Montclair, New Jersey


Montclair is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse bedroom community of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. The township is home to Montclair State University, the state's second-largest university.
As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 40,921, an increase of 3,252 from the 2010 census count of 37,669, which in turn reflected a decline of 1,308 from the 38,977 counted in the 2000 census. As of 2010, it was the 60th-most-populous municipality in New Jersey.
WWW Official Site

History

Montclair was initially formed as a township on April 15, 1868, from portions of Bloomfield Township, so that a second railroad could be built to Montclair. After a referendum held on February 21, 1894, Montclair was reincorporated as a town, effective February 24, 1894. It derives its name from the French mont clair, meaning "clear mountain" or "bright mountain."
In 1980, after multiple protests filed by Montclair officials regarding inequities built into the federal revenue-sharing system for local governments, Montclair voters passed a referendum changing its form of government to being a township, becoming the third of more than a dozen Essex County municipalities to reclassify their governmental organization in order to take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis.
Before cannabis was legalized for sale for both medical and recreational use in 2022, the state's first marijuana dispensary opened in Montclair in December 2012, joining Bellmawr, Cranbury, Egg Harbor Township, and Woodbridge Township as one of the five municipalities that had authorized the sale of medical cannabis.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 6.25 square miles, including 6.24 square miles of land and 0.01 square miles of water.
Montclair is on the east side of the First Mountain of the Watchung Mountains. Some higher locations in the township provide excellent views of the surrounding area and of the New York City skyline about away.
Named localities in the township include Church Street, Frog Hollow, South End, Upper Montclair, and Watchung Plaza.
Montclair is split between two ZIP Codes. The central and southern parts of the township are designated 07042. Upper Montclair lies north of Watchung Avenue and has a separate ZIP code, 07043. Because the ZIP codes do not exactly match municipal boundaries, a few homes near the borders with neighboring towns fall into the ZIP codes for those communities. A few homes in some adjoining municipalities use one of the two ZIP codes assigned to Montclair, as does HackensackUMC Mountainside, whose campus straddles the border with Glen Ridge. Small areas in the southeast of the township fall into the Glen Ridge ZIP code 07028.
Several streams flow eastward through Montclair: Toney's Brook in the center, Nishuane Brook in the southeast, Wigwam Brook in the southwest, Pearl Brook in the northwest, and Yantacaw Brook in the northeast—all in the Passaic River watershed. Yantacaw and Toney's brooks are dammed in parks to create ponds. Wigwam, Nishuane, and Toney's brooks flow into the Second River, and the others flow into the Third River. Montclair lies just north of the northernmost extent of the Rahway River watershed.
Montclair borders the municipalities of Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, Glen Ridge, Orange, Verona, and Orange, New Jersey|West Orange] in Essex County; and Clifton and Little Falls in Passaic County.
The southern border of Montclair is a straight line between Eagle Rock, on the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain, and the point where Orange Road begins at the foot of Ridgewood Avenue. The eastern border is roughly a straight line between that point and a point just southwest of where Broad Street crosses the Third River. The western border runs roughly along the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain between Eagle Rock and the Essex County/Passaic County border. The northern border is the border between those two counties.

Climate

Montclair has a temperate climate, with warm-to-hot, humid summers and cool-to-cold winters, as is characteristic of the Köppen climate classification humid continental climate. January tends to be the coldest month, with average high temperatures in the upper 30s Fahrenheit and lows averaging 21. July, the warmest month, features high temperatures in the mid-80s and lows in the 70s, with an average high of 86 degrees. From April to June and from September to early November, Montclair experiences temperatures from the lower 60s to the lower 70s.
Montclair gets approximately of rain per year, above the United States average of. Snowfall is common from December to early March and totals about annually. The number of days each year in Montclair with any measurable precipitation is 90; the area has an average of 202 sunny days.
Montclair is one or two degrees warmer than the neighboring municipalities of Verona and Cedar Grove because of the mountain between them, which sometimes blocks winds and clouds, including warmer air from the ocean to the east.

Demographics

The township has long been known for its ethnic diversity, a feature that has attracted many to the community. Its African-American community was once stable at around 30% of the population for decades, but has declined in both absolute and proportional terms in the 21st century, to 27% in 2010 and then to 22% in 2020. At the same time, the township’s Hispanic population has increased, accounting for more than 10% of residents in 2020.
Montclair has attracted many New Yorkers. Many residents work for major media organizations in New York City, including The New York Times and Newsweek. A March 11, 2007, posting in the blog Gawker.com listed some of those who work in the media and live in Montclair. Many residents are commuters to New York City and the metro area.

2020 census

Race / EthnicityPop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone 24,01322,26821,92022,59363.65%57.13%58.12%55.25%
Black or African American alone 11,46412,1949,9029,00830.39%31.29%26.25%22.02%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 795739360.21%0.15%0.10%0.09%
Asian alone 8401,2141,4162,0452.23%3.11%3.76%5.00%
Pacific Islander alone N/A12811N/A0.03%0.02%0.03%
Some Other Race alone 842202374440.22%0.56%0.63%1.08%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial N/A1,0171,3372,480N/A2.61%3.55%6.07%
Hispanic or Latino 1,2491,9952,8104,3043.31%5.12%7.47%10.53%
Total37,72938,97737,66940,921100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 37,669 people, 15,089 households, and 9,446 families in the township. The population density was. There were 15,911 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup was 62.16% White, 27.16% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 3.81% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.19% from other races, and 4.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 7.46% of the population.
Of the 15,089 households, 33.9% had children under the age of 18; 46.1% were married couples living together; 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 37.4% were non-families. Of all households, 30.9% were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.15.
25.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 87.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 82.2 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $95,696 and the median family income was $126,983. Males had a median income of $83,589 versus $66,063 for females. The per capita income for the township was $53,572. About 4.6% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Montclair has six distinct commercial zones:
  • Montclair Center, also known as Downtown Montclair, centered on the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue, South Fullerton Avenue, Glenridge Avenue, and Church Street, is the township's main commercial zone. This intersection is also known as Six Corners. It is home to some of Montclair's largest stores and restaurants and features many upscale restaurants and boutiques near the center of this commercial district. Near the eastern end of this district is Lackawanna Plaza, which once housed the Lackawanna railway station. There is a post office one block to the north of this area. In 2015, Montclair Center won the Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
  • Upper Montclair, in the north of the town, is the second-largest commercial zone. The center is the intersection of Valley Road and Bellevue Avenue and incorporates the surrounding areas. The Upper Montclair Business District is home to several restaurants, shops, and in more recent times, chain stores. Upper Montclair is home to the Upper Montclair railway station, a post office, and Anderson Park, a 14.85-acre parcel of land donated by Montclair resident Charles W. Anderson in 1903. It was called Montclair Park until 1909 when the township requested the name change. The park was designed by John Charles Olmsted, the stepson of Frederick Law Olmsted.
  • Watchung Plaza is located around the intersection of Watchung Avenue and Park Street and is on the divide between two Montclair ZIP Codes, 07042 and 07043. It is home to many "Mom and Pop Stores" and other small businesses. Watchung Plaza has its own post office. It is served by the Watchung Avenue station.
  • Walnut Street, built around the Walnut Street train station. In the spring, summer, and fall it is home to the Montclair Farmer's Market. This commercial zone is home to many restaurants and cafes as well as home to Montclair Brewery, New Jersey's first black-owned microbrewery, and Montclair's only operating brewery.
  • South End, in the south of town, at the intersection of Cedar Avenue and Orange Road.
  • Valley Road, between Chestnut Street and Claremont Avenue, is known locally as "Frog Hollow." This area has some strip mall-style shops on one side, and on the other side, window shops with residential apartments on top of them.

Arts and culture

Literature and film

In the 1948 biographical novel Cheaper by the Dozen, the principal characters Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr. and Lillian Moller Gilbreth live in Montclair, as the authors did in real life.
Some scenes of the film "Seven Minutes in Heaven" were filmed in and around Montclair High School.
The 1989 film Bloodhounds of Broadway, which starred Madonna, Matt Dillon, and Jennifer Grey, was partially filmed in Montclair.
Pedro Almodóvar's 2024 film The Room Next Door features scenes filmed in the Montclair Book Center and Montclair State University.
The HBO drama The Sopranos features several scenes shot in and taking place in Montclair with numerous references to the township appearing in the show.

Music

Herman Hupfeld, composer of the song "As Time Goes By", was born, lived, and was buried in Montclair. The song was voted No. 2 on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film.
The indie rock band Pinegrove is from Montclair. In 2023, it released Montclair: Live at the Wellmont Theater, a film recording a 2021 performance in Montclair.

Theatre

In 1971, the actors Louis Zorich and his wife, the later Oscar-winning actress, Olympia Dukakis, founded a theatre group that included Remi Barclay, Jason Bosseau, Margery Fierst, Gerald Fierst, and many others. Some of the acting artistic and administrative participants were permanent, and semi-permanent. Performances were peppered with visits and occasional celebrity artists. Naming themselves Whole Theatre, they based themselves in Montclair. Located from Midtown Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River, the Whole Theatre productions were readily available to New York City and New Jersey audiences.
In the two decades in which Whole Theatre flourished, they presented a long list of performances in a wide variety of genres. Productions included The Rose Tattoo, Mother Courage, Rabelais: a Dramatic Game, and America at Full Moon.
They enjoyed the support of the local community and the theatre community of New York and New Jersey generally. For example, in 1975–1976 the company acknowledged over 120 substantial donors in their program as well as funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
In 1989, Olympia Dukakis was named as the company's Artistic Director. Her two co-directors were Remi Barclay and Gerald Fierst, who were jointly responsible for Education and Outreach.
In 2018 Brooke Lea Foster of The New York Times stated that it was one of several "least suburban of suburbs, each one celebrated by buyers there for its culture and hip factor, as much as the housing stock and sophisticated post-city life."

Art institutions

Montclair hosts many art institutions and theaters, and despite its relatively small size, has many art venues. It has its own art museum, the Montclair Art Museum, and several small galleries.
Montclair also hosts one cinema, the Claridge Cinema on Bloomfield Avenue that shows different types of movies from documentaries to small-scale indie films. The township hosted its first annual film festival in 2012 to provide a platform for filmmakers from New Jersey, the US, and the world.
Live theaters include The Montclair Operetta Company, the Wellmont Theater, Montclair State University's Kasser Theater, Montclair State University's theater in Life Hall, and the Studio Playhouse. On Bloomfield Avenue, there is a public stage used for concerts and other events. Dotted around Montclair there are also many art galleries, although most are centered in the Bloomfield Avenue Downtown Area. Concerts are held at the Wellmont Theater and at several churches and auditoriums sponsored by Outpost in the Burbs, a community-based organization. In 2017, The Montclair Orchestra was formed as a semi-professional orchestra, with professional musicians and students from top colleges.
Montclair was the setting for some of the stories in the HBO television series The Sopranos, and many Montclair streets, locations, and businesses were featured in the show, such as Bloomfield Avenue.
Montclair Public Library is one of the oldest public libraries in New Jersey, with the largest collection of materials in northern New Jersey. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Montclair city council cut library funding to the minimum levels required by New Jersey law. The library's director resigned following a forensic audit, in which no irregularities were found.

Sports

Parks and recreation

Montclair is home to many parks and nature reserves. Parks in Montclair are both county and municipal. Additional open space includes the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, and many school-owned sports fields, viz., Montclair State University's Sprague Field. In total Montclair has of township park land spread over 18 parks and of county park land consisting of five parks.
Municipal parks include Mountainside Park, the township's largest at, which offers extensive tennis and recreation facilities, and includes the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, a living museum donated by the family of Frank Presby that is maintained by volunteers and dedicated to the iris. Covering nearly of wetlands and uplands along the Third River, the Alonzo F. Bonsal Wildlife Preserve offers hiking trails and other passive recreation. Yantacaw Brook Park, covering, surrounds a pond that is fed by Yantacaw Brook and that in turn feeds into the Third River on its way towards the Passaic River.
The township has 17 public tennis courts, four skating rinks, and three public swimming pools: the Mountainside pool, the Nishuane pool, and the Essex pool.
In 2007, township residents advocated for the construction of a public skatepark. Community members revitalized the effort in 2010 and lobbied the Parks and Recreation Committee for support. The township council passed a resolution expressing approval of the project but allocated no funds for it. In the spring of 2020, an impromptu skatepark was created by community members on two of the unused tennis courts at Rand Park on North Fullerton Avenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, the township held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially recognize this space as a temporary skatepark. The township's playground insurance covers skateboarding, allowing it to allocate funds to the park. The township paid for signs for the skatepark using its playground fund. All skating equipment at Rand Park has been provided by community members with no financial support from the township.

Media

Montclair has one local newspaper, the Montclair Local.
In addition, there is a radio station at 90.3 FM on the campus of Montclair State University, WMSC.
There is a pirate radio station broadcasting at 91.9 FM on Valley Road, between Bellevue Rd. and Lorraine Ave. playing "I'll make love to you" by Boys II Men. The transponder, owned by George Louvis, has been broadcasting the song on repeat since 2007.
The township has a municipal public service television channel, Channel 34, where township council and school board meetings are broadcast. Montclair High School has its own paper the Mountaineer, and Montclair State University has its own student-run paper, the Montclarion. WNJN, one of four stations of state-wide PBS member station NJTV, is also located there.

Government

Local government

Since July 1, 1988, Montclair has been governed under the Council-Manager Plan 13 form of municipal government under the Faulkner Act, whose originator, Bayard H. Faulkner, was a former mayor of Montclair. The township is one of 42 municipalities statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the township council, who are elected to concurrent four-year terms on a non-partisan basis in elections held as part of the May municipal elections. The mayor is elected directly by the voters. The township council includes six members, of which two council seats are elected from the township at-large and one council seat is elected from each of four wards. A deputy mayor is selected by the six council members from their members, and this position is largely ceremonial. The mayor has no executive powers, but presides over council meetings and has both a voice and vote in its proceedings. The mayor appoints members to many local governing groups, most notably the board of education.
, the mayor of Montclair is Renee Baskerville, who became the township's first African-American woman elected as mayor. Members of the township council are Deputy Mayor Susan Shin Andersen, Eileen Birmingham, Erik D'Amato, Carmel Loughman, Aminah Toler, and Rahum Williams, all serving terms of office expiring on June 30, 2028.

Federal, state, and county representation

Montclair is split between the 10th and 11th Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 27th state legislative district.
Prior to the 2010 Census, Montclair had been part of the and the 10th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections. The split that took effect in 2013 drew the southern section of the township into the 10th District, while the northern portion moved to the 11th District.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 27,289 registered voters in Montclair, of which 14,782 were registered as Democrats, 2,581 were registered as Republicans and 9,903 were registered as unaffiliated. There were 23 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Montclair has consistently ranked as one of the most steadfastly Democratic suburbs in New Jersey, with no presidential candidate breaking 20% of the vote since George W. Bush. No candidate has broken 30% of the vote in any statewide election in the 2000s, even in the 2013 gubernatorial election.

Education

The Montclair Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district consists of seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of 11 schools, had an enrollment of 6,216 students and 564.6 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1. Schools in the district are
Bradford Elementary School,
Charles H. Bullock Elementary School,
Edgemont Elementary School,
Hillside Elementary School,
Nishuane Elementary School,
Northeast Elementary School,
Watchung Elementary School,
Buzz Aldrin Middle School,
Renaissance Middle School at the Rand Building and
Montclair High School.
Montclair is home to Montclair State University, which was founded in 1908 as the New Jersey State Normal School at Montclair.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark supervises the operation of Lacordaire Academy at the high school level and Lacordaire Academy Lower Division and St. Cassian School for grades Pre-K–8. In 2016, St. Cassian School was one of ten schools in New Jersey, and one of four private schools in the state, recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education, a recognition celebrating excellence in academics. the diocese operated Immaculate Conception High School until it closed in 2025.
Montclair is also home to a host of public and private schools, including Montclair Kimberley Academy, Montclair Community Pre-K, Montclair Cooperative School, Virginia Harkness Sawtelle Learning, Maria Montessori Early Learning, Trinity Academy, and Deron School II.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Montclair is considered a commuter suburb of New York City. NJ Transit is the provider of public transportation. The average Montclair commute is 38 minutes each way. About 24% of commuters take mass transit, while 59% drive alone. Twelve times more Montclair commuters take mass transit than the national average.

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Essex County Road Dept.
Major roads in the township include County Route 506.
There is a taxi stand near Bloomfield Avenue in eastern Montclair, in front of Lackawanna Plaza, formerly the Montclair train station.

Public transportation

Bus
NJ Transit buses 11, 28, 29, 34, 97, 191, and 705 run through Montclair, most going along the main street, Bloomfield Avenue. The NJ transit bus routes are:
All of these routes except #97, #191, and #705 were trolley lines originally, operated by the Public Service Railway. A trolley garage existed on Bloomfield Avenue. In the 1930s and 1950s, the trolleys were destroyed and replaced with buses.
DeCamp Bus Lines routes 33 and 66 ran through Montclair to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City until April 2023, carrying primarily commuters.
  • #33 went along Bloomfield Avenue, with some buses going onto Grove Street
  • #66 went along Orange Road, Park Street, Valley Road, and Mt. Hebron Road
Montclair State University has shuttle buses going around its campus.
The township of Montclair operates its own jitney in the evening, from the Bay Street train station to the southern end of Montclair.
Rail
Running through Montclair is the Montclair-Boonton Line, serving New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal to the east, and Hackettstown to the west. Seven NJ Transit Rail stations serve Montclair: Bay Street, Walnut Street, Watchung Avenue, Upper Montclair, Mountain Avenue, and Montclair Heights in Montclair, and Montclair State University station in the Great Notch area of Little Falls. Only Bay Street station has weekend train service.
Montclair has a long history of railroads. The first railroad to Montclair was built in 1856 by the Newark and Bloomfield Railroad. It terminated at a station in Downtown Montclair. First the Morris and Essex Railroad, then the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad leased the line.
In 1868, the Montclair Railway built another line through Montclair, which caused disputes leading to Montclair's separation from Bloomfield. Shortly afterward it was taken over by the New York and Greenwood Lake Railway, a subsidiary of the Erie Railroad. A third railroad to Morristown was planned in 1860 and construction began, but the Panic of 1873 ended the project. In 1912 the Lackawanna Railroad built a large terminal at the end of their line. The Erie and Lackawanna Railroads later merged, forming the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, which operated both lines for many decades. They were next operated by Conrail for approximately one year, after which NJ Transit took over passenger operations and Conrail continued freight operations. Meanwhile, the 1912 terminal was closed in 1981 and converted into shops. This station was replaced by the Bay Street station. In 2002, the two railway lines were connected with the construction of the Montclair Connection.

Healthcare

Mountainside Medical Center, also known as Mountainside Hospital, is a 398-bed acute-care hospital located in Montclair that serves Northern Essex County. A part of the Hackensack Meridian Health, Mountainside Hospital is one of only two for-profit hospitals in New Jersey. It is also a clinical campus and affiliate of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine and provides clinical clerkship education for the medical school's osteopathic medical students. As of 2020, Mountainside Hospital provides 12 specialties and hosts 47 full-time interns and residents.

Housing

Montclair is noted for its historic architecture. It is home to six historic districts listed on the Register of Historic Places of both the state and country as a whole, 92 individually listed landmarks, and two locally designated commercial districts. Works by significant architects include designs by Van Vleck and Goldsmith, Charles Follen McKim, McKim, Mead, and White, Henry Hudson Holly, Charles A. Platt, Alexander Jackson Davis, Dudley Van Antwerp, Effingham R. North, Montrose Morris, and Frances Nelson, among others.
In 2018, Bobbi Brown, founder and ex-CCO of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and her husband, realtor Steven Plofker opened The George, a 32-room boutique hotel on North Mountain Avenue that was originally a private home constructed in 1902.
Montclair has also housed many hotels, such as the defunct Hotel Montclair. In 2013, plans were announced to bring a new hotel to Montclair, featuring 100 rooms and a liquor license.

Sister cities

Montclair's sister cities are:
In 2022, the town ended its relationship with the city of Cherepovets, in protest against the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Points of interest

Historic sites

Montclair is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places: