East Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, immediately west of Newark and within the New York metropolitan area. With roughly 70,000 residents in about 3.9 square miles, it is a densely built, transit-oriented city with a long history as a residential and industrial community. East Orange's development was shaped by transportation. At the peak of its industrial growth, the city was served by three train lines, three trolley lines, and six stations within its small footprint. Today the city is one of a limited number of New Jersey municipalities designated as Transit Villages, and the East Orange station on NJ Transit's Morris & Essex Lines serves the Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch, connecting commuters to Newark, Hoboken, and New York City. The city's housing stock reflects its late-19th- and early-20th-century growth, with substantial stock of Victorian-era homes, apartment buildings, and brick multifamily structures. Landmarks such as the Brick Church, built in 1878 at Main and Prospect streets, recall the city's period of prominence, though the building's partial demolition in recent years underscored the challenges of preserving that fabric. Parks and recreation anchor neighborhood life. Soverel Park is the city's largest, with ballfields, basketball and tennis courts, a walking track, playgrounds, and a fieldhouse, while Columbian Park offers a pool, baseball field, and courts. The city's Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs runs programs for residents of all ages, including summer day camps. Public schools are operated by the East Orange School District. East Orange suits residents seeking an affordable, transit-connected urban community with historic housing and direct rail access to the region's employment centers.