10 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN MOVING TO WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY

Westfield is an exciting town located in Union County, New Jersey.  Westfield has a population of about 30,000 and is surrounded by Mountainside, Springfield, Clark, Garwood, Cranford and Scotch Plains. If your desired town is one with an urban feel to it and yet has a sense of community, then Westfield is your best bet.

The town has been described as an intersection of urban and small town.

With a downtown area that is continuously active and popular for its shopping centers and restaurant. Westfield has good, attractive homes with some tremendous Victorian and colonial style houses, giving the town a classic beauty. Most of the residents commute daily to Newark and New York for work and business due to the efficient transportation system. The town has a cultural scene and is known for its great schools.

Westfield has the perfect offerings to anyone who seeks a new place that straddles both community and urban. Westfield is big enough to give you a sense of being in the city but small enough to provide you with a sense of community.

If you are thinking of moving to Westfield, here are ten essential facts to know and consider.

The real estate

Westfield is a classic town with some of the buildings constructed following the colonial style. Houses generally fall between the $700,000 to $800,000 dollars range. There are condominium options available. Prices generally depends on the location and the size of the house.

Neighborhood

Westfield has some distinct neighborhoods within It that creates a more interesting community.  Places like Wychwood, Indian forest, Manor Park, the gardens, Stonehenge, Brightwood, Kimball Avenue historic district, the country club estates and Stoneleigh Park, make for great neighborhoods.

The School system

For anyone who has kids or who is planning on having kids, a great educational system is a priority. In Westfield, there is a central kindergarten school, six elementary schools that cater for grade one to grade five, two middle schools that cater for grade six to grade eight.  There is only one high school in the town. Boundaries divide the schools into the North and Southside. If you have preference for a missionary  school,  the Holy Trinity interparochial school which offers education from grade one to grade eight and union high Catholic both  work under the auspices of the Roman Catholic church .

Transportation

Westfield is positioned in such a way that one can access New York by train with only one transfer. The New Jersey Raritan valley line serves the town of Westfield and provides rail services from Westfield train station to Newark Penn station. From Newark, there is a connecting train to Penn Station New York. There is a non-stop train service to and from Newark Penn station. This makes it easy to get to the city as often as possible.  It takes about 50 minutes to get to New York from Westfield on a normal day.

By bus route, the New Jersey transit’s 113 route serves the residents of Westfield. The bus is a direct commute to New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal, and the commute takes about an hour.  The New Jersey transit on the 114 and 117 route takes about 45 minutes to New York. Route 59 offers local transport service from Plainfield to Newark. Newark liberty international airport is about 20 minutes from Westfield.

Security

Westfield has a police department that operates the traffic safety bureau, juvenile and community policing bureau , emergency services unit, patrol division, records bureau, traffic safety bureau and the town's parking services.

The Downtown

Downtown Westfield is a national designated main street. There is a committee, downtown Westfield Corporation that is dedicated to making this vibrant place a landmark and a tourist attraction. Over the years that have succeeded in cleaning up downtown Westfield. The committee oversees the economic development, the design, the promotion and organization of downtown Westfield. Downtown has over 450 businesses with major store outlets and boutiques including Lord & Taylor. There are over forty restaurants and dining establishment located within downtown.

Places of worship

Westfield has some churches, for different denominations,  a Christian Science society, a Jewish synagogue, a Torah center and Temple Emanu- El.

Places of interest

Most of the interesting places in Westfield are located in downtown with some of them having historical values.  Memorials from the Korean war, world war II, and the Spanish’ American war and September 11 can be found in a plaza near downtown.  The Rialto Theatre which has been featured in NBC’s network series Ed is also one of the interesting places. The Westfield memorial library has over 250,000 thousand books and teaches adult class, provides story times for kids and gives computer instructions.

Activities and where to go

There are several activities you can get involved in in Westfield.  Some are community inclined when others can be carried out individual. Westfield has a community theater and an orchestra with several musical and arts events. The summer jazz series is a musical event where live bands play at five locations downtown every Tuesday. There are several community parks and a private Echo Lake Country Club, the Westfield memorial pool that you can join by paying for membership for individuals or family.  Downtown, there are several activities like the Sweet Sounds Downtown Jazz Festival, Girls' Night Out, Sidewalk Sale Days, Welcome Home to Westfield Holiday Events, 5K & Pizza Extravaganza, Halloween Trick or Treat & Costume Contest, and Dine out Westfield. Westifled even has its own William Sonoma, just a few steps away from Starbucks.

Information channels

Westfield is served by the Westfield Leader a locally produced newspaper, the courier news based in Bridgewater Township and the star ledger which is from Newark. The Westfield community television.

This is the community’s television station that airs on channel 36 and works on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and half of Sunday. The television reports programs of the community, covers the town council meeting and runs the bulletins bulletin board. It shares time with the blue devil television which is run by the high school and they produce about 200 original productions every academic year.