Montclair, New Jersey is located in Essex County, New Jersey. The township has a total area of 6.3 square miles, and 2010 census data puts the population at 37,669. Montclair has six business districts, including Montclair Center, Upper Montclair, Watchung Plaza, Walnut Street, South End, and Frog Hollow. Cities located next to Montclair include Verona, West Orange, and Cedar Grove.
Montclair Center is the largest of the commercial areas with most of the restaurants and shops in the city. Known for its historic architecture, Montclair is home to 6 historic districts, 92 individually listed landmarks, and 2 Register of Historic Places designated business districts. The median home price in Montclair is $640,000, 3 times higher than the national average, and the cost of living is about 48% higher than the national average.
There are many parks and nature reserves in Montclair, including Eagle Rock Reservation and Preseby Memorial Iris Gardens. Montclair has its own local newspaper, the Montclair Times, and a radio station, WSMC, which is run from the Montclair State University campus. Montclair is considered a commuter town for New York City, and the NJ Transit and Decamp bus lines provide access to New York City. The average trip from Montclair to Manhattan is about 40 minutes each way, and about 1 in 4 commuters from Montclair take some form of public transportation.
The municipality also has some of the best schools in the area. The Montclair Public Schools system is available to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. In total, the district has seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. Statistics from the 2007-8 school year document that among the eleven schools there was a total student enrollment of 6,562 and 460 classroom teachers, making a student-teacher ratio of 14.3.
Every school in Montclair is a magnet school, a public school with specialized courses that decentralize education. Students can decide which school they would like to attend, so school selection is not based on where you live within Montclair.
For example, each of Montclair’s elementary schools (K-5) has its own magnet theme: Bradford – The University, Edgement – Montessori, Hillside – Gifted and Talented, Nishuane – Gifted and Talented, Northeast – Global Studies, Rand – Family and Environmental Studies and Observation-Science and Technology. Middle schools (6-8) are divided into Glenfield: Visual and Performing Arts, Mount Hebron: Science and Technology, and Renaissance, which does not have a magnet. Montclair High School was ranked an impressive 94 out of 322 by NJ Monthly magazine for 2010.
Montclair has about 25 private schools for students of all ages, most notably The Montclair Kimberly Academy. Montclair Kimberly Academy has 1,100 students, is a coeducational institution, and its college preparatory program is highly regarded.
