Montclair

Montclair is a moderately built-up, leafy town of 39,000 people (2019) in Essex County, northern New Jersey. The neighborhood of Upper Montclair is full of mansions that can be seen while driving by.

Understand
Montclair is about 15 miles (25 km) from New York City, and has a mix of low-rise apartment buildings and private houses. Within the city is the locally prominent Montclair State University, but Montclair is too large and diverse to be thought of as just a college town.

By train
New Jersey Transit serves Montclair with the Montclair-Boonton rail line that connects Montclair State University directly to Penn Station in New York City, with several stops in Montclair.

By bus
Like many other communities in North Jersey, Montclair is well served by buses that travel to and from Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal.

By car
Points north and south can be reached via the Garden State Parkway, which is a bit east of the city. Montclair is easily accessed from points west and from Manhattan and other points east via Route 3, which is a bit north of city limits and feeds directly into the Lincoln Tunnel.

By car
Most residents of Montclair own a car. Parking can be tricky in some areas of downtown, however.

On foot
Central Montclair is a pleasant place to walk.

See


There are also some art galleries downtown, and you can see a beautiful distant view of the Manhattan skyline from a high point within Montclair city limits.

Eat
There are various cafes downtown.

Go next
If you didn't go to Montclair from New York City, that is the obvious place to go next.