Cranford, NJ (Westfield, Raritan: houses, construction, schools)

[emily31]

My husband and I are researching towns in NJ...what can you tell me about Cranford? I'd love to hear about the town in general, schools, homes, transportation to NYC, reputation overall, diversity, etc.

Thanks in advance!

[E-TOWN-R.I.P.]

I've lived Westfield, a neighboring town, for 5 years and I have plenty of friends and co-workers who live in Cranford. They love the schools, the downtown section and the parks and recreation. It's not cheap, but affordable in terms of the quality of life you get in return. It's safe and easily accessible to major highways.

Just two things to ponder: It's not very diverse. Predominantly Caucasian. And, though, it does have a train station, Cranford is on the Raritan Valley Line, which means you'd have to switch trains to get into NYC. Cranford does have, however, the 113X bus line, that gets you into NYC in about 45 minutes. Not bad. All in all, it seems like a nice place to live and raise children.

[jstar41]

i also agree with Etown.. Cranford is a nice place.. expensive though.. a single family house about 50 * 150 lot can run you about 500-700k.. depending on the construction.. oh and the constructions are old colonial / cape cods houses..