Helpful Links
Maplewood Online
Official Municipal Website
Maplewood-South Orange Community Coalition
Maplewood-South Orange School District
Maplewood is a quiet, residential town with charming business and shopping districts plus some industrial development. A great place to raise a family, with an affluent and educated population of 23,000, Maplewood homes are classic and traditional, older and larger when compared to the rest New Jersey. Built primarily in first few decades of the 20th century in architectural styles to suit every taste from starter homes to magnificent estates, there is always an ongoing effort in town to preserve and beautify architecturally significant structures.
Commuter convenience combined with a real sense of community, not to mention peace and quiet are but several of the attractions that residents of Maplewood enjoy. It’s an easy 30-minute commute to your job in Manhattan on a Midtown direct train and the train station right in town even offers concierge services.
There are seven parks and two community centers within Maplewood Township. They feature wonderful family amenities such as a municipal pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball fields, playgrounds, paddle tennis courts and even bocce ball courts. The South Mountain Reservation on the edge of town offers an additional 2000 acres of open space for hiking and communing with unspoiled nature.
Maplewood is a town that celebrates its historic past. There are many fascinating sites and buildings that Maplewood has worked hard to protect for posterity. Grasmere Park is among them and home to the Durand-Hedden House and Garden. An original farmhouse structure, built in 1790, sits on two acres of an original plantation that was part of a 72-acre tract of land acquired by Ebenezer Hedden before 1740. The 18th Century farmhouse and its Victorian era addition plus adjoining grounds, including famed herb garden, is now restored and open to the public for tours and educational programs. Maplewood is working diligently to defend and enhance its historic and architectural legacy.
Springfield Avenue is Maplewood’s main shopping street with four blocks of unique boutiques and restaurants as well as larger emporiums that can satisfy any need or desire. With a classic small town atmosphere and friendly merchants known for the personal service they extend, there’s no finer shopping experience to be had. In 2002, the town completed a beautification project along the avenue that added new sidewalks, trees, shrubbery, flower planters, benches, information kiosks and traffic-calming measures that create pedestrian friendly spaces. These upgrading measures have made Maplewood’s shopping district the most enjoyable and easily accessible in the area.
Maplecrest Park is a treasure located right along Springfield Avenue and is the township’s Central Park. It provides a place for residents to exercise, relax, and socialize plus it’s a great place to hold events. There are plans afoot to construct a band shell in the park that will provide opportunities for concerts, theater and other entertainment events that will add to the allure of Springfield Avenue. The avenue now even has a permanent holiday tree that was planted in 2003 at the corner of Chancellor and Springfield Avenue. As it grows and matures, this beautiful tree will provide years of holiday enjoyment and mirth to the community.
There is also a local Cultural Center where community theater productions are performed as well as a strong network of groups and social organizations dedicated to pursuing every hobby and interest. Whether you want to volunteer, do charitable work or find people that share your hobbies, Maplewood is a town with a real sense of community and strong civic involvement.
With its historic preservation activities and community rehabilitation projects that are always ongoing, as well as responsive city government, attractive businesses, excellent schools and friendly residents, it’s no wonder Maplewood continues a tradition that for more than two centuries has offered one of the finest places in the whole country to call home.
LOCATION
The Township of Maplewood is located in what is known as the “Gateway Region” of New Jersey because of its proximity to nearby larger cities. Serving as the “Garden State Gate” to the metropolises in the area, particularly New York City, Maplewood is a desirable family community and a coveted place to call home. It is approximately 4 square miles in land area and sits at an elevation of 136 feet. It is located in Essex County, New Jersey’s second most populous county, with 22 municipalities ranging over 127 square miles and a total population of 765,000 residents.
Suburban Maplewood is about 6 miles west of Newark and conveniently only 24 miles southeast of Manhattan. Several major interstates, including the I-78, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway are less than five minutes away and offer easy access to the surrounding towns and cities. Nearby municipalities include the charming towns of Irvington, Millburn-Short Hills and South Orange as well as the larger nearby cities of Union, Newark and of course exciting Manhattan.
This region of New Jersey is known for it’s agreeable climate and exceptional residential neighborhoods. Maplewood is an extremely popular suburb for residents that commute to nearby business centers like Manhattan, only 35 minutes away and an easy ride via a direct train line. Summer is a particularly enjoyable time of year for commuters and residents alike because the humidity in Maplewood and its environs can be significantly lower than that of New York City.
The state capital at Trenton in 60 miles south, Washington, DC is 250 miles south and Boston is 230 miles north. With historic attractions, including sites related to the Revolutionary War, superb dining and shopping options, wonderful parks and recreation opportunities that all combine to offer a sublime quality of life, Maplewood’s setting makes it the ideal place to settle down.
TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS
Maplewood Township lies 6 miles west of Newark and conveniently only 24 mile southeast of Manhattan. Nearby towns and villages include neighboring South Orange, Springfield, Irvington, Union City and Short Hills.
The area is served by several major interstates including the I-78, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, plus a series of well maintained local roads that are part of a modern transportation infrastructure. Whether for work or for play, Manhattan is easily accessible via several routes including the Lincoln Tunnel, the George Washington Bridge to the N.J. Turnpike or by the Turnpike Extension to the Holland Tunnel
Maplewood has extremely convenient commuter rail and bus service to Newark and New York City provided by New Jersey Transit (NJT). Covering a service area of 5,325 square miles, NJT is the nation's third largest provider of bus, rail and light rail transit, linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Direct service to Manhattan is available on Bus Line 107 and the Morristown Train Line stops at the Maplewood Train Station offering direct service to Penn Station in Manhattan, as well as to neighboring cities and towns.
There is an extensive network of bus and rail services that connect Maplewood to Newark and Kennedy Airports. You can board PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid transit trains in Newark that provide fast, clean and safe service between New Jersey and New York City 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The basic cash fare is $1.50 with discounts for multi-ride tickets while children under 5 ride for free. There’s also a Jitney Service to the Maplewood Train Station from Newark that makes commuting even easier. Amtrak has six stations in New Jersey, two of them in Newark and Greyhound has a fully staffed depot in Newark as well.
An especially enjoyable commute option is traveling by ferry. The NY Waterway Ferry services midtown (Pier 78, W.38th St.) and the South Street Seaport (pier 17) from Harbors Side, Wee Hawken and Hoboken with free bus service to Lincoln Center, the Theater District, Madison Square Garden and Downtown/Battery.
Many airports serve the area including Newark Liberty Airport, 8 miles to the east, where flights depart and arrive from both domestic and international destinations. Newark Airport is also famous for its convenience and lower cost cross-country fares. Other airports in the area include regional Teterboro Airport, NYC’s Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports as well as the Port Authority Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport. The public use airport located in nearby Linden serves private planes and helicopters too.
BRIEF HISTORY
Maplewood was originally known as Jefferson Village and was part of South Orange, New Jersey. Located in Essex County, one of Jersey’s four original counties, it was established in 1682 by the East Jersey Legislature. The recorded history of Essex County begins in 1666, when 30 Connecticut families headed by Robert Treat arrived to establish a settlement along the banks of the Passaic River in what is now the City of Newark. The following year the settlers purchased the land from the Lenni Lenape Indians for $800.00 and on May 27, 1793, an act was passed by the General Assembly at Trenton, forming the Township of Springfield from the Townships of Elizabeth and Newark in the County of Essex. This new township included the area that is now Maplewood. This act remained in force until the County of Union was formed and Springfield became the Townships of Maplewood, Millburn, Summit, South Orange, and New Providence.
General Washington had his headquarters in Springfield from June 7 to June 22, 1780 when the Revolutionary War Battle of Springfield was fought here. In the early 1800’s Maplewood (or what was to become Maplewood) consisted of large family farms as well as grist, woolen and paper mills. In the 1850s, dependable rail service made the area accessible to people who lived in large cities and soon wealthy businessmen began bringing their families to spend summers at the local Mountain House Spa. The mountain air was seen as a cure and the gorgeous natural environment of the area was a perfect backdrop for a variety of healthy outdoor activities. Over the next 60 years, Maplewood grew from a farming community into a bustling township that became home to industrialists who built large, comfortable homes for their families. A local brewing industry arose in the area and many famous beers were brewed here.
The stock market crash of 1929, along with the enforcement of prohibition, temporarily crippled the thriving economy of Essex County. But with the repeal of prohibition, the reopening of many major breweries and the gradual national recovery, Essex began to grow once again. With the advent of commuter railroads, which passed through nearby Newark, Manhattan workers could make their homes in comfortable and attractive suburban towns such as Maplewood, South Orange, Millburn, Glen Ridge and Montclair. With an agreeable climate immune to the Big Apple’s humid summers and freezing winters, Maplewood thrived as a coveted bedroom community.
Maplewood has grown to become in recent decades, primarily a quiet, residential town with business districts and some industry. The town has seen recent development in the form of new apartments, a luxury rehabilitation of the Maplewood Country Club and wonderful residential developments that offer the highest quality of life.
ABOUT EDUCATION
The City of Maplewood shares a common pubic school system with neighboring Orange. There are six elementary schools in the district, four of which are in Maplewood and two middle schools, one of which is in Maplewood while Columbia High School serves both communities. Acclaimed Columbia High School has been named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education and active parent and teacher organizations support all the schools in the district.
Elementary schools have up to date facilities that include computer and Internet access in all schools and modern media and technology centers. Special education services begin with pre-K programs and strong support program is available for students needing additional assistance while gifted enrichment programs are available to 4th and 5th graders. Students can attend their local school, but they also have the option of applying to attend the Seth Boyden Demonstration School, the district's staff development and best practices center, which offers innovative teaching techniques. After-school programs are also available throughout the district to meet the needs of families that require extended child supervision.
Maplewood Middle School serves grades 6 through 8. There is an emphasis not only on the academic, but also on guiding students socially to prepare them for high school. Along with well-structured academics, middle school students also take part in character-building programs and community activities.
Columbia High School was founded in 1885, is rich in history and has been recognized nationally for academic excellence and for offering a wide range of elective courses and extracurricular activities. Columbia offers a strong college preparatory curriculum, with 24 AP offerings and five or more Columbia High School seniors are usually selected as National Merit Semi-Finalists each year. Over 90% of graduates pursue further education and many are accepted to attend some of the best universities in the country including Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.
Extracurricular activities range from a championship athletic program to an award winning literary magazine and student newspaper to a chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America. There’s a mock trial team, a state-champion chess team, a cable TV station and many music and drama groups.
There are two private, religious elementary/middle schools in Maplewood. The St. Joseph Elementary School with 278 students serves pre-school through grade 6 and Immaculate Heart of Mary has 188 students and serves K - 8. The South Mountain Nursery and Kindergarten also provides private, non-religious pre-school and kindergarten classes.
Two community colleges, Union County College and Essex County College and three universities including Seton Hall, the University of Medicine and Dentistry and Rutgers University are located in the area as well as an adult school funded by Maplewood Township itself.
Founded in 1933, the South Orange - Maplewood Adult School is the oldest adult school in New Jersey and offers over 300 classes for adults plus an extensive summer enrichment and sports program for children. Recognized as a Local Legacy by the Library of Congress, its goal is to provide a quality educational experience, which, “enhances understanding and creates a learning environment for the betterment of the individual and society.”
Nearby Union County College, the oldest community college in New Jersey was founded in 1933 and serves both career-minded and transfer-oriented students. The school is focused on ensuring its programs and facilities are equipped to prepare students for the intellectual and technological demands of the 21st century while maintaining a commitment to a solid liberal arts foundation. One of the school’s newest offerings is dubbed NJ STARS. This is an initiative created by the State of New Jersey that makes local high school graduates in the top 20 percent of their class eligible for the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship (NJ STARS) which covers tuition and fees for up to five semesters at UCC.
Essex County College was founded in 1966 and serves approximately 25,000 people each year enrolled in its various degree and non-degree programs. The curriculum features close to 70 majors and 564 courses as part of a wide range of transfer and career programs. The college sends more transfer students to acclaimed Rutgers University than any other two-year college in New Jersey. Tuition and fees are significantly lower than at a state college or state university in New Jersey.
Seton Hall University is located in South Orange at the foot of South Mountain. From its original enrollment of a handful of students, Seton Hall is now a major Catholic university, with more than 10,000 students from 40 U.S. states and territories, and dozens of countries. Among many pioneering areas of study, it has founded a School of Diplomacy and International Relations in a unique alliance with the United Nations.
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark has over 4,000 students of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and the life sciences plus more than 1,000 medical interns and residents. UMDNJ is the single entity responsible for statewide undergraduate and graduate medical and dental education, as well as for other health professions. It is also the state’s primary source of continuing and advanced education for health professionals.
Rutgers University in Newark was chartered in 1766 as Queen's College and is the eighth-oldest college in the nation. Rutgers has 29 degree-granting schools and colleges, 16 of which offer graduate programs of study. More than 100 distinct bachelors, 100 masters, and 80 doctoral and professional degrees are offered. Student enrollment totals 51,480 students, 12,904 of whom are graduate students. Boasting a world-renowned faculty, ninety-eight percent of members hold a PhD or other highest degree from top-ranked colleges and universities worldwide.
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