Westfield living (Teaneck, Princeton: activities, jobs, community)

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by mom2gurls

How far is westfield to Leonia? We have friends that live there and they LOVE It too.

28 miles give or take

[emily31]

I'd be interested in hearing about political climate in Westfield as well (also heard it is more on the conservative side).

Originally Posted by HarHarHar

My hus and I are giving up on finding a house in Princeton and considering Westfield. Houses are slightly more affordable and need less work for the money. He would have to commute to Piscataway. I would like input on the quality of life in Westfield and on the commute. By quality of life, I mean are there interesting things to do like continuing ed or adult ed classes, fitness classes, etc. Also we heard it is a pretty Repub town, i.e. Bush/Cheney territory.

[sak893]

The Republicans in town are not exactly Jerry Falwell supporters; they are fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Tom Kean Jr, the moderate Republican candidate for 2006 US Senate and Westfield resident didn't even win his hometown, kinda sad for a tight community like Westfield. There was an article in the Newark Star Ledger last year about Westfield and similar towns that are voting increasingly for Democrats as they are fed up with increasingly conservative Republicans.

[jstar41]

Westfield is a really nice town.. pricey but well worth it..

[JerseyGirl3624]

Have lived in Westfield for over 35 years. It was love at first sight and still going strong.
Nice range of houses and prices.
The YMCA is very active as well as the library.
Downtown has great restaurants and stores.
Princeton is about an hour away. Piscataway is closer but if you take RT 287 plan on lots of company during rush hour.
Good luck,

[HarHarHar]

You folks are extremely helpful. We made another trip to Westfield and looked at one house. The town is great. The parking meters even have a "10 minutes free" button if you are just running a quick chore downtown. We are still concerned about the commute on 287 to Piscataway or the length of the commute to Princeton. No final decision and no house yet........But the comments are very helpful...........Har

[TomWaits]

Originally Posted by HarHarHar

I would like input on the quality of life in Westfield and on the commute. By quality of life, I mean are there interesting things to do like continuing ed or adult ed classes, fitness classes, etc. Also we heard it is a pretty Repub town, i.e. Bush/Cheney territory.

1. It's about a 30 minute ride during rush-hour to Piscataway (take it he works on Centennial Ave)

2. There is a YMCA which is pretty pricy but offers a lot of classes. There are also several yoga studios. Union County College offers classes in its main campus in Cranford and also in Plainfield. I've taken advantage of the dance/massage lessons at UCC continuing ed.

3. Politics in general is pretty important in Westfield. You will see the local committees set up tables on Elm across from each other thrusting buttons at you.

4. There is a Trader Joe's, small supermarket near downtown and several larger supermarkets in neighboring towns so you will not miss out on any specialty foods

5. The downtown is a little too outdoor mall for me. I prefer when it was filled more with independent shops. Also they're really strict on parking. So if you're two minutes past, that 's $$$. But then again, I don't live there anymore so it doesn't matter

6. There is a local free paper for Scotch Plains, Westfield, etc so you can find out all of the local activities going on.

7. Interested in community theater? Westfield Community Players is a well respected small theater.

8. Also consider Scotch Plains and Cranford.

[GrittyMcDuffy]

Extremely white town.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by HarHarHar

You folks are extremely helpful. We made another trip to Westfield and looked at one house. The town is great. The parking meters even have a "10 minutes free" button if you are just running a quick chore downtown. We are still concerned about the commute on 287 to Piscataway or the length of the commute to Princeton. No final decision and no house yet........But the comments are very helpful...........Har

commute to piscataway is no big deal - take back roads, no need for 287 (even if you did take 287 it's mild traffic).

[cyntmac]

Yes the town is pretty white but I do not agree with the political comments. People in that town don't even know or care what your politics are for the most part. I don't know if it was always that way but for the last 20+ years it has def been that way.