Fort Lee, New Jersey#Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Fort Lee borough had a total area of 2.87 square miles (7.44 km²), including 2.52 square miles (6.52 km²) of land and 0.35 square miles (0.92 km²) of water (12.33%).

The borough is situated atop the escarpment of the Hudson Palisades on the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson rivers. The borough is bisected by the confluence of roads at the George Washington Bridge Plaza leading to the George Washington Bridge.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Coytesville, Linwood,[https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/28/archives/housing-colony-in-fort-lee-sold-linwood-park-development-is-bought.html "Housing Colony In Fort Lee Sold; Linwood Park Development is Bought by Investors"], The New York Times, May 28, 1964. Accessed January 6, 2024.[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc957802/m2/1/high_res_d/metadc957802.pdf#page=67 Bulletin of the United States Geological Survey No, 118], United States Government Printing Office, 1894. Accessed January 6, 2024. "Linwood; village in Ridgefield township, Bergen County, on Hudson River." Palisade and Taylorville.[http://www.state.nj.us/infobank/localnames.txt Locality Search], State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.Leahy, Michael. [https://books.google.com/books?id=W2onYcLQja8C&pg=PA392 If You're Thinking of Living In...: All About 115 Great Neighborhoods In & Around New York], p. 392. Crown Publishing Group, 2007. {{ISBN|9780307421074}}. Accessed May 27, 2015.

The borough borders Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Leonia, Palisades Park, and Ridgefield in Bergen County, along with the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City.[https://global.mapit.mysociety.org/area/837961/touches.html Areas touching Fort Lee], MapIt. Accessed March 25, 2020.[https://www.co.bergen.nj.us/visitors-guide/county-maps Bergen County Map of Municipalities], Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 25, 2020.[https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/gis/maps/polnoroads.pdf New Jersey Municipal Boundaries], New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019. Given its evolving cosmopolitan ambiance and adjacency to Manhattan across the George Washington Bridge, Fort Lee, one of the Hudson Waterfront communities of northern New Jersey, has been called a sixth borough of New York City.Tat, Linh. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130723060351/http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/Fort_Lee.html "Fort Lee grapples with questions on future development"], The Record, June 12, 2012. Archived from [http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/Fort_Lee.html?page=all the original] on July 23, 2013. Accessed December 7, 2013. "Fort Lee - Bedroom community. Sixth borough of New York City. Gateway to Bergen County."Haller, Vera. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/realestate/fort-lee-nj-living-in-close-to-new-york-city-but-with-a-life-of-its-own.html "Close to the City, but With a Life of Its Own"], The New York Times, September 7, 2012. Accessed December 7, 2013. "Fort Lee has the suburban feel of a New Jersey town with the ethnic diversity of a New York City neighborhood. Some residents call it the city's sixth borough."

The Lenape peoples were inhabiting the area when Captain Henry Hudson was the first European to record the area in 1609. In 1756 Stephen Bourdette acquired 400 acres of land which included modern-day Fort Lee.{{cite web | title=Historic Fort Lee | website=Fort Lee Borough, NJ | url=https://www.fortleenj.org/283/Historic-Fort-Lee#:~:text=The%20first%20people%20known%20to,Captain%20Henry%20Hudson%20in%201609. | access-date=2023-02-15}}

File:FortLeeSkyline2013.JPG are a prominent feature of the borough of Fort Lee, with several over 300 feet tall.]]

Originally known as Fort Constitution, Fort Lee was named for General Charles LeeLefkowitz, Melanie. [https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704330404576291030180585192 Bergen County's Fort Lee: Town With a View], The Wall Street Journal. April 30, 2011. Accessed July 8, 2014. "The cliff-top 33-acre Fort Lee Historic Park, on a Revolutionary War fort site named for Gen. Charles Lee from whom the borough also takes its name, offers educational programs as well as bridge and river views." after George Washington and his troops had camped at Mount Constitution overlooking Burdett's Landing, in defense of New York City. It was during Washington's retreat in November 1776 (beginning along a road which is now Main Street) that Thomas Paine composed his pamphlet, The American Crisis, which began with the recognized phrase, "These are the times that try men's souls." These events are recalled at Monument Park and Fort Lee Historic Park.

Fort Lee was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 29, 1904, from the remaining portions of Ridgefield Township.Snyder, John P. [https://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968], Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 78. Accessed February 14, 2012."History of Bergen County", Vol. 1, pp. 361–364 shows a creation date of April 18, 1904, for Fort Lee. With the creation of Fort Lee, Ridgefield Township became defunct and was dissolved as of March 29, 1904.Municipal Incorporations, Extinct List p. 81. The Fort Lee Police Department was formed under borough ordinance on August 9, 1904, and originally consisted of six marshals.[http://fortleepd.org/about-the-flpd/history History], Fort Lee Police Department. Accessed December 7, 2013. "The Fort Lee Police Department was originally formed by ordinance on August 9, 1904. During this time, the council appointed six marshalls."

File:Fort Lee-The First Hollywood.jpg]]

The history of cinema in the United States can trace its roots to the East Coast, where, at one time, Fort Lee was the motion picture capital of America. The industry got its start in the state at the end of the 19th century with the construction of Thomas Edison's "Black Maria", the first motion picture studio, in West Orange, New Jersey. New Jersey offered land at costs considerably less than New York City, and the cities and towns along the Hudson River and the Palisades benefited greatly as a result of the phenomenal growth of the film industry at the turn of the 20th century.Kannapell, Andrea. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/04/nyregion/getting-big-picture-film-industry-started-here-left-now-it-s-back-state-says.html&pagewanted=all "Getting the Big Picture; The Film Industry Started Here and Left. Now It's Back, and the State Says the Sequel Is Huge."], The New York Times, October 4, 1998. Accessed December 7, 2013.Amith, Dennis. [http://j-entonline.com/blu-ray-dvd-reviews/dvd-reviews-film-tv/before-hollywood-there-was-fort-lee-n-j-early-movie-making-in-new-jersey-a-j-ent-dvd-review/ "Before Hollywood There Was Fort Lee, N.J.: Early Movie Making in New Jersey (a J!-ENT DVD Review)"], J!-ENTonline.com, January 1, 2011. Accessed December 7, 2013. "When Hollywood, California, was mostly orange groves, Fort Lee, New Jersey, was a center of American film production."Rose, Lisa.[http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/100_years_ago_fort_lee_was_the.html "100 years ago, Fort Lee was the first town to bask in movie magic"], The Star-Ledger, April 29, 2012. Accessed December 7, 2013. "Back in 1912, when Hollywood had more cattle than cameras, Fort Lee was the center of the cinematic universe. Icons from the silent era like Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, and Lillian Gish crossed the Hudson River via ferry to emote on Fort Lee back lots." A large number of early films were shot in Fort Lee.

Filmmaking began attracting both capital and an innovative workforce, and when the Kalem Company began using Fort Lee in 1907 as a location for filming in the area, other filmmakers quickly followed. In 1909, a forerunner of Universal Studios, the Champion Film Company, built the first studio.[http://www.fortleefilm.org/history.html Before Hollywood, There Was Fort Lee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090712034143/http://www.fortleefilm.org/history.html |date=July 12, 2009 }}, Fort Lee Film Commission. Accessed April 16, 2011. They were quickly followed by others who either built new studios or who leased facilities in Fort Lee. In the 1910s and 1920s, film companies such as the Independent Moving Pictures Company, Peerless Studios, The Solax Company, Éclair Studios, Goldwyn Picture Corporation, American Méliès (Star Films), World Film Company, Biograph Studios, Fox Film Corporation, Pathé Frères, Metro Pictures Corporation, Victor Film Company, and Selznick Pictures Corporation were all making pictures in Fort Lee. Such notables as Mary Pickford got their start at Biograph Studios.Koszarski, Richard. [https://books.google.com/books?id=5w0r8YKan04C&hl=en "Fort Lee: The Film Town''], Indiana University Press, 2004. {{ISBN|9780861966523}}. Accessed May 27, 2015.[http://www.fortleefilm.org/studios.html Studios and Films] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020130551/http://fortleefilm.org/studios.html |date=October 20, 2018 }}, Fort Lee Film Commission. Accessed December 7, 2013.

With the offshoot businesses that sprang up to service the film studios, for nearly two decades Fort Lee experienced unrivaled prosperity. However, just as the development of Fort Lee production facilities was gaining strength, Nestor Studios of Bayonne, New Jersey, built the first studio in Hollywood in 1911.Staff. [https://www.proquest.com/docview/165206569 "Memorial at First Studio Site Will Be Unveiled Today"], Los Angeles Times, September 29, 1940. Accessed July 8, 2014. "The site of the Nestor Studios today is the Hollywood home of the Columbia Broadcasting System." Nestor Studios, owned by David and William Horsley, later merged with Universal Studios; and William Horsley's other company, Hollywood Film Laboratory, is now the oldest existing company in Hollywood, now called the Hollywood Digital Laboratory. California's more temperate climate enabled year-round filming and led to the eventual shift of virtually all filmmaking to the West Coast by the 1930s.

At the time, Thomas Edison owned almost all the patents relevant to motion picture production. Movie producers on the East Coast acting independently of Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company were often sued or enjoined by Edison and his agents, while movie makers working on the West Coast could work independently of Edison's control, in part due to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals–which was headquartered in San Francisco and covered most of Southern California–being well known for not enforcing patents claims.Bishop, Jim. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Sl4gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JmUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3130,3977758&dq=thomas-edison+hollywood+patents&hl=en "How movies got moving..."], The Lewiston Journal, November 27, 1979. Accessed February 14, 2012. "Movies were unheard of in Hollywood, even in 1900. The flickering shadows were devised in a place called Fort Lee, N.J. It had forests, rocks cliffs for the cliff-hangers and the Hudson River. The movie industry had two problems. The weather was unpredictable, and Thomas Edison sued producers who used his invention. [...] It was not until 1911 that David Horsley moved his Nestor Co. west."

In nearby Little Ferry on July 9, 1937, a major fire broke out in a 20th Century-Fox storage facility containing hazardous extremely flammable nitrate film reels.

Television and film in New Jersey remains an important industry. Since 2000, the Fort Lee Film Commission has been charged with celebrating the history of film in Fort Lee, as well as attracting film and television production companies to the borough.[http://www.fortleefilm.org/ Home page], Fort Lee Film commission. Accessed November 6, 2011. The Barrymore Film Center promotes films, filmmaking and its history in the borough.[https://www.barrymorefilmcenter.com/ Home Page], Barrymore Film Center. Accessed October 2, 2019.

In 1957, market researcher James Vicary claimed that quickly flashing messages on a movie screen, in Fort Lee, had influenced people to purchase more food and drinks. Vicary coined the term subliminal advertising and formed the Subliminal Projection Company based on a six-week test. Vicary claimed that during the presentation of the movie Picnic he used a tachistoscope to project the words "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Hungry? Eat popcorn" for 1/3000 of a second at five-second intervals. Vicary asserted that during the test, sales of popcorn and Coke in that New Jersey theater increased 57.8% and 18.1% respectively.[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/177/does-subliminal-advertising-work "Does subliminal advertising work?"], The Straight Dope, April 22, 1977. Accessed December 7, 2013.[http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/popcorn.asp 'Subliminal Advertising – Claim: An early experiment in subliminal advertising at a movie theater substantially increased sales of popcorn and Coke."], Urban Legends Reference Pages, May 3, 2011. Accessed December 7, 2013. "Vicary's studies were largely forgettable, save for one experiment he conducted at a Ft. Lee, New Jersey movie theater during the summer of 1957.... The result of displaying these imperceptible suggestions – Drink Coca-Cola and Hungry? Eat Popcorn – was an amazing 18.1% increase in Coca-Cola sales, and a whopping 57.8% jump in popcorn purchases.... Eventually Vicary confessed that he had falsified the data from his first experiments, and some critics have since expressed doubts that he actually conducted his infamous Ft. Lee experiment at all."

In 1962, Vicary admitted to lying about the experiment and falsifying the results, the story itself being a marketing ploy.Boese, Alex (2002). [https://books.google.com/books?id=q5PaAAAAMAAJ&q=vicary The Museum of Hoaxes: A Collection of Pranks, Stunts, Deceptions, and Other Wonderful Stories Contrived for the Public from the Middle Ages to the New Millennium], E. P. Dutton, {{ISBN|0-525-94678-0}}. pp. 137–38.Pratkanis, Anthony R. [http://www.csicop.org/si/show/cargo-cult_science_of_subliminal_persuasion/ The Cargo-Cult Science of Subliminal Persuasion], The Skeptical Inquirer, Volume 16.3, Spring 1992. Accessed October 13, 2013. "But there is a seamier side to the 'Eat Popcorn/Drink Coke' study-one that is rarely brought to public attention. In a 1962 interview with Advertising Age, James Vicary announced that the original study was a fabrication intended to increase customers for his failing marketing business." An identical experiment conducted by Henry Link showed no increase in cola or popcorn sales. The additional claim that the small cinema handled 45,699 visitors in six weeks has led people to believe that Vicary actually did not conduct his experiment at all.

A small number of Korean immigrants have resided the area as early as the 1970s. In the 1990s, a continuous stream of Korean immigrants emerged into Fort Lee. A substantial number of affluent and educated Korean American professionals have settled in Bergen County since the early 2000s and have founded various academic and communally supportive organizations, including the Korean Parent Partnership Organization at the Bergen County Academies magnet high school and The Korean-American Association of New Jersey. Approximately 130 Korean stores were counted in downtown Fort Lee in 2000,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5PSYZMs8TzEC&q=fort+lee+koreatown+pyong+min&pg=PA237|title=Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min|publisher=Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc|year=2006|isbn=9781412905565|accessdate=July 24, 2016}} a number which has risen significantly since then, featuring restaurants and karaoke (noraebang) bars, grocery markets, education centers and bookstores, banking institutions, offices, electronics vendors, apparel boutiques, and other commercial enterprises.

Various Korean American groups could not reach consensus on the design and wording for a monument in Fort Lee as of early April 2013 to the memory of comfort women, tens of thousands of women and girls, many Korean, who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II.Semple, Kirk. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/nyregion/monument-in-palisades-park-nj-irritates-japanese-officials.html "In New Jersey, Memorial for ‘Comfort Women’ Deepens Old Animosity"], The New York Times, May 18, 2012.Accessed April 13, 2022.Sullivan, S. p. [https://www.nj.com/bergen/2013/06/japanese-american_congressman_visits_nj_comfort_women_memorial.html "Sexual slavery issue, discussed internationally, pivots around one little monument in N.J."], NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 8, 2013. Accessed April 13, 2022. "The Palisades Park monument is the first in the United States to recognize what is widely believed to be an international atrocity — the systemic sexual slavery of women from Korea, the Philippines, China, Japan and the Netherlands during WWII. Erected in 2010, it's also prompted a visit from members of the Japanese parliament, been defaced by groups upset with its existence, and inspired similar memorials in Hackensack, Fort Lee and elsewhere in the United States." In May 2012, borough officials in neighboring Palisades Park rejected requests by two diplomatic delegations from Japan to remove such a monument from a public park, a brass plaque on a block of stone, dedicated in 2010;{{cite web|author=Dan Ivers|date=April 6, 2013|title=Critics cause Fort Lee to reconsider monument honoring Korean WWII prostitutes|url=http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2013/04/critics_cause_fort_lee_to_reconsider_monument_honoring_korean_wwii_prostitutes.html#incart_river_default|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|accessdate=April 6, 2013}}{{cite web|author=Linh Tat|date=April 4, 2013|title=Controversy puts planned 'comfort women' memorial in Fort Lee on hold|url=http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/Controversy_puts_planned_comfort_women_memorial_in_Fort_Lee_on_hold.html?page=all|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=April 6, 2013}}{{cite news|author=Kirk Semple|date=May 18, 2012|title=In New Jersey, Memorial for 'Comfort Women' Deepens Old Animosity|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/nyregion/monument-in-palisades-park-nj-irritates-japanese-officials.html?_r=1|accessdate=July 12, 2012}} days later, a South Korean delegation had endorsed Palisades Park's decision.{{cite web|author=Monsy Alvarado|date=July 12, 2012|title=Palisades Park monument to 'comfort women' stirs support, anger|url=http://www.northjersey.com/community/at_the_library/news/Palisades_Park_monument_to_comfort_women_stirs_support_anger.html|url-status=dead|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=July 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714013436/http://www.northjersey.com/community/at_the_library/news/Palisades_Park_monument_to_comfort_women_stirs_support_anger.html|archive-date=July 14, 2012}} In October 2012, a similar memorial was announced in nearby Hackensack, to be raised behind the Bergen County Courthouse, alongside memorials to the Holocaust, the Great Famine of Ireland, and the Armenian genocide,{{cite web|author=Rebecca D. O'Brien|date=October 14, 2012|title=New Jersey's Korean community awakens politically|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/174039211.html|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=April 6, 2013}} and was unveiled in March 2013.{{cite web|author=S.P. Sullivan|date=March 8, 2013|title=Bergen County marks International Women's Day with Korean 'comfort women' memorial|url=http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2013/03/bergen_county_marks_international_womens_day_with_korean_comfort_women_memorial.html#incart_river_default|publisher=© 2013 New Jersey On-Line LLC. All rights reserved|accessdate=April 6, 2013}}{{cite web|author=Monsy Alvarado|date=March 8, 2013|title=Memorial dedicated to women forced into sexual slavery during WWII|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/Bergen_County_officials_.html?page=all|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=April 6, 2013}} On May 23, 2018, a comfort women memorial was installed in Constitution Park in Fort Lee.{{Cite web|title=Fort Lee students give voice to 'comfort women' abused during World War II|url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/fort-lee/2018/05/23/fort-lee-nj-students-give-voice-comfort-women-abused-during-wwii/634547002/|access-date=March 16, 2019|website=North Jersey|language=en}} Youth Council of Fort Lee, a student organization led by Korean American high school students in Fort Lee designed the memorial.

{{Main|Fort Lee lane closure scandal}}

The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, also known as Bridgegate, was a political scandal concerning the actions taken by the staff of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his Port Authority appointees to create a traffic jam in Fort Lee when dedicated toll lanes for one of the Fort Lee entrances to the upper level on the George Washington Bridge were reduced from three to one from September 9, 2013, to September 13, 2013.Kleinfeld, N. R. [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/13/nyregion/a-bridge-to-scandal-behind-the-fort-lee-ruse.html "A Bridge to Scandal: Behind the Fort Lee Ruse"], The New York Times, January 12, 2014. Accessed July 8, 2014.Durando, Jessica; and Symons, Michael. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/01/09/christie-bridge-scandal-what-happened/4392155/ The backstory of Christie's 'Bridgegate' scandal], USA Today, January 10, 2014. Three members of the Christie administration were convicted on federal conspiracy charges for their roles in the lane closures.[https://www.nj.com/news/2016/11/bridgegate_verdict_bill_baroni_and_bridget_kelly_g.html "Bridgegate verdict: Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly guilty on all counts"], NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 4, 2016, updated January 16, 2019. Accessed October 2, 2019.

One of the reasons suggested for these actions was to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, for not supporting the Republican Chris Christie in the 2013 New Jersey gubernatorial election. Another theory was that Christie or his aides sought to punish New Jersey Senate majority leader, Loretta Weinberg, who represented the New Jersey district containing Fort Lee, as retribution for the Democrats' blocking of Christie's reappointment of a New Jersey Supreme Court justice. Christie withdrew his appointee consideration and delivered a speech referring to New Jersey Senate Democrats as "animals" just one day before emails were sent by Christie's aides to the Port Authority requesting the lane closures.Alman, Ashley. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/09/rachel-maddow-chris-christie_n_4572367.html "Rachel Maddow Presents New Chris Christie Bridge Scandal Theory"], The Huffington Post, January 9, 2014. Accessed July 8, 2014.

Image:NJ 67.jpgPyong Gap Min. [https://books.google.com/books?id=5PSYZMs8TzEC&pg=PA237 Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues], p. 237. Pine Forge Press, 2006. {{ISBN|9781412905565}}. Accessed August 31, 2015. is centered at the intersection of Main Street and Route 67 (Lemoine Avenue).]]

At the turn of the 21st century, Fort Lee saw a large Korean migration which has converted much of the town into a large Koreatown, in that many traditional Korean stores and restaurants may be seen in Fort Lee, and the hangul letters of the Korean alphabet are as common as signs in English in parts of the downtown area. This Koreatown is separate from the similar Korean enclave in the adjacent town of Palisades Park. The rapid increase of the Korean population has seen the decline of many other immigrant communities once centered in Fort Lee, notably the Greek and Italian communities, once quite large. A sizable Russian immigrant community has also sprung up in recent years.

The per capita Korean American population of Bergen County, 6.3% by the 2010 census,{{cite web|author1=Karen Sudol|author2=Dave Sheingold|date=October 12, 2011|title=Korean language ballots coming to Bergen County|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/Korean_language_ballots_coming_to_Bergen_County.html|publisher=© 2012 North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=March 28, 2012}}{{cite web|author=Richard Newman|date=August 30, 2012|title=Korean company to buy Fort Lee bank|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/167951555_Korean_company_to_buy_Fort_Lee_bank_buying_local_lender.html|url-status=dead|publisher=© 2012 North Jersey Media Group Inc. All rights reserved|accessdate=August 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014140239/http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/167951555_Korean_company_to_buy_Fort_Lee_bank_buying_local_lender.html|archive-date=October 14, 2013}} (increasing to 6.9% by the 2011 American Community Survey),{{cite web|title=ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES 2011 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates - Geographies - Bergen County, New Jersey|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_1YR_DP05&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212210151/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_1YR_DP05&prodType=table|archive-date=February 12, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=May 12, 2014}} is the highest of any county in the United States, with all of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population{{cite web|author=James O'Neill|date=February 22, 2015|title=Mahwah library hosts Korean tea ceremony to celebrate new year|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/mahwah-library-hosts-korean-tea-ceremony-to-celebrate-new-year-1.1275756|url-status=dead|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=February 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222201039/http://www.northjersey.com/news/mahwah-library-hosts-korean-tea-ceremony-to-celebrate-new-year-1.1275756|archive-date=February 22, 2015}} and an absolute total of 56,773 Korean Americans (increasing to 63,247 by the 2011 American Community Survey) living in the county.{{cite web|author=Monsy Alvarado|date=September 4, 2012|title=Bergen County swears in first female Korean-American assistant prosecutor|url=http://www.northjersey.com/leonia/Bergen_County_swears_in_first_female_Korean-American_assistant_prosecutor.html|publisher=© 2012 North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=September 4, 2012}} The concentration of Korean Americans in nearby Palisades Park in turn is the highest of any municipality in Bergen County,Pérez-Peña, Richard. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/nyregion/16palisades.html "As Koreans Pour In, a Town Is Remade"], The New York Times, December 15, 2010. Accessed June 13, 2022. "Since the 1980s, the towns of eastern Bergen County -- Edgewater, Englewood Cliffs, Leonia, Fort Lee and others -- seem to have exerted a magnetic pull on Asian immigrants, particularly Koreans. But none more so than Palisades Park, whose population is now 54 percent Asian-American and 44 percent Korean-American, the Census Bureau reported this week." at 52% of the population, enumerating 10,115 residents of Korean ancestry;{{cite web|title=Palisades Park borough, New Jersey QuickLinks|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/3455770lk.html|url-status=dead|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=March 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513134539/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/3455770lk.html|archive-date=May 13, 2014}} while Fort Lee has nearly as many Koreans by absolute numbers, at 8,318, representing 23.5% of its 2010 population.{{cite web|title=Fort Lee borough, New Jersey QuickLinks|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/3424420lk.html|url-status=dead|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=March 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519045050/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/3424420lk.html|archive-date=May 19, 2012}} Along with Koreatowns in New York City and Long Island, the Bergen County Koreatowns serve as the nexus for an overall Korean American population of 218,764 individuals in the Greater New York Combined Statistical Area,{{cite web|title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=June 29, 2012}} the second largest population of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea.{{cite book|author=Chi-Hoon Kim|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hCegCgAAQBAJ&q=new+york+second+largest+korean+population&pg=PA326|title=Savoring Gotham: A Food Lover's Companion to New York City: A Food Lover's...|year=2015| publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190263638|accessdate=October 11, 2015}}

Image:Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal), Fort Lee, jeh.jpg

Image:Young Israel Ft Lee Parker Old Palisade jeh.JPG

{{US Census population

|1880= 1424

|1890= 1253

|1900= 2612

|1910= 4472

|1920= 5761

|1930= 8759

|1940= 9468

|1950= 11648

|1960= 21815

|1970= 30631

|1980= 32449

|1990= 31997

|2000= 35461

|2010= 35345

|2020= 40191

| estimate=39700

| estyear=2023

| estref=[https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/mcds/totals/SUB-MCD-EST2023-POP-34.xlsx Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Minor Civil Divisions in New Jersey: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023], United States Census Bureau, released May 2024. Accessed May 16, 2024.

|footnote=Population sources:
1910–1920[https://dspace.njstatelib.org/xmlui/handle/10929/25218?show=full Compendium of censuses 1726–1905: together with the tabulated returns of 1905], New Jersey Department of State, 1906. Accessed October 13, 2013. 1910[https://books.google.com/books?id=T9HrAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA335 Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910: Population by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions, 1910, 1900, 1890], United States Census Bureau, p. 335. Accessed October 13, 2013.
1910–1930[https://books.google.com/books?id=kifRAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA714 Fifteenth Census of the United States : 1930 – Population Volume I], United States Census Bureau, p. 714. Accessed February 14, 2012. 1900–2020[https://www.nj.gov/labor/labormarketinformation/assets/PDFs/census/2kpub/njsdcp3.pdf#page=27 Table 6: New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1940 - 2000], Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network, August 2001. Accessed May 1, 2023.[https://www.co.bergen.nj.us/images/Departments__Services/Planning__Engineering/Census_Data/Table00_HistPopTo2020.pdf Historical Population Trends in Bergen County 1900-2020], Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Planning and Engineering, 2022. Accessed May 1, 2023.
2000 2010[http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US3424420 DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Fort Lee borough, Bergen County, New Jersey] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20200212135809/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US3424420 |date=February 12, 2020 }}, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 5, 2012.[http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/census/2010/dp/dp1_ber/fortlee1.pdf Table DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2010 for Fort Lee borough] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402032614/http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/census/2010/dp/dp1_ber/fortlee1.pdf|date=April 2, 2012 }}, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed February 5, 2012. 2020[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fortleeboroughnewjersey QuickFacts Fort Lee borough, New Jersey], United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 14, 2022.[https://www.nj.gov/labor/labormarketinformation/assets/PDFs/census/2020/2020%20pl94%20Tables/2020_Mun/MCD%200_All.pdf Total Population: Census 2010 - Census 2020 New Jersey Municipalities], New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 1, 2022.

}}

In March 2011, about 2,500 Japanese-Americans were living in Edgewater and Fort Lee, the largest concentration of Japanese-Americans in New Jersey.Stirling, Stephen. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/japanese-americans_in_fort_lee.html "Japanese-Americans in Fort Lee, Edgewater describe frantic calls to loved ones in quake's wake"], The Star-Ledger, March 11, 2011. Updated March 12, 2011. Accessed December 7, 2013. "According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, about 2,500 Japanese-Americans, the largest concentration in the state, reside in Fort Lee and Edgewater."

There were 1,119 Fort Lee residents who filed claims to recover lost money from the Madoff investment scandal, the most from any ZIP code.Efrati, Amir; and Frank, Robert. [https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB123669568988683829 "Madoff Set to Plead Guilty to 11 Felonies"], The Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2009. Accessed July 8, 2014. "1,119 – Number of investors in Fort Lee, N.J., who filed claims to recover lost money. The largest total for any ZIP code."

The 2010 United States census counted 35,345 people, 16,371 households, and 9,364 families in the borough. The population density was {{convert|13910.9|/sqmi}}. There were 17,818 housing units at an average density of {{convert|7012.7|/sqmi}}. The racial makeup was 53.49% (18,905) White, 2.75% (973) Black or African American, 0.14% (50) Native American, 38.44% (13,587) Asian, 0.02% (7) Pacific Islander, 3.08% (1,090) from other races, and 2.07% (733) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.97% (3,877) of the population. Korean Americans accounted for 23.5% of the 2010 population, or 8,306 people.

Of the 16,371 households, 21.8% had children under the age of 18; 45.6% were married couples living together; 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 42.8% were non-families. Of all households, 38.4% were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.89. Same-sex couples headed 127 households in 2010, an increase from the 65 counted in 2000.Lipman, Harvy; and Sheingold, Dave. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130203212228/http://www.northjersey.com/news/127675238_NORTH_JERSEY_SEES_30__GROWTH_IN_SAME-SEX_COUPLES___Census_shows_shift_in_suburbs.html "North Jersey sees 30% growth in same-sex couples"], The Record, August 14, 2011, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 3, 2013. Accessed September 7, 2014.

17.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 86.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 83.8 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $72,341 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,502) and the median family income was $86,489 (+/− $11,977). Males had a median income of $66,015 (+/− $3,526) versus $55,511 (+/− $3,404) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $44,996 (+/− $2,903). About 5.5% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.[http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0600000US3400324420 DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Fort Lee borough, Bergen county, New Jersey] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20200213091326/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0600000US3400324420 |date=February 13, 2020 }}, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 14, 2012.

As of the 2000 United States census there were 35,461 people, 16,544 households, and 9,396 families residing in the borough. The population density was {{convert|14,001.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 17,446 housing units at an average density of {{convert|6,888.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the borough was 62.75% White, 31.43% Asian, 1.73% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.69% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.87% of the population.[http://censtats.census.gov/data/NJ/1603424420.pdf Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Fort Lee borough, New Jersey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714222313/http://censtats.census.gov/data/NJ/1603424420.pdf |date=July 14, 2014 }}, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 5, 2013.[http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/0600000US3400324420 DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 – Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Fort Lee borough, Bergen County, New Jersey] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20200212085320/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/0600000US3400324420 |date=February 12, 2020 }}, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 5, 2013.

There were 16,544 households, out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the borough the age distribution of the population shows 17.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $58,161, and the median income for a family was $72,140. Males had a median income of $54,730 versus $41,783 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,899. About 5.7% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

As of the 2000 Census, 17.18% of Fort Lee's residents identified themselves as being of Korean ancestry, which was the fifth highest in the United States and third highest of any municipality in New Jersey; behind neighboring Palisades Park (36.38%) and Leonia (17.24%) – for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.[http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Korean.html Korean Communities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206002820/http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Korean.html |date=December 6, 2007 }}, EPodunk. Accessed June 28, 2006. In the same census, 5.56% of Fort Lee's residents identified themselves as being of Chinese ancestry,[http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Chinese.html Chinese Communities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110232258/http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Chinese.html |date=November 10, 2006 }}, EPodunk. Accessed June 28, 2006. and 6.09% of Fort Lee's residents identified themselves as being of Japanese ancestry, the highest of any municipality in New Jersey for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.[http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Japanese.html Japanese Communities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110232413/http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Japanese.html |date=November 10, 2006 }}, EPodunk. Accessed June 28, 2006. In the 2010 Census, 23.5% of residents (8,318 individuals) identified themselves as being of Korean ancestry, 7.5% (2,653) as Chinese and 3.7% (1,302) as Japanese.

Companies based in Fort Lee include WINIA Electronics America,{{Cite web |title=WINIA Electronics America, Inc. {{!}} LinkedIn |url=https://www.linkedin.com/company/winia-electronics |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=www.linkedin.com |language=en}} the American Bank Note Company[http://www.abnote.com/about-abnote/global-operations Global Operations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010184152/http://www.abnote.com/about-abnote/global-operations |date=October 10, 2014 }}, American Bank Note Company. Accessed July 8, 2014. and Cross River Bank.Cowley, Stacy. [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/business/paycheck-protection-program-cross-river-bank.html "The Tiny Bank That Got Pandemic Aid to 100,000 Small Businesses; Cross River has cranked out more loans under the federal Paycheck Protection Program than all but three of the country's biggest lenders."], The New York Times, June 23, 2020. Accessed October 12, 2021. "Gilles Gade has turned Cross River Bank, based in Fort Lee, N.J., into a favorite partner of financial technology start-ups."

The {{Convert|21500|sqft|adj=on}} Barrymore Film Center, a movie theater, performing arts center, and film museum, was constructed at a cost of $16 million and opened in October 2022.Kuperinsky, Amy. [https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2022/10/inside-the-new-barrymore-film-center-a-16m-tribute-to-njs-movie-past.html "Inside the new Barrymore Film Center, a $16M tribute to N.J.’s movie past"], NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 27, 2022. Accessed July 27, 2023. "The $16 million Barrymore Film Center, a new 21,500-square-foot cultural space in Fort Lee with a 260-seat movie theater and museum that opened Friday, is a tribute to the borough’s status as the birthplace of the United States film industry."

Since 2007, the Hudson Shakespeare Company has brought their Shakespeare in the Park touring shows to Fort Lee in "Shakespeare Tuesdays". The group now performs regularly at Monument Park (1588 Palisade Avenue, next to the Fort Lee Museum) with two Tuesday shows per month during the summer. The festival also tours similar dates in Hackensack.[https://www.hudsonshakespeare.com/park-venues Venues], Hudson Shakespeare Company. Accessed October 2, 2019.

{{anchor|Koreatown}}Since the mid-1980s, Fort Lee Koreatown has become a Korean dining destination.Harrison, Karen Tina. [https://njmonthly.com/articles/best-of-Jersey/seoul_mates/ "Seoul Mates: Thriving Korean communities make Fort Lee and Palisades Park a boon to epicures."], New Jersey Monthly, December 19, 2007. Accessed October 12, 2021. "But only in the last twenty years—as the Korean community has grown to just under a third of the total population of 40,000—has Fort Lee become a dining destination."Lefkowitz, Melanie. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704330404576291030180585192 "Bergen County's Fort Lee: Town With a View"], The Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2011. Accessed October 12, 2021. Fort Lee's Korean food has been described by local food writers as being better than in Koreatown, Manhattan.{{cite web|author=Elisa Ung|date=July 24, 2016|title=Ung: Why you should be dining in Fort Lee now|url=http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/ung-why-you-should-be-dining-in-fort-lee-now-1.1634085|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=July 24, 2016}} Korean Chinese cuisine is now also available in Koreatown, as is misugaru.{{cite web|author=Joan Verdon|date=June 5, 2014|title=Korean coffee chain expanding in North Jersey|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/coffee-with-a-taste-of-korea-1.1029736|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|accessdate=June 6, 2014}} Korean cafés have become a major cultural element within Fort Lee's Koreatown, not only for the coffee, bingsu (shaved ice), and pastries, but also as communal gathering places.Sobko, Katie. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/2018/02/10/palisades-park-korean-coffee-shops/1078378001/ "Sweet treats and caffeine, with twist"],The Record, February 10, 2018. Accessed June 13, 2022.

File:Borough of Fort Lee Borough Hall.jpg Fort Lee is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The borough is one of 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/inventory_of_municipal_forms_of_government_in_new_jersey.pdf Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey], Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the six-member borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 160. The borough form of government used by Fort Lee is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.Cerra, Michael F. [http://www.njslom.org/magart0307_p14.html "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924045019/http://www.njslom.org/magart0307_p14.html |date=September 24, 2014 }}, New Jersey State League of Municipalities. Accessed November 30, 2014.[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=6 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 6. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.

{{As of|2024}}, the mayor of Fort Lee is Democrat Mark Sokolich, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Harvey Sohmer (D, 2024), Joseph L. Cervieri Jr. (D, 2024), Bryan Drumgoole (D, 2026), Ila Kasofsky (D, 2025), Peter J. Suh (D, 2025) and Paul K. Yoon (D, 2026).[https://www.fortleenj.org/164/Mayor-Council Mayor Council], Borough of Fort Lee. Accessed May 17, 2024.[https://www.fortleenj.org/DocumentCenter/View/7291/2024-Introduced-Municipal-Budget-Pdf?bidId= 2024 Municipal Data Sheet], Borough of Fort Lee. Accessed May 17, 2024.[https://www.co.bergen.nj.us/images/About_Bergen_County/2024-county-directory.pdf#page=43 2024 County and Municipal Directory], Bergen County, New Jersey, April 2024. Accessed April 15, 2024.[https://www.bergencountyclerk.gov/_Content/pdf/ElectionResult/District%20Canvass%20NEW.pdf Official Statement of Vote 2023 General Election - November 7, 2023 Official Results], Bergen County, New Jersey, November 27, 2023. Accessed January 1, 2024.[https://www.bergencountyclerk.org/_Content/pdf/ElectionResult/Certified%20Statement%20of%20Vote%20Book%2011-21-22.pdf Bergen County November 8, 2022 General Election Statement of Vote], Bergen County, New Jersey Clerk, updated November 21, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.[https://www.bergencountyclerk.org/_Content/pdf/ElectionResult/Statement%20of%20Vote%2011-17-21(1).pdf Bergen County Statement of Vote November 2, 2021 Official results], Bergen County, New Jersey, updated November 17, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.

In November 2022, the borough council appointed Bryan Drumgoole to fill the seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by Michael Sargenti until he resigned from office.[https://www.fortleenj.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_11102022-744 Mayor and Council Minutes for November 10, 2022], Borough of Fort Lee. Accessed March 13, 2023. "WHEREAS, Michael Sargenti submitted a letter of resignation dated September 16, 2022 resigning as a Council member effective November 9, 2022; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Fort Lee that Bryan Drumgoole is hereby appointed Council person for the Borough of Fort Lee as successor to Michael Sargenti. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Fort Lee that Bryan Drumgoole shall serve on the Borough Council for the remainder of the unexpired term which expires December 31, 2023."

Fort Lee is located in the 5th Congressional District[https://www.njredistrictingcommission.org/documents/2021/Data2021/Plan%20Components.pdf 2022 Redistricting Plan], New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 8, 2022. and is part of New Jersey's 37th state legislative district.[https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/2011-legislative-districts/towns-districts.pdf Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District], New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 1, 2020.[https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5bae63366fd2b2e5b9f87e5e/5d30f0a94a82c66427e564d2_2019_CitizensGuide.pdf 2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government], New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019.[https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/districtnumbers.asp#37 Districts by Number for 2011–2020], New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 6, 2013.

{{NJ Congress 05}} {{NJ Senate}}

{{NJ Legislative 37}}

{{NJ Bergen County Freeholders}}

As of March 2011, there were a total of 18,382 registered voters in Fort Lee, of which 7,537 (41.0% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,487 (13.5% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 8,350 (45.4% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 8 voters registered to other parties.[http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2011-bergen-co-summary-report.pdf Voter Registration Summary – Bergen], New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed December 7, 2013. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 52.0% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 62.6% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).[http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTP7.ST16?slice=GEO~0400000US34 GCT-P7: Selected Age Groups: 2010 – State – County Subdivision; 2010 Census Summary File 1 for New Jersey] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20200212202223/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTP7.ST16?slice=GEO~0400000US34 |date=February 12, 2020 }}, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 7, 2013.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 7,891 votes (60.9% vs. 54.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 4,737 votes (36.6% vs. 43.5%) and other candidates with 104 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 12,950 ballots cast by the borough's 19,738 registered voters, for a turnout of 65.6% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County).[http://njelections.org/2012-results/2012-presidential-bergen.pdf Presidential November 6, 2012 General Election Results – Bergen County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926204006/http://njelections.org/2012-results/2012-presidential-bergen.pdf |date=September 26, 2018 }}, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 15, 2013. Accessed December 7, 2013.[http://njelections.org/2012-results/2012-ballotscast-bergen.pdf Number of Registered Voters and Ballots Cast November 6, 2012 General Election Results – Bergen County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926203505/http://njelections.org/2012-results/2012-ballotscast-bergen.pdf |date=September 26, 2018 }}, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 15, 2013. Accessed December 7, 2013. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 8,624 votes (61.0% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 5,236 votes (37.0% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates with 114 votes (0.8% vs. 0.8%), among the 14,144 ballots cast by the borough's 19,352 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.1% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).[http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2008-gen-elect-presidential-results-bergen.pdf 2008 Presidential General Election Results: Bergen County], New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed December 7, 2013.[http://dng.northjersey.com/media_server/tr/smaps/2008/electionresults2008/att/North_Jersey_election_results_42.html 2008 General Election Results for Fort Lee"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329211936/http://dng.northjersey.com/media_server/tr/smaps/2008/electionresults2008/att/North_Jersey_election_results_42.html |date=March 29, 2012 }}, The Record. Accessed September 26, 2011. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 8,367 votes (61.1% vs. 51.7% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 5,161 votes (37.7% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 100 votes (0.7% vs. 0.7%), among the 13,692 ballots cast by the borough's 18,294 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.8% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county).[http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2004-presidential_bergen_co_2004.pdf 2004 Presidential Election: Bergen County], New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed December 7, 2013.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 55.3% of the vote (3,735 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 43.5% (2,941 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (78 votes), among the 6,992 ballots cast by the borough's 18,356 registered voters (238 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 38.1%.{{cite web |url=http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2013-results/2013-general-election-results-governor-bergen.pdf |title=Governor - Bergen County |date=January 29, 2014 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=December 24, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2013-results/2013-general-election-ballotscast-bergen.pdf |title=Number of Registered Voters and Ballots Cast - November 5, 2013 - General Election Results - Bergen County|date=January 29, 2014 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=December 24, 2014}} In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 5,187 ballots cast (58.8% vs. 48.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 3,191 votes (36.2% vs. 45.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 287 votes (3.3% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 38 votes (0.4% vs. 0.5%), among the 8,817 ballots cast by the borough's 18,854 registered voters, yielding a 46.8% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).[http://www.njelections.org/election-results/2009-governor_results-bergen.pdf 2009 Governor: Bergen County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128164457/https://www.njelections.org/election-results/2009-governor_results-bergen.pdf |date=November 28, 2018 }}, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed December 7, 2013.

The borough council created the Fort Lee Police Department in 1904, although it was not until 1927 that the council authorized the appointment of a full-time paid police chief.{{cite book|title=Images of America: Fort Lee|author=Lucille Bertram|publisher=Fort Lee Historical Society/Acadia Publishing|year=2004|page=37}} As of 2019, the police department had about 100 members.{{cite news |last1=Jongsma |first1=Joshua |last2=Ortiz |first2=Keldy |title=Matthew Hintze named next Fort Lee police chief for his hometown department |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/fort-lee/2019/05/09/matthew-hintze-named-fort-lee-nj-police-chief-hometown-department/1152654001/|access-date=July 10, 2019 |work=NorthJersey.com |agency=NorthJersey.com |date=May 9, 2019}}

The Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corps, founded in 1971, provides emergency medical services to the Borough of Fort Lee, the George Washington Bridge, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway. One of the largest EMS agencies in the surrounding area, the Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corps operates a fleet of four medium-duty ambulances, one first responder vehicle, and two command vehicles from its headquarters on the corner of Main Street and Anderson Avenue. With approximately 50 active members, the corps operates 24 hours a day on weekends and from 7 PM to 6 AM on weekdays, with paid borough employees staffing the ambulances during the day on weekdays. The Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corps responds to approximately 3,400 emergency medical calls annually. The corps is a member agency of the East Bergen Ambulance Association (EBAA) with a standing mutual aid agreement with surrounding East Bergen boroughs.[http://www.fortleevac.org/about About], Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Accessed March 25, 2020.

Fort Lee is protected around the clock by the volunteer firefighters of the Fort Lee Fire Department, which was founded in 1888 when the borough was still a part of Ridgefield Township and operates out of four fire stations.[http://fortleefire.org/department%20history.htm Department History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315035517/http://www.fortleefire.org/department%20history.htm |date=March 15, 2012 }}, Fort Lee Fire Department. Accessed March 11, 2012. The Fort Lee Fire Department operates a fire apparatus fleet of six engines (including spares), two ladders, one heavy rescue, one squad (light rescue), two support services units, a mobile air cascade unit, four command vehicles(battalion and deputy chiefs), and six fire prevention units.[http://fortleefire.org/dept.%20apparatus.htm Department Apparatus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422211445/http://www.fortleefire.org/dept.%20apparatus.htm |date=April 22, 2012 }}, Fort Lee Fire Department. Accessed March 11, 2012. The Fort Lee Fire Department's volunteer fire companies respond to, on average, approximately 1,800 emergency calls annually.[http://fortleefire.org/ Home page], Fort Lee Fire Department. Accessed March 11, 2012.

File:Ft Lee FD Palisade Co No 4 jeh.JPG

{{Main|Fort Lee School District}}

The Fort Lee School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.[https://www.straussesmay.com/seportal/Public/DistrictPolicy.aspx?policyid=0110&id=7616a2da3d5d4e61856ef2f7ecfe9410 Fort Lee Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification], Fort Lee Public Schools. Accessed April 28, 2023. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through twelve in the Fort Lee Public Schools. Composition: The Fort Lee Public Schools are comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Fort Lee." As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 4,074 students and 331.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.3:1.[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&ID2=3405310&DistrictID=3405310 District information for Fort Lee School District], National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3405310 School Data for the Fort Lee School District], National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.) are

School 1[https://fles1.flboe.com/ School 1], Fort Lee School District. Accessed April 28, 2023. with 535 students in grades K-4,

School 2[https://fles2.flboe.com/ School 2], Fort Lee School District. Accessed April 28, 2023. with 341 students in grades PreK-4,

School 3[https://fles3.flboe.com/ School 3], Fort Lee School District. Accessed April 28, 2023. with 386 students in grades K-4,

School 4[https://fles4.flboe.com/ School 4], Fort Lee School District. Accessed April 28, 2023. with 392 students in grades K-4,

Lewis F. Cole Intermediate School[http://flis.flboe.com/ Lewis F. Cole Intermediate School], Fort Lee School District. Accessed April 28, 2023. /

Lewis F. Cole Middle School[http://flms.flboe.com/ Fort Lee Middle School], Fort Lee School District. Accessed April 28, 2023. with 1,153 students in grades 5-8 and

Fort Lee High School[https://flhs.flboe.com/ Fort Lee High School], Fort Lee School District. Accessed April 28, 2023. with 1,223 students in grades 9-12.[https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/selectreport/2022-2023/03/1550 School Performance Reports for the Fort Lee School District], New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.[https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/directory/school/districtid/1550 New Jersey School Directory for the Fort Lee School District], New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.

During the 2010–11 school year, School #3 was awarded the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive, one of only ten schools statewide to be honored.[http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2010/national.pdf#page=13 2010 Blue Ribbon Schools: All Public and Private Schools], United States Department of Education. Accessed April 5, 2011. The school was one of three in Bergen County honored that year.Alex, Patricia. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/010611_3_Bergen_elementary_schools_given_Blue_Ribbon_designation.html "3 Bergen elementary schools given Blue Ribbon designation"], The Record, January 6, 2011. Accessed April 5, 2011.

Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.[http://bcts.bergen.org/index.php/about-us About Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014000910/http://bcts.bergen.org/index.php/about-us |date=October 14, 2013 }}, Bergen County Technical Schools. Accessed December 7, 2013.[https://bcts.bergen.org/index.php/admissions Admissions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305034226/https://bcts.bergen.org/index.php/admissions |date=March 5, 2017 }}, Bergen County Technical Schools. Accessed December 29, 2016.

Private schools in the area include Christ the Teacher (Pre-K–8, 314 students), First Step Day Care Center (Pre-K, 101 students), Fort Lee Education Center (7–12, 78 students), Fort Lee Montessori Pre-School (Pre-K, 49 students), Fort Lee Youth Center Playgroup (Pre-K, 30 students), Futures Best Nursery Academy (Pre-K, 98 students), Green House Preschool and Kindergarten (Pre-K–K, 125 students), Happy Kids Pre-School (Pre-K, 75 students), Hooks Lane School (Pre-K, 54 students), Itsy Bitsy Early Learning Center (Pre-K, 60 students), Genesis Preschool & Academy (Pre-K, K–6, 83 students), Palisades Pre-School (Pre-K, 108 students), Rainbow School DC (Pre-K, 88 students), and Small World Montessori School (Pre-K, 51 students).[http://www.greatschools.net/new-jersey/fort-lee/private/schools/ Greatschools.net "Fort Lee Private Schools"]. Accessed May 13, 2009. Christ the Teacher Interparochial School operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.[https://catholicschoolsnj.org/elementary/bergen-elementary/ Bergen County Elementary Schools] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729162638/https://catholicschoolsnj.org/elementary/bergen-elementary/ |date=July 29, 2016 }}, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. Accessed July 20, 2016.

The Japanese Weekend School of New Jersey (ニュージャージー補習授業校), a Japanese supplementary educational school, holds its classes at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus while its offices are in Fort Lee."[http://www.jwsnj.org/entrance.html 入学のご案内 entrance]." ([https://archive.today/20130708045357/http://www.jwsnj.org/entrance.html Archive]) Japanese Weekend School of New Jersey. Accessed July 7, 2013. "Japanese Weekend School of NJ ニュージャージー補習授業校事務所 2 Executive Drive, Suite 660, Fort Lee, NJ 07024" It is one of the two weekend Japanese school systems operated by the Japanese Educational Institute of New York (JEI; ニューヨーク日本人教育審議会 Nyūyōku Nihonjin Kyōiku Shingi Kai), a nonprofit organization which also operates two Japanese day schools in the New York City area."[http://www.jeiny.org/school.html 学校案内]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150414193042/http://www.jeiny.org/school.html Archive]). Japanese Educational Institute of New York (ニューヨーク日本人教育審議会). Accessed April 15, 2015. The names of the weekend schools as stated on the pages should be "The Japanese Weekend School of New York" and "The Japanese Weekend School of New Jersey" - note that the Japanese names between the day and weekend schools are different.

In 1987 there were two juku (Japanese-style cram schools) in Fort Lee. One of the Fort Lee schools, Hinoki School, had 130 students. There were additionally two institutions trying to open juku in Fort Lee.{{cite news|last=Goldman|first=David|title=Pupils prep for Japan's schools|newspaper=The Record|place=Hackensack, New Jersey|date=April 2, 1987|page=B-3}} - [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94250579/ Clipping from] Newspapers.com.

File:2021-06-06 10 31 05 View north along I-95, US 1 and US 9 and east along US 46 (Bergen-Passaic Expressway) towards the eastbound George Washington Bridge from the overpass for NJ Route 445 (Palisades Parkway) in Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey 2.jpg, U.S. Route 1/9, and eastbound along U.S. Route 46, just before leaving Fort Lee for New York City via the George Washington Bridge]]

{{As of|2010|5}}, the borough had a total of {{convert|51.12|mi}} of roadways, of which {{convert|35.44|mi}} were maintained by the municipality, {{convert|6.20|mi}} by Bergen County and {{convert|6.22|mi}} by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and {{convert|3.26|mi}} by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.[http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/mileage_Bergen.pdf Bergen County Mileage by Municipality and Jurisdiction], New Jersey Department of Transportation, May 2010. Accessed December 6, 2013.

Fort Lee is served by numerous roads including Route 4, Route 5, Route 67, U.S. Route 9W, U.S. Route 1/9, U.S. Route 46, and County Route 505. The two limited access roads that traverse through include the Palisades Interstate Parkway and Interstate 95 (which is the northern terminus of the New Jersey Turnpike).

The George Washington Bridge (signed as I-95/US 1-9/US 46), the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, crosses the Hudson River from Fort Lee to the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. Many of these roads converge at GWB Plaza, a busy crossroads at the northern end of the borough.

Fort Lee is served by NJ Transit buses 154, 156, 158 and 159 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan; the 171, 175, 178, 181, 182, 186 and 188 lines to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal; and local service on the 751, 753, 755 and 756.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090522212317/http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=BusRoutesBergenCountyTo Routes by County: Bergen County], NJ Transit, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 22, 2009. Accessed September 14, 2016.[http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/Bergen_County_Map.pdf Bergen County System Map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806135221/https://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/Bergen_County_Map.pdf |date=August 6, 2019 }}, NJ Transit. Accessed September 14, 2016.

Rockland Coaches provides service along Route 9W on the 9T and 9AT bus lines and on the 14ET to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan and on the 9 / 9A to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal.[https://www.coachusa.com/rockland-coaches/schedules Commute With Us], Rockland Coaches. Accessed March 25, 2020.[https://archive.today/20141211194121/http://www.coachusa.com/rockland/ss.details.asp?action=Lookup&c1=Fort+Lee&s1=NJ&c2=New+York&s2=NY&resultId=124050&order=&dayFilter=&scheduleChoice=&sitePageName=/rockland/ss.commuter.asp&cbid=607129547432 Schedule Details Fort Lee, NJ to New York, NY], Rockland Coaches. Accessed December 11, 2014.

The Fort Lee Parking Authority issues and controls parking passes, meter fees, and provides shuttles and non-emergency transportation.[http://fortleeparkingauthority.org/about/ About], Fort Lee Parking Authority. Accessed March 25, 2020.[https://www.fortleenj.org/314/Parking-Authority Parking Authority], Borough of Fort Lee. Accessed May 14, 2023.

{{As of|2016}} two Taiwanese airlines, China Airlines and EVA Air, provide private bus services to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City for customers based in New Jersey. These bus services stop in Fort Lee."[http://www.evaair.com/en-us/check-in-baggage-and-airports/shuttle-bus-service/free-shuttle-service-to-connect-pa-and-nj/ Service to Connect PA & NJ]." EVA Air. Accessed February 29, 2016.[https://www.china-airlines.com/us/en/fly/at-the-airport/Airport-Shuttle Free Shuttle Service Provided by China Airlines to/from New York JFK Airport.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306022345/https://www.china-airlines.com/us/en/fly/at-the-airport/Airport-Shuttle |date=March 6, 2016 }} China Airlines. September 15, 2015. Accessed January 3, 2017.

As of 2021, OurBus offers intercity bus service from the George Washington Bridge bus stop to various locations such as Rochester and Buffalo, New York.[https://www.ourbus.com/routes List of intercity routes], OurBus. Accessed October 12, 2021.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Fort Lee has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=725031&cityname=Fort+Lee%2C+New+Jersey%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Fort Lee, New Jersey]

File:2013 George Washington Bridge New Jersey side from 187th Street and Chittenden Avenue.jpg, connecting Fort Lee (above) in Bergen County across the Hudson River to New York City, is the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge. Built in 1931, at {{convert|604|ft|m|abbr=on}} meters, it is the tallest structure in Fort Lee.[http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/george-washington-bridge.html George Washington Bridge], Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Accessed July 8, 2014.Woodruff, Bob; Zak, Lana; and Wash, Stephanie. [https://abcnews.go.com/US/george-washington-bridge-painters-dangerous-job-top-worlds/story?id=17771877 "GW Bridge Painters: Dangerous Job on Top of the World's Busiest Bridge"], ABC News, November 20, 2012. Accessed August 31, 2015. One of two 47-story residential The Modern, Bergen County's tallest buildings, is seen under construction near George Washington Bridge Plaza in December 2013.Tat, Linh. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/luxury-fort-lee-high-rise-transforms-bergen-county-skyline-1.714681 "Luxury Fort Lee high-rise transforms Bergen County skyline"], The Record, November 19, 2013. Accessed July 8, 2014. "When The Modern is completed, it will feature the tallest structures in Bergen County — two 47-story glass-encapsulated residential towers, which proponents are hailing as a gateway into the region."]]

The George Washington Bridge (GWB), at {{convert|604|ft|m|abbr=on}} meters in height as measured from its base, is the tallest structure in Fort Lee. The cliffs of the Palisades rise to about {{convert|260|ft|m|abbr=on}}.{{Citation | last1 = Adams | first1 = Arthur G. | last2 = Nancy | first2 = Jean-Luc | title = Hudson River; A guide to the river | publisher = Fordham University Press | year = 1996 | isbn = 9780823216796 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KIkHuzvZTGYC&pg=PA106 }} Since the 1960s, numerous residential high-rise buildings have been built along the Palisade Avenue-Boulevard East corridor.{{cite web | title = Fort Lee | publisher = Emporis | url = http://www.emporis.com/city/fortlee-nj-usa | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130220042127/http://www.emporis.com/city/fortlee-nj-usa | url-status = usurped | archive-date = February 20, 2013 | access-date = October 9, 2012}}{{cite web | title = Fort Lee | publisher = Skyscraperpage | url = http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?cityID=266 | access-date = October 10, 2012}} Fort Lee's population and housing density increased considerably during the 1960s and 1970s with the construction of highrise apartments.Haller, Vera. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/realestate/fort-lee-nj-living-in-close-to-new-york-city-but-with-a-life-of-its-own.html "Close to the City, but With a Life of Its Own"], The New York Times, September 7, 2012. Accessed October 2, 2019.Hanley, Robert. [https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/22/archives/fort-lee-changing-once-again-emphasis-has-changed.html "Fort Lee Changing Once Again"], The New York Times, January 22, 1979. Accessed October 2, 2019.McFadden, Robert D. [https://www.nytimes.com/1972/09/11/archives/fort-lee-council-bans-rezoning-to-stem-long-highrise-boom.html "Fort Lee Council Bans Rezoning To Stem Long High-Rise Boom"], The New York Times, September 11, 1972.Goldberger, Paul. [https://www.nytimes.com/1976/01/25/archives/new-jersey-weekly-the-palisades-beauty-and-the-beast-the-palisades.html "The Palisades: Beauty and the Beast"], The New York Times, January 25, 1976. Accessed October 2, 2019. As of 2019, including from the bridge itself, there were 10 structures over {{convert|300|ft|m|abbr=on}} tall in Fort Lee.

Image:Constitution Park Fort Lee New Jersey.JPG

• The borough was mentioned in "Weekend Update" segments involving fictional consumer affairs reporter Roseanne Roseannadanna, played by Gilda Radner, who almost always began reading letters by saying, "A Mr. Richard Feder from Fort Lee, New Jersey, writes in and says...." Feder was the brother-in-law of Saturday Night Live writer and segment co-creator Alan Zweibel and an actual Fort Lee resident until he moved to West Nyack, New York, in 1981.via Associated Press. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19800210&id=66QyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P-cFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4741,1684263 "Did you ever want to know who Richard Feder really is?"], Lawrence Journal-World, February 10, 1980. Accessed September 7, 2014.Flegenheimer, Matt. [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/11/nyregion/a-mr-feder-once-of-fort-lee-chimes-in.html "A Mr. Feder, Once of Fort Lee, Chimes In"], The New York Times, January 11, 2014. Accessed September 7, 2014. "More than 30 years ago, Mr. Feder, 64, was perhaps Fort Lee's best-known resident, celebrated by a recurring character played by Gilda Radner on Saturday Night Live. The character, Roseanne Roseannadanna, would begin her segment on 'Weekend Update' by saying, 'A Mr. Richard Feder from Fort Lee, N.J., writes in and says ...'"
• In the 1984 film, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, the character played by Jeff Goldblum (Dr. Sidney Zwibel/New Jersey) introduces himself as being from Fort Lee, earning him the nickname "New Jersey".Rauch, Earl Mac. [https://books.google.com/books?id=kddIYWJRpQcC&pg=PA96 The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai], p. 96. Simon and Schuster, 2001. {{ISBN|9780743442480}}. Accessed December 3, 2017. "'Fellows, this is Sid Zwibel,' said Buckaroo. 'He'll be riding with us as an observer for a few days, so give him the treatment.' 'Don't worry. We will,' said Tommy. 'The treatment?' asked Sid, quailing. 'Where do you hail from, Doc?' I asked. 'Fort Lee,' he said. 'New Jersey.'"
• In Desperately Seeking Susan, the main character Roberta (played by Rosanna Arquette) is from Fort Lee. A key thematic element of the film is the contrast between Roberta's life in New Jersey and her desire to experience Susan's lifestyle in New York City.Willistein, Paul. [https://www.mcall.com/1985/04/13/desperately-seeking-susan-a-tale-of-two-cultures/ "Desperately Seeking Susan' A Tale Of Two Cultures"], The Morning Call, April 13, 1985. Accessed January 18, 2015. "The story concerns Roberta (Rosanna Arquette), a Fort Lee, N.J., housewife who, bored with her beauty shop world, follows the newspaper personals romance of Jim (Robert Joy) and Susan (Madonna). In the latest ad, Jim announces he's Desperately Seeking Susan.... The way she makes Roberta's decision to leave behind her Fort Lee life is representative of Seidelman's shorthand style - not unlike French farce and with a storyboard swiftness that recalls Hitchcock."
• Martin Scorsese directed several scenes of Goodfellas in Fort Lee.Fort Lee Film Commission. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ViR3b72xkK0C&pg=PA115 Fort Lee: Birthplace of the Motion Picture Industry], p. 115. Arcadia Publishing, 2006. {{ISBN|9780738545011}}. Accessed August 31, 2015. "The most interesting film shot in Fort Lee in the modern era was Goodfellas (Warner Brothers, 1990). Director Martin Scorsese, who is a leading film scholar, knows the history of film in Fort Lee and shot key scenes of this film blocks away from locations used by D. W. Griffith in the first classic gangster film, The Musketeers of Pig Alley (Biograph, 1912)."[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099685/locations Filming Locations for Goodfellas], Internet Movie Database. Accessed May 14, 2007.
• Chabad of Fort Lee, a synagogue, was used as the filming location for the Queens, New York City, residence of Detective Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.Kimpton, Roger. [http://issuu.com/hudsonreporter/docs/v4n3_pmag_web_reduced/12 "Hollywood on the Palisades"], Palisade magazine, Summer 2010; Page 14. Accessed July 8, 2014.
• In late March 2011, a group of teenagers reported that they had been detained by the Fort Lee Police Department who left them in a police van parked for 14 hours overnight at headquarters. The detainees, who said that they had no food, water or access to bathrooms during that time, were released after passers-by heard their screams.[http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Police-Forget-Van-Full-of-Teens-118785669.html "Police Leave Teens Locked in Van For Hours: 'It was the worst thing that ever possibly happened to me,' one boy says."], WNBC, March 29, 2011. Accessed April 5, 2011. In December 2013, $120,000 was awarded to each of three of the teens as settlement of a lawsuit that alleged that they had been unlawfully detained and that police officers had used racial epithets.Tat, Linh. [http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/3_boys_locked_in_Fort_Lee_police_van_overnight_will_split_360000.html "3 boys locked in Fort Lee police van overnight will split $360,000"], The Record, December 17, 2013. Accessed January 8, 2014. "Three boys who were locked in a Fort Lee police van overnight in freezing temperatures will receive $120,000 each under a settlement reached with the borough, attorneys for the plaintiffs said."
• On March 2, 2012, The show Morning Joe on MSNBC aired live from Fort Lee High School. Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski joined Gov. Chris Christie, Rev. Al Sharpton, Michelle Rhee, Harold Ford Jr., Howard Dean, interim superintendent of Fort Lee Schools (Steven Engravalle) and other invited guests to discuss New Jersey's education reform.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120308090929/http://mojoe.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/02/10563846-a-few-scenes-from-todays-education-town-hall-in-fort-lee-new-jersey "Broadcasting live from Fort Lee High School"], MSNBC, March 2, 2012. Accessed March 3, 2012.

{{Category see also|People from Fort Lee, New Jersey}}

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Fort Lee include:

{{div col}}

• Vito Albanese (1918–1998), politician who represented Bergen County in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1966 to 1968Sullivan, Ronald. [https://www.nytimes.com/1967/05/02/archives/bribe-bid-linked-to-teterboro-bill-dismemberment-plan-author.html "'Bribe' Bid Linked to Teterboro Bill; Dismemberment Plan Author Reports $50,000 Offer"], The New York Times, May 2, 1967. Accessed August 29, 2018. "Then Assemblyman Joseph C. Woodcock Jr., Republican of Cliffside Park, jumped up and challenged Assemblyman Albanese, a Democrat of Fort Lee."
• Albert Anastasia (1902–1957), Mafia bossStaff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1958/08/24/archives/anastasia-home-sale-mansion-in-fort-lee-will-be-auctioned-tomorrow.html "Anastasia Home Sale — Mansion in Fort Lee Will Be Auctioned Tomorrow"], The New York Times, August 24, 1958. Accessed August 29, 2018. "Fort Lee, N.J., Aug. 23 -The late Albert Anastasia's Spanish stucco mansion here will be sold at public auction at 2 o'clock Monday at the office of the Sheriff of Bergen County in Hackensack."Hunt, Thomas. [http://www.onewal.com/a009/f_albertanastasiap04.html "King of the Brooklyn Docks: Albert Anastasia (1902-1957)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501145419/http://www.onewal.com/a009/f_albertanastasiap04.html |date=May 1, 2015 }}, The American Mafia. Accessed July 8, 2014. "In the mid-1940s, Anastasia decided to move away from Brooklyn and follow his longtime friend Joe Adonis to the country setting of Fort Lee, New Jersey. The Brooklyn home held in the name of his wife was sold for $25,000. The Anastasias built a new, 35-room, 5-bathroom house, valued at more than $75,000 at #75 Bluff Road in Fort Lee."
• Mickey Appleman (born 1946), professional poker player"Frank closer to big money", The Record, August 3, 2006. "All were eliminated along with pros Mickey Appleman of Fort Lee and Teaneck native David Sklansky."
• Allan Arkush (born 1948), film director and television producer known for Rock and Roll High School and the NBC series HeroesCoutros, Evonne. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104075906/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22470457.html "Hoboken story, made in Toronto"], The Record, March 12, 1995. Accessed June 30, 2010.
• Miri Ben-Ari (born 1978), Israeli-American violinistBeckerman, Jim. [http://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/pioneering-pop-and-hip-hop-violinist-to-visit-englewood-s-elisabeth-morrow-school-video-1.1645815 "Pioneering pop and hip-hop violinist to visit Englewood's Elisabeth Morrow School"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006075115/http://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/pioneering-pop-and-hip-hop-violinist-to-visit-englewood-s-elisabeth-morrow-school-video-1.1645815 |date=October 6, 2016 }}, The Record, August 15, 2016. Accessed August 16, 2016. "But Ben-Ari, who just moved to Fort Lee a few months ago — previously she had lived in Edgewater — will be stopping by Elisabeth Morrow in person Tuesday to teach a master class, give an in-school performance (not open to the public), and get the 200-plus students prepared for their big day Thursday."
• Barbara Bennett (1906–1959), silent screen actress and literary representativeKellow, Brian. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QcoS2DglYzgC&q=fort+lee The Bennetts: An Acting Family], pp. 34-35. University Press of Kentucky, 2004. {{ISBN|9780813123295}}. Accessed August 31, 2015.
• Constance Bennett (1904–1965), stage and film actress
• Joan Bennett (1910–1990), stage and film actressvia Associated Press. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_fYaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nkcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5037,3820382&dq=joan-bennett+fort-lee&hl=en "Joan Bennett dead at 80"], The Daily News, December 6, 1990. Accessed June 30, 2012. "The actress, born in Fort Lee, N.J., made her 1928 debut in the Broadway play Jarnegan."
• Mike Berniker (1935–2008), record producerLevin, Jay. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140610081423/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-156509870.html "Grammy winner M. Berniker"], The Record, September 23, 2008. Accessed December 6, 2013. "Former Fort Lee resident Michael Berniker won nine Grammys and worked with Barbra Streisand, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis and Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, to name a few, during four decades as a record producer."
• Alessandra Biaggi (born 1986), New York State SenatorRamaswamy, Swapna Venugopal. [https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/new-york/2019/06/26/alessandra-biaggi-senator/3697082002/ "Alessandra Biaggi: A losing streak, then unseating a political kingpin"], The Journal News, July 15, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2021. "Biaggi was born in Mount Vernon, and she grew up in Fort Lee, New Jersey. She moved with her family to Pelham, New York, when she was 8 years old."
• Balfour Brickner (1926–2005), rabbi emeritus of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in ManhattanSaxon, Wolfgang. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/01/nyregion/01brickner.html "Balfour Brickner, Activist Reform Rabbi, Dies at 78"], The New York Times, September 1, 2005. Accessed October 13, 2013. "Rabbi Balfour Brickner, a voice of Reform Judaism on issues like race and abortion and the rabbi emeritus of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in Manhattan, died on Monday at Mount Sinai Hospital. He was 78 and lived in Fort Lee, N.J., and Stockbridge, Mass."
• Joyce Brothers (1927–2013), psychologist, television personalityStaff. "Ft. Lee's Dr. Brothers to be honored", The Record, December 3, 2006. "But right now, she's getting ready for a photo shoot at her spacious Fort Lee co-op."Fox, Margalit. [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/arts/television/dr-joyce-brothers-psychologist-dies-at-85.html "Dr. Joyce Brothers, On-Air Psychologist Who Made TV House Calls, Dies at 85"], The New York Times, May 13, 2013. Accessed October 13, 2013. "Joyce Brothers, a former academic psychologist who, long before Drs. Ruth, Phil and Laura, was counseling millions over the airwaves, died on Monday at her home in Fort Lee, N.J. She was 85."
• Brendan A. Burns (1895–1989), U.S. Army major general{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/7477448?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a226a4c424d754678755659676b5a7569594f714e496c6a6a6d4645793647534d306d6e6845644178437834673d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d |title=New Jersey Births and Christenings Index, 1660-1931, Entry for Brendan Burns |date=February 24, 1895 |website=Ancestry.com |publisher=Ancestry.com LLC |location=Lehi, UT |access-date=November 4, 2023 |url-access=subscription}}{{cite news |date=February 16, 1957 |title=State's Armed Forces Stage Review in Honor of Retiring Commander of New York National Guard |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-review/134635237/ |work=Buffalo Evening News Magazine |location=Buffalo, NY |page=12 |via=Newspapers.com}}
• Charlie Callas (1924–2011), comedian and actor[http://www.ny1.com/content/133053/comedian-charlie-callas-dead-at-86/ Comedian Charlie Callas Dead At 86] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107225220/http://www.ny1.com/content/133053/comedian-charlie-callas-dead-at-86/ |date=January 7, 2014 }}, NY1 News, January 29, 2011. "NY1 Video: One-time Fort Lee resident and American comedian Charlie Callas died Wednesday."
• Cam'ron (born 1976), rapper[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2004/10/18/2003207446 "It's not easy being pink: Cameron Giles, better known as Cam'ron, triggered the pink fad. Now he wants to change color and cash in as a trendsetter"], Taipei Times, October 18, 2004. Accessed May 13, 2007. "In a gated condominium community in Fort Lee, New Jersey, the dense shrubbery suggests a botanical garden more than a residential one.... That is how you can tell the house of Cameron Giles. For the better part of two years, pink has been the dominant color in the life of Giles, a rapper who performs as Cam'ron."
• Jonathan Cheban (born 1974), reality-television star and entrepreneur, noted for his recurring role on the show Keeping Up with the Kardashians and its spinoffsStein, Joshua David. [https://www.gq.com/story/jonathan-cheban-foodgod-dinner-at-tao "Dinner at TAO with the 'FoodGod' Jonathan Cheban"], GQ, September 16, 2016. Accessed December 30, 2017. "Cheban was born in Russia in 1974 but grew up across the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey."
• Nai-Ni Chen (1959–2021), Taiwanese-American dancer and choreographer[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/nyregion/31artsnj.html "Opening Doors With New and Old"], The New York Times, January 29, 2010. Accessed December 24, 2021. "Four of Ms. Chen's dancers are based near her home in Fort Lee, where she lives with her husband, Andy Chiang, the company's executive director, and their daughter, Sylvia, 14."
• Jay Chiat (1931–2002), advertising agency executive[http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/media/columns/medialife/5865/ The Last Adman], New York, April 8, 2002. "When I started to get friendly with Jay, he couldn't explain either, at least not with any clear logic, how he went from being a Jewish kid from the Bronx and Fort Lee, New Jersey, to ending up in the agency business."
• Liz Claman (born 1963), Fox Business Network anchorSpelling, Ian. [http://201.net/issues/2009/10/departments/Person-to-Person.story "From Bulls & Bears to Bergen: Fox Business Network anchor Liz Claman loves coming home to Edgewater"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010041145/http://www.201.net/issues/2009/10/departments/Person-to-Person.story |date=October 10, 2009 }}, (201) magazine, October 2009. Accessed October 12, 2009. "I love Edgewater. I lived in Fort Lee and jogged into the Edgewater Colony, and I thought 'One day, I'd love to live here.'"
• Haskell Cohen (1914–2000), public relations director of National Basketball Association from 1950 to 1969, known as creator of NBA All-Star GameGoldstein, Richard. [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/03/sports/haskell-cohen-86-publicist-created-nba-all-star-game.html "Haskell Cohen, 86, Publicist; Created N.B.A. All-Star Game"], The New York Times, July 3, 2000. Accessed December 5, 2013. "Haskell Cohen, a longtime publicity director for the National Basketball Association, who helped create the league's All-Star Game – a once-modest affair that has become an annual weekend spectacle – died last Wednesday at his home in Fort Lee, N.J."
• Émile Cohl (1857–1938), French caricaturist, cartoonist, and animator
• Celia Cruz (1925–2003), Cuban-born salsa singerPareles, Jon. [https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/17/obituaries/17CRUZ.html "Celia Cruz, Petite Powerhouse of Latin Music, Dies at 77"], The New York Times, July 17, 2003. Accessed July 8, 2014. "Celia Cruz, the Cuban singer who became the queen of Latin music, died yesterday at her home in Fort Lee, N.J."
• Irv Docktor (1918–2008), artist and educator best known for his work as a book and magazine illustratorAlmenas, Maxim. [https://www.newspapers.com./article/fort-lee-suburbanite-irv-docktor-of-fort/139204832/ "Fort Lee artist's work gets its rightful shine"], Fort Lee Suburbanite, May 22, 2009. Accessed January 20, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Fort Lee resident Irv Docktor was an artist whose work was well known around the world. But his art, which stretched the boundaries of classic form and expressionism, was never officially exhibited in Fort Lee until after he died."
• Morton Downey Jr. (1932–2001), singer, songwriter, radio and TV personality; host[http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20098673,00.html Critics Say His Mouth Needs Washing, but Morton Downey's Talk Show Is a Screaming Hit], People Magazine, April 11, 1988. "'I'm me,' says Mort endearingly, as he sits in his Fort Lee, N.J., condo, sipping coffee and stubbing out the sixth of 80 cigarettes he will smoke this day."
• Bill Evans (1929–1980), jazz pianist and composerPettinger, Pete. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Z7Ema0hvga8C&q=%22fort+lee%22 Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings], pp. 274, 284. Yale University Press, 2002. {{ISBN|9780300097276}}. Accessed September 7, 2014.Wilson, John S. [https://www.nytimes.com/1980/09/17/archives/bill-evans-jazz-pianist-praised-for-lyricism-and-structure-dies-in.html "Bill Evans, Jazz Pianist Praised For Lyricism and Structure, Dies; 'In Touch With His Feelings' Trouble With Scales"], The New York Times, September 17, 1980. Accessed June 30, 2009. "Mr. Evans, who lived in Fort Lee, N.J., toured in Europe this summer."
• Phil Foster (1913–1985), comedian and actor, played Frank De Fazio in Laverne & ShirleyKraushar, Jonathan P. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1976/03/21/76386875.pdf "Bergen: Comics' Haven"], The New York Times, March 21, 1976. Accessed December 17, 2012. "In the view of Phil Foster, a star of the television comedy Laverne and Shirley, there is no such thing as New Jersey humor. If it exists, said Mr. Foster, who lives in Fort Lee, it is like Staten Island humor – that is, simplay a question of speaking slower."{{subscription required}}
• Buddy Hackett (1924–2003), comedian and actorStaff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1958/08/30/archives/comedian-buys-home-buddy-hackett-new-owner-of-anastasia-house-in.html "Comedian buys home; Buddy Hackett New Owner of Anastasia House in Fort Lee"], The New York Times, August 30, 1958. "Buddy Hackett is the owner of Albert Anastasia's Spanish stucco home on the edge of the Palisades in Fort Lee."
• Alan Hantman (born 1942), architect who served as the 10th Architect of the Capitol, from February 1997 until February 2007.Yudelson, Larry. [https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/teaneck-holocaust-memorial-moves-forward/ "Teaneck Holocaust memorial moves forward; Plan to pair it with slave memorial in front of town's municipal building"], Jewish Standard, October 15, 2015. Accessed August 23, 2022. "The council heard from the Holocaust memorial's new architect, Alan Hantman. Mr. Hantman, a 25-year resident of Teaneck who now lives in Fort Lee, was appointed by President Bill Clinton as the chief architect of the U.S. Capitol."
• Charles J. Hunt (1881–1976), film editor and directorHess, Earl J.; and Dabholkar, Pratibha A. [https://books.google.com/books?id=e8sqAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Charles+J.+Hunt%22+%22fort+lee%22 Singin' in the rain: the making of an American masterpiece], p. 252. University Press of Kansas, 2009. Accessed July 12, 2019. "Charles J. Hunt (production manager): Born April 8, 1881, in Fort Lee, New Jersey, and died February 3, 1976, in Los Angeles."
• Jim Hunt, ice hockey former head coach and current president of the New Jersey Hitmen[http://www.jerseyhitmen.net/page/show/2494397-jim-junt Jim Hunt], New Jersey Hitmen. Accessed August 19, 2016. "While cultivating his hockey knowledge and gaining valuable experience, Jim also served as a police detective in his hometown of Fort Lee, NJ. Where he retired after twenty five years of distinguished service."
• Arthur Imperatore Sr. (1925–2020), businessman best known as being the founder and president of the NY WaterwayChaban, Matt A. V. [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/nyregion/a-gangsters-home-offers-manhattan-views-thick-walls-and-a-slaughter-room.html?_r=0 "A Gangster's Paradise With Views, Thick Walls and a Slaughter Room"], The New York Times, November 2, 2015. Accessed December 8, 2015. "For those wanting to live like a Mafia don — and willing to live with a few ghosts — Guernsey's will auction off the old Anastasia estate on Dec. 8, with a minimum price of $5.5 million....When he moved to Hollywood, the home passed to Arthur Imperatore Sr., the trucking and ferry tycoon who turned a single delivery truck into a billion-dollar empire and the derelict Weehawken docks into a wonderland of apartments."
• Jay-Z (born 1969), rapperBarboza, Craigh. "Friend Or foe?", USA Weekend, January 28, 2001. "Jay-Z, himself, has a two-floor penthouse in Fort Lee, N.J., with a view of Manhattan."Ross, Barbara; Singleton, Don; Santiago, Roberto; and Marzulli, John. [https://archive.today/20120701161049/http://articles.nydailynews.com/1999-12-04/news/18122032_1_jay-z-carbon-club-rivera "Jay-Z accused of knifing rival at party"], New York Daily News, December 4, 1999. Accessed January 5, 2012. "all, Jay-Z, 29, who now lives in Fort Lee, N.J., was charged with two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault. Posner set a return date for Jan. 31."
• Ron Johnson (1947–2018), former NFL running back for the Cleveland Browns and New York GiantsHarvin, Al. [https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/12/archives/an-offseason-game-new-jersey-sports.html "An Offseason Game; New Jersey Sports"], The New York Times, January 12, 1973. Accessed November 16, 2008. "Some of the other Jersey residents on the team, according to Davis, are Bob Tucker, the New York Giants' tight end from Lincroft; Phil Villapiano, Oakland Raider linebacker from Ocean Township, and Ron Johnson, Giant running back, now a resident of Fort Lee."
• Ali Khatami (born 1953), former Iranian Presidential Chief of StaffSciolino, Elaine. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/01/world/beneath-turban-special-report-mullah-who-charmed-iran-struggling-change-it.html?src=pm&pagewanted=2 "Beneath the turban: A special report.; Mullah Who Charmed Iran Is Struggling to Change It"], The New York Times, February 1, 1998. Accessed July 8, 2014. "Still, the Khatami children were encouraged to earn their own money, said Ali Khatami, 44, the President's brother, a businessman who lived in Fort Lee, N.J., for a year and a half while he was getting his master's degree in industrial engineering."
• Randy Klein (born 1949), musician, composer, pianist, author and educatorReich, Ronni. [https://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2013/07/new_york_musical_theatre_festival_three_jersey_artists_offer_something_different.html "New York Musical Theatre Festival: Three Jersey artists offer something different"], The Star-Ledger, July 7, 2013. Accessed August 29, 2018. "Randy Klein, who grew up in Union City and Fort Lee, appeared at the festival last year with Flambé Dreams, a kitchen comedy."
• Jack Langer (born 1948/49), former basketball player and investment banker.[http://www.manchesterhistory.org/News/Manchester%20Evening%20Hearld_1969-12-03.pdf#page=18 "Langer Set To Play, Yale Faces Penalties"], Manchester Evening Herald, December 3, 1969. Accessed May 31, 2023. "Although the Fort Lee, N.J., player's eligibility is not a crucial factor in the Yale basketball's team success, Yale is standing behind him despite the penalties it may receive for doing so."

* Lee Jeonghee (born 1963) South Korean abacus masterChao, Mary. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2021/08/18/mary-chao-world-abacus-champion-shares-mental-math-secrets-nj/7814638002/ "Zero to 27,254 in 10 seconds: Meet the world abacus champion from North Jersey"], The Record, August 18, 2021. Accessed May 3, 2023. "For 10 seconds, a series of 50 random three-digit numbers flashed on the screen. After another second, abacus master Jeonghee Lee announced she'd finished the mental addition, correctly answering 27,254.... Born and raised in South Korea and now living in Fort Lee, Lee is currently the world’s No.1 abacus master as well as the top-ranked mental mathematician on the planet."

• Samm Levine (born 1982), actor on Freaks and GeeksAushenker, Michael. [http://www.jewishjournal.com/articles/item/mission_accomplished_20000303/ "Super Sunday tallies up a record $5,165,961 in contributions for United Jewish Fund"], The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, March 3, 2000. Accessed December 7, 2013. "Levine, who was present at the opening of Valley Alliance's Milken Gym, told The Journal that Super Sunday reminded him of the community spirit of his home town – Fort Lee, New Jersey."
• Nathaniel Lubell (1916–2006), Olympic fencer who competed for the United States in foil at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki and the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/23/classified/paid-notice-deaths-lubell-nathaniel.html "Paid Notice: Natahaniel Lubell"], The New York Times, September 23, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2018. "Lubell--Nathaniel, 90 of Fort Lee, NJ died in his home on Sat., Sept. 17th."
• Lynja (1956–2024), chef who was best known for her viral TikTok and YouTube Shorts videos[https://www.nj.com/monmouth/2024/01/njs-lynn-yamada-davis-star-of-cooking-with-lynja-tiktok-videos-dies-at-67-report-says.html "N.J.’s Lynn Yamada Davis, star of Cooking With Lynja TikTok videos, dies at 67, report says"], NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 12, 2024. Accessed January 13, 2024. "Davis was born on July 31, 1956, in New York City and lived most of her early life in Fort Lee, before she attended and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering."
• Ted Manakas (born 1951), former professional basketball player who played briefly in the NBA for the Kansas City-Omaha KingsCaldera, Pete. [https://web.archive.org/web/20141109220315/http://www.northjersey.com/sports/where-are-they-now-former-fort-lee-princeton-basketball-star-ted-manakas-1.742132?page=all "Where are they now? Former Fort Lee/Princeton basketball star Ted Manakas"], The Record, January 21, 2014, backed up by the Internet Archive as of November 9, 2014. Accessed June 16, 2020. "There's a 45-year-old photo Ted Manakas keeps from his final high school basketball game – Jersey City's Lincoln High against his Fort Lee team in the state tournament — at a Hackensack gym jammed with 1,500 fans."
• Eddie Mannix (1891–1963), film studio executive at Metro-Goldwyn-MayerMeyers, Tom. [http://fortlee.patch.com/groups/tom-meyerss-blog/p/bp--from-the-archives-a-main-street-marquee-and-a-mog05deb9e074 "From the Archives: A Main Street Marquee and a Mogul – Fort Lee and the MGM Connection; Fort Lee's Metro Theatre on Main Street and the MGM Connection"], FortLeePatch, March 2, 2013. Accessed December 6, 2013. "According to Fort Lee VFW Commander Jim Viola, the Fort Lee Theatre name changed in the 1930s to the Metro. This was to honor a Fort Lee boy who made good in Hollywood, Eddie Mannix."
• Willard Marshall (1921–2000), former MLB right fielder who played for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White SoxHeyde, Jack. [https://books.google.com/books?id=5uN4pckb4AAC&pg=PA48 Pop Flies and Line Drives: Visits with Players from Baseball's Golden Era], p. 48. Trafford Publishing, 2004. {{ISBN|9781412038898}}. Accessed May 24, 2016. "According to Sal Yvars, a former teammate of Marshall's, Willard's previous home in Fort Lee, NJ was built on a hill and had a clear and spectacular view of the city of New York from his back yard."
• D. Bennett Mazur ({{circa|1925}}–1994), member of the New Jersey General AssemblySullivan, Joseph F. [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/13/obituaries/d-bennett-mazur-a-professor-and-new-jersey-legislator-69.html "D. Bennett Mazur, a Professor And New Jersey Legislator, 69"], The New York Times, October 13, 1994. Accessed February 14, 2012. "He began his political career as a tenant activist after moving to Fort Lee a few years after the war. He served on the Bergen County Board of Freeholders from 1965 to 1967 and again from 1975 to 1980 before winning his first election to the State Assembly the following year."
• Pierre McGuire (born 1961), ice hockey analyst and former NHL coach and scoutCzerwinski, Mark J. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140714223647/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22686029.html "Nice and Tough -- Whalers' Mcguire Upbeat Yet Upfront"], The Record, January 30, 2003. Accessed July 8, 2014.
• Aline Brosh McKenna (born 1967), screenwriter who wrote the scripts for The Devil Wears Prada and 27 DressesSalemi, Vicki. [http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/glorifying-jersey.html 'Glorifying Jersey; A noted Hollywood screenwriter uses her Jersey roots to help inform her storytelling."], New Jersey Monthly, December 13, 2010. Accessed December 6, 2013. "'It's definitely part of who I am,' says the Los Angeles-based scribe, who was born in France and moved with her family to Fort Lee when she was 6 months old."
• Bill O'Reilly (born 1949), television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator, host of The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News ChannelKitman, Marvin. [https://books.google.com/books?id=h_njnLUvjvQC&pg=PA13 The Man Who Would Not Shut Up: The Rise of Bill O'Reilly], p. 13. Macmillan, 2008. {{ISBN|9780312385866}}. Accessed December 6, 2013. "'Billy,' as he was called to differentiate Bill Junior from Bill Senior, spent his first two years in a crowded apartment across the river in Fort Lee, New Jersey."
• John Orsino (1938–2016), Major League Baseball catcher who played for the San Francisco Giants (1961–1962), Baltimore Orioles (1963–1965) and Washington Senators (1966–1967)Skelton, David E. [https://bill37mccurdy.com/2017/09/13/john-orsino-a-profile-by-david-e-skelton/ "John Orsino: A Profile"], The Pecan Park Eagle, September 13, 2017. Accessed September 15, 2018. "Orsino attended Fort Lee (New Jersey) High School.... He retired after the season and returned to his Fort Lee, New Jersey, home."
• Johnny Pacheco (1935–2021), Dominican musician, arranger, bandleader and record producer, who was the founder and musical director of Fania RecordsLopez, Elias E. [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/15/arts/music/johnny-pacheco-dead.html "Johnny Pacheco, Who Helped Bring Salsa to the World, Dies at 85"], The New York Times, February 15, 2021. Accessed February 15, 2021. "Johnny Pacheco, the Dominican-born bandleader who co-founded the record label that turned salsa music into a worldwide sensation, died on Monday in Teaneck, N.J. He was 85.... Mr. Pacheco lived in Fort Lee, N.J."
• Christopher Porrino (born 1967), lawyer who became served as New Jersey Attorney General from 2016 to 2018[http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases12/pr20120131c.html "Attorney General Names Christopher S. Porrino Director of the Division of Law"], New Jersey Attorney General, January 31, 2012. Accessed June 18, 2016. "Born in Teaneck and raised in Fort Lee and Englewood Cliffs, Porrino currently resides in Union County with his wife, Christina Shenouda, and their two children."
• George Price (1901–1995), cartoonist best known for his work for The New YorkerCollins, Glenn. [https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/14/obituaries/george-price-93-cartoonist-of-oddities-dies.html "George Price, 93, Cartoonist of Oddities, Dies"], The New York Times, January 14, 1995. Accessed December 6, 2013. "Mr. Price was born on June 9, 1901, in Coytesville, N.J., in the borough of Fort Lee."
• Nia Reed (born 1996), professional volleyball player and member of United States women's national volleyball team[https://usavolleyball.org/athlete/nia-reed/ Nia Reed], USA Volleyball. Accessed June 13, 2022. "Hometown: Fort Lee, N.J. High School: Immaculate Heart"
• Richard Reines, recording industry executive, co-owner of Drive-Thru RecordsLaGorce, Tammy. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/14/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/14njCOVER.html "Finding Emo"], The New York Times, August 14, 2005. Accessed December 6, 2013. "'We came back, because as label owners we couldn't be away from it,' said Mr. Reines, who is from Fort Lee."
• Freddie Roman (1937–2022), comedian, New York Friars' Club notableStrauss, Robert. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/nyregion/in-person-in-a-club-full-of-comics-the-king-is-also-a-jester.html "In person; In a Club Full of Comics, The King Is Also a Jester"], The New York Times, December 11, 2005. Accessed August 29, 2018. "Three or four times a week, Mr. Roman travels into Manhattan from his house in Fort Lee, where he has lived for six years, and holds court in one of the dining rooms at the Friars Club, formerly a doctor's town house on East 55th Street."
• Joe Rosario (born 1959), actor, writer, directorKim, Jennifer. [http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/Birth_of_a_new_legacy.html "Fort Lee man continues film legacy"], Fort Lee Suburbanite, October 16, 2009. Accessed September 26, 2011. "Though Rosario's profile in the film industry is steadily rising and Hollywood is on his horizon, he hasn't forgotten about his birthplace in Fort Lee. 'The cool thing about living in Fort Lee is living so close to New York City,' said Rosario."
• Murray Sabrin (born 1946), college professor and Libertarian Party / Republican Party politician{{cite web |url=http://www.murraysabrin.com/sabrinStory.asp |title=Biography |access-date=December 6, 2013 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080301183322/http://www.murraysabrin.com/sabrinStory.asp |archive-date=March 1, 2008 }}, Murray Sabrin. Accessed December 6, 2013. "He lives with his wife of 39 years, Florence, in Ft. Lee, New Jersey."
• Amy Scheer, professional sports executive who is general manager of the Connecticut Whale of the Premier Hockey Federation[https://njbiz.com/close-up-amy-scheer-chief-commercial-officer-of-the-new-york-red-bulls/ "Close Up Amy Scheer, chief commercial officer of the New York Red Bulls"], NJBIZ, September 20, 2015. Accessed January 16, 2021. "Hometown: I grew up in Fair Lawn and currently reside in Fort Lee."
• August Semmendinger (1820–1885), photographic inventorSemmendinger, Paul and Ryan. [http://historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium2/pm.cgi?action=app_display&app=datasheet&app_id=846 "August Semmendinger Manufacturer of Photographic Apparatus"], Historic Camera History Librarium, June 17, 2012. Accessed June 15, 2015. "By this point, August Semmendinger had moved to Fort Lee, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey."
• Eva Shain ({{circa|1918}}–1999), boxing judge, one of the first female judges in New York, first woman to judge a heavyweight championship bout (1977 fight between Muhammad Ali and Earnie Shavers)Goldstein, Richard. [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/23/sports/eva-shain-81-a-pioneering-boxing-judge.html "Eva Shain, 81, a Pioneering Boxing Judge"], The New York Times, August 23, 1999. Accessed December 6, 2013. "Eva Shain, the first woman to serve as a judge at a heavyweight championship boxing match when she was assigned to the Muhammad Ali-Earnie Shavers bout at Madison Square Garden in 1977, died Thursday at Englewood (N.J.) Hospital and Medical Center. Mrs. Shain, who lived in Fort Lee, N.J., was 81."
• Jenn Sherman (born 1969), fitness instructor who was the very first cycling instructor hired at Peloton InteractiveHandler, Cindy Schewich. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/2021/01/22/jenn-sherman-peloton-first-cycling-instructor-nj-native/3929194001/ "Join the ride: NJ native Jenn Sherman has been a Peloton instructor since Day One"], The Record, January 22, 2021. Accessed April 25, 2022. "Every week, Sherman, a Fort Lee native, attracts thousands of subscribing Peloton members who ride along with her on the company's stationary bicycles, either during live classes streamed from the company's Manhattan studios, or recordings of those rides available in its vast On Demand library.... At Fort Lee High School, Sherman 'played 0.0 sports,' she says."
• Anton Sikharulidze (born 1976), Olympic gold medal-winning pairs figure skaterAraton, Harvey. [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/17/sports/sports-of-the-times-golden-windfall-for-the-russians.html "Sports of The Times; Golden Windfall for the Russians"], The New York Times, February 17, 2002. Accessed February 14, 2012. "At 25, Anton Sikharulidze is already a citizen of the world, more than familiar with the culture of the West. He lived in Fort Lee, N.J., for two years, trained in Hackensack."
• Phoebe Snow (1950–2011), singerFriedman, Roger. [https://www.foxnews.com/story/brad-pitt-angelina-jolie-likely-guests-at-cannes/ "Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie Likely Guests at Cannes"], Fox News, March 22, 2007. Accessed July 8, 2014. "Phoebe and Valerie lived in a small apartment in Fort Lee."
• Alfonso Soriano (born 1976), outfielder who plays for the New York YankeesBorden, Sam. [http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/soriano-tired-trade-talk-article-1.639110 "Soriano 'Tired' Of Trade Talk"], New York Daily News, June 17, 2006. Accessed July 8, 2014. "The Yankees have made inquiries about Soriano's availability but have been turned off by the Nationals' requests for top pitching prospect Phil Hughes or Chien-Ming Wang. Soriano, who still maintains the Fort Lee, N.J., apartment he had during his tenure in the Bronx, seemed lukewarm about the possibility of returning to the Yankees."
• Darryl Strawberry (born 1962), Major League Baseball outfielder who played for New York Mets, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers[http://www.cnn.com/US/9810/16/strawberry.home/ Darryl Strawberry leaves hospital after cancer surgery], CNN.com, October 16, 1998. "He will convalesce at his home in Fort Lee, New Jersey."
• Anthony Strollo (1899–1962), New York mobster who served as a high-ranking capo of the Genovese crime family until his disappearance after leaving his home in Fort LeeStaff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1970/01/08/archives/fbitaped-conversation-sheds-light-on-1962-gangland-slaying-of.html "F.B.I.-Taped Conversation Sheds Light on 1962 Gangland Slaying of Strollo"], The New York Times, January 8, 1970. Accessed September 8, 2018. "Strollo was said to have controlled the underworld's bar and nightclub operations on New York's East Side and in Greenwich Village. His fate has been a matter of conjecture since he walked out of his Fort Lee mansion one April evening in 1962 and disappeared. His body has never been found."
• Lyle Stuart (1922–2006), independent publisher of controversial booksRamirez, Anthony. [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/26/arts/26stuart.html "Lyle Stuart, Publisher of Renegade Titles, Dies at 83"], The New York Times, June 26, 2006. Accessed November 4, 2007. "He was 83 and lived in Fort Lee, N.J."
• Justin Tuck (born 1983), former NFL defensive end who played for the New York Giants and Oakland RaidersBorden, Sam. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/sports/football/for-giants-justin-tuck-push-for-reading-starts-at-home.html "For Giants' Tuck, a Push for Reading Starts at Home"], The New York Times, May 30, 2012. Accessed April 25, 2017. "Fort Lee, N.J. - ... The Tucks just giggled. They had not intended to settle in this tiny borough of Bergen County, but while taking a tour with a real estate agent about four years ago, Tuck asked about the neighborhoods he saw while driving over the George Washington Bridge."
• June Valli (1928–1993), singer and television personality.[https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/16/obituaries/june-valli-singer-64.html "June Valli; Singer, 64"], The New York Times, March 16, 1993. Accessed November 7, 2022. "June Valli, a singer who appeared on television variety shows from the 1950s through the 1970s, died on Friday at her home. She was 64 and lived in Fort Lee."
• James Van Fleet (1892–1992), United States Army general[http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/vanfleet.htm James Alward Van Fleet], Arlington National Cemetery. Accessed December 6, 2013 ."Van Fleet was born in Coytesville, New Jersey, March 19, 1892, but raised in Florida and adopted it as his home."
• Chien-Ming Wang (born 1980), pitcher for the Washington NationalsChen, Albert. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080420100051/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/albert_chen/04/15/wang0421/2.html "Chien-Ming Wang Has A Secret"], Sports Illustrated, April 15, 2008. Accessed February 14, 2012. "During the baseball season Chien-Ming and his wife, Chia-Ling, whom he met in his first year of college and married in December 2003, live in a modest three-bedroom house in Fort Lee, N.J."
• Theodore Dwight Weld (1803–1895), his wife Angelina Grimké (1805–1879), and his wife's sister Sarah Moore Grimké (1792–1873) lived in Fort Lee while working on American Slavery As It Is (1839)[https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/weld/weld.html American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses: Electronic Edition.], Documenting the American South. Accessed November 13, 2023.
• Jennifer Wu (born 1990), table tennis player originally from China who has been named to the U.S. team at the 2016 Summer OlympicsHartnett, Sean. [http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/07/25/jennifer-wu-table-tennis-rio-olympics/ "After Taking Up Table Tennis To Improve Her Vision, New Jerseyan Now Sets Sights On Olympic Gold"], WCBS-TV, July 25, 2016. Accessed August 9, 2016. "The 26-year-old became a U.S. citizen in 2014. Born with the given name Yue, she has adopted Jennifer as her Americanized name, calls Fort Lee, New Jersey, home and is accustomed to American culture and cuisine."
• Glen Zipper (born 1974), writer, film producer and former New Jersey assistant state prosecutor known for the Academy Award-winning film UndefeatedShkolnikova, Svetlana. [http://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/borough-natives-win-big-at-academy-awards-1.381633?page=all "Fort Lee natives win big at Academy Awards"], Fort Lee Suburbanite, March 16, 2012. Accessed July 8, 2014. "Glen Zipper stands with his fellow crewmembers for the football documentary 'Undefeated,' which took the Oscar for Best Documentary at this year's Academy Awards. He and his brother Ralph grew up in Fort Lee, and worked together on the film. Glen, who worked as a criminal prosecutor in Hudson County for three years."

{{div col end}}

• Fort Lee lane closure scandal
• List of U.S. cities with significant Korean American populations
• Riviera (nightclub)

Notes

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

• Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties) prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.
• Clayton, W. Woodford; and Nelson, William. [https://archive.org/details/historyofbergen00clay History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men.] Philadelphia: Everts and Peck, 1882.
• Harvey, Cornelius Burnham (ed.), [https://archive.org/details/genealogicalhist00harv Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey.] New York: New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Co., 1900.
• Van Valen, James M. [https://archive.org/details/historybergenco00valegoog History of Bergen County, New Jersey.] New York: New Jersey Publishing and Engraving Co., 1900.
• Westervelt, Frances A. (Frances Augusta), 1858–1942, [https://books.google.com/books?id=As8wAQAAMAAJ History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630–1923], Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1923.

{{Commons category|Fort Lee, New Jersey}}

{{wikivoyage|Fort Lee}}

{{EB1911 poster|Fort Lee}}

• [https://www.fortleenj.org/ Borough of Fort Lee web site]
• [http://www.fortleepolice.org/ Fort Lee Police Department] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930174427/http://www.fortleepolice.org/ |date=September 30, 2007 }}
• [http://www.fortleefire.org/ Fort Lee Volunteer Fire Department]
• [http://www.fortleevac.org/ Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corps]
• [https://flboe.com/ Fort Lee School District]
• {{NJReportCard|03|1550|0|Fort Lee School District}}
• [https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3405310 School Data for the Fort Lee School District], National Center for Education Statistics
• [http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/enlarged_view_02.pdf An enlarged view of road jurisdiction at the Fort Lee approaches to the George Washington Bridge]

{{Fort Lee, New Jersey}}

{{Bergen County, New Jersey}}

{{Hudson River}}

{{New York metropolitan area}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1904 establishments in New Jersey

Category:Borough form of New Jersey government

Category:Boroughs in New Jersey

Category:Boroughs in Bergen County, New Jersey

Lee

Category:Populated places established in 1904

Category:New Jersey populated places on the Hudson River

Category:Film production districts

Category:History of film

Category:Koreatowns in the United States