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[Black Lazerus]

Lay of the land: Maplewood was originally developed as a weekend town for Newark residents and still maintains something of a country-home aesthetic. The small downtown is quaint (think shops with names like CornerCopia), and the residences are predominantly twenties clapboard or brick Colonials, although there are also a handful of condo developments. “It has this small-town sweetness; it’s more like a town in the Berkshires than the suburbs,” says writer Marina Budhos, who moved here from the Upper West Side last summer.


Meet the neighbors: Maplewood is a draw for those who abhor cultural blandness and ethnic homogeneity but who can’t afford to raise families in Manhattan. “The biggest strength of the town is its diversity,” says Jane Goetz, a Realtor and 30-year Maplewood resident. More than 40 percent of Maplewood’s residents are nonwhite, and along with South Orange, its “sister town” next door, Maplewood is home to a number of interracial and gay couples. “It’s a great mix of open-minded people,” says Ed Bikales, who relocated from 103rd Street and West End Avenue six months ago. The town also has a significant artistic and intellectual community. “There is almost an alarming number of children’s-book authors here,” says Budhos, whose husband is, in fact, a children’s-book author.