PASCACK VALLEY AREA, Bergen County, N.J.—By the dawn of the 1900s, the Pascack Valley was well on its way toward shedding its rural roots and becoming a suburb as we know it today. In the years since the railroad came through in 1870, hundreds of acres of farmland had been subdivided into housing plots to entice a new type of resident—the commuter.
Advertisements posted in New York City newspapers touted the advantages of life in the leafy suburbs, where the water was pure and the air was invigorating. Station stops along the Erie Railroad’s Pascack Valley line put this beautiful place just an hour out from the city, through a combination of rail and ferry travel. A property’s proximity to the local depot was a selling point, in addition to features like electric light, a modern bathroom, and a macadamized road for those with automobiles.
The New York Sun described the New Jersey suburbs in spring 1907, writing, “Throughout almost its entire length the railroad traverses a region of wooded hills and rolling farmland. The stations are, with one or two exceptions, small country villages with the quaint rural features one expects to find only at a considerable distance from the city. Clustering around the crossroads stopping places are a few general stores, an occasional real estate office, and the postmaster’s quarters.”
About the Pascack Valley, the article states, “Stops are made at Etna, Westwood, Hillsdale Manor, Hillsdale, Woodcliff, Park Ridge, and Montvale. All are small country villages with a large percentage of commuters…The villages along the line, though small in size, are maintaining a steady growth. The natural attractiveness of the region and its healthfulness are becoming more widely known, and the number of permanent commuters is rapidly increasing.”
This week, we take a look at some Pascack Valley real estate ads of the early 20th century. Along with the cost of the property at the time, you will also see the equivalent sum in 2025 dollars. Due to the desirability of the Pascack Valley, our housing market has blown right past the rate of inflation. Now if only somebody would invent a time machine.
ETNA (now Emerson)
A nice new seven-room house, with improvements; on high ground; lot 75 by 100. Two-minute walk to station. Address post office box 13, Etna, Bergen County.
- Price in 1905: $2,000
- Adjusted for inflation: $72,000
HILLSDALE
Beautiful home with almost an acre of land. On easy terms, owner going to Europe. An hour from city on Erie Railroad, three minutes from depot. Handsomely decorated, all improvements. Steam heat, electric light, magnificent view. No mosquitoes or malaria. Stable, hennery, tennis court, lawns, vegetable garden.
- Price in 1907: $7,500
- Adjusted for inflation: $255,000
MONTVALE
Old Homestead – 14 rooms, 32 acres of land. Fine and beautifully located. Well shaded. Property includes stream, fruit orchard. Located 1.5 miles from Montvale station, an hour out from New York City on the Northern N.J. Railroad. Terms, half cash.
- Price in 1906: $3,500
- Adjusted for inflation: $124,000
PARK RIDGE
Eight-room dwelling, bathroom, every improvement, including electricity. Thoroughly constructed, oak and chestnut frame. Corner lot, 100 by 125. Shade, young fruit trees, garden, hennery. $1,000 down, balance paid in installments. Located in mosquitoless, malarialess, swampless Park Ridge, embowered in trees, the commuter’s paradise. Macadamized roads, beautiful scenery, uncontaminated water, municipal electric lighting. Daily commuter fare, 12.5 cents.
- Price in 1908: $3,500
- Adjusted for inflation: $122,000
RIVER VALE
Frontage of 700 feet on choice automobile road, shaded by a line of massive elm and maple trees; 32 acres of unimproved land; splendid for gentleman’s country estate or subdivision. High location, running stream across rear.
- Price in 1911: $8,800
- Adjusted for inflation: $296,000
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON
Property listings for the Township of Washington from this time are difficult to find. The railroad did not pass through the township, so development did not take off until after World War II. The population of the township in 1905 was just 80 people, so there were very few houses.
WESTWOOD
Ten-acre farm, 40 minutes out from New York City. Dutch Colonial residence, 11 large rooms, modern bathroom, open fireplaces. Crops planted. Four cows, horse, carriages, farming implements. Advantageous terms.
- Price in 1907: $6,750
- Adjusted for inflation: $230,000
WOODCLIFF LAKE
Six-room house on 2 acres, with 158 feet frontage on macadam road. Six-minute walk to railroad station. Pump and sink in kitchen. Fruit, berries, chicken house. 23 miles from New York City. Buyer could subdivide.
- Price in 1909: $3,500
- Adjusted for inflation: $123,000