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I'm a Brooklyn transplant looking to move to Montclair, NJ with my family (incl a 2 year old daughter). I love some of the character of homes in "lower montclair" and the value for the money in the areas south of Bloomfield near the Glen Ridge border. I get through other posts that this is the area to be "avoided". I don't plan on hanging out on Mission St, but have walked down it a number of times during the day and evening and don't really feel concerned.
You may want to rethink walking down Mission St. :
Honestly,
I would avoid the lower half of Montclair if it were me buying. I would stick to the middle and top of Montclair. I do see some homes around 500K in those areas, if that was your budget. The gang warfare would make me too nervous. Teenagers are too impulsive and I don't want to be anywhere around teenagers with GUNS whether or not I have children. That article is scary. Clearly there's a problem in that area.
Unacceptable Montclair. Eminent domain that area. Combine lots to make them bigger for a good size house on each lot and start over. Clearly that area is broken. People dying is horrible. Or do something else but to do nothing is just wrong. The landloards don't care and the bad apples in that area are spoiling the bunch. I'm sure there are hard working decent people in that area so I do not want to overgeneralize but enough is enough. It's been bad this year. Real bad with the shootings.
Please remember that the drug dealers wouldn't be there if the children from the upscale parts of Montclair and beyond weren't their best customers. When people want to party, they party. Towns have noise ordinances; call the police and calm down. You've probably disturbed a neighbor or two at some time and they just didn't say anything... if we want our neighborhoods to improve, we need to stop avoiding the problems and help solve them. The bad folks who take over portions of good towns do so because the good people let them. Report problems, talk to your neighbors (including the young people), make the police and your elected officials do their jobs, stop labeling neighborhoods and put your two cents in to make a difference ... otherwise move to Mars!
Please remember that the drug dealers wouldn't be there if the children from the upscale parts of Montclair and beyond weren't their best customers. When people want to party, they party. Towns have noise ordinances; call the police and calm down. You've probably disturbed a neighbor or two at some time and they just didn't say anything... if we want our neighborhoods to improve, we need to stop avoiding the problems and help solve them. The bad folks who take over portions of good towns do so because the good people let them. Report problems, talk to your neighbors (including the young people), make the police and your elected officials do their jobs, stop labeling neighborhoods and put your two cents in to make a difference ... otherwise move to Mars!
Excellent point.
And this weekend we went to the Montclair Jazz Festival which is an area off Bloomfield behind Mission Street area - a portion have huge multi-million dollar homes right on Nishuane while on another side is a more middle and working class are with mostly well kept homes. As has been said the majority of crime centers around the area immediately south of Lackawanna Plaza - but does not extend too far in either direction.
It seems the worst area are some of the blocks surrounding Glenfield Park (which seems OK itself) - and the main crimes are burgulary and robbery with an infrequent shooting or assault. The area on Pine is improving though from the past decade or so I have seen it.
Yes Most of Montclair is safe and all of Montclair would be safe if it would just cut off the cancerous piece that hurts the town but it never will.
Thugs can get you anywhere though. Look at the carjacking in Millburn. Newark and Irvington are beyond close to really nice areas. It's unfortunate and it's too bad that Montclair has a "bad section" it's almost comical that it does.
At least Montclair isn't turning into South Orange or Maplewood. The "Newark Creep" in those areas just keeps on coming and coming and coming. It'll be interesting to see those town in 10 years. Maplewood was way different 10 years ago.
What about the area directly south of Nishuane Park, say the blocks between Harrison and Nishuane Road? It has not been implicated on these forums as unsafe, but is not a wealthy area. Is it safe to walk around there, especially at night? I have heard a little about drug activity at Nishuane Park, but also that it is nice in daytime.
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