Stay Connected
C O N N E C T
...to the neighborhood
Neighborhood Association. Academy Heights residents may use the social platform Nextdoor.com to network with each other and with the neighborhood association. Once you have moved into the area and have an official address, you will be able to log on to Nextdoor.com. Residents may also use the Facebook group ACADEMY HEIGHTS NEIGHBORS -- a closed group -- to connect to neighbors.
Optionally, if you would like more information about our neighborhood and what is happening, you are welcome to email the neighborhood association at: academyheightsnj@gmail.com, or use the "contact module" in the Developers tab of our website.
Our neighborhood association works with the greater South Orange Neighborhood Associations (SONA) to stay attuned to what is transpiring in the town, and to help sort out quality-of-life issues. If you are interested in other neighborhoods within South Orange, you may go to the following URL: http://www.southorange.org/358/Neighborhoods
Founders Park Conservancy.
Recently the park area near 5th and Valley Streets was renamed "Founders Park" to commemorate the town's founding families many of whom are interred there. A conservancy meets once a month to develop ways to enhance this unique space. Once or twice a year the neighbours do a clean-up of the park, and begin plantings of herbs and flowers. If you would like to participate in this endeavour, email: foundersparkcon@gmail.com
Businesses.
Blink! Budget fitness facility with pop decor and feel. Entrance in Stop & Shop parking area. https://www.blinkfitness.com/locations/south-orange
Sadie's: Homegrown , hip & fashionable clothing store. On Valley Street between 2nd and 1st.
https://www.facebook.com/sadiessouthorange/
Buy-Rite Liquors. Homegrown liquor store in retro-style building. 400 Valley Street.
...to public transportation
Academy Heights was originally a "streetcar suburb" with streetcars running along Valley Street , turning east into South Orange Avenue and running to Newark. The neighborhood, like many streetcar suburbs, evolved in an elongated fashion close to the streetcar line. In tandem with this, a rail line was also constructed just one block west of Valley Street, and that originally ran to Newark-Broad Street, then in the following years it was connected to Hoboken Station. It was not until the mid 1990's that NJ Transit connected the rail line to New York Penn Station.
P A S S E N G E R R A I L
Today, a heavy-rail passenger line, run by New Jersey Transit runs along the western edge of our neighborhood, and connects us to Newark, Hoboken and New York City. Residents, whether living in S. Orange or Maplewood, can easily walk to the South Orange Train Station and board a train. Ride lengths to The City vary depending on the number of stops and day of week of the train. Normal daily commutes usually take at least 35 minutes to Penn Station. Weekend trips will take longer.
Some residents take trains to Hoboken, and from there take the PATH to Manhattan or Jersey City. One may also take light-rail from Hoboken Station to various Hudson County points.
B U S E S
107 Bus. Residents may take the NJ Transit 107 bus to NYC. It departs from Sloan Street near 2nd Street. Some neighborhood residents also board this same bus at the corner of Prospect Street and Irvington Avenue. The bus terminates at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC.
31 Bus. Run by Coach lines, this local bus, runs occasionally along Valley Street, but most often can be caught in front of PNCBank Building. It runs along South Orange Avenue, and terminates at Penn Station-Newark. Although this is a "local" bus, making many stops along the way, the bus runs faster and smoother very early in the morning. From Penn Station-Newark one may catch the PATH train to Jersey City or NYC.
A I R P O R T
Newark-Liberty International Airport is only a 15-minute drive away! It is a hub for United Airlines, as well as a departure and arrival portal for many international airlines. If you are considering using a taxi/car service to get you to the airport, it is recommended that you book this at least a day or two in advance.
No NJ Transit commuter train goes directly to the airport from our neighborhood; you must take a train to NYC and switch to the NE Corridor line in order to get to Newark-Liberty International.
...to the arts
Columbia High School Theatre. You don't even have to leave your neighborhood! Our high school puts on a theatre production each spring that rivals professional productions elsewhere. Tickets may be purchased on-line, and at a reasonable price to insure a seat. In past years the school cast have produced such shows as Beauty and the Beast, Cats, and ....
Black Box Theatre. Website: http://www.columbiahsa.org/locations/columbia-high-school-black-box-theater/
Special Dance. A dance extravaganza put on every Spring by high school students; it is an exhibit of home-grown creativity.
...to South Orange & Maplewood
S O U T H O R A N G E V I L L A G E
If you would like to connect to the South Orange government, use the following URL: http://www.southorange.org/
M A P L E W O O D T O W N S H I P
Connect to the township website here: http://www.twp.maplewood.nj.us/
South Orange's annual Play Day - outdoor games near the station.