"[26][27] In 1980, after multiple protests filed by Montclair officials regarding inequities built into the federal revenue-sharing system,[28] Montclair passed a referendum changing its name to the "Township of Montclair," becoming the third of more than a dozen Essex County municipalities to reclassify themselves as townships to take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis.

[29][30][31] Before cannabis was legalized for sale for both medical and recreational use in 2022, the state's first marijuana dispensary opened in Montclair in December 2012, joining Bellmawr, Cranbury, Egg Harbor Township, and Woodbridge Township as one of the five municipalities that had authorized the sale of medical cannabis.

Some higher locations in the township provide excellent views of the surrounding area and of the New York City skyline about 12 miles (19 km) away.

[33] Named localities in the township include Church Street, Frog Hollow, South End, Upper Montclair, and Watchung Plaza.

Upper Montclair lies north of Watchung Avenue and has a separate ZIP code, 07043.

[35][36] Small areas in the southeast of the township fall into the Glen Ridge ZIP code 07028.

[37][38][39] The southern border of Montclair is a straight line between Eagle Rock, on the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain, and the point where Orange Road begins at the foot of Ridgewood Avenue.

[citation needed] Snowfall is common from December to early March and totals about 30 inches (76 cm) annually.

[61] Herman Hupfeld, composer of the song "As Time Goes By", was born, lived, and was buried in Montclair.

Located 12 miles (19 km) from Midtown Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River, the Whole Theatre productions were readily available to New York City and New Jersey audiences.

In the two decades in which Whole Theatre flourished, they presented a long list of performances in a wide variety of genres.

Productions included The Rose Tattoo, Mother Courage, Rabelais: a Dramatic Game (1985), and America at Full Moon (1986).

[68] In 2018 Brooke Lea Foster of The New York Times stated that it was one of several "least suburban of suburbs, each one celebrated by buyers there for its culture and hip factor, as much as the housing stock and sophisticated post-city life.

The township hosted its first annual film festival in 2012 to provide a platform for filmmakers from New Jersey, the US, and the world.

[71] Concerts are held at the Wellmont Theater and at several churches and auditoriums sponsored by Outpost in the Burbs, a community-based organization.

[74] Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Montclair city council cut library funding to the minimum levels required by New Jersey law.

[81] Municipal parks include Mountainside Park, the township's largest at 33.2 acres (13.4 ha), which offers extensive tennis and recreation facilities, and includes the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, a 6.5-acre (2.6 ha) living museum donated by the family of Frank Presby that is maintained by volunteers and dedicated to the iris.

[82] Covering nearly 20 acres (8.1 ha) of wetlands and uplands along the Third River, the Alonzo F. Bonsal Wildlife Preserve offers hiking trails and other passive recreation.

The township council passed a resolution expressing approval of the project but allocated no funds for it.

[87][88][89] In the spring of 2020, an impromptu skatepark was created by community members on two of the unused tennis courts at Rand Park on North Fullerton Avenue during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2020, the township held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially recognize this space as a temporary skatepark.

The township's playground insurance covers skateboarding, allowing it to allocate funds to the park.

[104][107] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 10th congressional district is represented by LaMonica McIver (D, Newark).

[108] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 11th congressional district is represented by Mikie Sherrill (D, Montclair).

[110] For the 2024-2025 session, the 27th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by John F. McKeon (D, West Orange) and in the General Assembly by Rosy Bagolie (D, Livingston) and Alixon Collazos-Gill (D, Montclair).

As of 2025[update], the County Executive is Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. (D, Roseland), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.

[113] Essex County's Commissioners are: Robert Mercado (D, District 1 – Newark's North and East Wards, parts of Central and West Wards; Newark, 2026),[114] A'Dorian Murray-Thomas (D, District 2 – Irvington, Maplewood and parts of Newark's South and West Wards; Newark, 2026),[115] Vice President Tyshammie L. Cooper (D, District 3 - Newark: West and Central Wards; East Orange, Orange and South Orange; East Orange, 2026),[116] Leonard M. Luciano (D, District 4 – Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Livingston, Millburn, North Caldwell, Roseland, Verona, West Caldwell and West Orange; West Caldwell, 2026),[117] President Carlos M. Pomares (D, District 5 – Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair and Nutley; Bloomfield, 2026),[118] Brendan W. Gill (D, at large; Montclair, 2026),[119] Romaine Graham (D, at large; Irvington, 2026),[120] Wayne Richardson (D, at large; Newark, 2026),[121] Patricia Sebold (D, at-large; Livingston, 2026).

[177] Running through Montclair is the Montclair-Boonton Line, serving New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal to the east, and Hackettstown to the west.

Works by significant architects include designs by Van Vleck and Goldsmith, Charles Follen McKim, McKim, Mead, and White, Henry Hudson Holly, Charles A. Platt, Alexander Jackson Davis, Dudley Van Antwerp, Effingham R. North, Montrose Morris, and Frances Nelson, among others.

[citation needed] In 2018, Bobbi Brown, founder and ex-CCO of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and her husband, realtor Steven Plofker opened The George, a 32-room boutique hotel on North Mountain Avenue that was originally a private home constructed in 1902.