Bloomfield is one of the Essex County towns I work in, and it surprises a lot of buyers. It has two train stations, a large county park on its edge, and a historic town green. Here is how I would get to know it.
Two train stations, plus light rail
Most towns have one station. Bloomfield has two NJ Transit stations on the Montclair-Boonton Line:
- Bloomfield station, downtown at 19 Lackawanna Plaza, off Bloomfield Avenue. It opened in 1855.
- Watsessing Avenue station, in the Watsessing section.
The Montclair-Boonton Line runs Midtown Direct trains to New York Penn Station, as well as trains to Hoboken Terminal. Not every train goes to the same place, so check the timetable for the trains you would actually take.
There is more. Grove Street station on the Newark Light Rail is in Bloomfield. NJ Transit bus route 102 serves the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, and many other routes run through town, including 11, 27, 28, 29, 34, 72, 90, 92, 93 and 94, plus local 709.
For drivers, the Garden State Parkway has four interchanges in the township: 148 and 151 are full, 149 and 150 are partial. County Routes 506, 506 Spur and 509 run through town, and Newark Liberty International Airport is about 7.5 miles away.
With two stations and four Parkway interchanges, which one is closest to the house matters. Check it for every home you consider.
Brookdale Park
Brookdale Park is an Essex County park of 121.41 acres, the third-largest in the county system. About 77 acres are in Bloomfield and the rest in Montclair. It was established in 1928.
The list of amenities is long: a formal rose garden, a 1.5-mile fitness course, a quarter-mile synthetic track, tennis courts, an archery field, a dog park, a playground and trails. The county also holds an annual summer concert series there.
Bloomfield has a second county park as well. Watsessing Park is an Olmsted-designed landscape of about 69 acres spanning Bloomfield and East Orange, with athletic fields, playgrounds, basketball courts and a bandstand. Its splash park is closed for the 2026 season. The township's Parks and Recreation Department also runs eight municipal parks.
The historic Green
The Bloomfield Green Historic District covers about 100 acres centered on the Green. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 20, 1978. It is mostly residential buildings from the late 18th to early 20th centuries, and the Green itself once served as a militia training ground.
Bloomfield College was founded near the green in 1868. It merged into Montclair State University in 2023 and now operates as Bloomfield College of Montclair State University.
If you are looking at a home in or near the district, ask whether the address is inside it and what that means for exterior work. Older homes deserve a careful inspection too.
Questions I ask on an older Bloomfield home
- Is the home inside the Bloomfield Green Historic District, and are there rules about exterior changes?
- How old are the roof, heating system and electrical service?
- What permits exist for past renovations or a finished basement?
- How far is the walk to the nearer of the two train stations?
A little history worth knowing
The town is named for Joseph Bloomfield, a Revolutionary War officer who later served as Governor of New Jersey. Bloomfield has an industrial past: in 1942, the Westinghouse Lamp Plant here produced most of the uranium metal used in Chicago Pile-1, the first nuclear reactor. GE, Westinghouse and Schering built facilities in town, and the Charms Candy Company started and grew here.
Two spots to add to a visit:
- Oakeside Mansion & Gardens at 240 Belleville Ave, built in 1895 for the family that owned the Oakes woolen mill. It is now a township cultural center and is home to the Bloomfield Community Garden, established in 1922.
- Holsten's Brookdale Confectionery, where the final scene of The Sopranos was filmed.
Downtown and everyday life
Bloomfield Center is the downtown, around Bloomfield Avenue, Broad Street, Washington Street and Glenwood Avenue, near the Bloomfield rail station. The Bloomfield Center Alliance runs downtown events, including Bloomfield Harvest Fest, a free festival typically held in October with food, vendors, live music and rides.
The Bloomfield Public Library is at 90 Broad Street. Named sections of town include Brookdale, Watsessing, Ampere North and Silver Lake, which is shared with Belleville.
What to do on a weekend visit
- Walk Bloomfield Center and the Green.
- Spend an hour in Brookdale Park.
- Find the station nearest each home on your list and walk to it.
- Drive to the Parkway interchange you would use.
- Confirm with Bloomfield Public Schools which school an address is zoned for.
My Bloomfield town guide covers the basics. If you already own here and are wondering what your place is worth, I can put together a free home value estimate. And if you are buying, here is my saved search for Bloomfield homes.
Whenever you want to see Bloomfield in person, let me know. I am happy to show you around.
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