Upper Montclair is a census-designated place (CDP), unincorporated community and neighborhood within Montclair in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.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.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 19, 2015. As of the 2020 census, Upper Montclair had a population of 13,146. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 07043. It is often misperceived, even by Montclair residents, to be a separate municipality from Montclair, perhaps aided by this postal designation. 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.History of Montclair, Township of Montclair. Accessed June 14, 2015.
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%).US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
Upper Montclair is north of Watchung Avenue, covering 40.2% of Montclair township's area.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 , United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 22, 2016.
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.
Racial and ethnic composition +Upper Montclair CDP, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)9,2648,87080.10%67.47%Black or African American alone (NH)7151,5096.18%11.48%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)920.08%0.02%Asian alone (NH)4797214.14%5.48%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)020.00%0.02%Other race alone (NH)65950.56%0.72%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)3848223.32%6.25%Hispanic or Latino (any race)6491,1255.61%8.56%Total11,56513,146 100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Upper Montclair had a population of 13,146. The median age was 38.3 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.8 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,114 households in Upper Montclair, of which 46.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 69.1% were married-couple households, 9.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 17.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 4,214 housing units, of which 2.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%.
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 . There were 4,310 housing units at an average density of . 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.DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Upper Montclair CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 11, 2012.
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 in the township of Montclair and is served by the Montclair Public Schools. More than a quarter of the district's schools are found in Upper Montclair. These include Bradford Elementary and Northeast Elementary, which are two of seven elementary schools in Montclair, and Mt. Hebron Middle School, renamed Buzz Aldrin Middle School in September 2016 in honor of the astronaut, who grew up in Montclair, which is one of three Montclair middle schools. Part of Montclair State University's campus is in Upper Montclair.
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.Martin, Julia. "DeCamp ending commuter buses to and from New York City for North Jersey routes", 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."
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
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 MoonSmaridge, Norah. "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." 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 JascalevichBerger, Joseph.. "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." Margaret Colin (born 1958), actressKlein, Alvin. "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." J. Clydesdale Cushman (1887–1955), businessman who co-founded the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield in 1917"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." Justin Deas (born 1948), actor Jesse Grupper (born 1997), Olympic rock climberFast, Annie. "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." Sterling Hayden (born 1916–1986), actor John Langley Howard (1902–1999), muralist, printmaker and illustrator, known for his social realismJohn Langley Howard, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Accessed February 5, 2021. "Birth Place: Upper Montclair NJ"