Reflections From Montclair — 30 minutes from New York lies a New Jersey community that couldn’t be more different
During my recent stay in America, I was lucky enough to spend several days in Montclair, New Jersey. A commuter suburb, it is just 35 minutes from central New York and in just a few minutes you can drive to Newark and Jersey City. This community though is different. More politically engaged than anywhere I have ever been in so many ways and more united in its views than anywhere else you might expect to see in the United States, its beautiful leafy roads stand out as an exceptional place in countless ways.
One of the first things that I was told when arriving in Montclair was about its reputation as a liberal town. Indeed, the polling numbers back this up: in the last election, an extraordinary 77.1% of people voted for Joe Biden and the Democrats. And I could sense this open-mindedness clearly from talking to people in a restaurant on my first night — everyone was very eager to talk politics, but everyone I met was certainly only talking about one side of it.
The next morning, I took to the streets for an exploratory run and was struck by several things. Firstly, the lawn signs. These are a common sight across the United States, especially in the lead-up to elections as we are at the moment, but these stood out. The signs here were not about which party you supported or voted for, that much seemed almost assumed. Instead, these spoke to support for large-scale issues and movements such as LGBTQ+ rights and anti-racial discrimination or even just a call for a general end to hate. Here in Montclair, the question seemed not to be who you vote for, but why.
It is a town distinct in many other ways too. Defined by disproportionately high education investment compared to surrounding areas, its schools are exceptional at all age levels and one of the residents’ great points of pride. The several different town centres are immaculately kept and it is home to many a celebrity — Stephen Colbert for one and apparently in the very near future it could also be where Jimmy Kimmel chooses to buy a property. It might be home to fewer than 40 000 people, but it plays host to art galleries, gardens, mansions, an eclectic food scene and countless train stations. (On a less political note, hundreds of fearless deer also roam the streets which forced me to do a double take several times). It really does stand out as a gem.
I suppose the big question to come out of all of this is: can this be healthy? As fantastically pleasant a place as Montclair is to spend time and I’m sure to raise a family in, is the division of communities based on their political beliefs to such an extent really healthy? Is it inevitable in some cases?
Personally, I believe that healthy debate is always good and in fact essential. The biggest problem with social media in recent years has been the way in which it traps people in communities with people of shared views, only serving to further radicalise their opinions on both sides of the political spectrum. This is arguably what fuelled the rise of MAGA Republicans and the remarkable increase in the spreading of disinformation, both online and in person. I couldn’t help but feel differently in Montclair though. Here, there isn’t a lack of debate or discussion, it isn’t as if every single view or political opinion is shared. There are disagreements over the same issues that dominate communities around the world from taxes to planning to climate. The difference is that here the shared characteristic is a liberal open-mindedness, not a visceral desire to prove oneself right, and it makes for a strikingly pleasant place to live.
So, if you ever visit New York, I implore you to reject the New Jersey stereotypes. Go visit. Visit Montclair and other towns in the area too — its communities are diverse and fantastic in so many different ways. Less than an hour from the chaos of Times Square you can be wandering through the leafy green parks of Jersey, surrounded by deer, in utter bliss.
