Mountain Lakes (N.J.)

Mountain Lakes is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,472, an increase of 312 (+7.5%) from the 2010 census count of 4,160, which in turn had reflected a decline of 96 (−2.3%) from the 4,256 recorded at the 2000 census. Originally a planned community, the borough was named for a pair of lakes which served to distinguish Mountain Lakes as "the first year-round residential lake community in northwestern New Jersey." Mountain Lakes was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 3, 1924, from portions of Boonton Township and Hanover Township, subject to the results of a referendum passed on April 29, 1924. The borough has been one of the state's highest-income communities. In the 2013–2017 American Community Survey, Mountain Lakes had a median household income of $175,556 (ranked 12th in the state) and included 45.6% of households earning more than $200,000 annually. In 2010, Forbes.com listed Mountain Lakes as 210th in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $1,045,401. Mountain Lakes ranked among the highest annual property tax bills in New Jersey, and was the highest in Morris County, at $20,471 in 2018, compared to a statewide average of $8,767. New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Mountain Lakes as the 26th best place to live in New Jersey in its rankings of the "New Jersey's Top Towns 2011–2012" in New Jersey. The Mountain Lakes station provides NJ Transit commuter train service. The station offers service on the Montclair-Boonton Line and is the first train station heading eastbound not concurrent with the nearby Morris & Essex Lines.