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Hats made Orange famous. In the late 1800s this compact Essex County city was one of the busiest hat-making centers in America, and the brick factory buildings left behind by that trade still shape the Valley neighborhood. Orange covers barely two square miles on the eastern slope of the Watchung Mountains and is the original Orange from which East, West and South Orange later split away.
The city's green heart is Monte Irvin Orange Park, renamed for the Hall of Fame outfielder who grew up in Orange and starred at Orange High School before his years with the New York Giants. In the Valley, former industrial blocks have been reborn as the Valley Arts District, with artist studios, loft apartments and bold street murals, while the classical Orange Public Library still anchors Main Street.
Orange makes an easy base for the rest of the Oranges. Thomas Edison's laboratory in West Orange and the wooded trails of South Mountain Reservation are a short drive away, and NJ Transit trains from Orange station reach Midtown Manhattan in well under an hour.
A large 19th-century city park renamed for Monte Irvin, the Hall of Fame outfielder raised in Orange. Expect shaded lawns, ball fields, walking paths and a playground. Locals use it for pickup games and summer events, so weekend mornings are the calmest time for a stroll under the old trees.
A quiet neighborhood park in Orange entered through a stone gateway on Elmwynd Drive, with mature trees, open grass and a small playground. It is a peaceful spot to sit for a while away from Main Street traffic. Visit in autumn, when the old oaks and maples turn gold and red.
The Valley neighborhood around Valley Street has turned old hat-factory blocks into artist studios, galleries and loft homes. Large murals cover many walls, and community art events pop up through the year. Walk it in daylight, camera in hand, and check local listings for open studio days and festivals.
This long brick complex was built for F. Berg and Company, one of the hat makers that made Orange a nationally known hat town. Its tall windows and factory facade are a reminder of the felt-hat trade that once employed thousands of local workers. View it from the street, as the buildings are not a museum.
A stately classical stone library on Main Street that has served the city since the early 1900s. The columned facade is the main draw for visitors, and it sits close to the shops and churches of central Orange, so it fits easily into a walk. Check opening hours before going inside, as they vary by weekday.
The Orange stop on NJ Transit's Morristown Line sits on the raised embankment the Lackawanna Railroad built through the Oranges in the early 20th century. The historic station building is a reminder of the commuter boom that shaped the town, and trains run directly to New York Penn Station.
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Log in to add photosPhoto: Jim.henderson, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Jim.henderson, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
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Photo: Famartin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's C, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: Jim.henderson, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
