Essex Fells, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Essex Fells, New Jersey
Borough
Essex Fells Post Office
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Location of Essex Fells in Essex County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Essex County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
Census Bureau map of Essex Fells, New Jersey
Essex Fells, New Jersey Location in Essex County, New Jersey Show map of Essex County, New Jersey Essex Fells, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Essex Fells, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Essex
Incorporated	March 31, 1902
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	1.41 sq mi (3.66 km2)
• Land	1.41 sq mi (3.65 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)  0.43%
Area rank	460th of 565 in state 20th of 22 in county
Elevation	505 ft (154 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,244
• Estimate  (2023)	2,138
• Rank	478th of 565 in state 22nd of 22 in county
• Density	1,593.4/sq mi (615.2/km2)
• Density rank	329th of 565 in state 21st of 22 in county
Economics
• Median income	$247,000 (± $27,417) (2020)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07021
Area code(s)	973 exchanges: 226, 228, 264, 403, 618
FIPS code	3401321840
GNIS feature ID	2390558
Website

Essex Fells is a small borough located in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It's a quiet place, known for its beautiful homes and peaceful atmosphere. In 2020, about 2,244 people lived there.

Essex Fells became an official borough on March 31, 1902. It was formed from parts of Caldwell Township, which is now called Fairfield Township. The name "Essex Fells" comes from "Essex" (the county name) and "Fells" (from John F. Fell, an important person in its history). "Fells" also means hills or downs, which describes the area.

This town has been recognized as a great place to live for families. New Jersey Family magazine called it the best town for families in 2016. New Jersey Monthly magazine also ranked it among the top places to live in New Jersey in 2008.

Essex Fells is known for its expensive homes. In 2010, Forbes.com listed it as one of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes." The average income for families in Essex Fells was about $247,000 in 2020.

History of Essex Fells

Essex Fells is part of an area once known as the Horseneck Tract. This large area included several towns you might know today, like Caldwell, Verona, and Cedar Grove.

Early Land Purchase

In 1702, settlers bought the Horseneck Tract from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. The land was huge, about 14,000 acres (57 square kilometers). They paid for it with goods worth about $325. This area got its name because its shape looked like a horse's neck and head.

Developing the Community

In the late 1800s, a developer named Anthony S. Drexel saw how trains could help new towns grow. He sent Charles W. Leavitt to the area near the end of the Caldwell train line. Leavitt, Drexel, and Drexel's son-in-law, John F. Fell, bought 1,000 acres of land. They hired a famous architect, Ernest W. Bowditch, to design the new community.

The name "Essex Fells" was created by combining "Essex" from the county name and "Fells" from John F. Fell's name. It also means "hills" or "downs," which fits the landscape.

Unique Town Rules

Essex Fells has some special rules about businesses. Since 1928, most business activity is limited to just one building that looks like a house, plus two small workshops. This means you won't find many big stores or office buildings here. The town has no apartment buildings, no traffic lights, and mostly custom-built houses, many on large plots of land.

Geography and Climate

Essex Fells covers about 1.41 square miles (3.66 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a very small amount of water.

Neighboring Towns

Essex Fells shares its borders with several other towns in Essex County. These include Caldwell, North Caldwell, Roseland, Verona, West Caldwell, and West Orange.

Local Weather

Population and People

Essex Fells has a small but growing population. Understanding demographics helps us learn about the people who live in a town.

Population Changes Over Time

In 2010, the town had 2,113 people. By 2020, this number grew to 2,244. This shows a small increase in the number of residents.

Who Lives in Essex Fells?

In 2010, there were 728 households in Essex Fells. Most of these were families living together. About 42.6% of households had children under 18. The average household had about 2.9 people.

The population included people of different ages. About 29.9% were under 18 years old, and 16.1% were 65 or older. The average age in Essex Fells was 43.8 years.

Parks and Recreation

Essex Fells offers some nice places for outdoor activities and fun.

Grover Cleveland Park

Grover Cleveland Park is a large park in the Essex County park system. It covers about 41.48 acres (16.79 hectares) and is full of trees. It's a great place to enjoy nature and relax.

Essex Fells Pond

Essex Fells Pond, also known as "The Pond," is a popular spot, especially in winter. Located on Fells Road, it attracts people of all ages from December to March. When the weather is cold enough, people love to go ice skating, play pond hockey, and enjoy figure skating there.

Education in Essex Fells

Students in Essex Fells attend public schools through two different school districts.

Essex Fells School District

The Essex Fells School District serves younger students from pre-kindergarten up to sixth grade. All these students go to Essex Fells School. In the 2022–23 school year, there were 247 students and 23.7 teachers, meaning about 10 students for every teacher. In 2016, Essex Fells School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. This award celebrates schools that show excellent academic performance.

West Essex Regional School District

For seventh through twelfth grades, students from Essex Fells attend the West Essex Regional School District. This district also serves students from Fairfield, North Caldwell, and Roseland.

The schools in this district are:

• West Essex Middle School (for grades 7-8)
• West Essex High School (for grades 9-12)

Essex Fells has one representative on the nine-member school board for the high school district.

Transportation

Getting around Essex Fells is mainly done by car, but there are also public transportation options.

County Route 527 in Essex Fells

Roads and Highways

As of 2015, Essex Fells had about 16.99 miles (27.34 kilometers) of roads. Most of these roads are maintained by the town itself. The main roads that go through Essex Fells are County Route 527 and County Route 506.

Public Transportation Options

NJ Transit provides bus service in Essex Fells. You can take the 29 and 71 bus routes to travel to and from Newark.

Famous People from Essex Fells

Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to Essex Fells. Here are a few:

• Bob Bradley (born 1958), a well-known former coach for the United States men's national soccer team.
• Willis Carrier (1876–1950), often called the "father of the modern day air conditioner" because he invented it!
• Don Criqui (born 1940), a famous sportscaster for CBS Sports.
• Ian Eagle (born 1969), another popular sports announcer.
• Connie Francis (born 1937), a very famous singer.
• Justin Gimelstob (born 1977), a retired professional tennis player.
• Brian Rafalski (born 1973), a former professional ice hockey player who played for the New Jersey Devils.
• Scott Stevens (born 1964), another former NHL defenseman who played for the New Jersey Devils.
• Johnny Sylvester (1915–1990), who lived here when Babe Ruth visited him in 1926 and promised to hit a home run for him during the World Series.

See also

In Spanish: Essex Fells para niños