About Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey is one of the most sought
after suburban communities in the nation. Located 12
miles west of Manhattan, it is known - not only for
its fine residential neighborhoods - but for its
proximity and direct train access to New York,
cultural diversity, first class dining, trendy
shops, entertainment and cultural facilities, scenic
beauty, large parks and recreational amenities, as
well as its nationally renowned magnet school
system. The residents of Montclair include
professionals in the areas of: finance, law,
medicine, business, real estate, education,
government and is heavily populated by members of
the print and broadcast media, as well as the arts.
Its population has remained steady for decades at
about 38,000.
Many homebuyers come from New York City to Montclair
for its decidedly metropolitan sensibility. New York
Magazine called Montclair, ‘the upper west side of
suburbia’. It is a leafy community with quiet
residential streets yet offers several historic
shopping villages sprinkled throughout town. (Click
on Town Photos to get a visual taste of Montclair).
There is also a vibrant and exciting central
business district with major retailers, the charming
and intimate Church Street promenade as well as The
Wellmont Theater - a beautifully restored 2,000 seat
concert venue attracting national music groups and
comedians. From almost any location in Montclair, a
cup of coffee at a neighborhood barista or a great
meal are never more than a stroll away.
What’s in Montclair
Montclair, New Jersey is a sophisticated
community. The Montclair Art Museum is influential
and very active with recent exhibits including
Andrew Wyeth and Cezanne. Montclair State University
is 100 years old and offers 300 majors within 6
schools and colleges on its 246 acre campus. It was
voted #54 on Forbes Magazine’s 2009 list of Best
Public Colleges in the nation. Also on its campus is
The Yogi Berra Museum and a spectacular
state-of-the-art minor league baseball stadium for
New Jersey’s home team – The Jackals.
The community has its own highly regarded medical
center in Mountainside Hospital. It is home to a
school of nursing, the comprehensive Cancer Center,
the Congestive Heart Failure Center, the Chronic
Renal Dialysis Center and the Richard F. Harries
Ambulatory Care Pavilion. It is also known for its
comprehensive gastroenterology and psychiatric
services. Mountainside Hospital is a clinical
affiliate of the University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School.
It is a partner with The Cancer Institute of New
Jersey and is accredited by the Joint Commission for
Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO).
Departments are described in detail below.
Mountainside Park is home to the world famous Iris
Gardens with species dating back to the 1500’s.
Anderson Park, which was designed by the same
architects who created New York’s Central Park, is
adjacent to the historic childhood home of Apollo 11
Astronaut, Buzz Aldrin. Montclair also has the
historic Kip’s Castle, a beautiful and genuine
castle owned by the county and open to the public.
The Montclair Public Library is very active and
well-supported with major town-wide events and
programs for children and adults.
Parks and Recreation
Montclair has an extraordinary number of parks of
all shapes and sizes - nearly two dozen. Brookdale
Park (121 acres) is one of the largest and most
active for sports, amenities like brand new tennis
courts, state of the art track and soccer field,
rose garden, playgrounds, dog walking park and
annual events such as the Easter Egg Hunt and
fantastic Fourth of July Fireworks display.
Montclair has community pools, a year-round soccer
dome, and fantastic hiking at Eagle Rock and Mills
Reservation, with glorious views from the top. The
area also has some of the best public and private
golf courses in the state, many of which have been
home to PGA tournaments including the U.S. Amateur,
which was held at Montclair Golf Club.
Montclair also hosts many large street fairs,
sidewalk sales and park events including Anderson
Park’s annual “Art in the Park” – an enormous
exhibit (and sale) of art from all around the
region. “May in Montclair” is a vibrant time with a
pre-issued bound program publicizing events all over
town. In the warm months, Montclair offers a
wonderful farmer’s market on Saturdays down by the
Walnut Street Train Station.
The Montclair YMCA is outstanding. Its main building
has two indoor swimming pools, state-of-the-art
ladies and men’s locker rooms, every conceivable
class from spinning to Tai Chi, an enormous weight
room, two large exercise machine rooms, babysitting
services and an extremely competitive swim team, the
Montclair Marlins. If that’s not enough, Montclair
children under the age of six have their very own
facility – the Helen and Bill Geyer YMCA (known as
‘the little Y’). It has a 3 foot deep pool, arts and
crafts, cooking, gym classes and even a rock
climbing wall.
Children’s public town sports leagues include
baseball, soccer (in the covered soccer dome),
swimming and lacrosse. The high school athletic
department is enormous with very highly competitive
girl’s lacrosse, softball, tennis, soccer, swimming,
gymnastics and field hockey teams. The boy’s teams
have everything you can imagine including past state
championships in lacrosse and the highly acclaimed
football program. Past MHS football players include
David Tyree of the N.Y. Giants.
Commuting From Montclair
It doesn’t get much better than the commute from
Montclair to New York City. The town boasts 6
different train stations from which to board a 40-50
minute train ride direct to Penn Station in
mid-town. Weekend service was approved as of
November, 8, 2009. If the train is not your thing,
then choose from 2 different bus lines to the New
York Port Authority - one going up and down Grove
Street to Route 3 or the other which travels along
Park Street, turning up Bellevue Ave to Valley Road
- also ending up on Route 3.
Montclair School System
Montclair is nationally recognized for its
outstanding magnet school system and was selected by
the U.S. Department of Education as one of the 6
best in the country. It was a model for the report,
“Innovations in Education: Creating Successful
Magnet School Systems”. A magnet system is one where
choice of school is the major characteristic.
Parents do not necessarily send their children to
the school closest to their home but rather, choose
the school best suited to the child’s individual
talents and needs. The town has 6 (soon to be 7)
elementary schools - each with its own magnet theme
such as Montessori, Gifted and Talented, the
University magnet, and others. All provide the same
basic and rigorous core curriculum. Busing is
available for students living a certain distance
away, typically one mile or more. Montclair High
School regularly sends dozens of seniors to Ivy
League and highly competitive universities.
Mountainside Hospital
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365 beds
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Modern, 17,000 square foot Emergency Department,
including specialized services for pediatric
emergencies
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Adult outpatient Cancer Center, offering
compassionate care, close to home
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On-campus School of Nursing
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Outpatient Rehabilitation Services - Speech
Therapy, Audiology, and Physical Therapy
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Dental Clinic
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Bariatric Surgery Program (nationally-recognized
as a Center of Excellence)
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Rehabilitation Services for adults and children
including Physical, Occupational and Speech
Therapy provided at the Hospital and at Verona
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Melanoma Center
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One of the best-equipped Gastrointestinal Suites
in the tri-state area
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Comprehensive Behavioral Health Programs
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Cardiac Catheterization and Emergency
Angioplasty Service
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Heart Failure Center
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Center for Sleep Disorders
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Critical Decision/Chest Pain Center
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Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
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Developmental Disabilities Center
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Diagnostic Radiology, Dialysis and Radiation
Oncology including a state-of-the-art PET/CT
Scanner
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Neonatal Intermediate Care
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24/7 Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists for
high-risk pregnancies
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One of the highest rated Orthopedic Programs,
featuring total knee and hip replacements
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Pain Management
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Bloodless Medicine and Surgery
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Transitional Care Unit: The TCU is one of only 6
in the state and services patients from
Mountainside Hospital and Hospitals in
surrounding counties. Our deficiency free unit
specializes in short term rehabilitation and
over 85% of the patients return home.
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Women's Health Center
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Mountainside Family Practice Associates
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Wound Care Center
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Health Sciences Library (open to the public)
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