But the design, together with the neighborhood being cut off by a mountain from the rest of Totowa, helps to limit traffic mostly to people who live there. At the same time, it's a short drive to Route 46 shopping centers and almost equally close to Route 80. The convenient location coupled with the comfortable seclusion is a big part of the neighborhood's appeal. Streets are so quiet they serve as a center of communal activity. Many residents have basketball hoops on the curbs facing out.
Children freely ride bicycles in the streets.
Two of her children are among the neighborhood's returnees. Safe from traffic, and also from crime. Parents still feel comfortable allowing their children to play alone outside, she said, because they know some neighbor will be watching. Totowa's police chief, Bobby Coyle, confirms the neighborhood's low crime rate. His sister, Kathy, moved back to Echo Glen with her family, into a house down the street from her parents.