About Totowa

Totowa's housing stock is built around single-family homes on suburban lots — a mix of established Colonials, capes and ranches, with some newer construction and a limited supply of townhomes and multi-family buildings near the Route 46 corridor. The borough's four square miles are largely built out, giving the market a mature, stable character with relatively modest turnover. Buyers are typically families and commuters seeking a well-established Passaic County address with quick highway access and municipal services close at hand.

Totowa is a compact, roughly four-square-mile borough whose residential blocks fan out from the Route 46 and I-80 corridors. The Passaic River forms part of its boundary, separating the borough from Paterson to the east, while Wayne, Little Falls and Woodland Park surround it on the other sides. Most of the borough is low-density and residential, with commercial activity concentrated along Route 46 and the borough's main roadways. This layout gives Totowa a quiet, suburban feel within a densely developed corner of Passaic County.

Totowa is a settled, family-oriented commuter suburb. Its residential streets sit close to the retail and dining of Wayne, including the Willowbrook Mall area, and to the cultural offerings of Paterson, whose Great Falls National Historical Park preserves one of the region's most dramatic natural landmarks. Local life centers on schools, churches and borough recreation, with the convenience of Route 46's commercial corridor running through town. For commuters, the borough's direct Interstate 80 access makes trips toward the George Washington Bridge and Manhattan a straightforward daily routine.

The Totowa Public Schools operate the borough's kindergarten-through-eighth-grade program, with elementary and middle schools serving local families. High school students attend Passaic Valley Regional High School in Little Falls, a regional district shared with Little Falls and Woodland Park, or may apply to the Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne for career-focused programs. St. James of the Marches, a Catholic school in the borough, offers an additional pre-K through eighth-grade option under the Diocese of Paterson.

Totowa is positioned at the junction of major Passaic County corridors. Interstate 80 runs through the borough, providing a direct route east toward the George Washington Bridge and New York City, while Route 46 and Route 62 carry local and regional traffic. Nearby Route 23, Route 3 and the Garden State Parkway extend access across North Jersey. NJ Transit bus service links Totowa to Paterson, Newark and New York, and commuter rail stations in the surrounding towns connect the borough to the region's rail network.

Totowa sits close to some of Passaic County's signature outdoor spaces. Garret Mountain Reservation, the county's major recreational area, lies just to the southeast and offers hiking, fishing, athletic fields and panoramic views, while the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park preserves the powerful waterfall that gave the region its name. Closer to home, borough parks such as Gregg Froehner Memorial Park provide neighborhood playgrounds and sports facilities, and the Morris Canal's historic corridor adds a link to the area's industrial past.