Maplewood Information - Natalie Farrell

maplewood-intro

Imagine a downtown so charming that every December it becomes Dickens Village. It really is that quaint:yet the stores and restaurants are totally 21st century. Maplewood Village is the center of a family friendly town where residents gather to eat, shop, stroll, run errands, see a movie or play.

Tucked between the train station and Memorial Park:designed by the Olmstead Brothers:it’s a bustling shopping center by day and the place to be at night. The mix of eateries, from coffee shop to pub, Thai cuisine to steakhouse, would be right at home in Manhattan.

One small store particularly reflects the town and its residents. Words opened in 2009, a time when many bookstores were closing. But it is thriving with a great selection of books and activities perfectly suited to the community. Chances are the author doing a reading is a Maplewood resident; many writers and journalists make their home here.

Commute

Maplewood is on the New Jersey Transit Midtown Direct Line. From here trains go to and from Penn Station on the Midtown Direct Line seven days a week. Trains continue westbound to Summit, Morristown and Dover. Permit parking is available in lots. A jitney bus service, covering three routes, offers frequent service for commuters going to the train station. Commuters purchase roundtrip monthly tickets to and from Penn Station for $208 or, for the same fare, to Hoboken where commuters catch a PATH train into lower Manhattan.

Coach USA buses go to Livingston and Newark from Maplewood and NJ Transit runs buses to Newark on Springfield Avenue. Easy access to Routes 280, the Garden State Parkway and Routes 24 and 78 pave the way for north, south and westbound commutes.

Eats

The trouble with eating in Maplewood is too many choices! Maplewood Village has a great mix of popular eateries. There are even more options on Springfield Avenue, a commercial strip that cuts across the southern part of the township. In fact the 2012 New Jersey Monthly listing of the top 20 restaurants includes Lorena’s, on Maplewood Avenue and Verjus, on Springfield Avenue.St. James’s Gate is a popular pub on Maplewood Avenue, just a few doors down is Coda, a great place for happy hour or dinner. Around the corner is Highland Place where there is often live music to go with your food and drinks; recently the popular bread and cheese shop, Cranes, has taken up residence in Highland Place, so you can enjoy breakfast and lunch there too. For a great burger, head to The Laurel, the NY Times likes them too.

Some other spots in the Village cater to the breakfast and lunch crowd, there’s Maple Leaf Diner and Village Coffee Co, with an interesting mix of American and Indian food. On Springfield Avenue there’s Park Wood Diner. Or grab a slice at Roman Gourmet, Village Trattoria or Arturo’s where brick oven and organic ingredients make pizza special. There are cupcakes at Able Baker and The Cupcake Corral which is in a little cluster of stores on Ridgewood Avenue.Pick up groceries at the small but well stocked King’s Market and you’ll want to go next store to Freeman’s Fish for fresh seafood.

Neighborhoods

Just drive along the two mile stretch of Wyoming Avenue and you’ll have a sense of the diverse architecture, grand homes and landscaped lawns that make Maplewood special. All over town, it is just under 4 square miles, there are great communities in walking distance to parks, shops and transportation.Photo 4The neighborhoods of Maplewood are generally referred to by the name of the closest elementary school:so there’s South Mountain, Seth Boyden, Clinton and Jefferson.

Special enclaves like Roosevelt Park have their own history. Teddy Roosevelt spent summers at his uncle’s estate here. Now Roosevelt Street is part of the Jefferson community that includes a small group of shops with resale clothing and furniture, an art gallery and cupcakes.

Your Maplewood neighbor may be a Broadway star, like Christine Ebersole, a journalist, author or a Wall Street executive. Often listed as one of the best communities to live in, Maplewood is one the short list of many families moving from Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Maplewood, along with South Orange, has made a conscious effort to maintain a diverse community. The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race is an organization committed to â€œbuilding a unique, suburban community that is free of racial segregation in housing patterns and community involvement.

Schools

Maplewood shares a school district with South Orange (the two towns were one until 1904). Generally speaking, Maplewood children attend elementary schools in close proximity to their homes. All South Orange and Maplewood students attend Columbia High School which is in Maplewood.The following schools are located in Maplewood:

Clinton:kindergarten through 5th.
Tuscan:kindergarten through 5th.
Seth Boyden:kindergarten through 5th. (Any family in the district may choose this demonstration school, â€œâ€¦established to provide an innovative program of instruction to meet the needs of a diverse student population reflecting the integrated communities of South Orange and Maplewood.)
Jefferson:grades 3:5.
Maplewood Middle School:6th, 7th and 8th grades
(there is also a South Orange Middle).

Since there are variables, including the exact location of your home and parental choice, that determine where your children will go to school I will be happy to help you sort it out. My daughters went to Marshall and Jefferson and are now in Middle School and High School so I have a parent’s perspective. I’m also happy to connect you with other families attending any of the schools.

Columbia High School has made significant gains recently in ratings including moving up to number 47 out of 328 in the New Jersey Monthly Magazine annual ranking. Graduates attend leading universities. Columbia has an impressive list of alumni in its Hall of Fame including: the Grammy winner Lauryn Hill (she was a member of The Fugees while a student), drummer Max Weinstein, actor/director Zach Braff and architect Richard Meier.Our Lady of Sorrows is a private, Catholic school located in South Orange for kindergarten through 8th grade, there is also a nursery and preschool. Many local religious congregations, and private companies offer preschool programs. The Milton School is a private alternative school for grades 5:12.

Family Fun

Nature lovers, athletes, thespians, music and art lovers all feel at home in Maplewood. Start at the top:the South Mountain Reservation:an oasis of hiking trails, waterfalls and great views of the New York skyline. Part of the Watchung Mountains, the reservations covers 2000 acres, many of them in Maplewood.Head down to the Village and you’ll find Memorial Park. It’s a quick stroll to the Library where you can pick up a book to read while you’re relaxing by the stream. (The Library has added bonuses like free museum passes and mobile apps!) Maplewoodians celebrate the warm weather with tennis, golf and swimming. Tennis courts are available in the town parks. The Community Pool is located in the southeast corner of town. The Maplewood Country Club is a private golf course.

If you have a green thumb, or want to grow one, the Garden Club Plant Sale held each May at the pool will get you started. If you need more space than your yard or just like to be with other gardeners, the Maplewood Community Garden is for you.

Photo 4For two days every summer Memorial Field turns into Maplewoodstock. Neighbors gather on the lawn to listen to great music. Local artisans sell their crafts and restaurants sell food and drinks. This free event was founded by local music lovers including Jamie Ross. Jamie is also the man behind Maplewood Online. This website provides a central site for residents to ask questions, get information and connect with each other.

A wide range of sports programs, mostly shared with South Orange, are available for children of all ages (there are even some options for adults). Underhill Field, the high school athletic fields and track, is a half mile away from the high school, in a residential neighborhood.Theatre is central to life in Maplewood. The town runs the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, home to several performance groups including The Strollers and What Exit?. There are also classes for children and concerts. Maplewood Theatre, in an historic building, shows first run movies.

Art galleries and studios abound. The nonprofit 1978 Arts Center and Gerlyn’s Art Studio offer classes, shows and sales. Every spring Maplewood and South Orange host the Artist Studio Tour with over 60 galleries, studios and exhibits open to the public.

There’s so much right here in Maplewood, you may never want to leave town. But if you do, you’re a quick train trip away from New York City and all it has to offer. Under an hour’s drive, you’re at the Jersey shore or in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Weekend trips to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC are great for the whole family. The Mall at Short Hills and Livingston Mall are only 15 minutes away.

Natalie Knows...Maplewood

Commute

Eats

Neighborhoods

Schools

Family Fun

Natalie Farrell

The Buying & Selling Process