Town guide · Union County
Living in Summit, NJ
Summit combines a classic downtown with one of the best commutes in the area: Midtown Direct trains to New York on NJ Transit's Morris & Essex Lines.
Summit is a city of about six square miles in the hills of northern Union County, with 22,719 residents at the 2020 Census.
The railroad reached 'the summit' of the hill in 1837 and gave the city its name. After the Civil War it became a summer resort, and today it is known for one of the best rail commutes in New Jersey, a historic downtown and a large medical center.
Neighborhoods and areas
Why people choose Summit
Commute
Midtown Direct service from Summit station on the Morris & Essex Lines.
Downtown
Restaurants, shops and a seasonal farmers market near the station.
Housing
Everything from in-town colonials to large homes on wooded lots.
Living in Summit
Getting around
Summit station is where NJ Transit's Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch meet, with Midtown Direct trains to New York Penn Station: about 30 to 35 minutes on an express and about 50 on a local. Some trains run to Hoboken instead. Routes 24 and 124 and I-78 run along the city's edges, and Newark Liberty Airport is about 15 minutes away by I-78.
Parks and outdoors
Reeves-Reed Arboretum on Hobart Avenue has formal gardens and woodlands on 12.5 acres. Part of Union County's Watchung Reservation, home to Lake Surprise, lies in Summit, along with Briant Park, Hidden Valley Park and the Summit Park Line, a 1.2-mile linear park on an old rail line. The Summit Family Aquatic Center has an Olympic-size pool, slides and a zero-depth pool.
Downtown and everyday life
Springfield Avenue is the main street. The Summit Downtown Historic District, on the National Register since 2011, has architecture mostly from 1890 to 1930. Summit Downtown, Inc. runs the Sunday farmers market from spring to December, Street Sounds live music on Friday evenings and the Arts & Cars Festival. The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey and the Summit Playhouse are here too.
Schools
Summit Public Schools serve pre-K through 12th grade in nine schools: two primary centers, five elementary schools, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School and Summit High School.
History and landmarks
Overlook Medical Center, part of Atlantic Health System, has been in Summit since 1906. The Summit Historical Society is in the Carter House on Butler Parkway, the city's oldest house, and the Summit Opera House dates to 1894.
Homes in Summit
Summit's housing reflects its resort-era past. The North Side has Queen Anne, Shingle and Colonial Revival homes from about 1890 to the 1940s, plus more than 100 Tudor Revival houses. Hobart Avenue has some of the oldest resort-period homes, and the area east of Memorial Field was planned in the early 1900s with Colonial Revival and Tudor homes on modest lots.
Summit market snapshot
All residential sales in ZIP 07901, March 1 to May 31, 2026. Source: Redfin. Ask me for this month's numbers.
Summit questions buyers ask
How long is the train ride from Summit to Manhattan?
Summit has Midtown Direct service to New York Penn Station: about 30 to 35 minutes on an express and about 50 minutes on a local. Some trains go to Hoboken instead.
How far is Summit from Newark Airport?
About 15 minutes by car via Interstate 78.
How are Summit's public schools organized?
Summit Public Schools has two primary centers for pre-K and kindergarten, five elementary schools for grades 1 to 5, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School and Summit High School.
Is there a hospital in Summit?
Yes. Overlook Medical Center, part of Atlantic Health System, has been in Summit since 1906.
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Top photo: Downtown Summit historic district by Jerrye & Roy Klotz MD, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.