Author: Brett
Recently, Metro New York, that free newspaper distributed on the street, reported that more Park Slopers are moving to Montclair to avoid the alternate side parking. This fact made sense to me since we ruled out Montclair as a potential new home two years ago for their blatant lack of consideration for mass transit.
Many people may not know that the township of Montclair has forbidden NJ Transit from running trains on weekends and holidays. Which means that not a single town along the train line can use the train! I even went so far as to call NJ Transit and ask them why they had such limited service. “Ask the town of Montclair,” the rep told me. Outrageous? We thought so. Sure, there’s the Decamp Bus, but who wants to sit for an eternity trying to enter the Lincoln Tunnel when there’s a perfectly good train line going to waste? That’s why we decided long ago that we would only look in towns along a (working) train route.
Despite Montclair’s backwards stance on mass transit, if you are looking for a nice house amongst green leafy streets with sidewalks and still walk to the train and some shops, then you want to take a look in NJ. The state government has been allocating funds to areas that are looking to incorporate residential and commercial spaces all within strolling distance to train stations. These new spaces have been deemed, “Transit Villages”.
One of the first townships to be designated a transit village was South Orange, in Essex County. In front of the train station is a new block of shops, including an independent bakery café, perfect for grabbing that cup of joe before boarding the train. Across the street from the train is a new apartment complex, and just up the block is a (small) town square where the township holds seasonal events. The schools are slightly above average, the community is diverse, and the streets are clean.
We stopped for lunch at the Gaslight Brewery on South Orange Avenue, one of the main streets. At the time, we found it a bit too quiet, especially coming from Manhattan, but if coming home to a sleepy town sounds relaxing, then this town might be perfect for you.
One drawback to living in South Orange may be its proximity to East Orange, which is an area that is coping with a gang problem, but there are hopeful signs that East Orange, as well as Newark, may be improving.
South Orange Historical and Preservation Society
Real Deal article
Gothamist article
Brooklyn Paper article
South Orange Smart Growth PDF
8 Comments
That’s insane! Friggen NIMBYs.
What’s insane is that people would uproot their lives and move to another state because of PARKING!! A car in Park Slope is a luxury, not a necessity, plus there are several Zipcar locations.
I say “Let ’em go.” Would you really miss these people in Brooklyn anyway? I must say though, one of the (many) reasons I left Park Slope years ago was parking. As a photographer I needed to schlepp heavy equipment as far as NJ or upstate. I got tired of coming home from a wedding at 1am, dropping my equipment, then circling for parking for another 20 minutes. This was pre Zipcar, Anne, so don’t hate me. 😉
RH, I’m a lover, not a hater! I know what you’re talking about with the late night gear schleps. And having lived in Montclair, I can attest to the fact that parking is a huge issue there as well. Unless these Slopers can afford a house with its own driveway or a condo with a parking lot, they may find themselves in the same boat, except that their property taxes are now tripled.
I’ve always assumed everyone has a driveway outside of the boros.
definitely not. i lived in an apartment building in montclair and the on-street parking in front of our building was 2-hour or something like that… the township sells parking permits (with an allocated spot) for their municipal lots, but the closest one to me was several blocks away, a dark and lonely walk at night. and not all the houses have driveways either, so they’re in the same boat, competing with shoppers and visitors for a spot in front of their house.
if the train service were better it would actually be possible to live in some parts of montclair without a car (i did a lot of errands and shopping trips on my bike), but as you mention the town seems reluctant to get with the program. all part of this very mid-20th century thinking that anyone who doesn’t own a car couldn’t possibly be the “right” type of person to live there.
planning one’s life around that decamp bus schedule was just too tragic for me, moving back to brooklyn and ditching the car was a huge relief!
Montclair sounds like the type of suburb I dread.
it’s better than most. at least the houses are old and beautiful and different from each other; there is also some local culture and progressive politics. but hey… it ain’t Brooklyn! and for those who think that’s a good thing, be sure to pay your parking tickets on the way out!