Montclair looks like the perfect suburb on screen, but what's it actually like to live here? Here's a local's honest tour of the commute, the downtowns, the parks, and the festivals that make it feel like home.
I'm Nancy Chu of Nancy Chu Homes at Keller Williams NJ Metro Group, and I've been selling homes in Montclair for twenty years. People ask me all the time what it's actually like to live here, and I get it. You've seen Montclair, even if you didn't know it. Its proximity to New York City, its quintessential suburban character, and its streets full of big classic Colonials, Tudors, and Victorians make it look like the perfect suburb. It looks so good that Hollywood keeps using it: Montclair has long been a favorite spot to shoot film, TV, and commercials, right up to recent productions like the Happy Gilmore sequel.
But looking great on camera and being a great place to actually live are two different things. So here's the honest local tour.
Where is Montclair, and what's the layout?
Montclair is a small town, about four and a half miles long and a mile and a half wide. It's bordered by Glen Ridge and Bloomfield to the east, Verona and Cedar Grove to the west, the Oranges to the south, and Clifton and Little Falls to the north.
You'll hear people talk about "Montclair" and "Upper Montclair" like they're two different places. They're split by Watchung Avenue, and yes, they have different ZIP codes (07042 and 07043), but honestly it's a distinction without a big difference. Centuries ago the Dutch settled Upper Montclair and the English settled south of Watchung. Today it's all one town with one shared personality.
How's the commute to NYC from Montclair?
This is the question I get more than any other, and it's Montclair's not-so-secret superpower: it is hard to live more than two miles from a train station here.
The town has seven train stations — Montclair State in the north, then Montclair Heights, Mountain Avenue, Upper Montclair, Watchung Avenue, Walnut Street, and the big one, Bay Street. From there the line runs to Newark Broad Street, where you can switch toward Hoboken and the PATH, or stay on the Midtown Direct straight into Penn Station.
Don't want the train? You've got options:
Box Car — the newer commuter bus service (boxcar.com) picks up around town (Park Street and Bloomfield Avenue, the Watchung Avenue station, the Upper Montclair station, and Valley Road) and drops you in Manhattan around 42nd Street and up Madison to the Upper East Side. Great for getting crosstown and uptown.
Park-and-Ride — NJ Transit runs lots nearby, the closest being on Allwood Road in Clifton to the north and South Mountain Arena in West Orange to the south.
The Harrison PATH — a little more time in the car, but parking is cheap and the PATH takes you right into the World Trade Center, or switch at Journal Square for the 33rd Street line.
There are a dozen other combinations. You'll find your favorite fast.
Where do people shop and eat in Montclair?
Montclair has six business and shopping districts, which is a lot for a town this size, and it's a big part of why it never feels sleepy.
The big one is Bloomfield Avenue — boutique shops, supermarkets, a movie theater, loads of restaurants, and the Wellmont, a live-performance venue where you can catch genuinely great acts. A few of my picks down there: Ani Ramen, Raymond's for brunch, and Faubourg for fancy French food and a pretty cool bar scene.
The districts around the train stations have their own personalities:
Walnut Street — The Corner for brunch, Egan's for casual food and drinks, Montclair Brewery for a great beer selection, plus the Saturday farmers market right at the station.
Watchung Plaza (Watchung Avenue and Park Street) — Mr. Dino's for old-school pizza, and a proper New Jersey sloppy joe at the Millburn Deli (which, fair warning, is not the loose-meat sandwich you're picturing).
Upper Montclair — the strip runs from the Acme on Valley Road down to Kings, with everything from Starbucks and Dunkin to a great lunch at Jackie's Gillette, Taco Tuesday at Tortas Locas, and a fancy dinner at Turtle + Wolf.
Me? I'm always on the go, so it's usually a cold drink from the QuickChek on Valley, a hot everything bagel with the bacon-horseradish cream cheese at Hot Bagels Abroad, and a cold one at the end of the day at Tierney's Tavern.
What are the parks and outdoor spaces like?
Montclair does a genuinely great job of keeping things green. The town runs three public pools (yes, three), tennis courts, ball fields, nature trails at Mills Reservation and Eagle Rock Reservation, and skating rinks by the high school and the university.
And that's before Brookdale Park, the county park designed by the Olmsted firm, the same name behind New York's Central Park, with soccer fields, tennis courts, a dog park, and endless walking and running trails. If you're around in May, the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens are worth the trip, and the Van Vleck House and Gardens is a beautiful spot year-round.
What festivals and community events does Montclair have?
This is where Montclair really shows its personality. We host the area's largest Fourth of July parade (you'll see me marching with our Keller Williams NJ Metro Group office, though you won't spot my husband, he's the one in the mascot costume). Beyond that:
The Montclair African-American Heritage Parade and Festival
Montclair Pride, one of the biggest in the region
The Art Walk, where 50-plus downtown businesses take part
The Lunar New Year celebration
The Montclair Jazz Festival and the nationally known Montclair Film Festival
The Upper Montclair Sidewalk Sale and the Walnut Street Fair
And a personal favorite, the "Strut Your Mutt" Halloween pet-costume contest and parade (as cute as it sounds)
Don't miss the Montclair Art Museum, either — home to more than 12,000 works, including pieces by Montclair's own George Inness, plus Native American artifacts and contemporary Native American artists.
Can you live in Montclair without a car?
For a suburb, remarkably, yes. Montclair is designed to keep you out of your car as much as possible. Whether it's strolling to your local spot for a bite or riding an e-bike to your train, it's walkable and bikeable for most of the year. That combination, real walkability plus a train into the city, is exactly what makes this town different from the drive-everywhere suburbs around it.
FAQ: Living in Montclair, NJ
Is Montclair, NJ a good place to live?
For a lot of people, yes. Montclair pairs a genuine New York City commute (seven train stations, plus bus and PATH options) with walkable downtowns, an unusually strong arts and festival scene, great parks, and classic prewar architecture. It's a suburb where you don't have to give up city life to get space.
How long is the commute from Montclair to NYC?
Most Montclair train stations run on the Midtown Direct line into Penn Station, and it's hard to live more than two miles from a station. Depending on your station and the time of day, you're looking at roughly a 45-minute to one-hour trip into Manhattan, with bus (Box Car) and PATH-via-Harrison alternatives.
What's the difference between Montclair and Upper Montclair?
They're two halves of the same town, split by Watchung Avenue, with different ZIP codes (07042 and 07043). Upper Montclair has its own business district and tends to run a bit quieter and a touch pricier, but it's genuinely a distinction without a big difference. It's one community.
Does Montclair have good downtowns and restaurants?
Six shopping and business districts, anchored by Bloomfield Avenue, plus smaller hubs around the Walnut Street, Watchung, and Upper Montclair stations. You get everything from ramen and craft beer to old-school pizza and fine dining, a movie theater, and the Wellmont live-music venue.
Which towns does Nancy Chu Homes cover?
We work across North Jersey — Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, Verona, the Caldwells, Millburn and Short Hills, Livingston, Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, and throughout Essex County and the surrounding markets.
Want the market picture too?
Lifestyle is half the decision. The other half is the market, and Montclair's is a story of its own. It recently ranked the #2 hottest ZIP code in America, and if you want the numbers behind it, we publish how we measure the local market and a quarterly Essex County market report with prices, days on market, and sale-to-list by town.
Work with us
That's Montclair. We love it, and I think you will too. If you're weighing a move here, the most useful thing you can do is talk to someone who actually lives and works the town, not just the listings, but the streets, the stations, and which block fits how you want to live.
I'm Nancy Chu, of Nancy Chu Homes at Keller Williams NJ Metro Group: twenty years, 1,300-plus closings, and a team that knows exactly how these towns move. Reach me at 917-992-3098 or nancychuhomes.com, and let's talk about making Montclair your home.
