$1,312,554Average Value$460Average Price per Sq Ft6Homes For Sale
Like a storybook
20 miles northwest of Newark, at the gates of North Appalachia, resides the aptly named borough of Mountain Lakes. Here, homes sit on the mountainside, wreathed with shrubbery and draped in the shade of dense canopies, achieving a kind of storybook vibe no one would expect just 30 miles from Manhattan. Walking the streets can feel like a journey in the great outdoors as trees cover the roads like roofs of leaves while critters hop from branch to branch and birdsong fills the air. While hikers can see the whole borough from atop the local mountain, others can lounge by the beach, fish or dive into one of the eight lakes. “When I’m outside looking at the lake, really the thing you hear is the laughter of the children, which always brings me a lot of joy,” Says Marshi Richter, resident and Realtor at Coldwell Banker Realty, where she is part of The Fisher Group.
Walk the mountaintop or swim the lake
Along with the five major parks on the mountains, Mountain Lakes’ water bodies are crucial to local living. “Two of the lakes have beaches, and when I say a beach, I mean it’s lifeguarded, it has a snack shop, it has bathrooms and facilities,” says Richter, “so it’s a great place to go with your kids if you want to go for a swim.” When asked about other lake activities, Richter says, “There’s also fishing, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, ice fishing and ice skating.” The lakes maintain a no-motor policy for watercrafts, creating a quiet serenity everyone gets to enjoy.
When it's too cold for a swim, you can still enjoy the water on a paddleboard in Mountain Lakes.
Hiking trails in Tourne County Park.
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Unique home in high demand
The neighborhood’s sloped roadways are populated with homes built with an Arts and Crafts design philosophy, merging styles like Tudor, prairie, Colonial and Dutch Revival to fit the tastes of their initial inhabitants. Of course, these kinds of homes come with a hefty price tag and a high demand. “We have very low inventory, and when things come on the market, we are having multiple offers in a lot of cases and on average they were selling over the asking price,” said Richter. While some properties dance a little above $500,000, agents sell homes that easily jump over $1 million, getting as high as $4 million.
Find your dream lakefront home in the Mountain Lake neighborhood.
Lakefront property is, of course, at a premium in Mountain Lakes.
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Fishing contests in April
Nature even plays a part in local festivities like the Trout Derby held in April, where children help stock Birchwood Lake with trout that contestants fish for prizes. “We have Mountain Lakes Day, we have a Memorial Day Parade, we have so many things,” says Richter. “On Fourth of July, it’s really fun here because the whole town has parties all day long. And then there’s a barge in the middle of the main lake where they set off fireworks.”
Paul's Family Diner is covered in chrome
Paul’s Family Diner is one of the most popular locations in the neighborhood’s short list of restaurants. Locking up the car in Paul’s Parking lot on US-46, patrons are ambushed by chrome-covered Greek and Egyptian revival architecture and an interior that can only be described as a throwback to fifties diner culture. Home cooks can travel up the road to find the local Whole Foods Market. Down the road, getting off on Bloomfield Avenue, carts are filled with locally sourced produce at Farmers Market Denville. If all these options miss the mark, one may travel a mile southeast on the highway to Waterview Marketplace.
Paul's Diner, a Mountain Lakes landmark, has been feeding hungry patrons since the late 1940s.
Whole Foods, in nextdoor Denville, is a popular destination for Mountain Lakes grocery shoppers.
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Students can join the literary magazine at Mountain Lakes High School
Many young learners take the morning school bus to Wildwood Lake, where Wildwood Elementary School sits just across the street from its eastern shore. Briarcliff Middle School is a common next step, as it’s only a walk down the street. Finally, Students complete their journey at Mountain Lakes High School, just across the forest in the other schools’ backyards. The facility offers more than 50 clubs, including a filmmaking club and a literary magazine. All these schools earn an A-plus from Niche.
Wildwood Elementary School sits right on Wildwood Lake in Mountain Lakes.
Briarcliff Middle School gets an A+ from Niche with a student-teacher ratio of 9:1.
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30 miles from New York
“We’re only about 30 miles from the George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel, so you can get into New York very easily,” says Richter, who also noted that the NJ Transit train and shuttle bus provide plenty of alternatives to driving into the city. “We’re an hour away from the Jersey Shore, which is where the beaches are.” Those who do want to drive hop on US-46, which cuts through the borough's southwest side.
Flash flood hazards
Mountain Lakes is, no surprise, prime real estate for flash flooding. Homes in the south end of the borough may deal with over 3 feet of water in their backyards. Apart from property damage, walking any trails during flood warnings is especially dangerous with the risk of being swept down the mountainside.
Written By
Samuel Grom
Video By
Ellie Brown
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Agents Specializing in this Area
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GreatSchools:
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On average, homes in Mountain Lakes, NJ sell after 28 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in Mountain Lakes, NJ over the last 12 months is $1,200,000, up 9% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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