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My wife and I + our two kids are moving out of Monmouth County because we can't stand the commute to Jersey City/Midtown Manhattan anymore. We really like Cranford and Westfield, but having a hard time picking between the two. Our budget is $740k looking for 3 or 4 br.
It appears both have excellent schools so that's no problem. Our kids are 8 and 13.
For a comparison please help us tell about each town
1. How family oriented is each town?
2. Would you describe them as middle class or affluent?
3. Which has a larger/more built up downtown?
4. Which is safer?
5. Which has more space/larger homes?
6. Which town is more racially integrated? (eg. where would my Black wife likely feel more comfortable?)
Thanks!
PS:
We'd be taking the train to work. Does anyone have experience riding it and what would it cost for a monthly commute?
My wife and I + our two kids are moving out of Monmouth County because we can't stand the commute to Jersey City/Midtown Manhattan anymore. We really like Cranford and Westfield, but having a hard time picking between the two. Our budget is $740k looking for 3 or 4 br.
It appears both have excellent schools so that's no problem. Our kids are 8 and 13.
For a comparison please help us tell about each town
1. How family oriented is each town?
2. Would you describe them as middle class or affluent?
3. Which has a larger/more built up downtown?
4. Which is safer?
5. Which has more space/larger homes?
6. Which town is more racially integrated? (eg. where would my Black wife likely feel more comfortable?)
Thanks!
PS:
We'd be taking the train to work. Does anyone have experience riding it and what would it cost for a monthly commute?
Both are family oriented. Cranford maybe has more single people on account of some of their downtown apartment buildings, but overall still family oriented. Cranford is upper middle class, Westfield might be considered upper class. I feel like Cranford is catching up though. I would say both downtowns are comparable. Westfield has some more high end stores and such, also some big chains...kind of like a mini upscale mall, but in a downtown. Cranford has more of a bar scene, although not like Morristown. Honestly, both are great, especially the dining options. Westfield = Fancy, Cranford = Hip. Both are very safe, nothing to worry about in either. Maybe Westfield will have a little more space and larger homes, just on account of the slightly higher income. Both towns are like 90% white, 3% black or so...not much integration. But people are well educated, and if you are a good person, I don’t think you will have a hard time in either town. Politically, Cranford is probably a little more liberal. Honestly, these two are very close to being twin towns...although Garwood separates them. Can’t go wrong with either. Just watch out for certain areas in Cranford known to be on a flood plain.
I live in Cranford and nearly moved to Westfield years ago but spend a lot of time there now, so I know both towns very well.
1. How family oriented is each town? Both towns are very family oriented and have many activities throughout the year for kids and families. I wouldnt consider one more family oriented than the other as they are both great towns for this.
2. Would you describe them as middle class or affluent? Westfield is considered a little more affluent and has larger homes/lots, especially on the north side. Average home prices are probably about ~20% higher in Westfield than Cranford, however, I believe the Cranford market has been really hot the past couple years with more multiple bid situations.
3. Which has a larger/more built up downtown? Westfield's downtown is a bit larger than Cranford and has more retail. They also have a lot more vacancies now than Cranford does though. Cranford has a really good dining scene with some great restaurants. The downtowns are so close together that you get to enjoy the best of both regardless of which town you live in.
4. Which is safer? A non factor in both towns. Low crimes in both towns with just a sprinkling of an occasional car theft because some people inexplicably leave their cars unlocked overnight.
5. Which has more space/larger homes? Westfield has, on average, larger homes and lots. This comes with higher prices and higher taxes. Your budget, however, will go much further in Cranford than Westfield but well priced homes in good condition fly off the market instantly.
6. Which town is more racially integrated? (eg. where would my Black wife likely feel more comfortable?) Also a non-factor in both towns. Both are very accepting of all races. I have seen Cranford become more racially diverse in recent years and there are no issues to speak of, however, it is a predominantly white town but not as much as it was years ago.
1. Both towns are highly family oriented. Many families are moving to these places from Manhattan and Brooklyn.
2. Cranford is more middle-class (homes priced 350k-850k), while Westfield could be described as affluent (homes priced 700k-3.5M). You can get a nice sized house in Cranford with your budget, but finding a 3-4 BR home in Westfield for $740k is most likely impossible. Even 2BR homes that are barely 1000 sq. ft are now that price. Westfield is significantly more expensive than Cranford and is on-par with places like Summit, Millburn, Chatham, and Ridgewood, while Cranford is more like Scotch Plains/Fanwood, Maplewood, Metuchen, or Verona.
3. Both towns have a downtown, but Westfield's is much larger and nicer, and known for being one of the nicest downtowns in all of North Jersey actually.
4. Both towns are equally as safe. Crime is virtually non-existent other than the occasional DUI or bar fight. Both are some of the safest towns in Union County.
5. Westfield has larger homes and larger lots, but that's because it's a wealthier town. Being that it's Union county pretty much all homes have quite small lots.
6. Neither town would be considered racially diverse (both are over 80% white), but I'd say Cranford. It is a progressive leaning suburb and has a more down-to-earth-feel. Westfield, while also one of the more progressive affluent communities, has a "snobby" and "preppy" vibe, and its more likely that some of the rich folks there would perceive a Black person in town as low-class or out of place. But that being said I don't think there's a serious racism problem in either town. Thank goodness you're not looking for towns in Monmouth county where it's complete Trump country; attitudes would be much worse there.
I live in Fanwood, and my wife used to commute to NYC on NJTransit train and bus, and this is her experience.
(Today, this may be irrelevant as a lot of people are working from home. But it may become relevant again in the future when things get back to normal someday.)
To go to NYC or JC from these Westfield and Cranford, you'll take Raritan Valley line train or bus. Cranford is closer to Newark Penn where you have to change the train either to Northeast Corridor or PATH. Because Cranford is closer to Newark, it gets more difficult to get a seat if you get on from Cranford. From Westfield, it's pretty much guaranteed that you can get a seat. Same is true with bus.
I have taken a bus to NYC with her a few times, and I saw long lines at Cranford bus stop. I personally like both towns, and I go there often for dinner, etc. But if I was commuting to NYC or JC, I would choose Westfield even though it is farther away because it is easier to get a seat from Westfield.
The whole region should merge, I hate this NJ fiefdom where 3-4 towns are all alike and need their own resources. That's why taxes cost so much for small variation of town services. There's no reason Westfield, Garwood, Fanwood, Cranford need their own schools, cops, fire fighters, and etc. Merge and run like it a bigger town.
I think taxes are high because of pensions and high cost for schools. Not sure merging towns saves much money as the populations will still need the same amount of schools and services. Long island has county police and no local police yet the highest taxes in the country.
We recently moved to Westfield, and also liked Cranford and Fanwood. My husband is Chinese-Cuban, and so far we have found the community to be very welcoming. We live on the South side of town near the town pool, and the neighborhood is surprisingly diverse (also cheaper than the North side). There are several African-American and Asian-American families on our street. You can walk to the train from here, although it is probably a 15 minute walk for a fast walker. We liked Cranford’s downtown more, since it has more small businesses and fewer big chains, but Westfield does have a beautiful downtown. We were worried about flooding in Cranford, and the property taxes there seemed higher than they were for similar homes in Westfield. There do seem to be bidding wars in Westfield now, but you should be able to find a 3 or 4 bedroom house on the South side at your price range. My suggestion would be to visit both towns, walk around, and check out different neighborhoods.
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