[22] Oakland was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1902, from portions of Franklin Township (now Wyckoff).

[26] From the 1940s through the end of the 1960s a summer bungalow colony was developed in a valley in West Oakland on the Ramapo River.

This was a refuge for a close-knit group of several score families from the summer heat of New York City and urban New Jersey.

During the summer months, the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad provided service at a West Oakland passenger station.

This colony was located on the road between Oakland and Pompton Lakes, near a training camp for boxers.

In the early morning, a resident could see Joe Louis or Sugar Ray Robinson, among others, running past the summer homes.

[1][2] Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Ramapo Lake and Rotten Pond.

[37][38] Oakland's downtown shopping area is along Ramapo Valley Road (U.S. Route 202), with the Copper Tree Mall being the borough's largest single retail establishment.

[41] There are a few industrial parks in Oakland, the biggest of which is off Long Hill Road near the Franklin Lakes border.

[43] Russ Berrie and Company, Inc., once headquartered in Oakland, was a manufacturer of teddy bears and other gift products.

The largest is a recreational area located off Oak Street, known to residents simply as the "Rec Field," but formally known as the Alexander Potash Recreation Complex, which is home to nine baseball and softball fields, six tennis courts, a roller hockey rink, basketball courts, and other facilities.

[45] New Jersey's Ramapo Mountain State Forest is located in Oakland and can be accessed from Skyline Drive just north of its interchange with I-287.

[51][52][53] As of 2024[update], the mayor of the Borough of Oakland is Republican Eric Kulmala, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.

[3][54][55][56][57][58] In February 2021, the borough council selected Kevin Slasinksi from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the vacant seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Robert Knapp until he resigned from office the previous month.

The central station is located on Yawpo Avenue just off Ramapo Valley Road in downtown Oakland.

[67][68] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 9th congressional district is represented by Nellie Pou (D, North Haledon)[69] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Andy Kim (Moorestown, term ends 2031).

As of 2025[update], the county executive is James J. Tedesco III (D, Paramus), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.

[72] Bergen County's Commissioners are: Thomas J. Sullivan Jr. (D, Montvale, 2025),[73] Chair Germaine M. Ortiz (D, Emerson, 2025),[74] Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee, 2026),[75] Vice Chair Mary J. Amoroso (D, Mahwah, 2025),[76] Rafael Marte (D, Bergenfield, 2026),[77] Steven A. Tanelli (D, North Arlington, 2027)[78] and Tracy Silna Zur (D, Franklin Lakes, 2027).

[79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86] Bergen County's constitutional officials are: Clerk John S. Hogan (D, Northvale, 2026),[87][88] Sheriff Anthony Cureton (D, Englewood, 2027)[89][90] and Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill, 2026).

[94] Some of the territory in the protected region is classified as being in the highlands preservation area, and thus subject to additional rules.

[102] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 67.0% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 90.5% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).

The criteria were test scores in math and reading, number of schools, cost of living, recreational and cultural activities, and risk of crime.

[141] NJ Transit bus service is also available on a limited basis via the 752 route between Oakland and Hackensack via Ridgewood.

[142][143] A freight rail line, the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, runs through Oakland.

A rail right-of-way was built by the New Jersey Midland Railway around 1870[144] and later served passengers on the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad (NYS&W).

[151] The Oakland Journal is an online hyper-local news source that covers local political, civic and social events.