With a New York vibe in a story book, suburban setting, the township is known for its diverse makeup of residents, train service into midtown Manhattan, classic homes and beautiful landscape. The main roads were originally the trails used by the Native Americans in the 1600’s. It was dubbed “Brooklyn West” by the New York Times and draws many Manhattan business commuters and also attracts artists and actors. Mostly, Maplewood attracts families.
THE VILLAGE
Maplewood Village, a commercial district, visually remains much as it always has since the 1950’s. Maplewood’s sophisticated restaurants almost always place among the very top rated in the state. Even though the Village is small and intimate, it is packed with everything from home décor and apparel shops to yoga studios, florists and several salons & spas. It also has several conveniences such as a post office, a bank, a movie theater and a grocery store.
PARKS AND RECREATION
Central to Maplewood is bucolic Memorial Park. It was designed by the Olmsted Brothers who are the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted who designed Central Park in NY and spans 25 acres. With a brook and bridges and the obligatory ducks and geese, picnic in summer and sled the hills in winter. Besides the basketball courts, baseball diamonds, fields, tennis courts, playground and picnic area that you would expect to see in a park, there is also an amphitheater for live performances and concerts. There is a township community pool and pond that you can ice skate on. Maplewoodstock , a great two day, July event, features local bands and a headliner – as well as many family friendly activities. Maplewood borders the South Mountain Reservation, which offers picnic areas, a dog park, and trails for hiking, jogging, horseback riding & cross country skiing. For Indoor activities, there are always concerts, shows & movies at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, Bergdorff Center & Papermill Playhouse in Millburn.
COMMUTING TO AND TRANSPORTATION
One of the biggest benefits of living in Maplewood is the train stop on the Midtown Direct train line into Penn Station Manhattan and Hoboken, NJ. The station is right in Maplewood Village, adjacent to Memorial Park, which is a pleasant walk to get to. Maplewood also offers a jitney service to and from most neighborhoods as well as parking at the station. Maplewood direct train to New York Penn Station takes 40 minutes during a rush hour.
Maplewood is part of the School District of South Orange and Maplewood. Students attend one of six elementary schools, Maplewood or South Orange middle school and then go on to Columbia High School, which was recently ranked in the top 100 high schools in the state.
- Clinton Elementary (grades K-5)
- Jefferson Elementary (grades 3-5)
- Marshall Elementary (grades k-2)
- Seth Boyden Elementary Demonstration School (grades k-5)
- South Mountain Elementary (grades k-5)
- South Mountain Elementary Annex (grades k-1)
- Tuscan Elementary grades k-5)
Some homes are almost brand new, but most homes are built between the 1920s and 1960s with modern updates such as a new kitchens and the addition of central air, but most have maintained their original charm. Houses in Maplewood typically start in the $300,000 range, and can go up to over a million dollars. Maplewood has every style of home from colonial to Victorian, to ranches to new condos.
- Average Sales Price 2022: $993,000
- Average 2022 Tax Bill: $16,632
- Township of Maplewood
- School District of South Orange and Maplewood
Preschools Near Maplewood: There are also many excellent pre-school options in the area. A few of the many options are:
- Morrow Memorial Preschool
- Prospect Co-Op Nursery School
- Kinder-Gan Preschool
- Le Parc Place
- Beginnings Christian Preschool
- La Petite Academy
- Open Door Nursery School
- Weekday Cooperative Preschool
- Little Stages Child Day Care
- Beth El Nursery School
- South Mountain YMCA Childcare
Private and Parochial Schools Near Summit: There are many excellent private and parochial schools in the area. Some of those options are:
- Delbarton
- The Far Brook School
- Golda Och Academy
- Kent Place School
- Montclair Kimberly Academy
- The Morristown Beard School
- Newark Academy
- Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child
- Oratory Prep
- The Peck School
- The Pingry School
- Saint Peter’s Prep
- Saint Rose of Lima School
- Seton Hall Prep
Useful Links:
- NJ Fencing Alliance
- No. 165
- Perch Home
- The Able Baker
- Bonji Bowls
- Brave Floral
- Kimaya Kama
- Maplewood is Green
- Maplewood Mercantile
- Maplewood Village Alliance
- Maplewoodstock
- Matters Magazine
- The Cassidy Bar + Kitchen
- The Maplewood Club
- The Tenth Muse Gallery
- The Village Green
- Words Bookstore
Unique To Town
- Girls Night Out is a fun night of shopping, dining, music and promotions co-sponsored by Allison Ziefert of Keller Williams Midtown Direct Realty.
- Maplewoodstock is a free annual concert featuring local and national bands held the weekend after July 4.
- Maplewood Green Day is a springtime fair held to demonstrate simple ways that every person can make more planet-friendly, sustainable choices in their everyday lives. The fair is a community celebration with live music, how-to demonstrations, and over 80 eco-vendors, environmental organizations, health and fitness representatives, organic and local food providers and farmers
- Maplewood Loves Wellness is a wellness fair and a healthy cooking contest. It is a day filled with music, activities, merchants and food.
- The Historic Murals of Maplewood are a series of murals, each focusing on an aspect of the history of Maplewood, painted by the artist Stephen Juharos. They are located within large arched niches in the Maplewood Municipal Building.
- Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts is a 100 seat theater and 1600 square foot community room available to the public
- The South Mountain Reservation, a 2,000 acre natural preserve at the edge of town, offers open space, picnic areas, barbecue sites, hiking trails, paddle boats and more.
- Ultimate Frisbee was invented in 1968 by students at Columbia High School in Maplewood.
- William Lowell invented the wooden golf tee at the Maplewood Golf Club in 1921.
Maplewood Restaurants
Maplewood offers a fine selection of dining options around town representing cuisines from all over the world. Some of the eateries in Maplewood include:
- Arturos Brick Oven Pizza Co.
- Bill & Harry Chinese Take Out
- Coda Kitchen and Bar
- Lorena’s
- Park Wood Diner
- Roman Gourmet
- St. James Gate Publick House
- Verjus
- Village Trattoria