A large county ranging from VERY rich to VERY poor. It's in close proximity to New York and has good transportation getting there which cause the taxes to be. Many feel the county is somewhat ethnically segregated in some parts. The western portion of
Essex County tends to have wealthy and mainly white towns. These often include The Caldwells, Millburn,
Glen Ridge,some of Upper Montclair, Short Hills, and
Essex Fells, which are some of the most desirable towns in the state. Other mainly white towns that aren't as wealthy are more near the east but are considered to be still western. These towns include Nutley,
Cedar Grove, and Verona which are mainly upper-middle class. On the other hand more toward the east there are towns like Irvington, East Orange, and the infamous Newark which are the least desirable towns in the state. Some towns tend to be stuck in the middle with some nice areas and some bad areas making them mixed. These include South Orange,
West Orange, and Montclair. Towns that have few nice areas and are starting to go downhill include Bloomfield and Belleville.