived from a Lenni Lenape word — commonly glossed as “place of sassafras.” Neighborhoods include Wanaque (formerly Midvale) and Haskell, each with its own ZIP and post office.

The North Jersey District Water Supply Commission was created in 1916; construction of the Wanaque Reservoir began around 1920, with water delivery starting in 1930 — the reservoir remains the defining civic landscape.

Wanaque is reservoir and ridge living in northern New Jersey, near Verona. The neighborhoods along Ringwood Avenue are Wanaque and Haskell. Groceries and a pharmacy are on that road, and Chilton Medical Center is about 13 minutes from the town hall. Family drives are shorter than from Toms River: Verona about 26 minutes, Kearny about 38 minutes. Choose it when you want quiet in the Highlands, near family, rather than a large community of ranch homes for adults 55 or older.