While Maplewood and South Orange are different towns, they have a lot in common. In addition to sharing a high school, they both have a jitney system to their respective train stations, quick commutes to NYC, tree-lined streets with mature trees, and older, beautiful homes. Also, both communities are centers for the arts, such as South Orange’s SOPAC performance venue and Maplewood’s annual concert with a variety of local bands called Maplewoodstock.
Maplewood & South Orange School Information
The township shares a common school system, the South Orange-Maplewood School District, with the adjacent town of Maplewood. The district has a single high school, Columbia High School, located in Maplewood (but nearly on the town border), two middle schools and several elementary schools in each municipality.
Schools in the district are Clinton Elementary School (grades K-5, Maplewood), Jefferson Elementary School (3-5, Maplewood), Marshall Elementary School (K-2, South Orange), Seth Boyden Elementary School (K-5, Maplewood), South Mountain Elementary School / Annex (K-5, South Orange), Tuscan Elementary School (K-5, Maplewood), Maplewood Middle School (6-8, Maplewood) South Orange Middle School (6-8; South Orange) and Columbia High School (9-12, Maplewood). Columbia High School was ranked #79 on Niche.com.
Private schools
South Orange Country Day School is a PreK and Kindergarten Montessori school for children ages two and half through Kindergarten.
Our Lady of Sorrows School is a PreK-8 elementary school operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
Higher education
Seton Hall University, which serves more than 10,000 students, was founded in 1856 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark and named after Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint. South Orange’s downtown has a college feel with this Division I university located along the east side of South Orange Avenue, the community’s main boulevard.
Maplewood & South Orange Commuting Information
South Orange is served by two New Jersey Transit railroad stations along the Morristown Line: the South Orange station, located on South Orange Avenue near the Intersection of Vose Avenue, and the Mountain station, located in the Montrose section of South Orange.
In addition to trains, New Jersey Transit operates three bus lines that run through South Orange. These include the 31 Coach USA Bus which stops at the corner of Irvington Avenue and Academy Street and travels between the Livingston Mall and Newark Penn Station, the 92 route which goes from South Orange Train Station to Branch Brook Park in Newark, and the 107 route which goes from South Orange Train Station to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
Maplewood & South Orange Downtown, Arts & Parks Information
Maplewood prides itself on being a diverse and family-friendly community. In a number of surveys it is ranked among the most desirable places to live in the United States. The township has a downtown area alternatively known as “Maplewood Village”, home to several upscale and mid-scale restaurants and retail establishments including The Able Baker, Lorena’s, Perch, Maplewood Mercantile, Greenway Supermarket and WORDS bookstore, an award-winning independent bookstore. Maplewood Village is served by a New Jersey Transit rail station. The structure of the village is largely unchanged since the 1950s.
In addition, the Springfield Avenue Commercial District is host to many new and exciting businesses including the SOMA General Store, N&K Marketplace, the Springfield Avenue Partnership hosts monthly events allowing Springfield Avenue to be an exciting economic hub to the Maplewood-South Orange community.
South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) is located at 1 SOPAC Way, nestled right next to the NJ Transit South Orange station. The performance venue is a 415-seat proscenium theater, The Village of SOPAC Cinema Lab movie theater, and a dance studio/rental space in the same complex.
Downtown South Orange is a vibrant community with a diverse mix of businesses including Kitchen ala Mode, Neighborhood Wine Shop, Village Hall, Bistro d’Azur and the SOMA Collective. Local businesses offer experience and enrichment classes that range from making floral arrangements, cooking classes and pottery.
Maplewood and South Orange have abundant parks and playgrounds including Maplewood Memorial Park (Maplewood), Meadowlands Park (South Orange) and convenient access to the hiking trails, paved walking/biking road and dog parks in the South Mountain Reservation.
Share resources for the towns will soon include Maplewood’s newly renovated, state-of the art library, just steps away from the Maplewood Village and the Baird Community Center (South Orange).
