About Montclair

MONTCLAIR: WHERE CITY MEETS SUBURB

Montclair has been home for me and my family for over 20 years, so I may sound a bit biased when singing its praises! There are many reasons to love living in Montclair. My top six are:

A diverse population
Beautiful architecture
A thriving arts community
Top-notch schools
Verdant public parks and wooded nature preserves
Ease of access to NYC by train, bus and car

Montclair also boasts the second largest university in the state, a first-rate art museum, venues for live music and theater, art galleries and a wide range of boutiques. The town’s many lively business districts are famous for great restaurants, shops and nightlife. Montclair is also home to annual literary, and film and jazz festivals!

Work in New York? Montclair, 13 miles from Manhattan, has seven train stations with direct service to NY Penn Station (average travel time about 43 minutes), as well as public and private bus lines to Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Both my daughters received excellent educations from Montclair’s public school system, which services students in K-12 with seven elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school. The district’s award-winning magnet system has elementary and middle schools identified by the themes: global studies, science & technology, creating connections, Montessori, university, STEM, environmental science, and gifted & talented.

Montclair's academically challenging high school provides a diverse curriculum, including several smaller learning communities within the school, like the Center for Social Justice and the Civics and Government Institute. Another smaller community is the School for Visual and Performing Arts, which presents a drama, a “show case,” a spring musical and many dance performances throughout the year. Sports are also a huge draw, with an expansive array of championship teams.

In addition, Montclair has excellent private schools for Pre-K through 12th grade, and for students with special education needs.Over the years, Montclair has been home to the likes of Yogi Berra, Stephen Colbert, Bobbi Brown, and Buzz Aldrin, for whom one of its middle schools was recently re-named.

I can’t say enough good things about Montclair, whose motto is: “Where the City Meets the Suburbs,” or as New York Magazine called it, “a cultural oasis” in the suburbs.

Montclair Edgemont Park

Edgemont Park, One of Montclair's Many Green Spaces