Montclair vs Westfield (Hoboken, Maplewood, Cranford: transplants, crime rate, buying a home)
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Looking for some advice. My husband and I are looking to move from Brooklyn to NJ (age old story) and we are deciding between two houses. One in Montclair and one in Westfield. I am really torn. Westfield and Montclair both have great walkable downtowns, which is a priority for us, and are commutable to the city where we both work. We have a young son and so on the one hand are leaning toward the great schools in Westfield but we also value diversity (racial and economic) and are down-to-earth liberal people, which makes me lean more toward Montclair -- all based on what we've read.
Looking for opinions from residents
Montclair -- Is the area around Canterbury Park safe? Are the schools good? Is it a friendly community?
Westfield -- Are the schools overly competitive? What is the community / people like?
I know there are a ton of threads on this but I've gotten lost in it all and looking for recent opinions.
Good luck in your choice. I don’t envy anyone buying a home these days with Covid. I would normally say visit both towns, go to a few parks one weekend and start talking to residents.
I think most people in Westfield are friendly and down to earth. Most are educated and have good jobs but they also are not that into themselves. I have read some posts here about people being snooty but I’m confident that its only by reputation of people who do not live here.
It would be funny if I followed that last paragraph by writing that people in Montclair are intellectually inferior (joke).
Do politics matter? I remember looking at numbers of Trump voters by town in 2016. Westfield swings democratic like most of NJ and only about 36% voted for Trump. Recently it has been getting more lefty. There are republicans here, however. Montclair is more of a liberal echo chamber (like Brooklyn). Only about 10% voted for Trump. I suspect fewer people in both towns will vote Trump in November.
Homes in both towns are beautiful. Both have fun downtowns and train stations. Both have highly educated populations.
Some people think Westfield is lily white. It’s not. There is actually a higher percentage of Asians(east and south) here than in Montclair. I think that the numbers are increasing too. Why? High numbers of educated Asians are recruited to emmigrate for work to NYC/NJ and tend to value education. They choose Westfield for the school system.
I think you answered your own question though. You know that the public schools are better in Westfield and perhaps most importantly you had to ask about safety in Montclair. Since you are moving out of Brooklyn and heading for the suburbs, don’t you want to move someplace where you do not have to even think about safety?
Feel free to ask any questions and I will answer them honestly.
Wanting socio-economic diversity and the best school and the absolute safest area is a little at odds with each other. I have a certain degree of chutzpah on the subject, perhaps because I don't have kids, but I think education at EVERY stage of the game is overrated. Especially in terms of giving skills and perspective of what is truly important in life.
If you wanted to choose a town where there's absolutely no crime and the school graduates 99.5% of its students, well then ... you're not sending your child to a place where there's socioeconomic diversity.
But I digress. Both schools are fine. Both schools send the top of the class to the best Ivy League schools I'm sure. Montclair has been a well known hot spot for upper class city transplants for many years, so it won't lack in the education department.
Honestly I would make my decision on the train line schedule... Check the Raritan Valley train schedule, it can be goofy.
Based on your ideals alone, Montclair is a no-brainer and the obvious choice for you guys. While Westfield is a great town with stellar schools, it’s definitely not a liberal down-to-earth, socioeconomically-diverse town. Even Cranford or Maplewood are better fits than Westfield IMO. Good luck!
You have gotten some stellar advice here all around. Two very strong options; they are not identical for sure, but whichever one you decide will be a great choice.
(I do have to say, I don't think the word chutzpah was used quite correctly and I found it kind of confusing. I guess you were saying you are offering an opinion but have not first hand knowledge? yes?)
You have gotten some stellar advice here all around. Two very strong options; they are not identical for sure, but whichever one you decide will be a great choice.
(I do have to say, I don't think the word chutzpah was used quite correctly and I found it kind of confusing. I guess you were saying you are offering an opinion but have not first hand knowledge? yes?)
Sounds right to me.
It means you have nerve.
Not that it matters to me... at all.
You got the point.
I sometimes use words out of context and sometimes plug in wrong meanings. And I'm a product of a highly ranked high school and perennially ranked Top 25 college.
Westfield. Better housing stock, much better schools, slightly lower taxes, considered more prestigious (just get that feeling), and more of a community for young families.
Also, I don't see Montclair in the near future being that diversified. Even though it's definitely more than Westfield, this isn't 20 years ago Montclair. If you go visit and see what type of people are moving in its all the Manhattan, to Hoboken/Brooklyn/JC, and then suburbs crowd. All that is fine (I'm one of them), just don't expect this version of Montclair to be a down-to-earth/diversified type town.
Westfield. Better housing stock, much better schools, slightly lower taxes, considered more prestigious (just get that feeling), and more of a community for young families.
Also, I don't see Montclair in the near future being that diversified. Even though it's definitely more than Westfield, this isn't 20 years ago Montclair. If you go visit and see what type of people are moving in its all the Manhattan, to Hoboken/Brooklyn/JC, and then suburbs crowd. All that is fine (I'm one of them), just don't expect this version of Montclair to be a down-to-earth/diversified type town.
Yea, Montclair is a little weird. It's almost like a 'forced' diversity. And the town has so many wealthy people, the socioeconomic segregation is a little magnified.
If there were a place that was diverse and middle class, I don't know, maybe ... Woodbridge or something...
Never understood the appeal of Montclair. Its expensive, taxes are extremely high, overpriced houses with a pretty average downtown that you wouldnt want to walk alone at night. Its also one of the higher crime rate areas of the state, and doesnt have a sense of community like other towns.
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