As I said the area gets full sun and is, of course, quite acidic due
to the previous occupants. I would like something that can screen the
view to the neighbors as well as provide a bit of a wind break in the
winter. The area is about 50' long by 20' wide.
[zone 5]

Yeah, I was thinking of the acidic, which to my mind cries out for
highbush blueberries (which are attractive-looking, and delicious if
you get any fruit out of them).

Also azaleas/rhododendron (you can find some tall ones, but that might
require a bit of research as some of the most popular kinds are
shorter, and I don't know how many years it takes them to get 6+ feet
tall). These might not be quite as happy as the blueberries about
full sun.

Mountain Laurel might be worth considering. Evergreen. I guess it
would be OK with full sun, but it does need dry soil. Overfertilizing
is said to be perilous for Mountain Laurel.

There are also plenty of ground covers and short bushes which are
acid-loving, but that doesn't sound like your main interest (maybe
underneath the taller bushes...).

Before you get really serious about the acid-loving plants, you might
test whether your soil is as acidic as you think. We have one bed
whose soil is largely of composted leaves from the city, and I thought
it would be acidic, but it seems not to be (my best guess for why is
that some leaves, like Maple, are not acidic).

Here's a fact sheet on acidic plants for New Jersey:
http://njaes.rutgers.edu/soiltesting...h-Lime-req.pdf