Montclair, township, Essex County, northeastern New Jersey, on a slope of the Watchung Mountains, near Newark; first incorporated as a township 1868, reincorporated 1980. It is primarily residential and includes Upper Montclair. Montclair State College (1908); the Montclair Art Museum, which contains a collection of American paintings; and the Montclair Historical Society Museum are here. The community, settled in 1666 as part of Newark township, was part of Bloomfield township from 1812 to 1868, when it became a separate township. It was organized as a town in 1894 and again became a township in 1980. In the 19th century the settlement became known as an artists colony and was the home of the noted painter George Inness. Population 38,321 (1980); 37,729 (1990); 37,729 (1996 estimate).
