Maplewood - South Orange
Two sister communities in Essex County with "rich and varied architecture, demographic diversity, and an easy commute into Manhattan.”
In addition to its lively downtown section, Maplewood is “filled with charming houses that are slightly larger than a starter home without being too large.”(The New York Times). Citing the top three reasons home buyers choose Maplewood, one resident says: “No. 1, the direct train into the city; No. 2, diversity; and No. 3, lifestyle.” (source: The New York Times.)
Maplewood is around 20 miles west of lower Manhattan. New Jersey Transit (Morris & Essex line) trains go directly to New York’s Penn Station in about 35 to 40 minutes (one way: $7.25, monthly pass: $208). NJ Transit buses run direct to Port Authority in about 50 minutes (one way: $6.50).
Residents gravitate to Maplewood’s bustling downtown, full of shops, restaurants and a movie theater, or to Memorial Park, 25 acres of ball fields, picnic areas, tennis courts and playground. Here is where the town’s annual Maplewoodstock, a two-day music and art festival, takes place each July. Another popular summer spot is the Maplewood Community Pool, open to residents through a paid membership. The South Mountain Reservation, a 2,047-acre county park that is partly in Maplewood, has a zoo, an ice skating arena, a dog park, about 20 miles of footpaths and 27 miles of carriage roads. The town has two libraries, and a weekly farmer’s market runs from June through October.
The New York Times calls neighboring South Orange “A Place to Feel Homey While Staying Hip.” The town offers residents an urban suburban-mix, and most residents own their homes. South Orange’s downtown section has a mix of eclectic restaurants and one-of-a-kind stores, coffee shops, and more, offering residents much to do. Opened in 2006, the ultramodern South Orange Performing Arts Center offers live performances in its 415-seat auditorium, as well as a five-screen movie theater. Outdoor activities include: a community pool; the Orange Lawn Tennis Club, which was founded in 1880 and has 10 grass and 10 artificial-turf courts; and hiking and biking trails in the South Mountain Reservation, a 2,000-acre preserve that also has a dog park run by the county.
South Orange is served by two New Jersey Transit train stations on the Morristown line; the trip to Penn Station takes 30 to 40 minutes. For residents of outlying neighborhoods, there is jitney service to the train station. The 107 New Jersey Transit bus line also provides direct service into the city, taking 48 minutes to get to the Port Authority and costing $6.50 per ride. During non-commuting hours, the drive into the city, via Route 280, can take as little as 25 minutes.
In the School District of South Orange and Maplewood, children attend one of six public elementary schools, Maplewood or South Orange Middle School, and Columbia High School, which is in Maplewood. The high school prides itself in the diversity of its roughly 1,860 students, and in programs like its robotics club, which has gone to the world championships the last two years. The school offers 21 AP courses. Its average SAT scores for 2012-13 were 522 in reading, 540 in math and 521 in writing, compared with state averages of 495, 521 and 496.
