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Montclair seems to be the Ridgewood of Essex county. A place you constantly hear about, where everyone wants to move to, but people can't seem to really justify why.
Montclair seems to be the Ridgewood of Essex county. A place you constantly hear about, where everyone wants to move to, but people can't seem to really justify why.
Best thing about Montclair is Chris Tucker at the Wellmont.
Montclair seems to be the Ridgewood of Essex county. A place you constantly hear about, where everyone wants to move to, but people can't seem to really justify why.
I think they both have that older, long-settled vibe. (Mostly) older, well-maintained large homes with old-growth trees. Towns that were established more than a century ago built around train stations going to the city before commuting was as widespread as it is now. And with those older towns come services and schools for which the standards were also set long ago. People live there because they want a to live in a certain environment, enjoy a certain lifestyle, a certain social life.
At their core, the people who live in these places are the same all over, though, and we mustn't ever forget that. I went to a party once in a beautiful, updated older home on a tree-lined street in Ridgewood. The couple throwing the party had it catered with trays of wonderful food in all the rooms. He was a doctor, she a lawyer. They were both fashionably dressed. She was also an alcoholic, and I was there because my best friend was an alkie and had been invited to the party because she knew the woman from her meetings. It was an AA meeting that met in a church in Upper Saddle River, and most of the alcoholics were wealthy and from Ridgewood, USR, and Allendale.
The next month after the party she fell off the wagon and was back in some high-priced rehab.
But she had a very nice house on a beautiful street in a very pleasant town.
What makes a place great specifically for multiracial couples?
Likely because unlike some (or many) other beautiful or even historic communities across NJ and USA for that matter, Montclair is all about "diversity" and "inclusion".
Interracial, gays, lesbians, POC, Asians, minorities, etc... Long as you can afford the property and taxes, everyone is welcome.
For those with children who want them to grow up around such diversity this seems to matter greatly.
Know of a several gay couples that packed up and moved to Montclair from Manhattan or Brooklyn for just those reasons. They had kids and wanted something more diverse than UES, SoHo, Tribeca, Park Slope, etc. in NYC, but also with good schools and things for children.
it's one of the busier towns, property taxes are high, upper Montclair has some rich people with big houses.
If you paid attention to the demographic and economic data on Montclair, the wealth is actually concentrated in Montclair proper. South Mountain avenue for instance is in Montclair 07042. Same goes for Upper Mountain Avenue and Highland Avenue, etc.. Check out Erwin Park and Prospect Ave or Afterglow. Most people seem to have a very limited familiarity with Montclair as a whole. Even after moving into Montclair, unless they have children in the schools/sports, newcomers seem to very unfamiliar with anything beyond their own neighborhood.
We all loved Montclair in the '50s and '60s. My childhood homes' taxes there pull in $22k and $36k today.
With those taxes today - during blizzards - many side streets go unplowed.
And almost every day, residents see people stroll up their driveways in broad daylight, trying the car door handles. Then, if locked, a quick jaunt back down to a waiting vehicle and speed away.
Am I thinking of moving back ? Nope - NEVER.
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- during blizzards - many side streets go unplowed. 
