Montclair is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse bedroom community of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. The township is home to Montclair State University, the state's second-largest university.

As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 40,921, an increase of 3,252 (+8.6%) from the 2010 census count of 37,669, which in turn reflected a decline of 1,308 (−3.4%) from the 38,977 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010 , New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. As of 2010, it was the 60th-most-populous municipality in New Jersey.Staff. "N.J.'s population shifting to coast, south" , USA Today. Accessed April 5, 2012.

History

Montclair was initially formed as a township on April 15, 1868, from portions of Bloomfield Township,History of Montclair , Montclair Township. Accessed August 5, 2007. "When Bloomfield authorities declined to authorize a bond issue to underwrite another railroad, Montclair residents were successful in securing from the State legislature a charter for a separate township. Thus in 1868, the Township of Montclair was created." so that a second railroad could be built to Montclair. After a referendum held on February 21, 1894, Montclair was reincorporated as a town three days later.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 129. Accessed May 30, 2024. It derives its name from the French mont clair, meaning "clear mountain" or "bright mountain."Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names , New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 7, 2015.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 21. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed September 7, 2015.

In 1980, after multiple protests filed by Montclair officials regarding inequities built into the federal revenue-sharing system for local governments,Hanley, Robert. "Opponent of Distribution Formula For Federal Aid Steps Up Attack; As South Orange Moves to Become Township, Montclair Aide Calls for Equitable Sharing" , The New York Times, August 29, 1977. Accessed August 9, 2018. "Montclair, Aug. 26 A Town Commissioner here is intensifying his five-year-long campaign to correct what he considers are inequities in the distribution of Federal revenue-sharing money that allows diversion of the grants to New Jersey's townships at the expense of the state's needy cities." Montclair voters passed a referendum changing its form of government to being a township, becoming the third of more than a dozen Essex County municipalities to reclassify their governmental organization in order to take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis."Chapter VI: Municipal Names and Municipal Classification", p. 73. New Jersey State Commission on County and Municipal Government, 1992. Accessed September 24, 2015."Removing Tiering From The Revenue Sharing Formula Would Eliminate Payment Inequities To Local Governments" , Government Accountability Office, April 15, 1982. Accessed September 24, 2015. "In 1978, South Orange Village was the first municipality to change its name to the 'township' of South Orange Village effective beginning in entitlement period 10 (October 1978 to September 1979). The Borough of Fairfield in 1978 changed its designation by a majority vote of the electorate and became the 'Township of Fairfield' effective beginning entitlement period 11 (October 1979 to September 1980).... However, the Revenue Sharing Act was not changed and the actions taken by South Orange and Fairfield prompted the Town of Montclair and West Orange to change their designation by referendum in the November 4, 1980, election. The municipalities of Belleville, Verona, Bloomfield, Nutley, Essex Fells, Caldwell, and West Caldwell have since changed their classification from municipality to a township."Narvaez, Alfonso A. "New Jersey Journal" , The New York Times, December 27, 1981. Accessed September 24, 2015. "Under the Federal system, New Jersey's portion of the revenue sharing funds is disbursed among the 21 counties to create three 'money pools.' One is for county governments, one for 'places' and a third for townships. By making the change, a community can use the 'township advantage' to get away from the category containing areas with low per capita incomes."

Before cannabis was legalized for sale for both medical and recreational use in 2022, the state's first marijuana dispensary opened in Montclair in December 2012, joining Bellmawr, Cranbury, Egg Harbor Township, and Woodbridge Township as one of the five municipalities that had authorized the sale of medical cannabis.Guion, Payton. "Marijuana legalization would force tough choice for N.J. towns" , NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 15, 2017. Accessed November 15, 2017. "NJ Advance Media reached out to mayors in all five towns that have medical dispensaries: Bellmawr, Cranbury, Egg Harbor, Montclair and Woodbridge."

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 6.25 square miles (16.17 km2), including 6.24 square miles (16.16 km2) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.02 km2) of water (0.11%).

Montclair is on the east side of the First Mountain of the Watchung Mountains. Some higher locations in the township provide excellent views of the surrounding area and of the New York City skyline about away.Garbarine, Rachelle. "Montclair Projects Echo Older Housing" , The New York Times, April 20, 1990. Accessed November 5, 2019. "Kip's Ridge, which sits on an eight-acre tract on a ridge along the side of First Mountain, rises 600 feet along the border of Montclair and Verona.... As Montclair's highest point, the ridge offers a clear view of the Manhattan skyline."

Named localities in the township include Church Street, Frog Hollow, South End, Upper Montclair, and Watchung Plaza.Local Place Names , State of New Jersey. Accessed November 5, 2019.

Montclair is split between two ZIP Codes. The central and southern parts of the township are designated 07042. Upper Montclair lies north of Watchung Avenue and has a separate ZIP code, 07043. Because the ZIP codes do not exactly match municipal boundaries, a few homes near the borders with neighboring towns fall into the ZIP codes for those communities. A few homes in some adjoining municipalities use one of the two ZIP codes assigned to Montclair, as does HackensackUMC Mountainside (07042, formerly known as Mountainside Hospital), whose campus straddles the border with Glen Ridge."Hackensack University Health Network and LHP Hospital Group" , HackensackUMC Mountainside, July 12, 2012. Accessed October 3, 2013. "HackensackUMC Mountainside, located on the Montclair/Glen Ridge border, is known for providing access to state-of-the-art patient care in a nurturing, community hospital setting."Roll, Erin. "Glen Ridge baby boom: More than 500 births so far in 2013" , Glen Ridge Voice, August 1, 2013. Accessed October 3, 2013. "Mountainside is located on the Montclair-Glen Ridge border, and the hospital's mailing address is listed as Montclair. But because the hospital building itself is located in Glen Ridge, every child born at the hospital has Glen Ridge listed as their place of birth." Small areas in the southeast of the township fall into the Glen Ridge ZIP code 07028.

Several streams flow eastward through Montclair: Toney's Brook in the center, Nishuane Brook in the southeast, Wigwam Brook in the southwest, Pearl Brook in the northwest, and Yantacaw Brook in the northeast—all in the Passaic River watershed. Yantacaw and Toney's brooks are dammed in parks to create ponds. Wigwam, Nishuane, and Toney's brooks flow into the Second River, and the others flow into the Third River. Montclair lies just north of the northernmost extent of the Rahway River watershed.

Montclair borders the municipalities of Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, Glen Ridge, Orange, Verona, and West Orange in Essex County; and Clifton and Little Falls in Passaic County.Areas touching Montclair , MapIt. Accessed February 27, 2020.Municipalities , Essex County, New Jersey Register of Deeds and Mortgages. Accessed February 27, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries , New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

The southern border of Montclair is a straight line between Eagle Rock, on the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain, and the point where Orange Road begins at the foot of Ridgewood Avenue. The eastern border is roughly a straight line between that point and a point just southwest of where Broad Street crosses the Third River. The western border runs roughly along the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain between Eagle Rock and the Essex County/Passaic County border. The northern border is the border between those two counties.

Climate Montclair has a temperate climate, with warm-to-hot, humid summers and cool-to-cold winters, as is characteristic of the Köppen climate classification humid continental climate. January tends to be the coldest month, with average high temperatures in the upper 30s Fahrenheit (2 to 4 C) and lows averaging . July, the warmest month, features high temperatures in the mid-80s °F (29 to 30 °C) and lows in the 70s °F (21 to 25 °C), with an average high of . From April to June and from September to early November, Montclair experiences temperatures from the lower 60s to the lower 70s °F (16 to 22 °C).

Montclair gets approximately of rain per year, above the United States average of . Snowfall is common from December to early March and totals about annually. The number of days each year in Montclair with any measurable precipitation is 90; the area has an average of 202 sunny days.

Montclair is one or two degrees warmer than the neighboring municipalities of Verona and Cedar Grove because of the mountain between them, which sometimes blocks winds and clouds, including warmer air from the ocean to the east.

Demographics

The township has long been known for its ethnic diversity, a feature that has attracted many to the community.Goodnough, Abby. "Schools: Referendum; How to Pick the School Board?" , The New York Times, October 22, 1995. Accessed August 5, 2022. "In a town that has always been proud of its diversity – many residents say it was their primary reason for moving to Montclair – the difference of opinion has caused considerable strife." Its African-American community was once stable at around 30% of the population for decades, but has declined in both absolute and proportional terms in the 21st century, to 27% in 2010 and then to 22% in 2020. At the same time, the township's Hispanic population has increased, accounting for more than 10% of residents in 2020.

Montclair has attracted many former New Yorkers.Poletto, Christina. "Montclair is the only suburb true New Yorkers will even consider" , New York Post, September 4, 2019. Accessed November 5, 2019. "Some folks like to say that Montclair, the winsome New Jersey township 12 miles west of Manhattan, is the optimal spot for urbanites ready for more bang for their real estate buck." Many residents are commuters to the city and its metro area. Some work for major media organizations there.Where They Weekend: Montclair, NJ , Gawker.com, March 11, 2007. Accessed July 3, 2007.

2020 census