South Orange

THE HISTORY

The village of South Orange was included in a tract that Newark’s founder, Robert Treat, bought from the Lenape Indians in 1666. It was part of Maplewood until 1904. Although its government structure makes it one of only four municipalities in New Jersey run as a village rather than a township, it was officially accorded township status in 1981 so it could qualify for federal aid. First settled by Puritan farmers soon after Newark was founded in 1666, South Orange experienced a spurt of growth late in the 19th century that transformed much of its open farmland at the foot of South Mountain into broad streets lined with breezy mansions and in town estates, once advertised itself a s the ''Switzerland of America.'' Houses built into the mountainside have such steeply raked front lawns that mowing is a strenuous battle with gravity. Today, South Orange does not much resemble a quaint Swiss mountain village, but it is a comfortable and convenient commuter suburb with stunning views of the New York skyline 18 miles away, reasonably priced and architecturally diverse homes and good educational and recreational facilities.

Enhancing the serene, turn-of-the-century picture are South Orange’s gas street lamps. Some 1,500 of them glow dimly in front of older homes. Lamplighters are a common sight in the village, walking from lamppost to lamppost checking pilot lights and adjusting timers. Village residents are active in civic affairs and demand a high level of municipal services in return for their substantial taxes. The public library contains 91,000 volumes, and the Consolidated School District, which South Orange shares with neighboring Maplewood, is well regarded around the state for its faculty.

WHAT YOU’LL FIND

South Orange is often linked to Maplewood, the equally diverse neighbor with which it shares a high school and some public services. But South Orange has larger lots and more notable architecture. The town occupies 2.8 square miles on the eastern slope of South Mountain. Some of the most magnificent houses can be found in Montrose Park, an area listed on the federal and state Registries of Historic Places since 1997. Grand Colonial Revivals, Tudors and Victorians occupy deep, heavily landscaped properties, along streets lighted with gas lanterns. (South Orange lays claim to having more operating gas lights than any other city in the country.) A number of the town’s public buildings are also on the historic register, as well as houses in a second, smaller historic district around Prospect Street, in the southwest corner. Smaller early 20th-century houses can be found in the southeastern Tuxedo Park neighborhood, which borders Newark and backs up to Seton Hall University, with its 58-acre campus serving 9,700 students. Near the center of town are condominiums and rental apartments, including the Church Street Commons luxury apartments near the train station. On the hills climbing up the mountain are some of the more modern houses, some of which have stunning views of the Manhattan skyline. This neighborhood, known as Newstead, is primarily a mix of ranches and contemporaries. The newest homes — and the only new construction in recent years in South Orange — are on the site of a quarry in a mid-2000s Pulte Homes development called the Manors at South Mountain, which has 62 luxury town houses and 6 detached homes.

WHAT YOU’LL PAY

In early September, there were 103 houses on the market in South Orange, ranging from an 1890 three-bedroom fixer-upper, listed at $264,900, to a six-bedroom custom-built house on 0.75 acres with a lagoon-style pool, listed at $1.899 million. Neither reflects the typical market here. According to the Garden State Multiple Listing Service, 109 houses sold from January to the end of August, at a median price of $662,663, up from $625,500 for the 116 homes sold in the same period in 2010.

Average Sales Price 2022: $887,000
Average 2021 Tax Bill: $19,949
Township of South Orange Village
School District of South Orange and Maplewood

SCHOOLS

South Orange has two elementary schools: Marshall, serving 450 students in prekindergarten through Grade 2, and South Mountain, serving 628 students in kindergarten through Grade 5. The South Orange Middle School has 674 students in Grades 6 through 8. Columbia Senior High School, in Maplewood, has 2,000 students from the two towns. Number of AP courses offered are 24, enrollment is considered very high. SAT averages last year were 620 in math, 620 in reading and 524 in writing, versus 520, 496 and 494 statewide.Out of last year's graduating class of 540 seniors, 81 percent continued their education, 67 percent of them in four-year college programs.

South Orange 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)

WHAT TO DO

South Orange abounds with cultural and recreational opportunities. Aside from their own symphony and theater group, village residents can participate in all events at Seton Hall. On the west, the village borders the South Mountain Reservation, a 2,000-acre park of trees, trails and escape. There are more than 60 acres of parkland in the village itself. The new, village-owned community center contains three swimming pools, 15 lighted tennis courts, and several sports fields.

Opened in 2006, the ultramodern South Orange Performing Arts Center offers live performances in its 415-seat auditorium, as well as a five-screen movie theater. Outdoor activities include: a community pool that charges residents just $20 a year to join; the Orange Lawn Tennis Club, which was founded in 1880 and has 10 grass and 10 artificial-turf courts; and hiking and biking trails in the South Mountain Reservation, a 2,000-acre preserve that also has a dog park run by the county.

The small shopping district offers most necessities, including a food supermarket. In deference to the wealthy clientele, there is an abundance of trinket stores and party planning shops. There are several restaurants just off the village center, including Alex Eng and Le Grandgousier, along with a number of casual lunch stops and Grunning's Ice Cream Parlor.

THE COMMUTE

South Orange is served by two New Jersey Transit train stations on the Morristown line; South Orange being the main station in downtown South Orange and Mountain Station in the Montrose West area. Service from Mountain Station only runs to Hoboken, but a connection with a Mid-Town train can be made in Newark. The trip to Penn Station takes 30 to 40 minutes. The 107 New Jersey Transit bus line also provides direct service into the city, taking 48 minutes to get to the Port Authority. During noncommuting hours, the drive into the city, via Route 280, can take as little as 25 minutes.

Many people walk to the train station, but South Orange has a jitney service that shuttles commuters from various neighborhoods to the station as well. A year long jitney pass is $300 per year. Click here for jitney fee schedule information S. Orange Jitney Fees/Rules and here for jitney route maps S. Orange Jitney Route Map

Preschools Near South Orange: A few of the many options are:

Private and Parochial Schools Near South Orange: There are many excellent private and parochial schools in the area. Some of those options are:

Helpful Links:

Unique to Town

South Orange Performing Arts Center is a modern arts center with a 440 seat auditorium, a dance studio and five movie theaters. Comedians and recording artists perform here, and the arts center hosts Seton Hall University Arts Council performances.
The Orange Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1880 as one of the first tennis clubs in the United States. The club had 10 artificial turf courts, 10 grass courts and five platform tennis courts.
The South Mountain Reservation, a 2,000 acre natural preserve, offers open space, picnic areas, barbecue sites, hiking trails, paddle boats and more.
The Baird is a multidisciplinary center featuring a theater, a basketball court, tennis courts, the Pierro Gallery of South Orange and the Giants of Jazz concert series.
The Pierro Gallery’s mission is to offer exposure to contemporary visual artists. It exhibit the works of established and emerging visual artists in a non-commercial, user-friendly venue.
Giants of Jazz, an annual one-night festival, has established South Orange as a major jazz venue.
South Orange Summer Nights is a free summer concert series held in the park each Wednesday night in July. Music, food trucks and activities for kids an families is featured at each concert.
TAU, a monumental black painted steel sculpture by South Orange native Tony Smith, can be found in Meadowland Park. Tony Smith was one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century.
Seton Village Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival is an annual event held in the heart of Seton Village on Irvington Avenue with live music, extravagent food choices and craft beer.

Sandi Chung

REALTORS®

Keller Williams Premier Properties

Search in SOUTH ORANGE

Helpful Links:

Unique to Town

Other Useful Links:

Have Questions?