Glen Ridge is a community that revolves around children, our families and our schools,” says Ms. McCarthy. “It’s a very warm community…when you walk down your block, you know your neighbors.”More than 80% of the borough falls within the Glen Ridge Historic District. Gas lamps line many of its quaint and quiet streets. And families have long prized its small and well-regarded school district.

Borough facilities include Carteret Park, with a playground, ball fields and a hockey rink. The Glen Ridge Community Pool, built in 2003, offers paid memberships to residents. The 121-acre Brookdale Park, an Essex County park with a playground, garden and athletic fields and which hosts events including summertime concerts, is right outside Glen Ridge.

Glen Ridge has a small-town feeling in a large metropolitan area, plus it has the unique, historic character. Today most of its houses are well-maintained and architecturally distinctive, including many century-old Queen Annes, Tudors and Colonials, and the borough provides most of its own services. With about 7,500 residents, Glen Ridge is mostly surrounded by the larger communities of Montclair and Bloomfield and is almost entirely residential.

Many Glen Ridge institutions, such as the post office, library, borough hall and train station, are near the intersection of Ridgewood and Bloomfield avenues. Other than a small strip mall with basic services and a popular local restaurant, most amenities lie outside Glen Ridge’s boundaries.

This is not a challenge to residents, since a wide variety of commercial offerings are close by. Come home to the gas lamps and these beautiful turn-of-the-century homes with the open porches, and you won’t feel like you’re missing any shopping because it’s all around you! Real estate in Glen Ridge consists mostly of single-family houses, with some co-op apartments, condominiums and townhouses.

Fitzgerald’s 1928, a pub and restaurant, is on Herman Street. Just Sandwiches, a sandwich shop, is on Bloomfield Avenue. Numerous other options can be found nearby.

Shopping: A small shopping plaza offers basic services. Additional options are in Montclair or Bloomfield, and the Willowbrook Mall and Mall at Short Hills are both a short distance away.

School:
​The Glen Ridge School System has around 1,670 students in four schools. Its graduation rate was 97%.

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Commute to NYC:
​The quick commute is one of the strongest draws for new residents, brokers say, most of whom are young families relocating from New York City, Jersey City or Hoboken, or adults who grew up in Glen Ridge and returned there to raise their children. There are more than a dozen active community organizations, including the Women’s Club, which sponsors cultural events and fundraisers, and the Kiwanis Club.
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The borough is situated around 20 miles from Manhattan, and the Garden State Parkway and Interstate 280 are nearby. NJ Transit trains travel to Penn Station in half an hour. Service to Hoboken is also available.