About the Borough of Mountainside

The business district of Mountainside straddles busy Route 22. But down a series of wooded back roads in this Union County borough lies another world, a rustic preserve of homes terraced on the Watchung Mountains. Almost half of the Watchung Reservation's 1,945 acres and most of the 147-acre Echo Lake Park, with its three large lakes, lie within the Borough's borders – making nearly a third of its four square miles parkland. In Mountainside, the pace is unhurried and customs are a bit old-fashioned, by choice. Sidewalks and street lights are rare, the grocer makes home deliveries, and people turn out in force for the annual Opening Day Parade for baseball and softball. And although many residents liken the borough to an isolated country hamlet, they revel in the fact that from their perch they can see Manhattan just 24 miles away. Mountainside is more than just a pretty place. It has the Children's Specialized Hospital and some 300 light industrial and commercial businesses, most of them along Route 22. As a result, the borough's tax rate is among the lowest in Union County. Strict zoning established three decades ago has kept the borough's 2.7 mile stretch of Route 22 free of fast-food chains and car dealerships. Stability has been Mountainside's hallmark since it broke from neighboring Westfield to become an independent borough in 1895. Until the 1950s its population hovered around 2,000 and development was slow. But the decade that followed brought the community's greatest expansion, turning it from farmland to suburb. By the 1970s, Mountainside was almost fully developed, and in recent years only a dozen or so houses a year have been built, all on scattered lots. There are only single-family homes - from Cape Cods to expansive split-levels and ranches – along the maze of streets that wind through the community, and no two are alike. Mountainside continues to attract new residents, and the most recent arrivals have been young professional couples with children who are willing to pay the rising cost of admission. Longtime residents say that newcomers are always welcome. Families are also drawn to the community because of its attention to education. Most youngsters first attend Beechwood School, and then Deerfield School. They continue their studies at Governor Livingston High School in nearby Berkeley Heights. Most of the Mountainside's social and civic organizations are associated with the school or the borough's three churches, the oldest of which, Mountainside Union Chapel, was built in 1801. There are also such annual holiday events such as a Fourth of July picnic, a Memorial Day parade to promote community spirit, a Veterans’ Day program, and the Tree Lighting. The Watchung Reservation and its woodland nature trails are a major recreational resource for the borough. Echo Lake Park offers fishing and boating and free concerts on summer evenings. Residents can also join the Mountainside Community Pool near Borough Hall. Next to the pool is a softball/soccer field, tennis and basketball courts, and a fitness trail. The borough also provides organized sports and other activities and its 50,000-volume public library sponsors story hours for children. The community has a two-block shopping area along Mountain Avenue, where a dozen neighborhood stores offer most necessities. Otherwise, shopping is available on Route 22, where there are many restaurants. Among them are Arirang, Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que, and Spanish Tavern. There is a lingering sense of the past in Mountainside, which was settled by Dutch and English farmers in the 17th century, and it is reflected in the vintage residences. One of the oldest, the Deacon Andrew Hetfield House, built in 1755, was saved from demolition when the borough moved it at a cost of $60,000 from Route 22 next to the library on Constitution Plaza, a half-mile away.  It has been renovated, and is used for meetings and historical tours.