$576,597Average Value$302Average Price per Sq Ft23Homes For Sale
A former manufacturing hub turned suburb, 20 miles from Manhattan
The New Jersey city of Orange has an industrial heritage, but today it’s able to tout itself as a suburb of Newark with historic housing styles. It’s still possible to see how this place once served as a hub for transportation and goods, with the Essex Freeway and commuter rails cutting east-west through the heart of the neighborhood. Even housing and lifestyle reflects the past, with former factories in this one-time “hat capital of America” now turned into hip lofts. That ability to move forward into the future with a hint of culture accounts for a lot of recent movement from places like New York City into Orange. There’s space, plenty of things to do and of course an easy commute to Manhattan, which is 20 miles east. "If someone wants to get the most square footage for their buck, Orange presents a very good option," says Mark Slade, team lead of The Mark Slade Team with Keller Williams Mid-Town Direct Realty.
Buildings in Orange that were once designed for manufacturing have been repurposed.
Architecture in Orange's downtown area is a reminder of manufacturing that once was here.
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A bustling Main Street with cafes, global cuisine and a public library
Main Street, and the small side streets that fork off from it, is where the action lives. The entire strip is a melting pot of culture. Honduran, Caribbean, Guatemalan and Ecuadorian cuisine line the way. Delis, pizza places and taquerias are mixed in, making it easy to grab quick casual bites to eat. Orange House Cafe is located next to the public library and post office, so it’s natural to grab a pastry and a coffee before digging into a book or running errands. But patrons also like to stay at the café for its welcoming community vibe and fashionable décor featuring plants, plush couches and large wall mounted photos. Myriad conveniences, from salons to pharmacies, keep Main Street packed with foot traffic. Four City Brewing Company keeps the conversation flowing with flights of locally crafted beer and a neo-industrial space that can accommodate large parties. Multiple small markets surround Main Street, but the most comprehensive is Universal Food Market, which offers everything from produce to meats and frozen food.
Entertainment for a Grand Opening livens up the Orange shopping area.
Orange's active downtown is loaded with eateries and specialty retailers.
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Four City Brewing brings musical diversity
June to October brings a farmers market, held every Wednesday in South Orange on Sloan Street. Musicals and plays can be enjoyed at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, too. Four City Brewing regularly plays host to events, whether that’s for trivia night or holidays like Cinco de Mayo. The brewery also has a rotation of musical guests, ranging from reggae and jazz to open turntable sessions for aspiring DJs. The sonic fun continues at Maplewoodstock, the annual two-day music and art festival that occurs every July in Memorial Park, a sprawling green space that’s part of neighboring Maplewood. "It's commonly held that the southern parts of Orange and Maplewood share a community, through events and similar lifestyles," says Realtor Daniel Buschbaum with Berkshire Hathway. "People will even merge the two names and call the area SOMA."
Orange's Four City Brewing is drawing from the entire area.
Four City Brewing in Orange is a new upscale Bistro.
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Historic colonials and Victorians, but also modern ranches
It's an added incentive that the housing styles present a stately, old-fashioned quality. So while homebuyers may be able to find a deal in Orange, as Slade says, they’re also getting access to properties that look like they could have been inherited from a wealthy Victorian relative. Indeed, Orange was historically considered one of the wealthiest communities in New Jersey. Nowadays, home prices in Orange tend to fall between $320,000 and $600,000 for a single-owner home. Yet, there are a few multi-family dwellings thrown in as well, which will sell in the $700,000s and $800,000s. Many of these outliers are advertised as investment opportunities. And while colonials and Victorians tightly stacked together appear to be the norm here, it’s possible to find alternative styles. In the sought-after Seven Oaks part of Orange, for example, stone ranches from the 1980s give off a decidedly contemporary look.
Modern ranches are sprinkled throughout Orange.
Victorian style homes are found throughout Orange.
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STEM Innovation Academy students are scholarship winners
Children can attend the Orange Public Schools District. Younger students are split among several elementary schools, like Lincoln Avenue Elementary, which covers kindergarten through 7th grade and earns a C-minus rating from Niche. For middle school, all kids converge at Orange Preparatory Academy, which also earns a C-minus. Then they can attend Orange High School, which earns a C rating. There’s also the STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges, where post-graduation success is the goal: in 2023, the entire graduating class was accepted to colleges and universities, including the school's first Ivy League acceptance. Students also received over $18 million in scholarships and awards.
There is a STEM Academy in the Orange area for High Schoolers.
Students in the Orange STEM Academy average a 3.63 GPA.
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Casual fan at Monte Irvin Orange Park
Monte Irvin Orange Park was designed by the Olmsted Brothers, sons of the renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park. The nearly 50-acre park has athletic fields, walking paths and a playground. During the summer, residents can enjoy free outdoor concerts. There are also small parks, mostly with baseball fields and playgrounds, scattered around the city. Some parks even have public pools, like Central Playground, Colgate and Metcalf. For indoor recreation, the Orange Public Library has a large collection, comprising over 200,000 volumes. It’s a popular spot, too, nestled amongst cafes and eateries along Main Street: the library circulates 43,000 items yearly.
Monte Irvin Park offers lots of spots to relax on a sunny day.
Getting some quiet time sitting and watching the game in Monte Irvin Park.
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Interstate 280 is a defining feature of the neighborhood
With two train stations in Orange, and with Interstate 280 cutting through the middle of the neighborhood, it’s possible for residents to find multiple commuter paths to Manhattan, Hoboken and Morristown. Buses cover a lot of territory in Orange, too, particularly along the commercial corridor of Main Street. This is a sprawling neighborhood, though, so having a car can be beneficial, especially with routes like Center Street and High Street, which can get residents from one end of Orange to another.
I-280 is a major route connecting Orange to the rest of the State.
Orange is dissected by route 280 making for an easy commute to Newark and New York.
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Crime stats
The neighborhood scores a 4 out of 10 overall crime score on the CAP Index, but local sources note that robbery stands out as a higher category.
Written By
Paul Spencer
Video By
GL Moses
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Anita Vogel,
an experienced agent in this area.
On average, homes in Orange, NJ sell after 57 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in Orange, NJ over the last 12 months is $426,999, consistent with the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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Walk Score® measures the walkability of any address. Transit Score® measures access to public transit. Bike Score® measures the bikeability of any address. CAP Index provides objective, accurate, and consistent data to help measure, compare, and mitigate crime risks.
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