Upper Montclair is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP),
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
and neighborhood within
Montclair in
Essex County, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. As of the
2010 United States Census, the population for the CDP was 11,565.
[DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Upper Montclair CDP, New Jersey]
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
. Accessed June 11, 2012. The area is served as
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
ZIP Code 07043.
[ It is often misperceived, even by Montclair residents, to be a separate municipality from Montclair, perhaps aided by this postal designation.
]
History
The area now known as Upper Montclair was first developed in the early 18th century as a rural community known as Speertown, named for John Speer, an early Dutch settler. The area remained a rural hamlet for much of that century. The modern township of Montclair, including Upper Montclair, was incorporated in 1868 from part of Bloomfield Township.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP had a total area of 2.536 square miles (6.569 km2), including 2.535 square miles (6.567 km2) of land and 0.001 square miles (0.002 km2) of water (0.04%).[US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990](_blank)
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
. Accessed September 4, 2014.
Upper Montclair is north of Watchung Avenue, covering 40.2% of Montclair township's area.[GCT-PH1: Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Essex County, New Jersey]
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
. Accessed July 22, 2016.
Demographics
The 2010 United States census counted 11,565 people, 4,178 households, and 3,146 families in the CDP. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 4,310 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 83.99% (9,713) White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 6.46% (747) Black or African American, 0.10% (12) Native American, 4.18% (483) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.31% (151) from other races, and 3.97% (459) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino
''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...
of any race were 5.61% (649) of the population.[
Of the 4,178 households, 44.2% had children under the age of 18; 64.8% were married couples living together; 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.7% were non-families. Of all households, 20.3% were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.23.][
29.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 85.7 males.][
]
Education
Upper Montclair is in the township of Montclair and is served by the Montclair Public Schools
The Montclair Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from the Township of Montclair, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district consis ...
. More than a quarter of the district's schools are found in Upper Montclair. These include Bradford Elementary and Northeast Elementary, which are two of seven elementary schools in Montclair, and Mt. Hebron Middle School, renamed Buzz Aldrin Middle School in September 2016 in honor of the astronaut, who grew up in Montclair, which is one of three Montclair middle schools. Part of Montclair State University
Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Clifton and into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public un ...
's campus is in Upper Montclair.
Upper Montclair is also home to several private schools. They include Lacordaire Academy
Lacordaire Academy is a Catholic college preparatory school with a coeducational prekindergarten to eighth grade and an all girls ninth through twelfth grade student body. The Academy was established by the Sisters of St. Dominic of Caldwell, ...
, Lacordaire Academy Elementary Division an
St. Cassian School
Transportation
Upper Montclair is well connected to the rest of New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
and New York City on account of its transportation infrastructure. Public transportation options in Upper Montclair are buses and trains, both provided by New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...
, although commuter bus service to Manhattan was also provided until April 2023 by DeCamp Bus Lines
DeCamp Bus Lines was an apportioned bus company serving Essex County, New Jersey and Passaic County, New Jersey, with charter services. Until 2023, DeCamp also operated commuter line-run services to and from Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the ...
.
Rail
New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...
's Montclair-Boonton Line runs through the neighborhood of Upper Montclair. In Upper Montclair there are a total of three train stations of the overall Montclair total of seven. This is because the stations in Montclair are very close together, sometimes under a mile apart. New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...
train stations are Upper Montclair, Mountain Avenue, and Montclair Heights. From 1889 to 1928, Valley Road, a major road, had an electric trolley line.
Bus
The area is also on NJ Transit's bus route 28, which goes from Montclair State University
Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Clifton and into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public un ...
or Willowbrook Mall along Valley Road through Montclair, Glen Ridge and Bloomfield, to Downtown Newark. This bus route goes along Valley road for the great majority of its path in Upper Montclair, in some places on the route of Decamp's Number 66. Also, two DeCamp Bus Lines
DeCamp Bus Lines was an apportioned bus company serving Essex County, New Jersey and Passaic County, New Jersey, with charter services. Until 2023, DeCamp also operated commuter line-run services to and from Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the ...
routes took commuters to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving ab ...
in New York until April 2023. Some Number 33 buses went along Grove Street, on the Eastern edge of the neighborhood, while number 66 went along Valley Road, in the West, then the central Park Street.
Road
Upper Montclair has road connections to the rest of Montclair, Cedar Grove, Little Falls, Clifton, and Bloomfield. Just north of the neighborhood's border are U.S. Route 46
U.S. Route 46 (US 46) is an east–west U.S. Highway completely within the state of New Jersey, and runs for . The west end is at an interchange with Interstate 80 (I-80) and Route 94 in Columbia, Warren County, on the ...
and New Jersey Route 3
Route 3 is a state highway in the northeastern part of New Jersey. The route runs from U.S. Route 46 (US 46) in Clifton, Passaic County, to US 1/9 in North Bergen, Hudson County. The route intersects many major roads, ...
.
Commerce
The commercial zone at the center of Upper Montclair, Upper Montclair Business District
Upper Montclair is a census-designated place (CDP), unincorporated community and neighborhood within Montclair in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population for the CDP was 11,565. is home to several restaurants and shops. Unlike many of Montclair's other commercial zones, it has outlets of several major chain stores. In 2009–2010, several new national and local merchants opened in the area. Montclair Station Restaurant & Bar was opened in the historic Upper Montclair train station. Upper Montclair also has both a park, Anderson Park, and a railway station, Upper Montclair, nearby. There is a post office here.
Parks
Upper Montclair is home to many parks and nature reserves. Within Upper Montclair there are Anderson Park, Yantacaw Brook Park, the Bonsal Nature Reserve, Mountainside Park, the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
Presby Memorial Iris Gardens is a nonprofit, living museum specializing in iris flowers, located at 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. The gardens are situated on 6.5 acres. Adjacent ...
, and parts of Mills Reservation
Mills Reservation is a county park, consisting of a protected wooded area located in Cedar Grove and Montclair, New Jersey, United States. The reservation is maintained by the Essex County Park Commission. The reservation has several walkin ...
and Brookdale Park. In addition, Upper Montclair has the Mountainside Public Pool, which is the largest of the three public pools in Montclair.
Upper Montclair also has Immaculate Conception Cemetery and Mount Hebron Cemetery.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Upper Montclair include:
* Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin ( ; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, engineer and fighter pilot. He made three extravehicular activity, spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission, and was the Lunar Module Eag ...
(born 1930), NASA astronaut who was the second man to walk on the Moon
* Yael Averbuch
Yael Averbuch West (born Yael Friedman Averbuch; November 3, 1986) is an American former professional soccer player. She was formerly the executive director of the National Women's Soccer League Players Association and is the current general ma ...
(born 1986), soccer player
* Raymond A. Brown
Raymond A. Brown (1915 – October 9, 2009) was an American criminal defense lawyer who represented a wide variety of high-profile clients, ranging from politicians to accused spies, including New Jersey state senator Angelo Errichetti (convict ...
(1915–2009), attorney whose clients included Black Liberation Army
The Black Liberation Army (BLA) was an underground Marxist–Leninist, black-nationalist militant organization that operated in the United States from 1970 to 1981. Composed of former Black Panthers (BPP) and Republic of New Afrika (RNA) mem ...
member Assata Shakur
Assata Olugbala Shakur (born JoAnne Deborah Byron; July 16, 1947), also known as Joanne Chesimard, is an American political activist who was a member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA). In 1977, she was convicted in the murder of state troope ...
, boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (May 6, 1937 – April 20, 2014) was a Black American middleweight boxer who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for murder, until released following a petition of habeas corpus after spending 18 years and 4 month ...
and "Dr. X" physician Mario Jascalevich The "Dr. X" killings were a series of suspicious deaths by curare poisoning, in 1966 at a Bergen County, New Jersey hospital. A newspaper investigation during the mid-1970s led to the indictment of an Argentina-born physician, Mario Enrique Jascalev ...
* Margaret Colin
Margaret Colin (born May 26, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Constance Spano in ''Independence Day'', Margo Hughes on ''As the World Turns'' and as Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on ''Gossip Girl''.
Early life
Margaret Colin ...
(born 1958), actress[ Klein, Alvin]
"Baldwin Girl Finds Camelot (on Broadway)"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', February 22, 1998. Accessed October 10, 2012. "Ms. Colin's Hofstra years lasted from 1976 to 1979, with time out for soap opera stints like ''Edge of Night'' and ''As the World Turns.'' On ''World,'' she played opposite the man she later married, Justin Deas, who is now appearing in the recurring role of Buzz in ''Guiding Light.'' He was Tom; she was Margo. A year and a half ago the couple, married 10 years, and their sons, Sam, 8, and Joe, 4, moved from an apartment in Manhattan to 'a mansion for the money' in Upper Montclair, N.J."
* Justin Deas
Justin Deas (born March 30, 1948, in Connellsville, Pennsylvania) is an American actor. He is known primarily for his work on daytime soap operas.
Personal life
Deas received his Bachelor of Arts from the College of William & Mary. Deas married ...
(born 1948), actor[
*]Jesse Grupper
Jesse Grupper ( ; born January 6, 1997) is an American Olympic rock climber who specializes in competition climbing. In 2022, Grupper came in third overall in the 2022 IFSC Climbing World Cup in the competition lead climbing discipline. He earned ...
(born 1997), Olympic rock climber
Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in guidebooks, and ...
* John Langley Howard
John Langley "Lang" Howard (1902–1999) was an American artist, known as a Social realism, Social Realist muralist, printmaker and illustrator.
Biography
John Langley Howard was born in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, Upper Montclair, New Jersey ...
(1902–1999), muralist, printmaker and illustrator, known for his social realism
Social realism is work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers, filmmakers and some musicians that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structures ...
* Howard Krongard
Howard J. "Cookie" Krongard (December 12, 1940 – May 3, 2023) was an American attorney and government official who served as Inspector General of the Department of State during the George W. Bush administration. After being accused of averting ...
, head of the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State
An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...
* Rosemary Rice
Rosemary Rice (May 3, 1925 – August 14, 2012) was an American actress, singer, and voice-over artist. Rice was best known for her role as Katrin Hansen, the oldest daughter in the television series, ''Mama'', which aired on CBS from 1949 to 195 ...
(1925–2012), actress best known for her role as Katrin on CBS-TV series ''Mama
Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to:
Roles
*Mother, a female parent
* Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority
*Maternal uncle, in some parts of South Asia
Places
* Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement in the Mam ...
''
* Patience Sherman
Patience Halsey Sherman (born September 20, 1946) is an American former competition swimming (sport), swimmer who competed for the New Jersey Athletic Association and participated in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in a preliminary heat of the gold meda ...
(born 1946), former competition swimmer who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...
in Tokyo
* Dr. Leo Sternbach
Leo Sternbach (May 7, 1908 – September 28, 2005) was a Polish American chemist who is credited with first synthesizing benzodiazepines, the main class of minor tranquilizers.
Background and family
Sternbach was born on May 7, 1908, in Opat ...
(1908–2005), chemist, invented precursor to Valium
Diazepam, sold under the brand name Valium among others, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spas ...
* Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other ...
(born 1947), singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer
* Ingrid Wells
Ingrid Kirsten Wells (born March 29, 1989) is an American professional soccer player from Montclair, New Jersey. Nicknamed "the Little General", Wells was a midfielder for the Georgetown Hoyas women's soccer team as well as various levels of the ...
(born 1989), soccer player[Staff]
"Ingrid Wells Named ECAC Division I Women's Soccer All-Star Third major award for Wells this season"
Georgetown Hoyas
The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University, located at Washington, D.C. The Georgetown's athletics department fields 24 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the Natio ...
, December 2, 2009. Accessed June 27, 2012. "Georgetown University women's soccer player Ingrid Wells (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair) has been named a First Team All-Star Selection by the Eastern College Athletic Conference."
Gallery
Image:Valley Road and Bellevue Avenue - Upper Montclair, NJ.jpg, Business district in Upper Montclair, which is around the intersection of Valley Road and Bellevue Avenue
File:Bellevue Branch of the Upper Montclair Library (2006).jpg, Upper Montclair's library, which is called the Bellevue Branch
File:Upper Montclair Downtown Clock.jpg, A landmark in Upper Montclair, a clock owned by Chase bank that is situated in the center of town and was installed around 1910. About 2004, the clock was sent away for needed refurbishment.
Image:AndersonParkMontclair NJ.JPG, Anderson Park
File:PresbyIrisMG1.jpg, Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
Presby Memorial Iris Gardens is a nonprofit, living museum specializing in iris flowers, located at 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. The gardens are situated on 6.5 acres. Adjacent ...
File:Film set, Upper Montclair NJ (2006).jpg, A movie being filmed in Upper Montclair
File:Montclair Woman's Club.jpg, the Montclair Women's Club
File:Brookdale Park, Montclair NJ (2006).jpg, Brookdale Park
References
{{Authority control
Census-designated places in Essex County, New Jersey
Census-designated places in New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey