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My wife and I are considering buying a house in Montclair Heights in Clifton NJ, We saw a couple of homes in our price range ($300k to $350k) and really like the area. In our research we found out Elementary #16 is a very good school (schools are very important to us) one of the main reasons why we looked at this area. Taxes are a bit high $10k+. My question would be, Is Montclair Heights a good area to live and raise a family? and do you think houses in this area would hold their value in time? (considering the way the house market is). A little bit about us.. Both early 30's, with 1 year old daughter looking for the 2nd one. I am from Argentina and wife is from Belarus, wife is getting her master's degree at Montclair U. Both professionals working in the city (NYC). Any input and/or advise you can give us about Montclair Heights is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Montclair Heights is a nice section of Clifton
Don't know a ton about the schools, but I've heard mixed things about the high school and don't believe it's considered that great overall. But I also know people who went through the high school and are fine.
For your price range and if looking in Essex, you are probably looking at Clifton, Bloomfield, and West Orange. All of which seem to garner the concern about high school.
But it seems you have plenty of time to see how you feel about it.
It's supposed to be the best (and most expensive) part of Clifton, but I don't have any firsthand knowledge of the area. The area around the university seems to be really nice driving through.
It's a very pretty, safe and a convenient-for-commuting area of Clifton. Close to many stores and parks, too. I used to jog through a lot of those streets on a regular basis. Before you finalize your decision, you may want to take a look at the ratings on the middle and high schools in Clifton. And just remember that the taxes in Passaic County will never go down. Good luck with your search for a new home.
I would like to start by saying thank you to everyone for your comments and input.. We are aware of Middle school and HS are not the best.. not our main concern at the moment being our daughter is only 1 year old. We have also discussed with my wife private school when the time comes if necessary. the property is in Charles street (close to the university) it seems very quiet and familiy friendly. Any information regarding homes holding their value in this area? re-selling it in 10-15 years could be a possibility. thank you again.
I like that neighborhood very much. It's very pretty, very convenient for shopping, easy commute into Manhattan, safe, and close to parks as well as the restaurants and theaters in Montclair (Clifton, too). The university also provides a cultural hub with it's wonderful fine arts programs and lectures and sporting events. Lots of upside to that area for sure. That area will definitely hold it's value. Good luck!
The Montclair heights section of Clifton borders the town of Montclair and Bloomfield. This area is very nice and generally safe. My main concern would be frat houses. Some homeowners in the area rent out their houses to Montclair State students who tend to throw wild frat parties which sometimes results in police being called for noise complaints. I would check with some of the neighbors to see if there are any frat houses on your street. Home value here have always been high even during the housing market crash and the area has always been pretty much in demand so I don't see house values dropping anything soon. School # 16 is a very good school. Woodrow Wilson Middle School is a good school too. I have heard plenty of ppl say that Clifton High School is a bad school but no one has ever been able to provide me with FACTUAL Based reasons as to why. I consider Clifton High School to be a good school....personally I think that most ppl that consider Clifton High School to be bad usually say it is because of racial and social class biases. Unfortunately, Clifton is a tale of two cities. Half of Clifton tends to have lower income (Botany, areas of Lakeview and Middle Village) while the other half (Montclair Height, Rosemar, Delawanna, Anthenia) tends to be well to do. As large as Clifton is, it only has one high school which caters to the whole city and happens to be the 2nd largest High School in NJ (after Elizabeth High). Some of the people in Montclair Height don't want their kids to mingle with kids from the poorer side of town.
Last edited by BrickCityKid; 04-25-2013 at 06:14 PM..
That is a great area of Clifton and to answer your question Is Montclair Heights a good area to live and raise a family? and do you think houses in this area would hold their value in time? The answer is definitely yes! I think you should be very happy in that area. School #16 is a very good school and you have plenty of time to worry about High School.
Montclair Heights, as well as neighboring Upper Montclair (where taxes are higher) are beautiful neighborhoods! This section of Clifton, which is minutes from the Upper Montclair downtown and feels like a fancy, modern part of Upper Montclair is quite large, consistently nice and totally safe. It provides a slightly more modern feel than most of Montclair or Glen Ridge but it is similarly nice with a mix of colonial and mid-century modern homes on rolling hills with lush foliage.
#16 Elementary is an excellent school as is Woodrow Wilson Middle School!! In this regard, Montclair Heights is a better choice than Bloomfield (another neighboring town with some nice properties).
Also, don't forget the train service, which is right up the hill and under five minutes from most parts of the neighborhood.
Hope this is helpful.
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