Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello. I am thinking to moving to Cranford from the Weehawken area as we would like a house and good schools for or young son. I'm familiar with the area and its really cute, but I am not sure if it will fit our personalities. We are a liberal, multi-racial, urban family. Ideally we'd like to live in Maplewood or Montclair because of the diversity and great downtowns, but cannot afford it. I understand Cranford is not nearly as diverse, but are the people open minded at least? As long as people are tolerant and kind, I'll take it!
Any Cranford residents, please chime in! Thanks.
Oh and any info on the bus commute would be appreciated (are there ever any seats in the morning? How long does it REALLY take to get to PABT?)
Cranford is a family town. If it only make sense if you want to raise a family here. The only activity around town is family activities.
Honestly, I don't think any one give a damn about the color of your skin or what political belief you have. I am Asian, and I live in a block where they are blacks, Italian, Germans, Russian and Portuguese. Most of them have living in the block for tens of years. People here are very friendly.
Oh and any info on the bus commute would be appreciated (are there ever any seats in the morning? How long does it REALLY take to get to PABT?)
If you are getting on at the train station, it might take 1 or 2 buses before you get on, but they run every 8 or so minutes, so it is not that bad. But just remember on the way home, you will get off 15-45 minutes earlier then some of the others. Real early in the morning (6:15 or so), it is only a 30-35 minute right. At night it is a total crap shoot and can take 45 minutes to whenever (Friday shore traffic is the worst)
Can really comment on the interracial questions. My family is interracial and if you asked me what races lived on my block, I would I have really think. It really doesn't make up a big part of our lives. But if the 3 different races in my household help some of my neighbors check off something on their list that makes them think they are giving their kids a better life, then I guess I am doing good for the neighborhood
I'm from Cranford and live here. I think that if you're looking for a more urban setting/feeling, go for that but if you really can't afford it Cranford is still a wonderful option. Cranford is great for families, and has a bit more of a relaxed feel. We love baseball and football games, town wide events, etc. I mean it's not like we're a small town with that type of feel, this is metro NYC, but we're also not a more urban town if that makes sense. Cranford has an old, charming feel with many Victorian homes lining the river and an older downtown, like a smaller scale Westfield. There isn't a lot of newer construction past the 1960s I'd say for homes. The New York Times ran an article a few years ago on Cranford, calling it a 'sleepy NYC bedroom community' or something like that and it's actually a pretty good representation.
The people are nice - helpful, respectful, kind, warm, etc - but to be honest some can be a bit clique-y. There is a stupid north side-south side rivalry - 'popular' belief is that the north side is rich and south side is poor but that couldn't be further from the truth. You will find wealthier and not as wealthy people on both sides of town… this north-south thing is a historical rivalry dating back to a time when the northern side of town was developed as a vacation destination for New Yorkers and the southern side was farmland. When the south side started developing, too, it was a slower process, with fewer homes and dirt roads remaining leading to the whole 'north side is rich' thing but today as I said it's a mixed bag. IMO some of the nicest/best neighborhoods in Cranford are on the south side. Anyway, some people still believe in this rivalry and will instantly judge you, particularly if they're a north sider and you're a south sider, or south siders may be bitter to north siders… petty and dumb, I know. I ignore it. But overall the people are kind, welcoming, open minded I'd say and tolerant. Politically I'd say Cranford leans Republican as a whole but Democrats have won the town over numerous times and will continue to. I admit there is little diversity here, I think we're still about 90% white, but it's not like people are racist. If you're a good family, chances are your neighbors will like you no matter who you are.
Most importantly, Cranford is great for kids. Good schools, good sports teams and participation, many parks, summer camps, pools and recreation areas, and family places and activities like renting a canoe from the canoe club, going to street fairs and craft fairs, stuff like that. It's a fun place to grow up and live in.
As was mentioned above me, watch for flood zones. A few people in Cranford have actually raised their homes like you'd find down the shore in the past couple years. During Irene, Cranford was hit really hard. Look it up if you don't know, you can see some pictures and news articles easily. They called it the 500 year storm/flood and parts of town that have never seen floodwaters were inundated. Downtown got hit hard, we lost many businesses, we lost a school completely (Brookside Place) and the high school also got about a foot of water in its first floor. Many homes were damaged or destroyed, some moved off their foundations and hit by both falling trees and floodwater, and it was just a sad time for us here. Previously we have been hit hard by many many other storms, as well, we are a river town, and Cranford routinely floods but nothing in history as we know it was quite as bad as Irene. If you look on the Cranford website, there are updated flood maps available telling you what's likely safe and what isn't for future storms. DO NOT buy in a flood zone, no matter what people tell you. There are streets notorious for flooding, PM me if you're interested in knowing some more.
One family on Springfield Avenue closed on a house summer of 2011 and moved into their new riverside home (literally the river is the side yard) days before Irene hit. The house is a ranch and these poor people lost their brand new home to the flood, it was so awful. I felt for them but at the same time I'm still trying to figure out why they bought that house. They must have got a good deal.
Anyway, I hope I was helpful! If you have more in-depth questions you can respond here or as I said PM me. Good luck!!
I agree with most of what has been said above regarding Cranford. The affordability of Maplewood vs Cranford should be very similiar with comparable sized homes. The major difference is that the Maplewood taxes will be significantly higher. Cranford schools are much higher ranked at the middle school and high school level. Also check out crime stats between the two towns.
If you work in Manhattan, Maplewood would have a better commute since the NJT has direct to NY Penn, whereas the Raritan line doesn't. I work in the city but I would still choose Cranford over Maplewood.
Hello. I am thinking to moving to Cranford from the Weehawken area as we would like a house and good schools for or young son. I'm familiar with the area and its really cute, but I am not sure if it will fit our personalities. We are a liberal, multi-racial, urban family.
My husband and I are moving to Cranford next month after we close on our home. I consider myself to be pretty liberal, so you will have at least one like-minded person in the community
And as far as being an urban family, I think you will find a lot of people that have relocated from NYC, Jersey City, Hoboken, etc. We are moving from JC and lived in NYC before that. I know Cranford does not have the same "urban" feel of a town like Montclair, but I think you'll find a lot of people that appreciate the proximity to NYC and are interested in what an urban setting has to offer.
There are many many families that have relocated to Cranford from NYC, Hoboken, and JC. There seems to be a large number that have moved from Brooklyn, I've heard of both Maplewood and Cranford being referred to as Brooklyn West.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
