South Orange.
Your local guide.
Restaurants, things to do, neighborhoods, real estate, and everything else worth knowing about South Orange, NJ. Written by locals, for locals.
What’s On in South Orange
Farmers market Wednesdays, SOPAC season, summer concerts, fall festivals, and more — all walkable from downtown.
A tight-knit community with a small-town feel and big-city access.
Express Midtown Direct service on NJ Transit's Morris & Essex line.
One of New Jersey's original villages, with Victorian architecture to prove it.
Division I university with undergraduate and graduate programs in the heart of town.
A Brief History of South Orange
Set off as a township in 1861 and chartered as the Village of South Orange in 1869, the town grew from vegetable farms and small shops into a thriving community of Victorian and Tudor homes that still line its streets today. Mid-19th century rail service opened the town to city dwellers, and wealthy families soon made it their home, drawn by the mountain air, the walkable downtown, and what one era called its “life-giving currents.”
Seton Hall University, the oldest diocesan university in the United States, was founded in 1856 and has called South Orange home since 1860. In 1929, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played an exhibition game at Cameron Field before a crowd of more than 12,000. The gas lamps lining the streets were first lit around 1860 — South Orange still maintains one of the largest collections of working gas lamps in the country, and in many ways the town has never stopped glowing.
South Orange at a Glance
What is South Orange, NJ known for?
South Orange is a village of about 18,500 people in Essex County, New Jersey, known for its walkable downtown, working gas lamps first lit around 1860, Seton Hall University, the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC), and a direct Midtown Direct train to New York Penn Station.
How far is South Orange from New York City?
About 35 minutes by train. South Orange Station is downtown on NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex Line, and Midtown Direct trains run to New York Penn Station with no transfer.
Is South Orange a good place to live?
For many families, yes: it combines a real downtown, an easy NYC commute, South Mountain Reservation next door, a diverse community, and a shared K–12 school district with Maplewood. The main tradeoffs are high property taxes and older housing stock.
What school district serves South Orange?
The South Orange-Maplewood School District (SOMSD), which South Orange shares with Maplewood. All students attend Columbia High School.
What is there to do in South Orange?
Shows at SOPAC, the Wednesday farmers market (June–October), summer concerts, Spooky Spiotta at Halloween, the spring Food Stroll, the holiday tree lighting, Seton Hall games, and hiking to Hemlock Falls in South Mountain Reservation.
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Local updates, new guides, and what’s happening in town. No noise, just South Orange.
Niche ranked South Orange among America’s Best Places to Live in 2019, earning an A+ overall with top marks for families, diversity, and nightlife. Walkable streets, a real downtown, direct rail to NYC, and a community that genuinely shows up. This is the local guide it deserves.