Wanaque is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, nestled in the Ramapo Mountains at the northern edge of the state's Highlands region. Incorporated in 1918 from portions of Pompton Township, it covers roughly eight square miles of residential neighborhoods, forested ridgelines, and lakefront. Its 2020 population was about 11,300. The borough's defining feature is the Wanaque Reservoir, one of the largest water-supply reservoirs in New Jersey, whose dam and shores occupy a substantial portion of the landscape. The reservoir provides drinking water to much of northern New Jersey and gives Wanaque a distinctly scenic, lake-oriented setting, with wooded ridges rising above the water. Wanaque grew through the twentieth century as a suburban community tied to the reservoir, local industry, and the broader regional economy. Its name and identity are inseparable from the watershed system and the protected Highlands landscape that surrounds it, and the borough has long balanced residential growth with the open space around it. The borough is part of the suburban ring of Passaic County, within commuting distance of New York City. Its housing stock is largely mid-20th-century — Cape Cod and colonial-style homes on well-kept lots with sidewalks and streetlights — reflecting its growth as a post-war suburb. The borough's schools include local elementary schools and the regional Lakeland Regional High School, and Passaic County Community College maintains the Wanaque Academic Center in town. Outdoor recreation is central to local life. Norvin Green State Forest, Ramapo and Rainbow lakes, and Back Beach Park offer hiking, fishing, and sports, while the larger Ringwood State Park and Wanaque Ridge trail system lie nearby. The Haskell neighborhood anchors much of the borough's residential and commercial life, and schools, sports leagues, and lakeside recreation give Wanaque a close-knit, family-oriented feel. The result is a borough that combines the convenience of North Jersey suburban living with unusually direct access to protected mountain and watershed landscapes.