ARE YOU LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL A HOME IN Maplewood, NJ?
Maplewood in Essex County, NJ was originally formed as South Orange Township in 1861 from portions of neighboring towns. After many border shifts and land secessions in the area, the township, now about 3.8 square miles, changed its name to Maplewood in 1922, after a railroad station built there by a land speculator in 1838.
South Orange Avenue, Springfield Avenue, and Ridgewood Road were built along trails used by the area’s original Native American inhabitants. Three separate communities arose along these routes; one, Jefferson Village, had its center where downtown Maplewood (now called “the village” or “Maplewood Center”) is located. The area had many orchards, cider mills and rum distilleries, honey, and livestock. In 1868, farms were divided into residential housing parcels.
The work of famous architects and landscape designers are seen throughout Maplewood, including Memorial Park, designed by the Olmsted Brothers. The Olmsted firm also designed the landscaping at Ward Homestead (now called Winchester Gardens), designed by architect John Russell Pope. Another notable building is The Maplewood Theater.
In 1867, the three communities’ separate school associations were merged into the South Orange-Maplewood School District. Columbia High School in Maplewood serves both municipalities; two middle schools and several elementary schools are in each town.
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As of the 2010 United States Census, the township’s population was 23,867 with a median household income around $101,000. The town’s diverse makeup includes a significant gay population and many theatre professionals.
Maplewood’s housing market offers a wide selection for buyers who like the charm of older homes, large and small, at price points for all budgets. There are also many condominiums to choose from.
The village’s upscale restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries won Maplewood the 2015 Downtown Showdown in New Jersey Monthly magazine. There is an annual farmers market and Maplewoodstock, a yearly free summer concert featuring local and national bands and local exhibitors. Midtown Direct Rep, named after the New Jersey Transit line on which its founders all commuted, is a homegrown repertory company. The township owns and operates the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts.
Maplewood operates a rush-hour jitney service to and from the train station, where residents can take the train to New York Penn Station, Newark Broad Street Station and Secaucus Junction. NJ Transit buses go to Newark and to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC.
Fun Maplewood facts:
- Ultimate Frisbee was invented in Maplewood in 1968 by students at Columbia High School.
- Maplewood is the birthplace of the wooden golf tee, invented by William Lowell at the Maplewood Golf Club in 1921.
- Several films have been shot in Maplewood, including I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Garden State, Gracie, One True Thing, and Stepmom.
- Novelist and Newark native, Philip Roth, refers to Maplewood in several of his novels.
