Essex Fells is a small borough in western Essex County, New Jersey, roughly 20 miles west of Manhattan. It was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 31, 1902, carved from portions of Caldwell Township, now Fairfield Township. The borough covers only about 1.4 square miles, and the 2020 census counted 2,244 residents. The community was conceived as a planned residential development on land associated with John F. Fell, the son-in-law of banker Anthony Drexel. Its name pairs "Essex," for the county, with "Fells," a reference both to Fell himself and to the word's meaning of hilly or elevated land. The early layout featured curving, tree-lined roads and generous estate lots, and that design has been carefully preserved. The borough remains almost entirely residential, with no commercial district of its own, relying on neighboring Caldwell and Montclair for retail and dining. Education is a defining feature of the community. Students attend the Essex Fells School, a small public elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade with a few hundred students, then continue to the West Essex Regional School District for seventh through twelfth grade alongside Fairfield, North Caldwell, and Roseland. Recreation centers on Grover Cleveland Park, a heavily wooded, roughly 41-acre park along the Caldwell border that is part of the Essex County park system and named for the president born in nearby Caldwell. The borough's appeal lies in its estate-like atmosphere, mature woodland, and strong schools, all within commuting distance of New York via NJ TRANSIT stations in surrounding towns. Essex Fells suits those seeking a quiet, spacious, well-established suburban community with deep-rooted residential character.