If you are trying to choose between Summit, Millburn, and Short Hills, you are really deciding what kind of Midtown Direct lifestyle fits you best. Some buyers want a true downtown they can use every day, while others care more about privacy, lot size, or a simple rail routine into Manhattan. This guide breaks down the differences in housing, daily life, and commuting so you can compare these three popular Union and Essex County options with more confidence. Let’s dive in.
Start With the Big Picture
At a glance, these places overlap in the ways many buyers care about most. All are tied to the Morris & Essex rail corridor, all appeal to commuters, and all offer established housing stock rather than brand-new suburban development patterns. But they do not feel the same once you look closer.
According to the latest U.S. Census QuickFacts for Summit, Summit had 22,719 residents, while Millburn Township had 21,710 and the Short Hills CDP had 14,422. The same source lists median owner-occupied home values at $994,500 in Summit, $1,371,500 in Millburn, and $1,674,100 in Short Hills. One key point to remember is that Short Hills is not a separate municipality. It is a census-designated place within Millburn Township.
That distinction matters because many buyers are not choosing between three fully separate towns. In practice, you are often comparing Summit with two different Millburn-area experiences: downtown Millburn and the more residential Short Hills section.
Summit: Classic Downtown Energy
Summit stands out for buyers who want a traditional downtown with a strong everyday rhythm. The city describes downtown Summit as a walkable area with restaurants, boutiques, a farmers market, outdoor dining, NJ Transit access, the Village Green, the Reeves-Reed Arboretum, and the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. If your ideal week includes walking to coffee, dinner, errands, and the train, Summit makes a strong case.
Its housing stock also supports that older-town feel. Summit’s preservation materials describe a city with architectural heritage dating from the mid-18th century through the 21st century, and city planning materials highlight Colonial Revival and English Tudor Revival homes. In Summit’s 2026 housing plan, 33.4% of housing was built before 1940 and 81.5% before 1970, reinforcing the idea of an established, architecturally varied market rather than a newer tract-home pattern.
For many buyers, Summit feels like the most balanced option. You get an active downtown, a major station, and a wide range of older homes with character. If you want the convenience of a real town center without giving up a suburban setting, Summit often rises to the top.
Millburn: A Pedestrian Downtown With Arts Access
Millburn offers a different kind of in-town experience. While smaller in feel than Summit, downtown Millburn has a strong pedestrian identity and a clear civic focus on walkability. Explore Millburn-Short Hills identifies Downtown Millburn as both a Main Street New Jersey and Main Street America community, and the Paper Mill Playhouse is noted as being about a five-minute walk from downtown shopping and dining.
That matters if you want a downtown that feels intentional and easy to use on foot. The township’s planning efforts, including its Downtown Area Vision Plan and pedestrian safety initiatives, point to a place that has spent years improving the core experience for residents and visitors. In simple terms, Millburn can appeal to buyers who want a more compact downtown with restaurants, shops, and arts access closely tied together.
Housing in Millburn is also established, but its timeline is a bit different from Summit’s. The township says most residents live in single-family homes, and its 2018 master plan reexamination found that much of the housing stock was built in the 1950s, with less than 6% built since 2000. Roughly 80% of housing units were single-family attached or detached, which supports the idea of a mature suburban market with a long-standing residential base.
Short Hills: Privacy, Space, and Estate Character
Short Hills has a distinct identity, even though it sits within Millburn Township. The township describes Short Hills as including neighborhoods such as Knollwood, Glenwood, Brookhaven, Country Club, Merrywood, Deerfield-Crossroads, Mountaintop, White Oak Ridge, and Old Short Hills Estates in its About Millburn Township overview. For buyers, that often translates to a more residential and private feel than what you find near a traditional downtown core.
The housing story is one of the clearest differentiators. The township’s 2026 Woodfield Short Hills Estates report describes curving roads, wooded lots, and architect-designed homes in Tudor, Georgian, and Colonial Revival styles. The same materials frame the area as a mature version of the Short Hills suburban ideal, which helps explain why so many buyers associate Short Hills with estate character and larger residential settings.
Short Hills also has a more node-based daily-life pattern. The township highlights the Mall at Short Hills as a major retail center, while historic-district materials point to a station-area village around Chatham Road, Station Plaza, and nearby commercial buildings. If Summit feels like a classic downtown town and Millburn feels like a pedestrian Main Street town, Short Hills tends to feel more like a residential enclave with shopping and transit access in key hubs.
Compare Housing Style and Setting
When buyers narrow this decision, home style often becomes the tie-breaker. Even before you tour specific listings, the three places suggest different preferences.
Summit Homes
Summit is a fit if you are drawn to older homes, architectural variety, and an established street grid near a true town center. The city’s preservation materials point to a broad historic mix, and that variety can show up in everything from lot layout to exterior style. You may find the greatest appeal here if you want character and walkability working together.
Millburn Homes
Millburn is often a fit if you want an established suburban setting with a strong single-family base and an easier connection to a compact downtown. The township’s history and planning materials suggest a mature market shaped heavily by mid-century development. For some buyers, that means a practical middle ground between in-town convenience and residential calm.
Short Hills Homes
Short Hills is often the strongest match if space, privacy, and estate-style surroundings are at the top of your list. Official township materials emphasize wooded lots, curving roads, and architect-designed homes, all of which support a more secluded feel. If your search priorities lean toward lot size and residential presence, Short Hills may stand out quickly.
Midtown Direct and Commute Reality
For New York commuters, all three places belong in the conversation. NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex Lines provide service between Dover, Summit, and Gladstone and Newark Broad Street, Hoboken, and New York. Summit station serves the Morris & Essex Line and Gladstone Branch, while Millburn and Short Hills are also on the Morris & Essex corridor, with Short Hills additionally serving the Gladstone Branch.
That means the bigger question is often not whether you can commute, but how you want to commute. Do you want to walk from a lively downtown? Do you expect to drive and park most days? Do you want a station woven into a commercial core or one that supports a quieter residential pattern?
Parking is one practical place where the difference becomes more noticeable. According to NJ Transit’s Summit station page, Summit offers multiple lots and several hundred parking spaces, with both resident and daily permit options. Millburn and Short Hills also have station parking, but official station pages show more restrictive resident-permit rules in many areas, making Summit appear more flexible for park-and-ride use.
Which Town Fits Your Priorities?
The easiest way to choose is to start with your day-to-day habits, not just your budget range. The right answer usually becomes clearer when you think about how you want your mornings, evenings, and weekends to feel.
Choose Summit if you want:
- A classic downtown you can use often
- A strong sense of in-town activity
- Older homes with architectural variety
- Rail access paired with more flexible station parking
Choose Millburn if you want:
- A compact, pedestrian-focused downtown
- Easy access to dining, shops, and the arts
- An established single-family housing base
- A town center that feels deliberate and community-oriented
Choose Short Hills if you want:
- Larger, more private residential settings
- Estate-style homes and wooded lots
- A quieter, more residential daily feel
- Access to shopping and transit through key nodes rather than one continuous downtown
A Smart Way to Tour These Areas
If you are deciding among these three, it helps to tour them with a specific lens. Try visiting each one during a weekday morning and again on a weekend afternoon. That simple approach can tell you a lot about traffic patterns, downtown activity, station access, and the overall pace of daily life.
You should also compare them based on your non-negotiables. For example, one buyer may care most about walking to restaurants and the train, while another may be willing to drive for errands in exchange for more privacy and lot size. Once your top priorities are clear, the Summit versus Millburn versus Short Hills question usually gets much easier.
If you want help comparing homes, commute patterns, and neighborhood feel in a more tailored way, the team at New Jersey Luxury Real Estate Group can help you narrow the search and move with confidence.
FAQs
What is the difference between Short Hills and Millburn for homebuyers?
- Short Hills is a census-designated place within Millburn Township, and buyers often see it as the more residential, estate-oriented section of the township.
Which Midtown Direct town has the most traditional downtown feel: Summit, Millburn, or Short Hills?
- Summit is the strongest fit if you want a classic downtown with shops, dining, and rail access closely connected in one walkable core.
Which area offers the most estate-style homes: Summit, Millburn, or Short Hills?
- Based on township materials, Short Hills is the clearest match for buyers looking for wooded lots, curving roads, and architect-designed estate-style homes.
How do Summit, Millburn, and Short Hills compare for NJ Transit access?
- All three are connected to the Morris & Essex rail corridor, with Summit and Short Hills also serving the Gladstone Branch according to NJ Transit.
Is Summit easier for park-and-ride commuting than Millburn or Short Hills?
- Official station information suggests Summit has multiple lots and several hundred spaces, making it appear more flexible for park-and-ride use than Millburn or Short Hills.
