Like Montclair, West Orange is situated on the edge of the Watchung Mountains. Its 12- mile radius includes 2 scenic ridges and 2 valleys. From many homes on the hills, the view of Manhattan is stupendous. 

On its website, West Orange is described as "a 300-year-old multi-faceted, politically active, suburban community whose residents reflect a wide variety of income, ethnic backgrounds, education, and interests."  

Nearly 41,000 people now call West Orange home. Sandwiched between Montclair and South Orange, West Orange is an attractive alternative to the higher home prices in those towns. Recently, in an article on the town in the New York Times Real Estate section, I called it "the best kept secret" in the county. 

I say that for several reasons:  

--Nobody can quite believe its size -- really huge!! 

--Home prices are often a little bit less relentlessly expensive, probably because West Orange has no train station. For a 3-bedroom cape cod or small colonial, prices start at around $375,000. 

About one-fifth of the town is open space - including portions of the county's beautiful South Mountain and Eagle Rock Reservations, county and town parks, playgrounds, private and public golf courses, and undeveloped acreage. The lush Reservations include excellent hiking trails and bridle paths, as well as a lookout area at the top of Eagle Rock Reservation, where on a clear day you can see the Statue of Liberty. 

Because of its size, West Orange does not have the intimate town feel of a Glen Ridge or South Orange. Aside from the shops and neighborhood restaurants and diners in "old West Orange," near the Edison National Historic Site, most shopping in the town is more suburban in design, including Essex Green Mall on Prospect Ave., which includes a Macy's, a multiplex cinema, Petco, and Panera Bread Company.  

West Orange has several distinct and delightful neighborhoods with more Tudor homes than any other town in the area, as well as stately colonials and a plentiful inventory of split-levels, ranches and capes. Several new housing developments have risen in the town over the past decade, the most expensive and elegant of which is The Grande, where houses in 2006 range in price from $800,000 to $1.3 million. And, for downsizers and young people looking for their first home purchase, West Orange offers more upscale condo opportunities than any other town in Essex County. Among the well-regarded condo communities are The Pointe, Eagle Ridge, The Highlands, Crystal Woods, and Crown View at Smith Manor. 

Long-awaited redevelopment of West Orange's oldest neighborhood, surrounding the historic Thomas Edison factory and research facilities, has been approved and is expected to break ground shortly.  

The town is also home to beautiful 400-acre Llewellyn Park, the first private, gated residential park in the US, created in 1853 and home to Glenmont, Thomas Edison's mansion, now a national landmark. Homes in the park, ranging in price from about $700,000 to several million, are generally situated on at least 2 acres. 

While there is no train station in West Orange, neighboring South Orange and Orange do have direct train service to Manhattan, accessible by jitney during commuter hours. Parts of the Gregory Section of West Orange are close enough to Orange's Highland Station and South Orange's Mountain Station to walk to the train. Bus service from the town, is an effective means of commuting to Manhattan or Newark. Because the town in bisected in several places by Rt. 280, some residents prefer driving to Manhattan. 

West Orange's public school system is well regarded, with primary schools in the St. Cloud, Redwood, Mt. Pleasant and Gregory sections ranked highest by reading scores, and with many advanced placement courses in the high school. An architecturally audacious new middle school, is set to open in 2006 in the Mt. Pleasant Section. As an expert in West Orange real estate, I look forward to introducing you to this fine town. 

You might also consider Bloomfield, Maplewood and South Orange - other fine towns I serve.