West Orange is an excellent place to raise a family!

— Saul, West Orange, NJ

West Orange schools are nowhere near as good as they used to be, and are deteriorating fast. The West Orange Police are called to the High School almost every day for some incident or other. Some teachers are very dedicated, but they have NO support from the incompetent and corrupt administration and board. The superintendent is well respected, but is retiring this year after decades, and he does not seem to care what happens anymore.

My advice: DON'T move to West Orange. Come up with a little more money or get a smaller house, and move to Livingston, right next door, with MUCH better schools.

— Dan, New Jersey

It's nice to be noticed, but you missed most of the best things about living in West Orange! (I say this having transplanted from Harlem a mere 2 1/2 years ago.) A short, off the cuff list: great arts programs in the schools. Fully funded schools (no raising 6 figures a year to provide basic curriculum like Spanish, music and art). More green space than any other town in Essex County. Supreme Bakery. Johnny's Pizza. Cecil's Jazz Club (divey, but great music). The developing arts district in adjacent Orange (truly affordable studios to be had, for all you starving artists). The 29 minute train ride from the Orange train station to 34th street! The Farmer's Market. The truly superb library (with an amazing music and film collection, far better than local branches in NYC). Incredibly diverse neighborhoods, and really great restaurants in the neighboring towns 10-15 minutes in any direction.

I could go on, but I don't want a bunch of NYers taking over my town. :>)

— Lisa Marie, West Orange, NJ

We moved from the UWS to Upper Gregory 3 years ago and have found the commute to be quite easy, much easier than portrayed here. Jitney picks up in front of our house and
drops at SO train station ~7 minutes later. WO has a lot to offer: Whole Foods, and 2000 acres of protected land of South Mountain Reservation. Great for hiking and biking. We feel lucky to live in very green space with easy access to local culture (Montclair, SO) and the city.
Cons: we need a more focused downtown, a coffee place and
decent restaurants. And taxes are high but, hey, it's Jersey.

— riverside26 5, west orange

I grew up in West Orange, went through the public school system, and graduated high school in 1998. West Orange is a remarkably diverse place to grow up in,

offering me the opportunity learn about people/places inside and outside of the classroom. The drive to NYC is so easy, and the trains from South Orange, Orange, Maplewood, Montclair offer a stress-free escape to many destinations, including the city. I heart West Orange, and am happy to see it featured here.

— Aaron, Brooklyn

West Orange is not an unknown quantity. People from Brooklyn and Staten Island have been moving here for awhile. My family came here 5 years ago from Connecticut and enjoy the proximity to Manhattan. Upper Gregory is similar to Wyoming Avenue in South Orange and Maplewood, but like those towns and Montclair, the taxes are ridiculous. LLewellyn Park is the original gated community, but its historical status can thwart do-it-yourself homeowners with its restrictions. Golf courses and greenspaces are wonderful, but the resulting tax burden on homeowners makes it a little unpleasant each quarter. As a homeowner with two children out of the school system, I find it unfair that a majority of my taxes go towards the West Orange Board of Education. Overall, a great place to live, but like most of NJ, too heavily taxed.

— easi-lee, West Orange

From 1997-2003, we had no wealth and average income while working in Manhattan. West Orange was the perfect place for a first home. We lived in the St. Cloud neighborhood, which is mostly surrounded by golf courses and nature preserves. The lots on St. Cloud Avenue was zoned for horses with easy access to the horse and hiking trails in the South Mountain Reservation. It had the benefits of exurbia with the benefits of suburbia.

— Chuck, Champaign IL

I grew up in West Orange and went to grammar school (Gregory) and jr. high school (Theodore Roosevelt) there. We lived in the north of Gregory Avenue area near Forest Hill Road...not Llewellyn Park (too "high" end)... it was a wonderful place to grow up and distinctly a small notch below middle class but very aspirational...men worked, moms stayed at home for the most part and kids had small after-school jobs ...people were teachers, local bank loan officers, white collar workers and shop keepers in the myriad of small stores that do not exist today ...many commuted to NYC...(read Manhattan) ...my Dad was an accountant ...a kid could walk or ride his bike almost everywhere...and then there was excellent local bus service ...it did have a distinct "liberal" bent similar to Robert La Follette's Wisconsin ...it was known to some political scientists as the citrus belt of N.J. with South Orange, Orange, East Orange and West Orange. The area experienced the incredible social changes of post WW II America with waves of immigrants coming from Newark and New York City to the "leafy" environs of West Orange. It did have its share of scandal with a real life mobster living in the community given our proximity to Newark (Zooky Zwillman) and an occaisonal paving contract that was awarded for an erstwhile under the table payment of cash to the "right" individuals (who says it's only Chicago!)

In sum, I am surprised by the Times article. West Orange tends to get lost in the shadows of Newark, Essex County and all the N.J. news out of Hudson and Bergen counties.

— WJHeron, S.F.,CA

West Orange is where my mom-in-law grew up. Sweet little white house with a staircase up the center. I've got the photos. And those of she and her brother stopping on the road for pictures on the way to Meadowlands to dance to the Big Bands. Gravel road, folks. Nothing's but fields.

She had a marvalous spirit and a balanced sense of self. She relocated with her WWII groom to southeast Texas. West Orange, Madison County, Texas. I like to think the place a person lives gives them part of their character. I think I'd like West Orange, N.J. I sure admired that Jersey Girl.

— Abby, Tucson, AZ

I grew up in Verona, directly north of West Orange. It was interesting to find that young music writers in the '60's like Carole King were sent to the Pleasantdale section of West Orange to compose, hence "Pleasant Valley Sunday!"

— Henry S, Palm Beach, FL

Having grown up in neighboring South Orange, I certainly agree that West Orange is a lovely place. But the author is pretty off here. When I think of Llewellyn Park, I don't exactly think "down-to-earth." I think: very beautiful, very exclusive community without much connection at all to the surrounding neighborhood right outside the gate. It's kind of like residents of Millburn who prefer to say they're from Short Hills... I'm sure there are a number of Llewellyn Park residents who would prefer not to mention West Orange in mixed company.

Nothing against the kind folks in Llewellyn Park!!

— Ben, New York, NY

Wow...great to see W O on the front page of the times...Homeowner here since 2002...prior to that lived in Morris Co. Great Location...nearby Montclair, Livingston, and Millburn without the attitude of entitlement and social entropy that seem to permeate those towns. West Orange gives a buyer value, great views from the hills, and a down to earth place full of very very cool people. I love it here. There are issues with every school but I can say firsthand that I have seen wonderful kids develop their skills here. May out town continue to grow and prosper.

— Teaching Dad, NJ