Nutley Real Estate

Nutley, New Jersey

Located on the west bank of the Passaic River in Essex County, the Township of Nutley is a mostly residential community. The Dutch first settled the land in the 1700s, but Nutley's most famous resident may be domestic goddess and lifestyle entrepreneur Martha Stewart, whose family moved there from Jersey City when Martha was 3 years old. Other well-known names who spent time in Nutley include Mark Twain, Annie Oakley and Frank Stockton, who wrote his most famous story, "The Lady or the Tiger?," at his home on Walnut Street.

Today, young professionals and growing families are moving to Nutley. They're drawn to the town's peaceful suburban ambiance just minutes from New York City's work centers and nightlife.

Mayor Peter Scarpelli credits the arrival of the Cambridge Heights at Nutley new-home development about two years ago for opening peoples' eyes to the pleasures of the town.

In addition to the Passaic River, Nutley is bordered by Belleville, Bloomfield and Clifton. More than 27,000 people live in the 3.4-square-mile town.

"One of the best things about Nutley is the government," says Scarpelli. "It's one of the few commission form of governments in the country." Each commissioner has a responsibility and a department to run. The top vote-getter among the commissioners at election time becomes mayor. Scarpelli has been a Nutley commissioner for 18 years; this is his first year as mayor.

Nutley residents enjoy a suburban lifestyle in a prime location: Route 3, which connects to Route 46 and other major commuting highways, is just outside the township border. A trip to Manhattan takes about 30 minutes, depending upon traffic. To travel throughout town, residents use Bloomfield, Franklin and Passaic avenues, Route 7 and Route 21. NJ Transit trains depart from Clifton and Bloomfield.

Industry is limited in Nutley, aside from the presence of Hoffmann-LaRoche Inc. The pharmaceutical giant employs more than 3,000 workers on the 127-acre campus. Research and development, marketing and manufacturing functions take place at this site.

What Nutley lacks in a large business district, it makes up for in other areas, Scarpelli says. "The parks, the recreation, the public works department, the police department, the first aid squad, the school system - they're all second-to-none. I think that's what makes Nutley such a great place. It's a nice place to raise a family."

For everyday shopping needs, Nutley residents frequent the Shop-Rite on Franklin Avenue, along with smaller retail and service shops in the area, including BlockBuster Video and Mandee, which offers women's clothing. At nearby Clifton Commons, there is a 16-screen movie theater, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority, Party City and a Hallmark store, along with Chevy's Fresh Mex and Applebee's restaurants.

Experience another tasty dining treat at Scuttlebutt's Pub, an old-time American-Continental pub on Franklin Avenue. "Nutley's restaurants are fabulous," Scarpellli boasts.

The closest major shopping malls are Willowbrook Mall and neighboring Wayne Towne Center in Wayne, about 25 minutes away. Anchors include Fortunoff, Macy's, Lord & Taylor and Sears. Bargain-hunters also can travel to the Harmon Meadow factory outlets in Secaucus.

The Nutley School District includes five elementary schools for kindergarten through grade 6, Franklin Middle School for grades 7 and 8 and Nutley High School.

Nutley High has a student population of about 1,200, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.7-to-1. Students taking the SATs in 1999-00 scored an average 1,031, above the state average. Eighty-seven percent of graduating seniors planned to continue their education at two- and four-year colleges and universities.

In addition to 23 varsity and 19 sub-varsity athletic teams, the high school offers more than 35 athletic, school service and special-interest clubs, plus a marching band, and fine and performing arts programs. Advanced Placement courses are offered in English, U.S. history, government and politics, Spanish, biology and more.

Bloomfield College and Montclair State University offer excellent opportunities for higher education close to home.

Nutley residents can enjoy recreational pursuits at Yanticaw Park, which spans 28.75 acres and is traversed by the Third River. A park drive separates the picturesque valley created by the river from the upper flatland, where there are several ballfields. The park also has two foot bridges, plus shuffleboard, boccie and basketball courts. Smaller parks in Nutley include Memorial Park, Flora Louden Park, Nichols Park, Kingsland Park, De Muro Park and Reinheimer Park, among others.

More greenery can be enjoyed on the beautiful fairways of golf courses in neighboring towns, including the Upper Montclair Country Club in Montclair; and Hendricks Field and Forest Hill Field Club, both in Belleville.

Those with creative flair can join Nutley Little Theatre, a not-for-profit organization presenting professional-quality theater productions. Located in the Erie Place Historic District in Nutley, the theater - often called "The Barn" - was built in 1904 and functioned as a jam factory until it was purchased by the organization for storage space in 1935. Plays weren't officially produced at the 48-seat house until 1977. Little Nutley Theatre is staffed entirely by volunteers and donates half of all ticket sales from the opening night performance of each show to a local nonprofit group.

In addition to The Barn, Nutley boasts several more buildings with history behind them. The Vreeland house, on Chestnut Street near Memorial Park, was built in the beginning of the 18th century; the town hall across the street was once a textile mill. Kingsland Manor, on Kingsland Street, is a large sandstone structure, most of which dates to the late 18th century. The structure was altered in the 19th century but was restored a few years ago to closely resemble its original condition. Between 1790 and 1909, it was home to the wealthy Kingsland family. In the 20th century, the building served as a training camp for prizefighters, a speakeasy, a club and then a convalescent home.