Orange, NJ | The Original Orange
The 1806 Parent of the Oranges, With Two Midtown Direct Stations and the Most Accessible Prices in the Team's Markets
Orange Real Estate | Midtown Direct Access at an Accessible Price
Orange, officially the City of Orange Township, is the 2.21-square-mile Essex County city from which East Orange, South Orange and West Orange were all set off in the 1860s, and today it offers something none of its better-known offspring can match: the most accessible price of entry to a one-seat Midtown Direct commute in the markets this team covers. Buyers searching homes for sale in Orange NJ in 2026 found a market trading in the high $400,000s to mid $500,000s depending on the month and the mix, with current listings carrying a median asking price around $539,000 to $550,000 as of October 2026 per Redfin.
Just as valuable is the pace. Where several of this team's markets now close in under two weeks at double-digit premiums, Orange homes typically spend about two and a half to three months on the market, competitive listings draw modest premiums of roughly 3 to 9 percent over asking rather than 20, and a November 2025 Redfin window put the median at $505,000, up 8.6 percent year over year, while mid-2026 windows ran softer against strong prior comps. In plain terms, this is the one market in the team's footprint where a buyer can still inspect carefully, negotiate genuinely and win without waiving everything.
The inventory is distinctive: Victorian and early-1900s houses from the city's industrial heyday, two-family and multifamily properties that make up a large share of each month's trade, condos near both stations, and the Valley's converted hat-factory and printing-plant lofts. The two-family stock in particular, with a median asking price around $583,000 to $590,000 and roughly 32 multifamily units moving in a recent month, gives first-time buyers a path where rental income from one unit helps carry the mortgage on the other.
The Allison Ziefert Real Estate Group, a Compass team serving Essex County from its Millburn office, brings 25+ years of combined experience, more than 500 five-star reviews and pricing built on street-level comparable sales to a market where boundary-accurate comps matter more than anywhere, because the portals blur Orange's lines with its neighbors and the team's job is to not.
What to Love About Orange
The Original Orange
Set off from Newark in 1806 as Orange Township, this is the parent town of them all: South Orange Township (now Maplewood) split away in 1861, East Orange in 1863 and West Orange in 1863, while Orange itself became a city in 1872.
Two One-Seat Stations
The Orange and Highland Avenue stations both sit inside 2.21 square miles on the Morristown Line, with direct Midtown Direct service to Penn Station from each, and Tony Galento Plaza at the Orange station honors the hometown heavyweight who once floored Joe Louis.
The Valley Arts District
In the old factory quarter where hats, shoes and beer were once made by the block, the nonprofits HANDS and ValleyArts have led a decades-long revival, turning the seven-story F. Berg hat factory into the Hat City Lofts and the Harvard Printing plant into apartments, with studios and galleries along a corridor that straddles the West Orange line.
A Restaurant Row With Roots
The city itself points to its renowned establishments by name, including the Star Tavern, famous for thin-crust bar pie, Libretti's, Appian Way and Bella Italia, a legacy Italian dining row that has drawn visitors across generations.
Monte Irvin Orange Park
The Essex County park at the city's heart carries the name and statue of the Hall of Famer who grew up in Orange, anchoring the outdoor calendar alongside pocket parks and playgrounds across the city.
Prices With Room to Breathe
A median in the $500,000s, listings that allow time for inspections and negotiation, and a deep two-family bench make Orange the most accessible entry point in the team's markets, minutes from neighbors trading at two and three times the price.
Every street here prices differently. Ask the team about the one you have in mind.
Ask the teamOrange Neighborhoods and Property Types | A Buyer's Guide
Buyers comparing Orange NJ homes for sale generally shop the city as three areas and one property class of its own.
Seven Oaks | The Historic Grand-Home Section
Along the South Orange border, the Seven Oaks section holds the city's showpiece blocks: substantial Victorians and early-twentieth-century homes from Orange's industrial prosperity, including the former Beard School building noted in local histories. These are the houses that top the city's price ladder, often trading well above the citywide median, and they reward buyers who can see past dated finishes to original woodwork and scale that newer towns cannot offer at the price.
The Valley | Lofts by the Highland Avenue Station
The city's west side carries its arts district and its most distinctive inventory: the Hat City Lofts in the converted F. Berg hat factory two blocks from the Highland Avenue station, the Harvard Printing apartments, and the surrounding worker-era houses and two-families. For buyers who want a loft or a renovation project inside a neighborhood with an organized revitalization effort behind it, this is the corridor to watch.
Central Orange | Main Street and the Orange Station
The blocks around Main Street, the Orange station and Tony Galento Plaza hold the city's downtown, its civic buildings and its densest mix of condos, co-ops and apartments, with units at Reynolds Terrace, High Street and similar addresses appearing among recent trades. This is the pure transit-first play: the lowest entry prices on the page, steps from a one-seat train.
Orange NJ Multi Family Homes for Sale | The Two-Family Path
Orange's two-family and small multifamily stock is a market of its own, with roughly 32 units moving in a recent month at a median asking price around $583,000 to $590,000. The classic structure, living in one unit while the other's rent helps carry the mortgage, remains one of the few first-rung ownership strategies left in Essex County at this price, and the same stock draws investors, so owner-occupants should come pre-approved with financing questions settled. The team walks buyers through unit configurations, tenancy status and the diligence that multifamily purchases require.
Orange NJ Homes for Sale
Homes the Allison Ziefert Real Estate Group has listed and sold in Orange.
Living in Orange | Dining, Shopping and Things to Do
Dining and Shopping
Orange's dining reputation rests on a legacy Italian row the city itself celebrates: the Star Tavern's thin-crust bar pie has drawn pilgrims for generations, with Libretti's, Appian Way and Bella Italia rounding out the roster of what the city calls its renowned establishments. Main Street and Central Avenue carry the everyday retail, the Valley's corridor adds studios and galleries on the arts district calendar, and the deep benches of South Orange Village and downtown Montclair sit one and two towns away.
Outdoor Recreation and Things to Do
Monte Irvin Orange Park, the Essex County park renamed for the Hall of Famer who grew up here, anchors the city's green space with its fields, courts and the statue at its heart, and smaller playgrounds dot the wards. The county's 2,000-plus-acre South Mountain Reservation begins minutes west, ValleyArts programs exhibitions and events through the arts district, and the city's festival calendar runs through the downtown and the park.
Orange Schools
Orange is served by the Orange Board of Education School District, a PK-12 district of about 5,900 students across 12 schools. The district operates two public high schools: Orange High School, serving grades 9-12 with about 1,368 students at a 16-to-1 ratio, and STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges, a smaller 9-12 school of about 180 students at an 11-to-1 ratio.
How they rate. On Niche's 2026 measures, the district carries a C overall, with academics C and college prep B minus, and Orange High School carries a C; STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges carries an A and ranks 49th among all public high schools in New Jersey. On GreatSchools, elementary ratings include Heywood Avenue at 7 out of 10, with Hazel Avenue, Forest Street and Oakwood Avenue at 6 out of 10. All ratings are dated third-party measures.
How enrollment works. GreatSchools notes that enrollment in Orange is not based solely on geography, so no address on this page should be assumed to feed a particular school; families should confirm placement options, including STEM Innovation Academy admission, directly with the district, and the team will connect buyers with the district's enrollment office on any home they are weighing.
Orange on the Map
- Within
- Essex County
- ZIP code
- 07050
Landmarks on the map
- Hat City Lofts
- Highland Avenue train station
- Monte Irvin Orange Park
- Orange High School
- Orange train station
- Tony Galento Plaza
Frequently Asked Questions About Orange Real Estate
Compare Orange With Nearby Towns
Find Your Home in Orange
Team
Allison Ziefert Real Estate Group at Compass. Co-principals Allison Ziefert (NJ License 0999509) and Sarah "Ginge" Calhoun (NJ License 1650080)
Office
378-380 Millburn Ave., 2nd Floor, Millburn, NJ 07041
Hours
Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Weekends by appointment.