Westfield, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 29,644.
The area was settled in the late 17th century as part of the Elizabethtown Tract.
Westfield was originally formed as a township on January 27, 1794, from portions of Elizabeth Township, while the area was still part of Essex County, and was incorporated as a one of New Jersey's first 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. It became part of the newly-formed Union County on March 19, 1857. Portions of the township have been taken to form Rahway Township (February 27, 1804), Plainfield Township (April 5, 1847), Cranford Township (March 14, 1871), Fanwood Township (March 6, 1878, now known as Scotch Plains), Mountainside (September 25, 1895) and Hillside (April 3, 1913). The Town of Westfield was incorporated on March 4, 1903, replacing Westfield Township. Barely two weeks later, the Borough of Garwood was created from portions of Westfield and Cranford Township, on March 19, 1903.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Westfield is located at (40.649869, -74.343183)GR1. Westfield's ZIP Code is 07090.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.5 km² (6.8 mi²). 17.4 km² (6.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.30%) is water.
Six municipalities border the town of Westfield: Mountainside to the north, Springfield Township to the northeast, Garwood and Cranford to the east, Clark to the southeast and Scotch Plains to the west and southwest.
[edit] Downtown
Westfield's downtown features many local shops and chain stores, such as Lord and Taylor and many landmarks that were shown and used in the television show Ed such as the Rialto Theater. There are about 50 restaurants and casual dining establishments throughout town. Downtown is located mostly north of the Westfield train station. The downtown area is made up of a mix of nationally known stores and independent shops and services.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 15,801 |
|
|
| 1940 | 18,458 | 16.8% | |
| 1950 | 21,243 | 15.1% | |
| 1960 | 31,447 | 48.0% | |
| 1970 | 33,720 | 7.2% | |
| 1980 | 30,447 | -9.7% | |
| 1990 | 28,870 | -5.2% | |
| 2000 | 29,644 | 2.7% | |
| Est. 2005 | 29,918 | [2] | 0.9% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[3] | |||
As of the censusGR2 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 $100,390, 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 0.7% 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.
[edit] Press
Westfield is served by two weekly newspapers The Westfield Leader and The Record-Press.
[edit] Public transportation
New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line provides rail service from the Westfield train station to Newark with connecting service to Penn Station New York at Newark Penn Station. New Jersey Transit's 113 route provides bus service to New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal seven days per week. Olympia Trails also offers weekday bus service to New York City. New Jersey Transit's 59 route provides local bus service, operating between Plainfield and Newark.
Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 20 minutes away and Linden Airport, a general aviation facility is in nearby Linden, New Jersey.
[edit] Downtown
Downtown Westfield, with over 200 retail establishments and 400 commercial enterprises, is a regional destination in New Jersey. The Downtown Westfield Corporation (DWC) manages the downtown area's growth and enhancement. The DWC is a National Main Street program associated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is funded by a Special Improvement District assessment on downtown properties and operates as the district's management agency. The DWC sponsors marketing efforts and promotions, special event planning, urban design and building improvement projects. The DWC works closely with the town government and volunteer groups to improve the downtown area. In 2004, Westfield won the Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Westfield is divided into four electoral districts called wards. Each ward elects two councilmembers who sit on the Town Council and vote on measures to be passed into law. The entire municipality elects a mayor who serves as president of the Town Council. All elected officials on the Town Council serve four-year terms. The Town Council holds weekly meetings open to the public where it discusses legislation under consideration. Westfield politics are dominated by a two-party system in which the Republican Party and the Democratic Party compete for elected offices. Of late, Westfield politics have been dominated by the GOP, and in 2003 Republicans took complete control of the Town Council. The current officeholders are listed below. Westfield has a majority of Republicans registered in the Town. However, in the 2004 Presidential election, a majority of Westfield voters voted for Democrat John Kerry over Republican George W. Bush, who made a visit to the town in 2005 to discuss his plan for Social Security, and in the 2005 Gubernatorial election, a majority of Westfield voters voted for Democrat Jon Corzine over Republican Doug Forrester.
Members of the Town Council are:[4]
- Mayor - Andrew Skibitsky (R)
- 1st Ward - Peter Echausse (R) and Sal Caruana (R)
- 2nd Ward - Jo Ann Neylan (R) and Vicki Kimmons (R)
- 3rd Ward - Mark Ciarrocca (R) and David Haas (D)
- 4th Ward - Tom Bigosinski (D) and James Foerst (R)
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Westfield is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st Legislative District.[5]
New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District, covering portions of Hunterdon County, Middlesex County, Somerset County and Union County, is represented by Mike Ferguson (R). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 21st legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Thomas Kean Jr. (R, Westfield) and in the Assembly by Jon Bramnick (R, Westfield) and Eric Munoz (R, Summit). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Union County is governed by a nine-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. As of the January 2006 reorganization, Union County's Freeholders are: Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella, Freeholder Vice Chairman Bette Jane Kowalski, Angel G. Estrada, Chester Holmes, Adrian O. Mapp, Rick Proctor, Deborah P. Scanlon, Daniel P. Sullivan and Nancy Ward.
[edit] Union County Freeholder meetings
Union County Freeholders meet publicly on a monthly basis. Citizens have the ability to provide feedback and comment on issues that concern them. A sample Freeholder meeting held in September 2003 can be viewed by clicking:
[edit] Education
Students in Kindergarten through 12th grade attend the Westfield Public Schools. The district has six K - 5 elementary schools and two grade 6 - 8 middle schools, which are divided by a "North Side / South Side" boundary. The schools in the district (with 2003-04 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are as follows:
The public schools on the north side consist of Franklin Elementary School with 586 students, Washington Elementary School with 334 students, Wilson Elementary School with 531 students and Theodore Roosevelt Intermediate School [1] with 737 students.
Schools on the south side are Jefferson Elementary School with 583 students, McKinley Elementary School with 311 students, Tamaques Elementary School with 479 students and Thomas Alva Edison Intermediate School with 710 students.
Students on each side of town are divided amongst the three elementary schools on their side, go to a common intermediate school, and then join the other side of town in Westfield High School, which has 1,626 students in grades 9 - 12. The sides of town are divided into North side and South side, and they are divided by the train track for the New Jersey Transit Raritan Line that runs directly through town.
The Westfield school district is currently planning on combining kindergartens from across the district to a single location to free up space for other grades. This topic was discussed at the May and June 2006 Board of Education monthly meetings. This is currently planned to commence with the Fall 2007 school year.
There is also a Catholic school, Holy Trinity Interparochial School, which offers education from Pre-Kindergarten to 8th grade.
[edit] Popular culture
- 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 Perfect Christmas was partially filmed in Downtown Westfield. It stars Queen Latifah and Terrence Howard, as well as Jill Marie Jones (of the sitcom Girlfriends) Rachel True (of the show Half & Half), Gabrielle Union and Morris Chestnut.
[edit] Services
Residential telephone service is handled by Verizon Communications [2]. Westfield cable television is supplied by Comcast [3]. Verizon's Fiber Optic Service (FiOS) is also offered in Westfield, which gives the option of digital cable, high-speed internet and telephone service. Power is supplied through the Public Service Electric and Gas Company. Recycling is collected curbside by the Department of Public Works on a weekly basis, while trash is collected by a private haulers.
[edit] Westfield Community Television (WCT)
The local community access channel 36 operates out of the Municipal Building on Broad Street in Westfield on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and half of every Sunday. WCT provides limited community related programming, coverage of town council meetings, and operates the WCT Bulletin Board. WCT shares time on channel 36 with Blue Devils Television which originates from Westfield High School and produces nearly 200 original productions each academic year.
[edit] Notable Westfielders
Current and former notable residents of Westfield include
- Charles Addams - Cartoonist for the The New Yorker magazine, most famous for his cartoons of The Addams Family.[6]
- Dr. Virginia Apgar - Creator of the Apgar score for assessing health of newborns.[7]
- Dave Brown - NFL Quarterback, 1992-2000 (New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals).[8]
- Steve Cheek - NFL Punter, 2001-current (San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers).[9]
- Michael Chertoff - United States Secretary of Homeland Security and former United States district court Judge.[10]
- Thomas Kean Jr. - U.S. Senate candidate and son of Former Governor of New Jersey and 9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean.[11]
- Kevin Kelly - Founder of Wired magazine
- John List - Murderer.[12]
- Andrew McCarthy - Actor (Weekend at Bernie's, among others)
- Earl "The Pearl" Monroe - NBA player, 1967-1980 (Baltimore Bullets, New York Knicks), NAIA Hall of Fame, Basketball Hall of Fame, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, USBL Commissioner
- Paul Robeson - Athlete, Actor, Singer, Political Activist, NFL Guard 1920-1922 (Akron Pros, Milwaukee Badgers)
- Bret Schundler - Former Mayor of Jersey City and former New Jersey gubernatorial candidate
- Matthew Sklar - Tony Award-nominated composer for the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer. Associate conductor for many productions including 42nd Street, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Nine and Caroline or Change.[13]
- Jeff Torborg - MLB Player/Manager, 1964-current (Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, Cleveland Indians (manager), Chicago White Sox (manager), New York Mets (manager), Montreal Expos (manager), Florida Marlins (manager)).[14]
- P. Roy Vagelos - Former Chairman and CEO of Merck & Co.
- Harrison A. Williams - Former U.S. Senator
- Malinda Williams - Actress whose credits include the NBC show Windfall
- Harold "Butch" Woolfolk - NFL Running back, 1982-1988 (New York Giants, Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions)
- Langston Hughes - Poet
[edit] References
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 242
- ^ Census data for Westfield town, United States Census Bureau, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Town Officials, accessed June 23, 2006
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 66, accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ In Search of the Dark Muse of a Master of the Macabre: Book Review by Janet Maslin of Charles Addams: A Cartoonist’s Life, The New York Times, October 26, 2006
- ^ Dr. Virginia Apgar's test for babies, accessed November 30, 2006
- ^ Sports of The Times; Brown Obeys Phil Simms's Golden Rule, The New York Times, September 5, 1994. "AS a boy growing up in nearby Westfield, N.J., Dave Brown attended only one Giants game at Giants Stadium."
- ^ Chiefs Sign P Steve Cheek, Kansas City Chiefs press release dated October 13, 2004
- ^ PoliticsNJ.com Inside the Beltway, accessed December 20, 2006. "...Michael Chertoff of Westfield was appointed U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security..."
- ^ Kean prepares to launch '06 U.S. Senate bid, PoliticsNJ.com, March 9, 2005
- ^ Massacre, Court TV Crime Library, accessed December 30, 2006
- ^ From bar mitzva boy to Wedding Singer: A composer gets his big Broadway break, New Jersey Jewish News by Elaine Durbach, July 6, 2006
- ^ The Rutgers Olympic Sports Hall of Fame: Class of 1994, accessed January 6, 2007. "In his three-year career from 1961-63, the Westfield, NJ native batted .390, which still ranks third in Rutgers baseball annals."
[edit] Musical groups based in Westfield
- The Full Count Big Band
- The Westfield Symphony
- The Westfield Community Band
- The Oratorio Singers
- New Jersey Workshop for the Arts
- New Jersey Field Music
[edit] External links
- Westfield Town official website
- Westfield Public Schools
- Westfield Public Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Westfield Public Schools
- Westfield Information
- - The Downtown Westfield Corporation
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