Barbara Gargiulo

Upper Montclair, New Jersey, is an unincorporated community in Essex County. About 12,000 residents live in this affluent community near New York City.




History

The Lenape Indians hunted here for many centuries. Occasionally, they'd make their way over the mountains to the coast in search of coveted shellfish. Azariah Crane built the first home in the general Montclair area back in 1694. John Speer settled the more northern area in the early 1700s. The settlements that followed became known as Cranetown and Speertown, respectively. 

Nearby First Mountain served as an observation point from which scouts of the Continental Army could monitor British troop movements. The turnpike enabled more commerce starting in 1806, and the area really grew with the arrival of the railroad in 1856. By the 1870s, as many as 6,000 commuters rode the train on work days. The area also developed a significant artist's colony in the 1870s. Famed landscape painter George Inness settled in the area. 

Parks And Recreation

Historic Anderson Park is located in upper Montclair. The firm of Frederick Law Olmsted was commissioned at the beginning of the 20th century to design Anderson Park. The Olmsted firm is well known for designing much of the National Mall in Washington DC and also New York City's Central Park. The park offers a path that is exactly 3/5 of a mile long. In 2008, lights were installed to allow use of the park past sunset. Anderson Park hosts a major arts and crafts fair every year. To this day, this 15-acre park is remains largely unstructured, without elaborate recreational facilities. It is used for both field hockey and lacrosse, however. 

Attractions and Activities


The affluent community of Upper Montclair is home to a historic golf course. What began as a rather rudimentary five-hole layouaiming a Montclair meadow in 1901 subsequently evolved into what is today the Upper Montclair Country Club. None other than famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. oversaw a major renovation of the course in the 1950s. The club has hosted prominent professional tournaments won by the likes of Arnold Palmer, Gene Littler, Lee Trevino, Ray Floyd, and Nancy Lopez.

If you can visit the Presby Iris Gardens when the iris are in full bloom, do so. However, these gardens are a beautiful and serene escape at any time.

Events

The historic and beautiful Woman's Club of Upper Montclair hosts the Holly Berry Craft and Gift Show every November. Both artisans and crafters display their creations in an elegant setting.

The discriminating Upper Montclair home buyer will enjoy the selection of homes for sale in Upper Montclair NJ.  The most prevalent style home is a colonial, although there are split levels, tudors, ranches and capes also available.  This area is sought out by buyers relocating from Manhattan, Brooklyn, Jersey City and Hoboken.  This is an established community where many of the homes were built in the 1920s to the 1950s. It is common to find homes from that era beautifully updated and meticulously maintained. I would be happy to help you to match the available Upper Montclair properties for sale with your own unique desires and goals.