Location | Commute

The historic Madison Train Station, in the downtown hub, was built in 1916 and designed by Frank J. Nies. In 1984, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Madison is located about 25 miles west of downtown Manhattan and is served by Morris and Essex line trains of New Jersey Transit direct to Penn Station in New York City as well as to Hoboken (with connections to lower New York City by the Hudson Tubes.) Access by auto is most easily made from NJ Route 24.

Madison Schools

The Madison School District’s mission is to “inspire and challenge all students to be life-long learners, empowered with the knowledge, skills, and character to shape their futures, realize their dreams, and contribute positively to the world.” The Madison Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The average class size ranges from 19 to 22 students. As of the 2016-17 school year, the district's five schools had an enrollment of 2,637 students and 208.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.7:1. Seventy percent of faculty members possess advanced degrees.

Elementary students attend one of three neighborhood schools (grades K to 5): Kings Road School, Central Avenue School, or Torey J. Sabatini School. Early adolescents attend the Madison Junior School (grades 6 to 8), and high school students attend Madison High School (grades 9 to 12). Ninety percent of Madison High School graduates annually and goes on to attend institutions of higher learning, with many attending the nation’s most prestigious universities.

St. Vincent Martyr School is a Catholic parochial school that serves students in grades PreK through 8.

The Madison School District is also committed to providing its students with a rich and comprehensive extracurricular program. Madison High School features 45 boys’ and girls’ athletic teams spanning 18 sports. Competing in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), Madison High School teams have earned an ample array of conference, county, and state titles. Music students participate in orchestra, band and chorus beginning in elementary school, and numerous Madison High School music students are chosen annually to participate in regional and state select performing groups. The schools also partner with the Madison- based Writers Theatre of New Jersey to provide playwriting and drama experiences to our students.

Madison Music & Arts (MMA) is a parent volunteer group that raises funds and grants money for the school district's arts programs. The group funds projects in all schools, works in the visual and performing arts, and supports both curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Higher education institutions are here as well. Drew University was founded in 1867 and continues to operate in Madison, on a wooded campus near downtown. Fairleigh Dickinson University's Florham Campus is located in Madison on the former Twombly estate. The College of Saint Elizabeth is located just outside of town, in Florham Park.

Activities | Recreation | Arts

Madison residents are civic-minded and there are more than one hundred non-profit organizations and service clubs providing support to the community. The picturesque parks and open spaces are perfect for outdoor activities.

Every year, Bottle Hill Day is celebrated by the community with games, food, music, and a variety of activities for as many as 20,000 participants. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, one of 25 professional theatres in the state, resides here. Serving 100,000 adults and children annually, it is New Jersey's only professional theatre company dedicated to Shakespeare's canon and other classic masterworks. In addition, the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts is a popular field-trip destination that explores the history and lives of New Jersey workers.

Dining & Shopping

Madison's thriving downtown is supported by a Downtown Development Commission and a Downtown Manager. The Madison Civic Commercial Historic District, which includes much of "downtown" as well as Borough Hall and the train station, is on the State Register of Historic Places. Downtown, you can find Shanghai Jazz, a hybrid Chinese restaurant and jazz club; La Buona Cucina, an Italian specialty market that holds cooking classes; Chatham Booksellers, which deals in rare and hard-to-find book titles; or acquaint yourself with graphic novels at Dewey’s Comic City. The town also has an ice cream parlor and a weekly farmers’ market.