“North Arlington is a small town, where everybody knows their neighbors,” says Barbara Coughlin, a member of the North Arlington Woman’s Club. “We have lots of good things for kids to do growing up. And after they’re grown up, there are still good community activities.”

In the extreme southwest corner of Bergen County, North Arlington is only four miles from Newark, eight miles from Montclair, 10 miles from Hackensack, and 12 miles from New York City, so the town is ideally placed for both commuting and cultural opportunities.

Coughlin, who has lived in the borough for more than 30 years, says her son, a former Eagle Scout, still lives in North Arlington as an adult and volunteers with the local Boy Scout troop, as does her husband. Coughlin herself, a teacher in the local school district, served as treasurer and then secretary with the Woman’s Club, which raises money for charitable organizations and helps out with the annual Halloween parade and other town events. “This year we planted flowers around town,” she says, “and we work on environmental awareness. Lately we’ve been handing out new environmental halogen bulbs, partnering with the Scouts.”

The borough website lists such community groups as the American Legion, Knights of Columbus, Elks, Putting the Pieces Together Support Group, and the Arlington Dart League.

The youth center maintains leagues for all the usual sports for children, as well as bowling. Dance lessons are available at a dance studio in town. A recreation program for developmentally challenged children is a shared service with neighboring communities and includes spring baseball and soccer. Adults may participate in basketball for men and volleyball for women. Also featured are special trips such as fishing off the Atlantic Highlands and a jaunt to Atlantic City.

The borough recently received $5 million from Bergen County to improve Riverside Park, which borders the Passaic River. Existing playing fields will be refurbished, and plans call for construction of new soccer, baseball, and softball fields. Coughlin says the ball fields along the river and the town park provide gathering places for families.

North Arlington has five social clubs for seniors, meeting weekly, including an interfaith group and a club devoted to arts and crafts. A senior bus service circulates through the borough and provides thrice-weekly trips to the supermarket in the adjoining town of Lyndhurst.

The borough has a small commercial area on Ridge Road, and the malls of Secaucus are 15 minutes away.

Buses or a combination of bus and PATH train can reach Manhattan in under an hour, and buses operate to Hackensack and Newark as well.

Among the cultural venues easily accessible are museums and performing arts centers in Newark, Montclair, and New York City. The Meadowlands Sports Complex is four miles away.

The North Arlington Public Library has a pass to the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. The pass is available for check-out and reserve, like other library materials. It provides a family of two adults and up to four children free admission to the museum, including many of the special exhibits. Among the library’s events for this summer are an Irish folk music concert and a lecture on teas from around the world.

Housing in North Arlington is varied and affordable. Several two- and three-bedroom homes are currently on the market for under $200,000. Assorted Victorians, colonials, split levels, and Capes are available for up to $400,000. A smattering of town houses and custom homes are also listed, topping out at $549,000.

Historians note that in the 1750s, North Arlington was the site of the first working steam engine in America, used to pump water from the copper mine that provided the town’s industrial base into the 19th century. By the time the mine ceased operation in 1901, many Irish, Italian and Polish immigrants had settled in the area. One dentistry practice in town today advertises employees who speak English, Spanish and Polish.

In recent decades, “North Arlington has become a lot more diverse,” comments Coughlin, “which is good in a lot of ways. And the changes haven’t been enough to lose our small-town quality.”