Northern New Jersey is full of vibrant communities, big and small, with a variety of housing types, community services, recreational spots, school districts, history, and cuisine. After covering Essex County and Union County last year, The Montclair Girl is continuing its series on commuter towns throughout Northern New Jersey with a guide to Passaic County. Read on to learn about NJ Transit commuter stations in Passaic County, New Jersey and its communities.
About Passaic County
Passaic County is the state’s 8th most populated county, with roughly 525,000 residents. It borders Essex County, Bergen County, Morris County, Sussex County, and New York’s Orange County and Rockland County. Passaic County derives its name from the Lenape word “pasaeck” for the valley and is the only county in the state whose name derives from an Indigenous language.
Historically, there have been at least 50 train stations in Passaic County, but today only eight remain and are located in Clifton, Passaic, Paterson, Little Falls, and Wayne. Half of Passaic County’s train stations are ADA-accessible. This county also includes Bloomingdale, Haledon, Hawthorne, North Haledon, Pompton Lakes, Prospect Park, Ringwood, Totowa, Wanaque, West Milford, and Woodland Park. Not only does Passaic County include the Main Line and Montclair-Boonton Line, but Interstate 87, Interstate 280, U.S. Route 202, and the Garden State Parkway also pass through.
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Clifton
Clifton is home to roughly 90,000 residents and includes neighborhoods like Albion Place, Allwood, Athenia, Botany Village, Delawanna, Dutch Hill, Lakeview, Maple Valley, Montclair Heights, Richfield, Rosemawr, and Yanticaw Pond. The city has two stations — Delawanna Station and Clifton Station — which are both part of the Main Line. Clifton Station is located at Elm Street at Clifton Boulevard and Delawanna Station is located at Delawanna Avenue at Oak Street. Both stations have parking options but are not ADA-accessible. The city is also served by Route 3, Route 19, Route 21, Route 46, and the Garden Station Parkway.
Popular restaurants include the famed Rutt’s Hut, Styertowne Bakery, The Barrow House, the Allwood Diner, and La Fortaleza. For grocery shopping, Clifton has Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop, Target, Costco, Stew Leonard’s, Turkish Market, Aldi, Super Fresh, and Corrado’s. For those with a passion for history and a love for the outdoors, the Hamilton House, the Morris Canal Park, Weasel Brook Park, and Main Memorial Park are located in Clifton.
Little Falls
Little Falls Station began service in 1893 and is located on Union Avenue. It is part of the Montclair-Boonton Line and has parking for over 100 vehicles. Little Falls Station is not ADA accessible. Popular restaurants in town include Munchy’s, Ethan + the Bean, Aquila Pizza Al Forno, Sip N’ Swirl Homemade Ice Cream, and Bibiana’s Kitchen. For grocery shopping, Little Falls has a Shoprite. This small town also features the Morris Canal Park and Yogi Berra Museum. The Montclair State University Station is also located in Little Falls and is part of the Montclair-Boonton Line. It is an ADA-accessible station.
Passaic
Passaic Station has been in operation since 1870 and is currently part of the Main Line. This stop is located at Lackawanna Place at Barry Place near the Passaic Park neighborhood. There are parking spots for commuters as well. It is not ADA-accessible.
Passaic has a large Hispanic community and a variety of Latin American cuisine as well as a Shoprite and a Gromex. Outdoor spots here include the Veteran’s Memorial Park, Shevchenko Park, Dundee Island Park, and Passaic Skatepark.
Paterson
Paterson Station is an ADA-accessible station on the Main Line located in the third largest city in the Garden State. This station which opened in 1832 is located at Crosby Place at Market Street and Ward Street downtown. Historically, Paterson has had at least nine commuter train stations, but this is the only one that remains.
Today, Paterson is home to large Hispanic, Muslim, and Black communities. A significant number of residents are also Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Peruvian, Mexican, Dominican, and Turkish. Neighborhoods here include Little Lima, Little Italy, Riverside, Lakeview, South Paterson, Hillcrest, Sandy Hill, and Stoney Road. For history and outdoor recreation, Paterson features the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, the Paterson Museum, Pennington Park, Roberto Clemente Park, and Garret Mountain Reservation.
See More: How Hoboken’s Lackawanna Train Station Changed Transportation Around the World
Wayne
Wayne is the 33rd most populated municipality in all of New Jersey. Over 50,000 inhabitants are spread across this 25.14 square mile township in neighborhoods like Lionheads Lake, Packanack Lake, Pines Lake, Preakness, and Toms Lake. Wayne has two active commuter stations — Mountain View and Wayne Route 23. Both of these stations are part of the Montclair-Boonton Line. Mountain View has almost 400 parking spaces and is ADA-accessible. Wayne Route 23 also has a large parking lot with 1,000 spots and is located off of Route 23. It is ADA-accessible.
Casa Don Manuel, Alps Diner, Packanack Bakery, and Jackie Smalls are popular restaurants in town and for grocery shopping, Wayne has a Shoprite, Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop, and Whole Foods. Historic spots here are the Dey Mansion, Hobart Manor, Schuyler-Colfax House, and the Wayne Museum. Wayne is also home to numerous lakes with distinct communities surrounding them and several golf courses. Other nature spots and parks include High Mountain Park Preserve, Laurel Arboretum, North Cove Park, Minnisink Park, and the Alps Road Sports Complex. William Paterson University, one of the state’s public universities, Wayne YMCA, and Willowbrook Mall are also located here.
