Upper Montclair, New Jersey

History

The area now known as Upper Montclair was first developed in the early 18th century as a rural community known as Speertown, named for John Speer, an early Dutch settler. The area remained a rural hamlet for much of that century. The modern township of Montclair, including Upper Montclair, was incorporated in 1868 from part of Bloomfield Township.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 2.536 square miles (6.569 km2), including 2.535 square miles (6.567 km2) of land and 0.001 square miles (0.002 km2) of water (0.04%).

Upper Montclair is north of Watchung Avenue, covering 40.2% of Montclair township's area.

Demographics

Upper Montclair first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census formed from part of the deleted whole-township Montclair CDP.

2020 census

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 11,565 people, 4,178 households, and 3,146 families in the CDP. The population density was 4561.4 /sqmi. There were 4,310 housing units at an average density of 1699.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 83.99% (9,713) White, 6.46% (747) Black or African American, 0.10% (12) Native American, 4.18% (483) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.31% (151) from other races, and 3.97% (459) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.61% (649) of the population.

Of the 4,178 households, 44.2% had children under the age of 18; 64.8% were married couples living together; 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.7% were non-families. Of all households, 20.3% were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.23.

29.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 85.7 males.

Education

Upper Montclair is also home to several private schools. They include Lacordaire Academy, Lacordaire Academy Elementary Division and St. Cassian School.

Transportation

Upper Montclair is well connected to the rest of New Jersey and New York City on account of its transportation infrastructure. Public transportation options in Upper Montclair are buses and trains, both provided by New Jersey Transit, although commuter bus service to Manhattan was also provided until April 2023 by DeCamp Bus Lines.

Rail

New Jersey Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line runs through the neighborhood of Upper Montclair. In Upper Montclair there are train stations of the overall Montclair total of seven. This is because the stations in Montclair are very close together, sometimes under a mile apart. New Jersey Transit train stations are Upper Montclair, Mountain Avenue, and Montclair Heights. From 1889 to 1928, Valley Road, a major road, had an electric trolley line.

Bus

The area is also on NJ Transit's bus route 28, which goes from Montclair State University or Willowbrook Mall along Valley Road through Montclair, Glen Ridge and Bloomfield, to Downtown Newark. This bus route goes along Valley road for the great majority of its path in Upper Montclair, in some places on the route of Decamp's Number 66. Also, two DeCamp Bus Lines routes took commuters to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York until April 2023. Some Number 33 buses went along Grove Street, on the Eastern edge of the neighborhood, while number 66 went along Valley Road, in the West, then the central Park Street.

Road

Upper Montclair has road connections to the rest of Montclair, Cedar Grove, Little Falls, Clifton and Bloomfield. Just north of the neighborhood's border are U.S. Route 46 and Route 3.

Commerce

The commercial zone at the center of Upper Montclair, Upper Montclair Business District is home to several restaurants and shops. Unlike many of Montclair's other commercial zones, it has outlets of several major chain stores. In 2009–2010, several new national and local merchants opened in the area. Montclair Station Restaurant & Bar was opened in the historic Upper Montclair train station. Upper Montclair also has both a park, Anderson Park, and a railway station, Upper Montclair, nearby. There is a post office here.

Parks

Upper Montclair is home to many parks and nature reserves. Within Upper Montclair there are Anderson Park, Yantacaw Brook Park, the Bonsal Nature Reserve, Mountainside Park, the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, and parts of Mills Reservation and Brookdale Park. In addition, Upper Montclair has the Mountainside Public Pool, which is the largest of the three public pools in Montclair.

Upper Montclair also has Immaculate Conception Cemetery and Mount Hebron Cemetery.

Notable people

· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability. · The article must mention how they are associated with Dexter, whether born, raised, or residing. · The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited. · Alphabetical by last name please. · All others will be deleted.

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Upper Montclair include:

• Buzz Aldrin (born 1930), NASA astronaut who was the second man to walk on the Moon
• Yael Averbuch (born 1986), soccer player
• Raymond A. Brown (1915–2009), attorney whose clients included Black Liberation Army member Assata Shakur, boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and "Dr. X" physician Mario Jascalevich
• Margaret Colin (born 1958), actress
• J. Clydesdale Cushman (1887–1955), businessman who co-founded the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield in 1917
• Justin Deas (born 1948), actor
• Jesse Grupper (born 1997), Olympic rock climber
• John Langley Howard (1902–1999), muralist, printmaker and illustrator, known for his social realism
• Howard Krongard (1940–2023), head of the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State
• Rosemary Rice (1925–2012), actress best known for her role as Katrin on CBS-TV series Mama
• Patience Sherman (born 1946), former competition swimmer who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
• Philip Slater (1927–2013), sociologist and author
• Leo Sternbach (1908–2005), chemist who invented precursor to ValiumPearce, Jeremy. "Leo Sternbach, 97, Valium Creator, Dies", The New York Times, October 1, 2005. Accessed October 17, 2007. "The couple lived in Upper Montclair, N.J., until last year, when they moved to Chapel Hill."
• Bernard Wakefield (–1967), British-American executive who co-founded the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield in 1917
• Joe Walsh (born 1947), singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer
• Ingrid Wells (born 1989), soccer player

Gallery

Image:Valley Road and Bellevue Avenue - Upper Montclair, NJ.jpg|Business district at the intersection of Valley Road and Bellevue Avenue File:Bellevue Branch of the Upper Montclair Library (2006).jpg|Bellevue Branch of the library File:Upper Montclair Downtown Clock.jpg|A c. 1910 landmark clock owned by Chase bank in the center of town. It was refurbished in 2004. Image:AndersonParkMontclair NJ.JPG|Anderson Park File:PresbyIrisMG1.jpg|Presby Memorial Iris Gardens File:Film set, Upper Montclair NJ (2006).jpg|Film crew on location File:Montclair Woman's Club.jpg|Montclair Women's Club File:Brookdale Park, Montclair NJ (2006).jpg|Brookdale Park

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{Cite gnis. 2584034. Upper Montclair Census Designated Place
3. [http://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupResultsAction!input.action?resultMode=0&city=upper%20montclair&state=NJ Look Up a ZIP Code for Upper Montclair, NJ], [[United States Postal Service]]. Accessed June 12, 2012.
4. [http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2010_place_list_34.txt Gazetteer of New Jersey Places], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed July 21, 2016.
5. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed September 4, 2014.
6. [https://mcdc.missouri.edu/applications/geocodes/?state=34 Geographic codes for New Jersey], Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed June 9, 2023.
7. [http://geonames.usgs.gov US Board on Geographic Names], [[United States Geological Survey]]. Accessed September 4, 2014.
8. [https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-32.pdf#page=19 New Jersey: 2010 – Population and Housing Unit Counts – 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)], [[United States Census Bureau]], August 2012. Accessed November 6, 2012.
9. [http://www.state.nj.us/infobank/localnames.txt Locality Search], State of [[New Jersey]]. Accessed April 19, 2015.
10. [http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US3475020 DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Upper Montclair CDP, New Jersey] {{Webarchive. link. (February 12, 2020 , [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed June 11, 2012.)
11. [http://www.montclairnjusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=342:history-of-montclair&catid=211:about-us&Itemid=507 History of Montclair], Township of Montclair. Accessed June 14, 2015.
12. [http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US34013 GCT-PH1: Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Essex County, New Jersey] {{Webarchive. link. (February 12, 2020 , [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed July 22, 2016.)
13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
14. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau.
15. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - New Jersey".
16. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Upper Montclair CDP, New Jersey".
17. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Upper Montclair CDP, New Jersey".
18. Martin, Julia. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/transportation/2023/03/20/decamp-bus-to-nyc-commuter-service/70028525007/ "DeCamp ending commuter buses to and from New York City for North Jersey routes"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey). The Record]]'', March 20, 2023. Accessed April 19, 2023. "After 153 years of ferrying commuters from Montclair to Manhattan, DeCamp bus lines will cease all commuter service effective April 7, said Jonathan DeCamp, the company's chief operating officer."
19. Smaridge, Norah. [https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/27/archives/tombstones-manhole-covers-and-the-ancient-art-of-rubbing-the.html "Tombstones, Manhole Covers and The Ancient Art of Rubbing; The Ancient Art of Rubbing"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', July 27, 1975. Accessed June 27, 2012. "In Upper Montclair, N.J., for instance, on a small stone outside his boyhood home, an inscription commemorates astronaut Buzz Aldrin."
20. "Yael Averbuch - U.S. Soccer".
21. [[Joseph Berger (author). Berger, Joseph]].. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/nyregion/12brown.html "Raymond A. Brown, Civil Rights Lawyer, Dies at 94"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 11, 2009. Accessed October 27, 2025. "Raymond A. Brown, a criminal and civil rights lawyer who deployed a sometimes theatrical manner on behalf of controversial clients like the Black Panthers, a Soviet spy, the boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, and Dr. X, a New Jersey surgeon accused of murdering patients with an overdose of a muscle relaxant, died Friday at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J. He was 94 and lived in Upper Montclair, N.J."
22. [[Alvin Klein. Klein, Alvin]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/22/nyregion/baldwin-girl-finds-camelot-on-broadway.html "Baldwin Girl Finds Camelot (on Broadway)"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 22, 1998. Accessed October 10, 2012. "Ms. Colin's Hofstra years lasted from 1976 to 1979, with time out for soap opera stints like ''Edge of Night'' and ''As the World Turns.'' On ''World,'' she played opposite the man she later married, Justin Deas, who is now appearing in the recurring role of Buzz in ''Guiding Light.'' He was Tom; she was Margo. A year and a half ago the couple, married 10 years, and their sons, Sam, 8, and Joe, 4, moved from an apartment in Manhattan to 'a mansion for the money' in Upper Montclair, N.J."
23. [https://www.nytimes.com/1955/06/30/archives/j-c-cijsan-68-a-realty-leader-head-of-large-brokerage-and.html "J. C. Cushman, 68, A Realty Leader; Head of Large Brokerage and Management Firm for Midtown Buildings Dies"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 30, 1955. Accessed October 27, 2025. "Upper Montclair, N. J., June 29-J. Clydesdale Cushman, president and chairman of the board of directors of Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., real estate brokers in New York, died today, after a short illness at his home, 338 North Mountain Road."
24. Fast, Annie. [https://www.olympics.com/en/news/six-things-you-didn-t-know-about-team-usa-sport-climber-jesse-grupper "Six things you didn’t know about Team USA sport climber Jesse Grupper"], [[International Olympic Committee]], April 23, 2024. Accessed October 27, 2025. "Jesse Grupper has been climbing since age six; by nine, he had started competing and never looked back.... Sport climbing debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021), the year following was a breakout year for the climber from Upper Montclair, New Jersey."
25. [https://art.famsf.org/john-langley-howard John Langley Howard], [[Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco]]. Accessed February 5, 2021. "Birth Place: Upper Montclair NJ"
26. [http://oig.state.gov/about/c12822.htm Howard J. Krongard, Inspector General] {{Webarchive. link. (September 21, 2007 , [[United States Department of State]]. Accessed September 20, 2007.)
27. Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/style/weddings-celebrations-mara-krongard-benjamin-shreck.html "Weddings/Celebrations; Mara Krongard, Benjamin Shreck"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 22, 2003. Accessed June 27, 2012. "Mara Lynn Krongard, the daughter of Paula S. Krongard and Howard J. Krongard, both of Upper Montclair, N.J., was married last evening to Benjamin Robert Shreck, a son of Cherie L. Shreck and Dr. Robert R. Shreck of Des Moines."
28. [https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/515670564/ "Rosemary Rice, High School Senior In Play Cast Heading for Broadway"], ''The Montclair Times'', September 24, 1942. Accessed February 5, 2021, via [[Newspapers.com]]. "Miss Rosemary Rice, Montclair High School senior, and daughter of Lieutenant Commander and Mrs. Albert F. Rice of 119 Edgemont Road, Upper Montclair, has stepped into the footlight spotlight."
29. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montclair-times-profile-of-swimmer-p/171402044/ "Fine Showing By Local Girl"], ''The Montclair Times'', August 19, 1965. Accessed May 1, 2025, via [[Newspapers.com]]. "Swimming in her best form and turning in the time of her career, Montclair's Patience Sherman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. N. H. Sherman of 534 Upper Mountain Ave., Upper Montclair, finished a close second to 'Pokey' Watson in the titular final of the 100 meter free style race for women in the National AAU men's and women's swimming championships held Aug. 12-15, at the Lucas Recreation Center pool in Maumee, Ohio."
30. Lambert, Craig. (February 14, 2013). "Author Philip Slater talks about his life, work, and loves". Harvard Magazine.
31. [http://www.rocheusa.com/newsroom/current/2005/pr2005092901.html Inventor of Valium and National Inventors Hall of Fame] {{Webarchive. link. (September 27, 2007 , [[Hoffmann–La Roche). Roche]], September 30, 2005. Accessed October 17, 2007. "A devoted family man, Sternbach lived with his wife, Herta, in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, from 1943 to 2003..."
32. [https://www.nytimes.com/1967/09/30/archives/bernard-wakefield-dies-at-84-founded-huge-realty-concern-chairman.html "Bernard Wakefield Dies at 84; Founded Huge Realty Concern; Chairman Till 1959 Formed Leasing and Rental Firm With Cashman in 1917"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 30, 1967. Accessed October 26, 2025. "Bernard Wakefield, a founder of Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., the giant real-estate concern, died yesterday in his home at 356 Park Street in Upper Montclair."
33. Staff. [http://www.guhoyas.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/120209aaa.html "Ingrid Wells Named ECAC Division I Women's Soccer All-Star Third major award for Wells this season"], [[Georgetown Hoyas]], December 2, 2009. Accessed June 27, 2012. "Georgetown University women's soccer player Ingrid Wells (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair) has been named a First Team All-Star Selection by the Eastern College Athletic Conference."