An All-American Town

Westfield

With a heavy Colonial past, Westfield is a town recognized for its beautiful downtown area, easy commute to New York City and the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. Although Westfield's population is over 33,000, it holds a small town atmosphere. There are friendly tree-lined streets with Colonial and Victorian homes, a busy downtown shopping area, a community recreational center, and many social events. Westfield, along with Scotch Plains and Cranford, is heavily committed to having a good family environment. There are many activities that involve the children and youth of the community, as well as the adults and senior citizens. With an area of approximately 6.5 square miles and almost 200 acres devoted to parks, Westfield is the perfect place to live, work, and raise a family.

The thriving 18-block downtown shopping district includes many major retailers, as well as small boutiques, florists, deli's, coffee shops, restaurants, a movie theater, Trader Joe’s and Stop & Shop. Stroll the charming streets Lord & Taylor, The Gap, Kid's Gap, Williams Sonoma, The Bombay Company, Smith & Hawkins, Ann Taylor, Express, Banana Republic, Victoria's Secret, Chico's, Footlocker, Imaginarium & Kaybee Toys. You'll be able to stop for lunch or dinner at one of the fine eateries including, Theresa's, Brick Oven, Mojave Grill, Ferraro's, Aquaviva, Northside Trattoria, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Tinga or Fujiyama Mamas, just to skim the surface.

LOCATION

Westfield is located approximately 25 miles from New York City, about 90 miles from the new and improved Atlantic City, and 15 minutes from Newark International Airport. A few of the surrounding towns within 5 miles are Plainfield, Garwood, Scotch Plains, Cranford, and Clark. Westfield offers easy traveling due the close proximity to major highways such as The Garden State Parkway, I-287 and I-78. And by either the MidTown Direct or Hoboken train lines, Manhattan is only an hour’s ride from Westfield.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Mission of the Westfield School District is to prepare students to achieve excellence and to become responsible citizens through rigorous educational programs which respect individual differences and diversity. The Westfield School District is proud of its tradition of excellence.This tradition rests on a thoughtfully chartered curriculum that instills in students the habits of scholarship, perseverance and intellectual curiosity.

Westfield Public School Quick Facts:

9 SCHOOLS, GRADES PRE K-12
6 Elementary, 2 Intermediate, 1 High School
6000 STUDENTS
750 FACULTY & SUPPORT STAFF MEMBERS

Rigorous K-12 Curriculum
Diverse Extra & Co-Curricular Activities
Gifted & Talented Programs
Special Education Resource Centers
Technology Integration

AVERAGE SAT SCORES
560 Verbal/577 Math
11 Perfect Scores
2005 NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS
6 Semifinalists 18 Commendations
BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL
Roosevelt Intermediate
NJ Math League Regional Champs

State of New Jersey School Report Card for the Westfield Public Schools

Westfield Public School System

DEMOGRAPHICS

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 29,644 people, 10,622 households, and 8,178 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,700.7/km² (4,403.1/mi²). There were 10,819 housing units at an average density of 620.7/km² (1,607.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.98% White, 3.88% African American, 0.09% Native American, 4.08% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.82% of the population.

There were 10,622 households out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $98,390, and the median income for a family was $112,145. Males had a median income of $82,420 versus $45,305 for females. The per capita income for the town was $47,187. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS

The recreational parks of Westfield offer wonderful opportunities to take scenic walks, play sports with a few friends, or go for a swim in one of the local pools. The Tamaques Park for example, has 2 basketball courts, 4 softball fields, a children's play area and pond, along with much more. The Memorial Park has 2 soccer fields, pool facilities that include a diving pool, lap pool, and a kiddy pool, as well as a children's play area. Another fun recreational park is the Gumbert Park. Gumbert offers 3 little league fields, jogging path, a children's play area, and 4 basketball courts.

The Watchung Stables are a little over a mile away in Mountainside. The stables feature programs for adults and children, an equestrian camp, and several clubs including the Watchung Riding and Driving Club.

For the teenagers in the family, Westfield has a Teen Center that offers pool tables, air hockey, video games, and more. There is also the Linden Lanes Bowling Alley, where you may enjoy a fun afternoon knocking down a few pins with friends or family.

The town of Westfield has close to a 20-block shopping and business district. The downtown shopping area includes major stores and small shops such as florists, deli's, and a wide selection of restaurants. If you love to shop, be sure to go to the sidewalk mall with stores such as The Gap, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Chico's, and Kay-bee Toys. Westfield has a wide selection of restaurants, so perhaps it would be nice to stop for lunch or dinner at Theresa's, Mojave Grill, Ferraro's, or Fujiyama Mamas. If you're up for a caffeinated treat, take a walk into Starbucks and try an iced mocha latte or one of their various desserts.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Once known as "The West Fields of Elizabethtown", the community of Westfield became a settlement around 1794 and was legally granted township in 1903. The first to live on the land of Westfield were the Lenni-Lenape Indians. The Lenni-Lenape's were settled on this territory until approximately 1664, when the English Long Islanders purchased the area from the Lenni-Lenape Chieftains.

There are interesting Revolutionary War events that took place in Westfield. In 1776 the British attacked Springfield with one column passing through Westfield. Westfield was a command post during this period . The village was later occupied and looted by the British in 1777. Westfield soldiers participated in the victorious Battle of Springfield.

The first school was built in Westfield back in 1750. The population was 6,420 as of the 1910 census. Westfield is also known for being the birthplace of Charles Addams, the famous cartoonist that created The Addams Family cartoon.

The Westfield Historical Society is the organization that helps restore, maintain, and preserve the historical artifacts of the town. Such artifacts include the newly restored Town Bell that was first presented in 1869. The Town Bell now sits upon a special trailer that is displayed at important Town functions. Other artifacts that have recently been restored are the Town Clock in the First United Methodist Church, and the replacement of the Boulevard Historic Mosaic street signs.

GOLF

Ash Brook (Scotch Plains) Galloping Hill (Kenilworth) and Oak Ridge (Clark) Public, Union County Parks Dept.

Suburban Golf Club (Union) - Private

Echo Lake Country Club (Westfield) - Private

Scotch Hills Country Club (Scotch Plains) - Public

Shackamaxon Golf & Country Club (Scotch Plains) - Private

For a guide to all golf courses, public and private, in Union County and throughout New Jersey visit: http://www.new-jersey.com/col/golf  or  http://www.worldgolf.com/courses/usa/newjersey/

TENNIS

The Westfield Tennis Association is a non-profit organization was established for the purpose of developing and promoting the game of tennis in Westfield, for Westfield residents, in such ways as are beneficial to its members and to the total community.Westfield also has indoor courts at a facility located on East Grove Street.The Westfield Indoor Tennis Club is a privately owned facility, open to the public with no membership fees that offers quality tennis instruction from peewees to top ranked junior players, high school team players and junior tennis players just interested in recreational tennis.

Outdoor Public Courts:

1. Tamaques Courts - Tamaques Park, (8AM-10PM) Lamberts Mill Road
  - 8 Courts, with lights until 10PM

2. Memorial Courts - Memorial Park, (8AM-8PM) No. Scotch Plains Ave.
  -6 Courts

3. Elm Courts - Elm. St. and Walnut Ave. (8AM-8PM)
  -4 Courts

The Westfield Tennis Association
http://westfieldnj.com/wta/

Westfield Indoor Tennis
http://westfieldaces.com/

NOTEWORTHY

• The TV show Ed was partially filmed in Westfield's downtown, which served as the basis for Stuckeyville's downtown.
• In August 2006, Westfield once again was in the big screen spotlight. The movie The Perfect Christmas was partially filmed in Downtown Westfield. It stars Queen Latifah and Terrence Howard, among others.
• Charles Addams - Cartoonist for the The New Yorker magazine, most famous for his cartoons of The Addams Family
• Dr. Virginia Apgar - Creator of the Apgar score for assessing health of newborns
• Kevin Kelly - Founder of Wired magazine

About Westfield