Oradell was originally formed on March 8, 1894, as the borough of Delford, from portions of Harrington Township, Midland Township (now Rochelle Park) and Palisades Township.[22] The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone.[23] The name "Delford" was a portmanteau created from the names of two communities within the new borough: Oradell and New Milford.[24] The Hotel Delford had been constructed in 1870 after the construction of the first railroad to reach the area.[25] On November 12, 1920, the borough's name was officially changed to "Oradell", based on the results of a referendum held ten days earlier.[22][26] Oradell derives its name from "ora" (Latin for "edge") and "dell".[27]
New Jersey Monthly ranked Oradell as the 68th best place to live in New Jersey in its 2010 rankings of the "Top Towns" in the state. This ranking also makes the borough the seventh best place to live in Bergen County.[28]
^Harvey, Cornelius Burnham. Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey, p. 11, New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900. Accessed September 1, 2013. "For a period of sixteen years following the passage of this act few boroughs were organized in the State, only three of them being in Bergen County.... As it was twenty-six boroughs were created in the county from January 23, 1894, to December 18, of the same year." Note that the source lists May 8 as the date of the borough's formation, while other sources show March 8.
^Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living in: Oradell", The New York Times, November 11, 1990. Accessed December 25, 2011. "The area had its first growth spurt after the Hackensack and New Jersey Extension Railroad opened a line to Carlstadt in 1870. Soon afterward, the 40-room Hotel Delford was opened, Grove Street was laid out and businessmen from New York City built their Victorian homes there. The hotel has since been torn down."