Westfield is a town in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located within the heart of the Rahway Valley region, Westfield is a bustling commercial and cultural hub in northern–central New Jersey, and it is a wealthy bedroom community of New York City within the New York metropolitan area (located southwest of New York City).Capuzzo, Jill P. "Living Westfield, N.J., Where Small Town Meets Urban", The New York Times, September 7, 2016. Accessed March 20, 2026. In March 2018, Bloomberg ranked Westfield as the 99th highest-income place in the United States, and the 18th highest-income location in New Jersey.Hagan, Shelly; and Lu, Wei. "America’s 100 Richest Places: 2018", Bloomberg News, March 5, 2018. Accessed March 11, 2020. According to a 2014 nationwide survey, Westfield was ranked as the 30th-safest city to live in the United States.Neighborhood Scout's America's Safest Cities 2014, Neighborhood Scout, backed up by the Internet Archive as of November 14, 2014. Accessed November 3, 2019.

As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 31,032, an increase of 716 (+2.4%) from the 2010 census count of 30,316, which in turn reflected an increase of 672 (+2.3%) from the 29,644 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. The town has been one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the American Community Survey for 2013–2017, Westfield residents had a median household income of $159,923, ranked 8th in the state among municipalities with more than 10,000 residents, more than double the statewide median of $76,475.Raychaudhuri, Disha. "The wealthiest towns in N.J., ranked", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 7, 2019. Accessed November 4, 2019. "The median household income in N.J. is $76,475, recent Census data shows.... A note about the data: The data comes from 2013-2017 American Community Survey conducted by U.S. Census Bureau. Smaller towns with less than 10,000 residents were excluded from the list.... 8. Westfield, Union County Median income: $159,923"

History

Westfield took its name from the rich "fields west of Elizabeth Town, and hence for over one hundred years went by the name of West Fields." Town records say that "the settlement of Westfield dates back to the last year (1699) of the seventeenth century. It was the result of the 'Clinker Lot Division.' Almost immediately after the division emigration from the older parts of the town of Elizabeth began to set towards the interior,—especially to the territory lying between the Rahway river, on the east, and the mountains, on the west. It was not, however, until 1720 that the settlers became numerous enough to constitute a distinct community." The old village area, now the downtown district, was settled in 1720 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 on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature. 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) and Mountainside (September 25, 1895). The Town of Westfield was incorporated on March 4, 1903, replacing Westfield Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 242. Accessed May 30, 2024.Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 313. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed October 26, 2015. The name of the town is derived from its location in the western, undeveloped fields of the Elizabethtown tract.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 26, 2015.Staff. "Westfield Historical Society Historic Marker installed at PNC Plaza", Suburban Trends, October 14, 2015. Accessed October 26, 2015. "The Westfield Historical Society (WHS) historic marker commemorating the settlement of Westfield in 1720 as the West Fields of Elizabethtown has been installed at the PNC Plaza, site of the Old York Road to Philadelphia."

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town had a total area of 6.74 square miles (17.46 km2), including 6.72 square miles (17.42 km2) of land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) of water (0.28%).2019 Census Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 1, 2020.US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Germantown and Tamaques Reservation Mill.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.

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.Areas touching Westfield, MapIt. Accessed March 11, 2020.Union County Municipal Profiles, Union County, New Jersey. Accessed March 11, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

The upper reaches of the Rahway River Parkway run through the township along tributaries of the Rahway River.Our Parks, Friends of Rahway River Parkway. Accessed April 25, 2021.

The Robinson's Branch of the Rahway River additionally flows through the southern portion of Westfield en route to the Robinson's Branch Reservoir, also known as the Clark Reservoir.

It is located about one hour from Manhattan.

Community

Downtown Westfield's downtown features many local and national stores and several landmarks that were shown and used in the NBC network television show Ed such as the Rialto Theater. There are over 40 restaurants and casual dining establishments throughout the downtown. Downtown is located mostly north of the Westfield train station. The downtown area has a mix of independent stores and boutiques as well as national stores. Over one-third of the retailers and restaurants have existed for 25 years or more.

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 Special Improvement District (SID) area's growth and enhancement. The DWC participates in the National Main Street program associated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is funded by a SID 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.Westfield, New Jersey: 2004 Great American Main Street Award Winner, National Trust for Historic Preservation, May 10, 2004. Accessed April 17, 2015. In 2010, Westfield was the winner of the America in Bloom contest for communities with a population of 25,001–50,000 against the other two towns entered in their category.Lipstein, Andrew. "Westfield Wins America in Bloom: Town beats Utah and Indiana communities as best town in population category.", WestfieldPatch, October 4, 2010. Accessed July 10, 2012. "The town received top honors Saturday for population category, beating two other communities during the annual America in Bloom contest.... The town beat out Murray City, Utah and Michigan City, Ind. for the top award in the 25,001 to 50,000 population category. For the landscaping award, the town beat all other communities entered in the competition." Shopping and dining in Westfield attracts citizens from other communities across the state.

Several war memorials (including ones dedicated to the Korean War, World War II, Spanish–American War, and the Vietnam War) are located in a plaza near the downtown. The plaza is also home to the September 11 Memorial Park, which pays special tribute to the residents of Westfield who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks.September 11 Memorial Park Committee , Westfield Today. Accessed November 1, 2014.Westfield Korean War Memorial, Westfield Today. Accessed November 1, 2014.

Downtown Westfield hosts events and festivals throughout the year. Throughout the summer, jazz groups perform live, outdoors, every Tuesday night.Westfield Today. Accessed January 9, 2019. October 2018 saw the first annual AddamsFest, honoring Westfield resident Charles Addams. The festival featured exhibits, lectures, film screenings, and a masquerade ball, among other things.Westfield Patch. Accessed January 9, 2019. Other festivals include the Spring Fling and FestiFall.

In August 2020, Le Tote announced that Lord & Taylor, the town's only department store and the chain's only freestanding location in New Jersey, would close as part of a plan to shut down 38 Lord & Taylor store nationwide. Efforts are being made to redevelop the site.Heapes, Richard. "An Open Letter to the Community of Westfield on Redevelopment", TAP into Westfield, December 16, 2020. Accessed December 27, 2020. "As many of you know, one of those businesses, Lord & Taylor, the entity owned and operated by Le Tote, is permanently closing its doors. It’s a difficult pill to swallow for shoppers that have relied upon and enjoyed the store, and for us, the owners of the property and an active member of the Westfield community for more than 30 years." Some disputes have arisen alleging overdevelopment at the site under the powers afforded to real estate developers under the Mount Laurel doctrine for affordable housing.

Library The Westfield Memorial Library was founded in 1873 as the "Every Saturday Book Club" and has evolved over the past century into the Westfield Memorial Library of today. The Library is located in a large, modern, Williamsburg-style building at 550 East Broad Street. The library's collection consists of over 250,000 books, two dozen public computers, a wide array of multimedia options, a large youth services area with a vivid mural depicting Westfield history, and multiple tables and carrels for studying. The library offers classes for adults and children, storytimes for children, and computer instruction.History , Westfield Memorial Library. Accessed July 10, 2012.

Parks and recreation

Parks in the town include:Parks, Town of Westfield. Accessed December 27, 2020. Brightwood Park Gumbert Park Lenape Park, is a wildlife reserve and park that is part of Union County's Rahway River Parkway. The park also includes portions of Cranford, Kenilworth and Springfield Township.Lenape Park, Union County, New Jersey, June 2014. Accessed December 27, 2020. An approximately 4.5-mile off-road paved pedestrian path stretches eastbound from Mountainside Police Headquarters in Mountainside, through Echo Lake Park in Westfield, Lenape Park in Westfield and Cranford, Black Brook Park in Kenilworth, and ending near 505 North Michigan Avenue in Kenilworth. Mindowaskin Park Tamaques Park