Westfield, New Jersey

Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 30,316.

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 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.

Geography
Westfield is in northern New Jersey. Westfield is located at °N, °W (40.649869, -74.343183). Westfield's ZIP Code is 07090.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.5 km²), of which, 6.7 square miles (17.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) 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.

Police
The Westfield Police Department (WPD) has been a vital part of the town's culture since its foundation. The chief of police is John Parizeau who is assisted by Captains Clifford Auchter (Administrative) and David Wayman (Operations). The department operates a Patrol Division, Traffic Safety Bureau, Records Bureau, Detective Bureau, Juvenile and Community Policing Bureau, and its own Emergency Services Unit. Westfield's Parking Services also falls under the jurisdiction of the WPD. Parking Services is responsible for monitoring parking and traffic safety within Westfield's Central Business District. This division in recent years has provided a great source of income for the town. In 2007 for example, Westfield Parking Services issued 27,444 parking tickets of which 16,306 were for overtime parking at meters or in pay station lots. Each division of the WPD operates different vehicles, most with a classic black and white paint scheme. As of May, 2010, they are as follows:
 * Patrol Division: Ford Crown Victorias with low-profile LED and halogen lightbars and a Ford Expedition
 * Detective Bureau: An assortment of unmarked Ford Crown Victorias as well as an unmarked early-model Ford Explorer
 * Traffic Safety Bureau: Ford Crown Victoria, Chevy Suburban and Ford F-150
 * Emergency Services Unit: Ford E-150, Ford Expedition,and a trailer.
 * Parking Services: Ford Crown Victorias with amber halogen lightbars and a black Jeep Grand Cherokee also with an amber lightbar
 * Other: 2 BMW motorcycles donated by JMK BMW of Springfield, NJ and a customized Chevy Tahoe used by the DARE Program. As of 2010 the WPD no longer has the DARE program.

The DARE program's purpose is to educate kids about drugs and the dangers they might face.

The WPD also has a Law Enforcement Explorers Post, Post #90.

Fire
The Westfield Fire Department was formed in 1875 following a fire that destroyed a city block on East Broad Street. The WFD is a combination department with 36 paid/career firefighters and 15 volunteer firefighters. There are 4 platoons of 8 (1 Battalion Chief, 2 Lieutenants, and 5 Firefighters) working a 24/72 hour work schedule out of 2 fire stations. Administrative members include the Chief of Department, the Deputy Chief of Operations, and the Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention. The Fire Safety Inspector position in the Fire Prevention Bureau has been eliminated due to budget cuts (1/1/2009). The current Chief of Department is Daniel J. Kelly.

Westfield Fire Headquarters, located at 405 North Ave. W., is manned 24 hours a day by a Battalion Chief (Shift Commander), a Lieutenant, and 3 Firefighters. These personnel man an Engine Company, first due on the north side of town, and the Ladder Company. A reserve Engine Company and a Utility Pick-Up are also housed at Fire Headquarters. The office of the Chief of Department and the Deputy Chief of Operations are located here as well.

Station 2, located at 1029 Central Ave., is manned 24 hours a day by a Lieutenant and two firefighters. These personnel man an Engine Company, first due on the south side of town. A reserve Engine Company, a Utility Pick-Up, and a spare SUV are also housed at Station 2. The Fire Prevention Bureau is located at Station 2 and houses the office of the Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention.

The WFD in operates a fleet of four E-One Engines (2 x 2,000 GPM & 2 x 1,500 GPM) and 1 E-One 110' Ladder with two support pick-ups, one support SUV, and three staff 4x4 vehicles. The paint scheme for the older apparatus (Engine 4 and Truck 1) are yellow, with the newer apparatus (Engine 2,3,5) being red bodies with white cabs. The support vehicles, a Ford Pick-Up (Utility 7), a Chevy Pick-Up (Utility 8), and a Jeep Cherokee (Car 9) are red with white striping and the remaining staff vehicles, for Chief Officers, are unmarked Dodge Durangos (Car 1,11,12)

The WFD responds annually to approximately 2,000 calls for service. The WFD serves as a back-up EMS agency for the town if the Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad is not readily available. All members are CPR-Defib certified with 27 members currently New Jersey certified EMTs with the remaining members trained to the first responder level. Both stations are always manned with FF/EMTs 24 hours a day.

The WFD is also a partner in the Union County Fire Mutual Aid agreement, responding to numerous requests for aid to any of the other 20 municipalities in Union County.

The career firefighters (excluding Chief and Deputy Chiefs) are members of The New Jersey Firefighter's Mutual Benevolent Association Local # 30 (NJ FMBA).

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.

Downtown
Westfield's downtown features many local and national stores, such as Lord & Taylor 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, and provides a pleasant shopping environment. 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 is 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. In 2010, Westfield was the winner of the America in Bloom contest for communities with a population of 25,001 - 50,000. Shopping and dining in Westfield also attracts citizens from other communities across the State of New Jersey.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,644 people, 10,622 households, and 8,178 families residing in the town. The population density was 4,403.1 people per square mile (1,700.7/km²). There were 10,819 housing units at an average density of 1,607.0 per square mile (620.7/km²). 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.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $120,978, and the median income for a family was $146,891. 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.

Local government
Westfield is governed under a Special Charter granted by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature. The government consists of a Mayor and an eight-member Town Council, with all positions filled in partisan elections. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Town Council consists of eight members, with two members elected from each of four wards. Town Council members are elected to serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with one seat in each ward coming up for election every other year. The Town Council holds weekly meetings open to the public where it discusses legislation under consideration.

, the Mayor of Westfield is Andrew Skibitsky (R, whose term of office ends December 31, 2013). Members of the Westfield Town Council are Frank Arena (R, Ward 1 - 2011), Mark Ciarrocca (R, Ward 3 - 2011), Sam Della Fera (R, Ward 1 - 2013), James Foerst (D, Ward 4 - 2011), David Haas (D, Ward 3 - 2013), Vicki Kimmins (R, Ward 2 - 2013), Keith Loughlin (R, Ward 4 - 2013) and JoAnn Neylan (R, Ward 2 - 2011). The GOP will hold a 8-1 majority in the Town Council (including Mayor Skibitsky) through 2011 when four Council seats will be contested.

In the 2009 Mayoral and Town Council elections, incumbent Mayor Andrew Skibitsky, incumbent 2nd Ward Councilwoman Vicki Kimmins and incumbent 3rd Ward Councilman David Haas were victorious. In the 1st Ward, Councilman Sam Della Fera was victorious. In the 4th Ward, Councilman Keith Loughlin unseated incumbent Democrat Tom Bigosinski. In the 2007 Town Council elections, Council Members Arena, Neylan, Ciarrocca and Foerst were victorious.

Westfield politics are dominated by a two-party system in which the Republican Party and the Democratic Party compete for elected offices. Historically, Westfield politics have been dominated by the GOP, and in 2003 Republicans took complete control of the Town Council. The Westfield Republican Committee is chaired by Assemblyman Jon Bramnick and the Westfield Democratic Committee is chaired by Councilman David Haas.

Federal, state and county representation
Westfield is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st Legislative District.

Neighborhoods
Westfield consists of two sides of the town, the North Side and the South Side. The following are distinct neighborhoods in the town:
 * Brightwood
 * Country Club Estates
 * The Gardens
 * Indian Forest
 * Kimball Avenue Historic District
 * Manor Park
 * Stonehenge
 * Stoneleigh Park
 * Wychwood

Education
Students in Kindergarten through 12th grade attend the Westfield Public Schools. The district has a central kindergarten, along with six grade 1 - 5 elementary schools and two grade 6 - 8 middle schools divided by a "North Side / South Side" boundary, as well as a single high school. The schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Lincoln School (323 students), six elementary schools for grades 1-5 — Franklin Elementary School (608; North), Jefferson Elementary School (421; South), McKinley Elementary School (331; South), Tamaques Elementary School (435; South), Washington Elementary School (330; North) and Wilson Elementary School (478; North) — Theodore Roosevelt Intermediate School (724; North) and Thomas Alva Edison Intermediate School (774; South) for grades 6-8, along with Westfield High School (1,788) for grades 9-12.

There is also a Middle States accredited Catholic school, Holy Trinity Interparochial School, run by the three parishes of Holy Trinity in Westfield, St. Helen's in Westfield and Our Lady of Lourdes in Mountainside, which offers education from Pre-Kindergarten to 8th grade.

Public transportation
New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line provides rail service from the Westfield train station to Newark Penn Station in Newark with connecting service to Penn Station New York. Westfield's position and schedule on the Raritan Valley line make it highly desirable for commuters, as several times in the morning and evening rush hours a non-stop service is operated to/from the Newark transfer station. On these non-stop services, the one-way journey time to/from New York Penn Station is 50 minutes, or 20 minutes to/from 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 from the town center, taking approximately 1 hour to NYC. In addition, express service to New York City is available along Route 22 on the northern edge of the town (New Jersey Transit bus routes 114 & 117), taking approximately 45 minutes. 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, most conveniently reached via Route 22, and Linden Airport, a general aviation facility is in nearby Linden, New Jersey. Newark Liberty International Airport is also easily accessible via New Jersey Transit train.

Services
Residential telephone service is handled by Verizon Communications. Westfield cable television is supplied by Comcast, which also delivers the Westfield Community Channel (ch 36), News 12 New Jersey (ch 62) and Scotch Plains Local Access Channel (ch 34) Public-access television cable TV. 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. Gas is supplied via Elizabethtown Gas and water by American Water of NJ. Recycling is collected curbside by private haulers contracted by the Department of Public Works on a biweekly basis, while trash is collected by private haulers hired by residents.

Media
Westfield was served by two weekly newspapers The Westfield Leader, The Record-Press, until The Record-Press ended publication in 2008, leaving the town with only The Westfield Leader. It is one of the communities served by the daily newspaper The Courier News (based in Bridgewater N.J.) and The Star Ledger based in Newark, New Jersey. The Westfield Patch is an online newsource dedicated strictly to local Westfield news. It is updated around the clock by editor John Celock and a staff of volunteer contributors.

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 Devil Television which originates from Westfield High School and produces nearly 200 original productions each academic year.
 * Westfield Community Television (WCT)

Notable residents
Current and former notable residents of Westfield include
 * Charles Addams (1912–88), cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine, most famous for his cartoons of The Addams Family.
 * Dr. Virginia Apgar (1909–74), creator of the Apgar score for assessing health of newborns.
 * Billy Ard (born 1959), former NFL guard for the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers.
 * Richard Bagger (born 1960), former mayor, selected by Governor Chris Christie to be his chief of staff.
 * Jon Bramnick (born 1953), member of the New Jersey General Assembly, District 21, since 2003.
 * Dave Brown (born 1970), NFL quarterback, 1992-2000 (New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals).
 * Robert Nietzel Buck (1914–2007), aviator and author who broke the junior transcontinental airspeed record and thirteen other junior airspeed records in the 1930s started his flying career at the Westfield Airport.
 * Gil Chapman (born 1953), running back and return specialist for the University of Michigan and New Orleans Saints.
 * Steve Cheek (born 1977), NFL punter, 2001-2005 (San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers).
 * Michael Chertoff (born 1953), United States Secretary of Homeland Security and former United States district court Judge.
 * Geoff Edwards (born 1931), actor and game show host.
 * Edward Einhorn (born 1970), children's author, director and playwright.
 * Michael Fennelly (born 1949), rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who performed with The Millennium and Crabby Appleton.
 * Robert Greifeld, CEO of NASDAQ-OMX.
 * Langston Hughes (1902–67), poet.
 * Clark Hulings (1922–2011), realist artist.
 * Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), folklorist.
 * Thomas Kean, Jr. (born 1968), New Jersey State Senator who ran for U.S. Senate and is the son of former Governor of New Jersey and 9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean.
 * Kevin Kelly (born 1952), Founder of Wired magazine.
 * Martin Kunert, film director and TV writer/producer (Voices of Iraq, MTV's Fear, Campfire Tales).
 * Christian J. Lambertsen (1917–2011), "the father of the Frogmen".
 * Marilyn Lange (born 1952), Playboy Playmate for May 1974 and Playmate of the year for 1975.
 * Margaret Carver Leighton (1896–1987), children's author.
 * Richard Leigh (1943–2007), co-author of The New York Times best seller The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and other works of fiction and nonfiction.
 * John List (1925–2008), murderer convicted in the deaths of his wife, mother and three children.
 * Andrew McCarthy (born 1962), actor who appeared in Weekend at Bernie's.
 * Mark Metcalf (born 1946), actor who appeared in Animal House, attended Westfield High School.
 * Randolph Perkins (1871–1936), mayor of Westfield from 1903 to 1905, and represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district from 1921-1936.
 * Paul Robeson (1898–1976), athlete, actor, singer, political activist, NFL guard from 1920-1922 for the Akron Pros and Milwaukee Badgers.
 * Bret Schundler (born 1959), former Mayor of Jersey City and former New Jersey gubernatorial candidate.
 * Matthew Sklar (born 1973), 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.
 * Jeff Torborg (born 1941), 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)).
 * P. Roy Vagelos (born 1929), former Chairman and CEO of Merck & Co.
 * Jeffrey A. Warsh (born 1960), State Assemblyman, Executive Director of NJ Transit.
 * Harrison A. Williams (1919–2001), U.S. Senator who was forced to resign in the face of expulsion due to his involvement in the Abscam case.
 * Malinda Williams (born 1975), actress.
 * Harold "Butch" Woolfolk (born 1960), NFL running back from 1982-1988 who played for the New York Giants, Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions.
 * Dan Yemin, punk rock guitarist.

Musical groups based in Westfield

 * The Static Jacks