Best Neighborhood In Montclair?

Norman Road in Upper Montclair is a small block, running between Valley Road to Norwood Avenue, but it packs a big punch when it comes to neighborly fun.

"The kids drive the activities becuase they are all out and about all the time," said resident Susan Baer, whose children are 16, 12, and 9. "Our kids can go out and ring a bell and always find someone to hang out with."

Once, years ago, the boys of the street organized what they called the "gentlemen's club," a group that mostly hung out to skateboard.

Another time, the neighborhood kids put on a play in someone's front yard.

"I feel comfortable saying anything to the other kids on the street because all the parents know each other so well," Baer said.

Many of the homes along Norman have front porches and spacious yards. The street is less than a mile from Montclair State University. Many homes were built in the early 1900s and generally sell, these days, for between $600,000 and $800,000.

Among other events, residents say there's always an annual Easter egg hunt the Saturday before Easter. There also are potluck dinners at Sunset Park, just down the road, and cocktail hours with friends and neighbors.

Many of the street's residents traveled together to watch the recent July 4th parade in Montclair after which they organized an impromptu potluck BBQ.

"The Easter egg hunt started many many years ago and people even come back for it now if they've moved away," Baer said.

One couple, Tres and Josie Williams, just moved to Norman from Brooklyn in October.

"We looked at 20 houses but we loved this location," Tres Williams said. "The bus to New York City is at the end of the block. We can walk to two different train stations in 10 minutes.

"It's a really great place to be," he said.

In the end, Baer probably summed up the appeal of the block best when she said that people who live there are available—but not intrusive.

"And that's what you want from a block," she said.

In 2010, Patch published a regular series titled "My Block." The goal was to find out why you believe your block is the most fabulous in town. In our inaugural segment, we heard about . Then Midland Avenue. Then Summit Avenue. High Street. Trinity Place. Oakwood Avenue.Macopin Avenue. Then the neighborhood known as "Fieldstone." Then Edgemont Road. Then we had Andrea DelleChiaie, the owner of Milk Money, and her neighbors talk about why their street, Chester Road, is the best place to live. And we heard from Susan Kaufmann about  and several residents about That series was so much fun we thought we'd do it again—starting with , followed by , and followed by

If you think your block is great, either comment or shoot me an email at Shelley@patch.com and we'll come out and talk to you and your neighbors about what makes your street special.

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