However, after Dutch and other European settlers began arriving in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Lenape population was decimated.

Growth in the area exploded after the Civil War with the completion of the New Jersey and New York Railway through the Pascack Valley, as communities were established near the railroad's stations.

Seven Chimneys, the oldest house in the township, is an impressive example of eighteenth-century, regional, domestic architecture and is an important remnant of the community's early settlement period.

[1][2] The township is located in the northern portion of Bergen County, which in turn is in the far northeastern corner of New Jersey, 15 miles (24 km) northwest of New York City.

The township borders the Bergen County municipalities of Emerson, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Paramus, Ridgewood, Saddle River and Westwood.

[33][34][35] Located within the Pascack Valley of north-central Bergen County, elevations rise gradually in an east to west/south to north trajectory, and range anywhere from 50 feet (15 m) or less in the wooded swamplands behind Westwood Regional High School to approximately 360 feet (110 m) just west of Van Emburgh Avenue.

Being higher in elevation, it is slightly cooler and less prone to flooding than the rest of the valley and other parts of northwestern Bergen County.

The southern end of the township bordering Emerson and Paramus is wooded wetlands at the convergence of Musquapsink Brook and three cemeteries, and has consistently the densest overnight and morning fog in the area.

[citation needed] The 2010 United States census counted 9,102 people, 3,261 households, and 2,632 families in the township.

The privately held Washington Town Center is the township's single largest taxpayer.

The Township of Washington offers various sports activities—baseball, softball, football, cheerleading, and soccer—which are played at the numerous parks and fields throughout the town.

Memorial Field is in the major recreation site in the township and provides facilities for multiple uses: baseball, softball, soccer and youth football.

Adjacent to the Washington Elementary School, it also includes a recreation building with concession stand and a covered picnic pavilion.

In addition to the Olympic sized outdoor pool, the WTRC also offers a game room and picnic area.

[52] Additional recreational facilities include the Bergen County YJCC, offering fitness programs, indoor swimming and a variety of classes for all denominations.

WLA members may enjoy fishing, boating, picnicking, nature observation and other outdoor activities.

[55] The Township of Washington is governed within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government (Plan E), implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of January 1, 1970.

[7][58] As of 2023[update], the Mayor of the Township of Washington is Republican Peter Calamari, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025.

[64][65][66] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 5th congressional district is represented by Josh Gottheimer (D, Wyckoff).

[69] For the 2024–2025 session, the 39th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Holly Schepisi (R, River Vale) and in the General Assembly by Robert Auth (R, Old Tappan) and John V. Azzariti (R, Saddle River).

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

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

[78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85] Bergen County's constitutional officials are: Clerk John S. Hogan (D, Northvale, 2026),[86][87] Sheriff Anthony Cureton (D, Englewood, 2027)[88][89] and Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill, 2026).

[93] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 70.1% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 91.0% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).

[123][124] Immaculate Heart Academy is a parochial, college preparatory, all-girls Catholic high school located on Van Emburgh Avenue, operating under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

[130] Located within the New York metropolitan area's arterial network, the township is easily accessible by car.

[131] The Garden State Parkway serves the Township with exits 166 (south) and 168 (north).

Rockland Coaches provides express service from Pascack Road and Washington Avenue via Garden State Parkway Exit 168, with weekday rush-hour service provided to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, heading to New York in the morning and returning to the township weekday evenings on routes 46, 47 and 49.

WCTV provides live programming and coverage of high school sports, local events and activities on the Public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable TV channels as well as the Internet.

The Township of Washington Public Library offers a collection of 48,325 volumes with a circulation of over 80,000 items per year.