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I'd say you're not going to lose out either way. Cranford will have lower taxes and Maplewood has a nicer downtown (what I'd give for a bookstore like Words!). As far as if you'd be accepted into Cranford, it's got an immense amount of public spirit, almost bordering on maniacal. People support the street fair, they come out for events, they go to the local school plays, it can get intense. But it also means you're going to run into people out on the streets and meet people and make friends.
I'd say it's easier to make friends once you move to a town when there are kids involved, but you're going to have to work at it no matter where you go. If necessary, I'll introduce you to the other couple I know with a dog and no kids and you guys can go on walksies.
^ Many newcomers to Cranford with young kids are IMHO insufferable. Super annoying on Cranford social media. It's like they want this perfect town. They complain about everything and want everything perfect for their kids - not a single cigarette butt on a playground, available parking spaces at Nomahegan all day every day, people to always stop at crosswalks so their kids can cross after school (I know this is law but in reality sometimes we don't see someone trying to cross in time due to obstructions for example). Some of these people can be incredibly annoying with their expectations and how they seem to want to mold the town - which IMO is quite bold as newcomers. People come in with all these demands and ideas and settled residents are like - whoa. Lots of very petty stuff.
Perhaps this is the "intense maniacal public spirit" you see. Trust me I have lived in Cranford my whole life and so has my mother and we have never before seen people like this. Recent newcomers are seriously something else, and I think part of the problem is social media. With all these groups online and new ways to complain and enact change people come out of the woodwork complaining and wanting to change any and every little thing. If you want a laugh PM me and I'll give you the name of a good Cranford group on FB where you can see this type of thing.
Overall it is a great, albeit quickly changing town, with all the construction, but I do agree it's geared more for families with kids. However with the addition of so many new apartment buildings this could start changing. Time will tell I think. But chances are if you buy a house in a neighborhood you will be surrounded by kids.
Hubby and I moved to Cranford about 2 years ago. We are in our early 30's, no kids, one very nutty dog. We used to live in Paulus Hook (Jersey city) and were looking for something suburban that would still have that feel. Our requirements were very similar - train line with nyc access; walk-able; downtown with great restaurants.
We absolutely do not feel left out even though we don't have kids, and if that changes this will still be a great town for them to grow up in. We LOVE this town and could not recommend it enough.
^ Many newcomers to Cranford with young kids are IMHO insufferable. Super annoying on Cranford social media. It's like they want this perfect town. They complain about everything and want everything perfect for their kids - not a single cigarette butt on a playground, available parking spaces at Nomahegan all day every day, people to always stop at crosswalks so their kids can cross after school (I know this is law but in reality sometimes we don't see someone trying to cross in time due to obstructions for example). Some of these people can be incredibly annoying with their expectations and how they seem to want to mold the town - which IMO is quite bold as newcomers. People come in with all these demands and ideas and settled residents are like - whoa. Lots of very petty stuff.
I know exactly what you mean, but I think that happens everywhere. I live in West Orange and I'm part of the West Orange town Facebook group. People complain constantly about the most ridiculous things. A few weeks ago some lady was complaining that she would never go back to a local restaurant again because they did not have crayons to give to her son while they were dining.
Cranford. They are doing a lot or new things on the south side, and it is really shaping up. You will be kicking yourself for paying the Maplewood taxes.
Cranford feels more like Hoboken these days, lots & lots of millennials moved in and often near Town Square because of Whole Foods, Chipotles, etc. I suspect more retailers will jump into the area near Target. I would like to see more commercial development in the highway area so businesses can move in and bring jobs over here.
I know exactly what you mean, but I think that happens everywhere. I live in West Orange and I'm part of the West Orange town Facebook group. People complain constantly about the most ridiculous things. A few weeks ago some lady was complaining that she would never go back to a local restaurant again because they did not have crayons to give to her son while they were dining.
Yes stuff like that! Admittedly part of the problem is I'm on a particular facebook group for Cranford so I tend to see more "drama" than those outside the group - however the group can also be very informative so I find sifting through the annoying stuff while rolling my eyes to actually get to useful town info worth it, but I still look at the annoying complaining stuff out of curiosity.
Bashing new downtown and nearby businesses publicly because of one bad personal experience. Complaining about petty stuff like crayons and parking spaces in a public county park. Complaints that "a bunch of teens downtown said something rude to me and I want to talk to their parents!" Stuff that most normal people roll their eyes at like... come on. Shut up, no one cares.
This is totally not just a Cranford problem and I didn't mean to insinuate it is. Like I said I think social media is part of it (new platforms for complaining and getting people on your side about certain issues) and I think there is an entitled air to people's attitudes today as well. I also think that since a lot of newcomers to the "suburbs" with young kids come from Hoboken, JC, Brooklyn, etc they're excited to find what they see as a small closer knit suburban town and they have this view in their mind it's going to be a perfect place to raise kids. These towns aren't perfect and they never will be. I think some people moving from cities with kids have this strange idea of what suburbs are - or should be. High expectations and their own version of what it should be vs. what it is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sonofagunk
Cranford. They are doing a lot or new things on the south side, and it is really shaping up. You will be kicking yourself for paying the Maplewood taxes.
They're doing a lot of building in general in Cranford and I'll warn anyone, a lot of people are not happy about it. There is a lot of bitterness floating around about the barrage of new buildings and influx of many people moving into the apartments. There are signs seen around that say "Keep Cranford Quaint" and more than anything at the moment there's actually pushback from people on the north side about the finally recently approved Birchwood apartment complex that the town tried to fight in the courts for years, and finally recently lost on. The building is going up and people living in that immediate area are very unhappy. People are also angry because they just put in a 7/11 on the south side and want to put another in on the south side again, less than 2 miles from the first. A lot of residents are unhappy with the changes and depending on where new residents are coming in to live there may be some latent bitterness. Right or wrong, a lot of residents currently aren't happy with what the town is doing. There is already a strain on traffic, parking, and schools without all the new building.
And if you need to work in the city and want to take the train you better apply for the parking spot waitlist soon, or move within walking distance to the train because otherwise you won't have a spot on the NJT lot. Not sure what the town is thinking trying to attract new residents with a few of their new buildings being absolutely nowhere near the train and with 0 available parking at the train.
^ Many newcomers to Cranford with young kids are IMHO insufferable. Super annoying on Cranford social media. It's like they want this perfect town. They complain about everything and want everything perfect for their kids - not a single cigarette butt on a playground, available parking spaces at Nomahegan all day every day, people to always stop at crosswalks so their kids can cross after school (I know this is law but in reality sometimes we don't see someone trying to cross in time due to obstructions for example). Some of these people can be incredibly annoying with their expectations and how they seem to want to mold the town - which IMO is quite bold as newcomers. People come in with all these demands and ideas and settled residents are like - whoa. Lots of very petty stuff.
Perhaps this is the "intense maniacal public spirit" you see. Trust me I have lived in Cranford my whole life and so has my mother and we have never before seen people like this. Recent newcomers are seriously something else, and I think part of the problem is social media. With all these groups online and new ways to complain and enact change people come out of the woodwork complaining and wanting to change any and every little thing. If you want a laugh PM me and I'll give you the name of a good Cranford group on FB where you can see this type of thing.
Overall it is a great, albeit quickly changing town, with all the construction, but I do agree it's geared more for families with kids. However with the addition of so many new apartment buildings this could start changing. Time will tell I think. But chances are if you buy a house in a neighborhood you will be surrounded by kids.
This is totally not just a Cranford problem and I didn't mean to insinuate it is. Like I said I think social media is part of it (new platforms for complaining and getting people on your side about certain issues) and I think there is an entitled air to people's attitudes today as well.
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They're doing a lot of building in general in Cranford and I'll warn anyone, a lot of people are not happy about it. There is a lot of bitterness floating around about the barrage of new buildings and influx of many people moving into the apartments.
We're seeing this in Maplewood/South Orange as well. It's probably true in most of the booming NNJ suburbs.
We're seeing this in Maplewood/South Orange as well. It's probably true in most of the booming NNJ suburbs.
Yeah, I've talked about this before on other threads. The only issue I have with it is we don't have room for all this new building on our infrastructure and transit systems. Not enough parking, lanes on highways, room on trains and buses. Not enough room in schools. The new thing is to build apartment complexes in smaller towns and there's just not the room for all these people especially if they're doing it on such a large scale across many towns.
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