Township Information
The Township of Millburn, with a population of more than 19,000 residents, is located in the southwest corner of Essex County and covers about ten square miles. It is 20 miles west of New York City. Millburn is bordered on the south by Summit and Springfield in Union County; Maplewood lies to the east; West Orange and Livingston lie to the north; and Florham Park and Chatham, both in Morris County are to the west.
The Community
The Township is composed of two areas; the older section includes Millburn’s picturesque downtown commercial center and adjoining residential sections. To the north and west lies Short Hills, one of the finest residential areas in the nation with many homes on the National Register of Historic Places. Though Short Hills has its own post office and train station, it is an integral part of Millburn Township.
Millburn-Short Hills is primarily a residential suburb and many of its residents commute to work in New York City. The Township has approximately 6100 single family residential properties, 20 small scale apartment buildings, more than 200 commercial buildings and fewer than 40 industrial buildings. More than 1000 businesses and professional companies are located in the Township. Two nationally regarded hospitals – St. Barnabas (Livingston) and Overlook (Summit) – serve the area, providing exemplary care and state-of-the-art facilities.
The Mall at Short Hills, located in the northwest corner of the Township, is an unusually beautiful regional shopping center housing more than 170 of the finest shops (Chanel, Tiffany & Co.), restaurants (Legal Seafood) and department stores including branches of Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Macy’s.
The community is also home to the elegantly appointed and AAA Four Diamond-rated Hilton Short Hills and a 240,000 square foot office complex located directly opposite the Mall at Short Hills.
The Township of Millburn provides an array of local services including full time police, fire and sanitation departments, a Town operated refuse collection and recycling service, and a health department. The recreation department has an active program including a private membership pool club featuring an Olympic-size swimming pool, kiddie pool and snack facility and a beautifully manicured par 3 golf course. The township also boasts a 95,000 volume, fully-staffed free public library with WIFI and complimentary internet access.
Transportation
NJ Transit provides easy access via rail to New York City – both mid-town and lower Manhattan – as well as the New Jersey transportation hubs of Hoboken, Newark and Jersey City. NJ Transit maintains two train stations in the community in the Short Hills section and in Millburn. The Millburn station is a short walk to the downtown business area. In addition, Millburn Township is a quick 20 minutes from Newark Airport and close to major highways.
Millburn in the News
Millburn has two weekly newspapers, The Item of Millburn-Short Hills and The Independent Press, both in print and on-line. In addition there are several web-based local media outlets including Patch.com; TheAlternativePress.com; BestTownDeals.com; and on-line versions of The Star Ledger, The Independent Press and The Item as well as The New York Times Local blog. The Millburn-Short Hills Chamber features a members-only monthly TV program on Hometown Television, a feature of Cable TV 36.
Education
The School District is made up of five elementary schools, a middle school with grades six through eight and a four-year high school. One of the highest rated school districts in the nation, Millburn schools stress individualized instruction and a full spectrum of academic and extracurricular activities.
Millburn High School offers a full program of studies featuring 27 advanced placement courses and a wide range of academic electives. In addition to a top-ranked debate team, in 2009 three MHS students were Intel Science semifinalists. In addition, the class of 2010 boasts 12 National Merit semi-finalists. Over 95 percent of each high school graduation class attends our nation’s most select universities and post-secondary institutions.
Cultural & Community Activities
The Chamber of Commerce sponsors a number of community activities including several street fairs, produced by The Office of Streets Fairs, and an annual 5K race which attracts more than 1500 runners from throughout the tri-state area.
Founded in 1934, Paper Mill Playhouse, located a short walk from downtown Millburn on Brookside Drive, is a professional Equity theater. The Playhouse, with a seating capacity of 1200, attracts more than 400,000 theater-goers each season. Paper Mill offers a full range of cultural events including musicals, plays and children’s programs.
Metropolitan Orchestra of New Jersey, established more than 38 years ago, is also housed in the Township and holds concerts in the Bauer Community Center in Taylor Park. The full symphonic orchestra boasts both professional and amateur musicians.
The Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary is a 16 acre preserve with hundreds of varieties of birds, wild flowers and trees. The Arboretum sponsors classes, lectures, workshops and field trips in nature study and crafts.
The Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society, formed in 1975, fosters an ongoing community interest in its history, architecture and genealogy.
