Moonachie (; moo-NAH-kee) is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, in the Hackensack River watershed. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 2,708, reflecting a decline of 46 (-1.7%) from the 2,754 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 63 (-2.2%) from the 2,817 counted in the 1990 Census.
Tradition is that the borough was named after Monaghie, an Iroquois chief who inhabited the local cedar forests in the 1600s. Moonachie was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 11, 1910, from portions of Lodi Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 3, 1910. On March 26, 1917, portions of Moonachie were taken to form Teterboro.
The name of the borough is pronounced "moo-NAH-kee" or "MOO-nah-kee;" however, in January 1987, then-Mayor of New York City Ed Koch pronounced it "mah-NOO-chee" when he made his now-famous quip that the New York Giants should hold their victory parade in the borough after the team had just won Super Bowl XXI. Koch had refused to grant the Giants permission to hold a parade within the city limits because the team plays its home games in New Jersey, not in New York City.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.74 square miles (4.51 km2), including 1.73 square miles (4.48 km2) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) of water (0.69%).
The borough is approximately 9 miles (14 km) northwest of downtown Manhattan in New York City. Nearby is East Rutherford, in which can be found the Meadowlands Sports Complex, home to the National Football League's New York Giants and New York Jets, and a racetrack at which both thoroughbred horse racing and harness racing are conducted. Portions of Teterboro Airport are located in Moonachie.
The borough borders the Bergen County municipalities of Carlstadt, Hasbrouck Heights, Little Ferry, South Hackensack, Teterboro and Wood-Ridge.
As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 2,708, reflecting a decline of 46 (-1.7%) from the 2,754 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 63 (-2.2%) from the 2,817 counted in the 1990 Census.
The 2010 United States Census counted 2,708 people, 1,005 households, and 702 families in the borough. The population density was 1,626.5 per square mile (628.0/km2). There were 1,053 housing units at an average density of 632.5 per square mile (244.2/km2). The racial makeup was 76.59% (2,074) White, 1.40% (38) Black or African American, 0.11% (3) Native American, 10.04% (272) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 8.57% (232) from other races, and 3.29% (89) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.37% (660) of the population.
Of the 1,005 households, 26.8% had children under the age of 18; 49.6% were married couples living together; 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.1% were non-families.