New Jersey relocation guide
Moving to Essex Fells, NJ
About Essex Fells
Essex Fells is a small, residential borough in western Essex County known for its winding, tree-lined streets and stately homes on generous lots. There is no traditional downtown — the borough is almost entirely residential — and residents lean on neighboring Caldwell and Verona for daily needs. It is a quiet enclave for buyers who want seclusion within a roughly 20-mile drive of Manhattan, with an active country club and country park at its doorstep.
Home prices in Essex Fells
The median listing price in Essex Fells is $1,949,500.
Top places in Essex Fells
- Grover Cleveland Park — Essex County park on the borough's edge with tennis/pickleball courts, sports fields, a fishing pond, playground, and summer concerts (the frozen Essex Fells Pond in the Commons photo below is here).
- Essex Fells Country Club — private golf and social club in-town (219 Devon Rd).
- West Essex Trail — rail trail along the former Erie Caldwell Branch corridor through the borough.
- The borough's historic homes — including Forest Road residences documented in the Library of Congress's Gottscho-Schleisner collection (shown in the Commons photo below).
- Borough hall / municipal complex on Roseland Avenue (shown in the Commons photo below).
- Nearby: Eagle Rock Reservation (~3 miles, West Orange) — 408-acre Essex County reservation with NYC skyline views (per essexcountyparks.org and Get Outside NJ).
- Nearby: Kip's Castle Park (~3 miles, Montclair) — 11-acre Essex County park with a Norman-style castle and skyline views (per essexcountyparks.org).
Commuting from Essex Fells
- No rail station in the borough — Essex Fells' own station on the Erie Caldwell Branch closed in October 1966 (per Wikipedia's Essex Fells station page, read September 24, 2026).
- Nearest NJ Transit rail stations are on the Montclair-Boonton Line in Montclair and Little Falls (Midtown Direct via Newark Broad Street to NY Penn; the Montclair-Boonton Line offers Midtown Direct service from select stations — verify station-level schedules on NJ Transit).
- NJ Transit buses 29 and 71 serve the borough (per Moovit, read September 24, 2026), connecting to Newark Penn Station; Rome2Rio reports no direct Essex Fells–Manhattan bus and estimates ~1h24m–1h44m total via bus+train combinations.
- Approximate drive to Midtown Manhattan: ~33 minutes / ~20 miles without traffic (Rome2Rio; read September 24, 2026). This is realistically a drive-to-the-train or drive-in commuter town.
Schools in Essex Fells
Public schools: Essex Fells School District. For enrollment and performance data, see the state report card in Town links below. Confirm school assignment for any address directly with the district.
Essex Fells FAQs
- What is the housing market like in Essex Fells, NJ?
The median listing price in Essex Fells is $1,949,500. Qualified - How is the commute from Essex Fells, NJ?
No rail station in the borough — Essex Fells' own station on the Erie Caldwell Branch closed in October 1966 (per Wikipedia's Essex Fells station page, read September 24, 2026). - Which school district serves Essex Fells, NJ?
Essex Fells is served by Essex Fells School District. See the state report card in Town links, and confirm school assignment for a specific address with the district.
Town links
Schools
Transit
Official town resources. School report cards via the New Jersey Department of Education.