Located just 13 miles from mid-town Manhattan, Montclair began as a mountain retreat and artists' community in the 1900's. Today, numerous eclectic restaurants, theatres, and shops make this a ‘destination town' for surrounding communities throughout northern New Jersey. Sophisticated young urbanites reaching child-rearing years, many from Manhattan and Brooklyn, move here drawn by the town's gracious tree-lined streets, diversity of population and lifestyles, and cultural opportunities.
Numerous well known public figures live in Montclair, and many residents are members of national media and entertainment industries. The town has an excellent public schools system along with several private and parochial schools. Montclair is home to Montclair State University, as well as an excellent Art Museum, a baseball field where the Jackals play home games, and the Yogi Berra Museum.
Montclair's largest commercial area is Bloomfield Ave, which includes a movie theater, many shops, banks and other services, and a large variety of both affordable and upscale eateries. Bloomfield Avenue is also home to the recently renovated Wellmont Theater (circa 1922), which has hosted renown musicians and entertainers including BB King and Tony Bennett. Other smaller commercial centers along Bellevue Avenue, Watchung Avenue, and Walnut Street also offer shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues frequented by the community.
There has been some new condo development here recently, but homes are for the most party single-family detached, circa 1880's through 1930's. Most lots are about a quarter acre but grander homes can occupy a half acre or more. Many splendid turn of the century houses are designated historic landmarks.
Commuter transportation is superb, with extensive bus routes, as well as six train stations along the Montclair Boonton Line, plus the newly completed NJ Transit commuter rail hub, Montclair Connection, which goes directly into Manhattan.
Although Montclair is almost completely developed, various town and county parks and gardens dot the landscape. These include the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, dedicated to cultivating and displaying a rich variety of irises, as well as Brookdale Park, the second largest park in Essex County, and reputedly designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the renowned landscape architect who created NYC's Central Park. Learn more about Montclair, its neighborhoods and homes at http://www.homesandlandnnj.com/flippy
Walter Springer
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