Westfield is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Union County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States, located southwest of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. As of the

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the town's population was 30,316,DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Westfield town, Union County, New Jersey
,

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

. Accessed March 3, 2012.Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2010 for Westfield town
,

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission is an independent body within the New Jersey state government under the auspices of the ...

. Accessed March 3, 2012. reflecting an increase of 672 (+2.3%) from the 29,644 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 774 (+2.7%) from the 28,870 counted in the 1990 Census. In March 2018,

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and m ...

ranked Westfield as the 99th highest-income place in the United States, and the 18th highest-income location in New Jersey. According to a 2014 nationwide survey, Westfield was ranked as the 30th-safest city to live in the United States. The town has been one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

for 2013–2017, Westfield residents had a

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

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.

History

History says that 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. Miller Cory NJ

Westfield was originally formed as a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

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 The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...

. 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 June 15, 2012. The name of the town is derived from its location in the western, undeveloped fields of the Elizabethtown tract. As recently as 2017, the Broaddus family living in Westfield received threatening letters from a supposed stalker who referred to himself as "The Watcher," causing a national sensation. The Broaddus family's experience, along with the 1971 John List family murders that also occurred in Westfield, were later adapted into the 2022

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series '' The Watcher''.

Geography

According to the

, 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%).

Unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Germantown and Tamaques Reservation Mill. Six municipalities border the town of Westfield: Mountainside to the north, Springfield Township to the northeast,

Garwood Garwood can refer to: People * Doug Garwood, American golfer * Edmund Johnston Garwood, British geologist * Julie Garwood, author * Kelton Garwood, American actor * Richard Garwood, Air Marshall in the Royal Air Force * Robert R. Garwood, prison ...

and Cranford to the east,

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

to the southeast, and Scotch Plains to the west and southwest. The upper reaches of the

Rahway River Parkway The Rahway River Parkway is a greenway of parkland along the banks the main stem Rahway River and its tributaries in Union County, New Jersey, United States. Created in the 1920s, it was one of the inaugural projects of the newly-created Union ...

run through the township along tributaries of the

Rahway River The Rahway River is a river in Essex, Middlesex, and Union Counties, New Jersey, United States, The Rahway, along with the Elizabeth River, Piles Creek, Passaic River, Morses Creek, the Fresh Kills River (in Staten Island), has its river m ...

. The Robinson's Branch of the

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

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 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 The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...

. 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 against the other two towns entered in their category. 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 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

. Downtown Westfield hosts events and festivals throughout the year. Throughout the summer, jazz groups perform live, outdoors, every Tuesday night. 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. Other festivals include the Spring Fling and FestiFall. In August 2020, Le Tote announced that

Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...

, 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.

Parks and recreation

Parks in the town include: *Brightwood Park *Gumbert Park *

Lenape Park Lenape Park is a 450-acre wildlife reserve and park that is part of the Rahway River Parkway in Union County, New Jersey. The park is located in four towns: Westfield, Springfield, Kenilworth, and Cranford. It is linked by a crosswalk to Nomahe ...

, is a wildlife reserve and park that is part of Union County's

. The park also includes portions of Cranford,

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a ...

and Springfield Township. *Mindowaskin Park *Tamaques Park *Gary Kehler Stadium is named in honor of Gary Kehler (1931–2007), the former Westfield High School football coach and long-time town resident.

Demographics

2010 Census

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

was $127,799 (with a margin of error of +/− $10,580) and the median family income was $150,797 (+/− $11,480). Males had a median income of $111,762 (+/− $7,767) versus $71,217 (+/− $5,624) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $63,498 (+/− $4,577). About 0.9% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census

As of the

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

there were 29,644 people, 10,622 households, and 8,178 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

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 White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 3.88%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.09% Native American, 4.08%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.62% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.33% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 2.82% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Westfield town, New Jersey
,

. Accessed March 1, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 – Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Westfield town, Union County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed December 5, 2012. 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. Of all households, 19.3% 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

for the town was $47,187. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the

, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Westfield is governed under a Special Charter granted by an act of the

. The town is one of 11 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that operate under special charters. The governing body is comprised of a Mayor and an eight-member Town Council, with all positions filled in partisan elections. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters at-large 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.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...

, March 2013, p. 94. The Town Council holds meetings every two weeks where it discusses legislation under consideration, and which are open to the public. , the Mayor of Westfield is

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Michelle W. "Shelley" Brindle, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2025. Members of the Westfield Town Council are David M. Contract (Ward 3; D, 2025), Michael J. Dardia (Ward 2; D, 2025), Linda S. Habgood (Ward 1; D, 2025), Scott A. Katz (Ward 4; D, 2023), Mark LoGrippo (Ward 3;

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, 2023), Dawn Mackey (Ward 4; D, 2025), Mark Parmelee (Ward 2; D, 2023) and Emily Root (Ward 1; D, 2023 - appointed to serve an unexpired term),.Town Council
Town of Westfield. Accessed April 30, 2022.''Union County Elected Officials''

Union County, New Jersey Union County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 575,345, making it the seventh-most populous of New Jersey's 21 counties. Its county seat is Elizabeth.

Clerk. Accessed April 30, 2022.General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results

, updated November 15, 2021. Accessed January 3, 2022.General Election November 5, 2019 Official Results

, updated December 5, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020. In April 2022, the Town Council selected Emily Root from a list of three alternatives submitted by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the Ward 1 seat expiring on December 2023 that had been held by James Boyes until he resigned from office earlier that month. Root will serve on an interim basis until the November 2022 general election, when voters will select a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.

Emergency services

= Police

= The Westfield Police Department (WPD) has provided police protection to the town since 1903. The chief of police is Christopher Battiloro, who was appointed to the position in December 2018, after serving for four months on an interim basis. The department operates a Patrol Division, Traffic Safety Bureau, Records Bureau, Detective Bureau and its own Emergency Services Unit. Westfield's Parking Services also falls under the jurisdiction of the WPD, and is responsible for monitoring parking and traffic safety within Westfield's Central Business District and near schools. The WPD also has a Law Enforcement Explorers Post, Post #90. Each division of the WPD operates different vehicles, most with a black-and-white paint scheme.

= 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 four platoons of eight (a Battalion Chief, two Lieutenants and five Firefighters) working a 24-/72-hour work schedule out of two 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 was eliminated in January 2009 due to budget cuts. The Chief of Department is Anthony Tiller. Westfield Fire Headquarters, located at 405 North Avenue West, is staffed 24 hours a day by a Battalion Chief (Shift Commander), a lieutenant and three firefighters. These personnel make up the 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 Avenue, is staffed 24 hours a day by a lieutenant and two firefighters. These personnel make up the 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 Pierce Arrow XT 100' Rearmount Ladder, one support SUV, and three staff 4x4 vehicles. The paint scheme for the older apparatus (Engine 4) is yellow, with the newer apparatus (Ladder 1, Engines 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 backup 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 staffed 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 the Chief and Deputy Chiefs) are members of New Jersey Firefighter's Mutual Benevolent Association (NJ FMBA) Local 30.

= Rescue squad

= The Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad is staffed around the clock by volunteer certified EMTs. Shifts range from 5 hours in the morning and afternoon to 14 hours overnight. The Squad has three ambulances with a crew every shift. Members are paged in the event that another emergency arises and the original crew is answering a medical call. Dispatchers are also volunteers, answering phones directly from the police line.

Federal, state and county representation

Westfield is located in the 7th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington; t ...

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 21st state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as we ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019. Union County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, whose nine members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis with three seats coming up for election each year, with an appointed County Manager overseeing the day-to-day operations of the county. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members. , Union County's County Commissioners are Chair Rebecca Williams ( D, Plainfield, term as commissioner and as chair ends December 31, 2022), Vice Chair Christopher Hudak (D, Linden, term as commissioner ends 2023; term as vice chair ends 2022), James E. Baker Jr. (D,

Rahway Rahway () is a city in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway Valley region, in the New York metropolitan area. The city is southwest of Manhattan ...

, 2024), Angela R. Garretson (D, Hillside, 2023), Sergio Granados (D,

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, 2022), Bette Jane Kowalski (D, Cranford, 2022), Lourdes M. Leon (D, Elizabeth, 2023), Alexander Mirabella (D, Fanwood, 2024) and Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded (D, Westfield, 2024). Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (D, Union Township, 2025), Sheriff Peter Corvelli (D,

, 2023) and Surrogate Susan Dinardo (acting). The County Manager is Edward Oatman.

Politics

Westfield New Jersey Mindowaskin park with buildings and trees and frozen lake

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 20,684 registered voters in Westfield, of which 6,485 (31.4% vs. 41.8% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 5,244 (25.4% vs. 15.3%) were registered as Republicans and 8,942 (43.2% vs. 42.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 13 voters registered as

Libertarians Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's enc ...

or Greens.Voter Registration Summary – Union

Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed May 24, 2013. Among the town's 2010 Census population, 68.2% (vs. 53.3% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 97.5% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.6% countywide). In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

received 8,080 votes (50.9% vs. 66.0% countywide), ahead of Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

with 7,555 votes (47.6% vs. 32.3%) and other candidates with 147 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 15,866 ballots cast by the town's 21,797 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.8% (vs. 68.8% in Union County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 9,345 votes (54.5% vs. 63.1% countywide), ahead of Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

with 7,541 votes (44.0% vs. 35.2%) and other candidates with 154 votes (0.9% vs. 0.9%), among the 17,141 ballots cast by the town's 21,251 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.7% (vs. 74.7% in Union County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

received 8,442 votes (50.6% vs. 58.3% countywide), ahead of Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

with 8,037 votes (48.2% vs. 40.3%) and other candidates with 110 votes (0.7% vs. 0.7%), among the 16,683 ballots cast by the town's 20,441 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.6% (vs. 72.3% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in Ne ...

received 64.1% of the vote (6,303 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

with 34.5% (3,394 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (131 votes), among the 10,053 ballots cast by the town's 21,513 registered voters (225 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 46.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 6,070 votes (51.0% vs. 41.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

with 4,776 votes (40.2% vs. 50.6%), Independent

Chris Daggett Christopher Jarvis Daggett (born March 7, 1950) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New Jersey. A former regional administrator of the United States En ...

with 900 votes (7.6% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 58 votes (0.5% vs. 0.8%), among the 11,893 ballots cast by the town's 20,982 registered voters, yielding a 56.7% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).

Education

Public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

students in

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s attend the

Westfield Public Schools The Westfield Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Westfield, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, the ...

. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of 10 schools, had an enrollment of 6,304 students and 500.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1.District information for Westfield Public School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed April 1, 2020. The district has a central kindergarten, six neighborhood elementary schools (grades 1–5), two middle schools (grades 6–8) divided by a "North Side / South Side" boundary, and one high school (grades 9–12). The schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the

) are Lincoln Early Childhood Center (with 310 students; in grades Pre-K–K), Franklin Elementary School (580; 1–5 – North), Jefferson Elementary School (442; 1–5 – South), McKinley Elementary School (341; 1–5 – South), Tamaques Elementary School (401; 1–5 – South), Washington Elementary School (309; 1–5 – North), Wilson Elementary School (355; 1–5 – North), Roosevelt Intermediate School (777; 6–8 – North), Thomas Alva Edison Intermediate School (844; 6–8 – South) and

Westfield High School Westfield High School may refer to: * The Westfield School, Perry, Georgia * Westfield High School (Westfield, Indiana) * Westfield High School (Massachusetts), Westfield, Massachusetts * Westfield Technical Academy, Westfield, Massachusetts * West ...

(1,865; 9–12). For high school, public school students from Westfield and all of Union County are eligible to apply to attend the

Union County Vocational Technical Schools The Union County Vocational-Technical Schools (UCVTS) are a grouping of schools on the Union County Vocational Technical Schools Campus in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, United States, which offers educational programs for students across Union C ...

, which include

Union County Magnet High School The Union County Magnet High School (UCMHS) is a magnet public high school located in Scotch Plains on the Union County Vocational Technical Schools Campus, serving the vocational and technical educational needs of students in ninth through t ...

, Union County Academy for Information Technology,

Union County Academy for Allied Health Sciences The Union County Academy for Allied Health Sciences (UCAAHS) is a full-time Vocational public high school, located in Scotch Plains, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. This school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from ...

Union County Vocational Technical High School The Union County Vocational-Technical High School (UC Tech) is a full-time vocational public high school, located in Scotch Plains in Union County, New Jersey, United States. This school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from ac ...

and Union County Academy for Performing Arts. Holy Trinity Interparochial School is a Middle States-accredited Catholic school run by the three parishes of Holy Trinity and St. Helen's in Westfield along with Our Lady of Lourdes in Mountainside, which offers education from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade and operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the town had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Union County and by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

. The main road serving Westfield is

New Jersey Route 28 Route 28 is a state highway in the central part of New Jersey, United States that is long. Its western terminus is at U.S. Route 22 in Bridgewater Township, Somerset County while its eastern terminus is at Route 27 in Elizabeth, Union County ...

, which runs for about two miles alongside the commuter railroad that marks the boundary between the town's North and South Sides. Westfield can also be accessed by Exits 135 and 137 of the nearby

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jersey ...

, or by the Lawrence, Mountain, or Springfield Avenue exits of

U.S. Route 22 U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jersey, at U.S. Route 1/9 in the Newark Airport Intercha ...

Public transportation

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

(NJT) provides passenger rail service from the Westfield train station on the

Raritan Valley Line The Raritan Valley Line is a commuter rail service operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) which serves passengers in municipalities in Union, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties in the Raritan Valley region in central New Jersey, United States. ...

Newark Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (also known as Newark Penn Station) is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, ...

with connecting service to

New York Penn Station Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station, is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers ...

. Westfield riders are able to make a one-seat ride (no transfer necessary) into NY Penn Station during weekday off-peak hours, which was made possible by upgrades of the NJT train equipment to operate into New York City. Westfield's position and schedule on the Raritan Valley Line make it desirable for commuters, as several times in the morning and evening rush hours a non-stop service operates to/from Newark Penn Station. On these non-stop services, the one-way journey time to/from NY Penn Station is 50 minutes, or 20 minutes to/from Newark Penn Station. This easy access to New York is what draws so many people to the town of Westfield. The NJT

113 113 may refer to: *113 (number), a natural number *AD 113, a year * 113 BC, a year *113 (band), a French hip hop group * 113 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * 113 (New Jersey bus), Ironbound Garage in Newark and run ...

bus route provides one-seat service to New York City's

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving abo ...

seven days per week from the town center, taking approximately one hour to NYC, with additional service available along Route 22 on the northern edge of the town (NJT bus routes 114 and 117), taking approximately 45 minutes. The 59 route provides local bus service between Plainfield and Newark. Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 20 minutes away, most conveniently reached via Route 22 or NJT trains.

Linden Airport Linden Airport is a mile southeast of downtown Linden, in Union County, New Jersey. Also known as Linden Municipal Airport, it is next to U.S. Route 1&9. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a gene ...

, a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

facility, is in nearby Linden, New Jersey.

Services

Residential telephone service is provided by

Verizon Communications Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas i ...

. Westfield

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...

is supplied by

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

br>
which also delivers Westfield Community Television (channel 36),

News 12 New Jersey News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. New ...

(channel 62), and Scotch Plains Local Access Channel (channel 34) Verizon 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 The Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) is a publicly traded diversified energy company headquartered in Newark, New Jersey and was established in 1985 with a legacy dating back to 1903. The company's largest subsidiary is Public Service Elec ...

. Gas is supplied by Elizabethtown Gas and water by American Water of New Jersey. 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 is served by the locally published weekly newspaper, ''The Westfield Leader''. ''The Record-Press'' had served the community until it ended publication in 2008. Westfield is also served by multi-community newspapers including the ''

Courier News The ''Courier News'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Somerville, New Jersey, that serves Somerset County and other areas of Central Jersey. The paper has been owned by Gannett since 1927. Notable employees *John Curley, former presid ...

'', a daily newspaper based in Bridgewater Township, and ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...

'' based in Newark. ''Westfield Patch'' is an online news source dedicated strictly to local Westfield news that is updated around the clock by a small staff of paid editors and volunteer contributors. Likewise, ''TAPInto Westfield'' is an online news source dedicated to local Westfield news.

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 Devil Television, which originates from Westfield High School and produces nearly 200 original productions each academic year.

Culture

The

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its current primate is Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. Archbishop On May 11, 2019, the church's Hol ...

Metropolis of New Jersey is headquartered in Westfield.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Westfield include: *

Marc Acito Marc Acito (born January 11, 1966) is an American playwright, novelist, and humorist. Early life Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, Acito was raised in Westfield, New Jersey, and is a 1984 graduate of Westfield High School. He studied in the BFA mu ...

(born 1966), playwright, novelist and humorist * Charles Addams (1912–1988), cartoonist for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' magazine, most famous for his cartoons of ''

The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over ...

'' * Kim Alsop (born ), former head coach of the

Samford Bulldogs football The Samford Bulldogs football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Samford University located in Homewood, Alabama. The team competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Sou ...

team *

Charles E. Apgar Charles Emory Apgar (June 28, 1865 – August 17, 1950) was an American business executive and amateur radio operator. He is known for making early recordings of radio transmissions at the start of World War I. The recordings that he made of a w ...

(1865–1950), business executive and

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communic ...

operator best known for making early recordings of German radio transmissions at the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Virginia Apgar Virginia Apgar (June 7, 1909August 7, 1974) was an American physician, obstetrical anesthesiologist and medical researcher, best known as the inventor of the Apgar Score, a way to quickly assess the health of a newborn child immediately after bir ...

(1909–1974), creator of the Apgar score for assessing health of newborns * Billy Ard (born 1959), former NFL guard for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

and

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

* H. W. Ambruster (1879–1961), football coach, chemical engineer, actor and lecturer * Omar Ashmawy, staff director and chief counsel of the

Office of Congressional Ethics The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), established by the U.S. House of Representatives in March 2008, is a nonpartisan, independent entity charged with reviewing allegations of misconduct against members of the House of Representatives and the ...

Richard Bagger Richard Hartvig Bagger (born March 27, 1960) is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, and former State Senator who later served as chief of staff to Governor Chris Christie.chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

for

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

* Robert L. Barchi (born 1946), twentieth president of

, 2012-2020 *

Cheryl Barnes Cheryl Barnes (b. 1951 in Westfield, New Jersey) is an American singer and actress. She is best known for her role in Miloš Forman's 1979 film adaptation of '' Hair'', where she played the mother of Hud's little son. Biography Raised in We ...

, singer and actress best known for her role in Miloš Forman's 1979 film adaptation of ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'', where she played the mother of Hud's little son * Carolyn Beebe (1873–1950), pianist who was a founder of the New York Chamber Music Society *

Bryan Beller Bryan Beller (born May 6, 1971) is an American bass guitarist known for his work with Joe Satriani, The Aristocrats, Dethklok, Mike Keneally, Steve Vai, James LaBrie of Dream Theater and Dweezil Zappa, as well as his four solo album releases, ...

(born 1971),

bass guitarist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low b ...

known for his work with

Mike Keneally Michael Joseph Keneally (born December 20, 1961) is an American session guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Early years and musical influences Keneally started playing music at the age of 7 when he received an electric organ for h ...

Steve Vai Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist f ...

Dethklok Dethklok is a fictional melodic death metal band featured in the Adult Swim animated television series ''Metalocalypse''. The first official Dethklok album was released on September 25, 2007, entitled '' The Dethalbum''. The album debuted at n ...

James LaBrie Kevin James LaBrie (born May 5, 1963) is a Canadian singer, best known as the lead singer of American progressive metal band Dream Theater, which he has been fronting since 1991. Early life Kevin James LaBrie was born in Penetanguishene, Ontar ...

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...

and

Dweezil Zappa Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa; September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Dweezil deve ...

Jon Bramnick Jon M. Bramnick (born February 24, 1953) is an American Republican Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2022, representing the 21st legislative district. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly, repres ...

(born 1953), member of the New Jersey General Assembly who has represented the 21st Legislative District since 2003 *

Brock Brower Brock Brower (November 27, 1931 – April 16, 2014) was an American novelist, magazine journalist, and TV writer of various magazines, including '' Esquire'', ''Life'', ''Harper’s Magazine'', and ''The New York Times Magazine''. Background ...

(1931–2014), novelist, magazine journalist and TV writer * Dave Brown (born 1970), NFL quarterback who played for the

and

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

* Steve Brozak (born 1961), Managing Partner and President of WBB Securities, LLC, a Democratic congressional candidate in the 2004 election cycle and the Chairman and CEO of StormBio, Inc. * Robert N. Buck (1914–2007), aviator and author who broke 14 junior airspeed records in the 1930s, started his flying career at the Westfield Airport * Alan Bunce (actor), Alan Bunce (1900–1965), radio and television actor * Devin Caherly (born 2001, class of 2019), social media personality * Chris Campbell (wrestler), Chris Campbell (born 1954), wrestler who won a bronze medalist in Freestyle wrestling at the 1992 Summer Olympics * 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 * John Chironna (1928–2010), head coach of the Rhode Island Rams football team in 1961 and 1962 *

(born 1962), Governor of New Jersey, who lived in Westfield for a year while his home in Mendham was under constructionWaters, Sharon
"The Westfield Five: A course of politics, with a side of laughs"
''NJBIZ'', September 26, 2011. Accessed March 3, 2012. "Only one now-prominent politician seems to have looked at Westfield as a short stay — Christie, who rented in town for about a year while his Mendham house was being built." * Bob Clotworthy (1931–2018), diver who competed in the 3 m springboard at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics and won a bronze and a gold medal, respectively * Grover Connell (1918–2018), rice trader and longtime member of the ''Forbes 400'' * Pat Cosquer (born 1975), college Squash (sport), squash coach * John Cuneo (illustrator), John Cuneo (born 1957), illustrator, whose work has appeared in ''

'', ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'', ''Sports Illustrated'' and ''The Atlantic'' * Nicholas Delpopolo (born 1989), judoka who has represented the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics * Robert S. Dietz (1914–1995), marine geologist, geophysicist and oceanographer who conducted pioneering research concerning seafloor spreading * Alexander Wilson Drake (1843–1916), artist, collector and critic * Sara Driver (born 1955), independent filmmaker * Michael DuHaime (born 1974), Republican strategist and public affairs executive * Geoff Edwards (1931–2014), actor and game show host * Edward Einhorn (born 1970), children's author, director and playwright * Mike Emanuel (born 1967), Washington correspondent for Fox News * Gail Falkenberg (born 1947), professional tennis player, who may be the oldest tournament tennis player of all time, having competed in ITF Women's World Tennis Tour tournaments as recently as 2021, at age 74 * Thomas Farley (physician), Thomas Farley, pediatrician who served as the commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Health * Kevin Feige (born 1973), film producer and President of Marvel Studios * Michael Fennelly (musician), Michael Fennelly (born 1949), rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who performed with The Millennium (band), The Millennium and Crabby Appleton * Gerald Foster (painter), Gerald Foster (1900–1987), painter who competed in the Art competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics#Painting, painting event in the Art competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics, art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics * William Chapman Foster (1897–1984), businessman and high-ranking government official who negotiated multiple arms control treaties * Nona Garson (born 1958), List of equestrian sports, equestrian who competed in Equestrian at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Team jumping, team jumping and Equestrian at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Individual jumping, individual jumping at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney * GH057ayame (gamer tag of Eric Hewitt), retired professional ''Major League Gaming'' gamer who works for 343 Industries working on future ''Halo (series), Halo'' games * Gina Glantz (born ), political strategist, campaign manager, field director and consultant * John Duval Gluck (1878–1951), philanthropist, customs broker and con artist who is best known for popularizing the practice of sending and answering letters to Santa Claus in New York City * Dan Graham (born 1942), artist, writer, and curator * Joseph Greenspan (born 1992), association football, soccer player for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC of the United Soccer League * Robert Greifeld (born 1957), CEO of NASDAQ, NASDAQ-OMX * Matt Gutman (born 1977), ABC News correspondent * Harry Hanan (1916–1982), cartoonist of the syndicated comic strip ''Louie'' * Kenneth Hand (1899–1988), politician and judge who served in the New Jersey Senate * Walt Hansgen (1919–1966), race car driver * Chuck Hardwick (born 1941), politician and business leader who served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and was a candidate for Governor of New Jersey * Langston Hughes (1902–1967), poetMule Bone: Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston's Dream Deferred of an African-American Theatre of the Black Word.
''African American Review'', March 22, 2001. Accessed March 7, 2008. "In February 1930, Hurston headed north, settling in Westfield, New Jersey. Godmother Mason (Mrs. Rufus Osgood Mason, their white protector) had selected Westfield, safely removed from the distractions of New York City, as a suitable place for both Hurston and Hughes to work." * Clark Hulings (1922–2011), realist artist * Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), folklorist * Scott Jacobs (born 1958), painter known for his photorealistic work of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, who became the company's first official licensed artist in 1993 * Robert Kaplow (born 1954), teacher and novelist whose coming-of-age novel was made into a film titled ''Me and Orson Welles'' * Thomas Kean Jr. (born 1968), New Jersey Senate, New Jersey State Senator and son of former

Thomas Kean * Mary Jo Keenen, actress who appeared on ''Nurses (American TV series), Nurses'' * Kevin Kelly (editor), Kevin Kelly (born 1952), founder of ''Wired (magazine), Wired'' magazine * Martin Kunert (born 1970), film director and TV writer/producer of ''Voices of Iraq'', ''MTV's Fear'' and ''Campfire Tales (1997 film), 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 * Ira Lewis (1932–2015), actor and playwright, whose works included ''Chinese Coffee'' * John List (serial killer), John List (1925–2008), murderer convicted in the deaths of his wife, mother and three children. Known as the "Bogeyman of Westfield" * Matt Loughlin, sportscaster who is the radio play-by-play voice of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League on WFAN (AM), WFAN * Andrew McCarthy (born 1962), actor who appeared in ''Weekend at Bernie's'' and is currently starring in ''The Family (2016 TV series), The Family'' * Sy Montgomery (born 1958), naturalist, author and scriptwriter * Patrick Morrisey (born 1967), elected as List of Attorneys General of West Virginia, Attorney General of West Virginia in 2012 * Rebecca Morse (ice hockey), Rebecca Morse (born 1992), ice hockey defender, currently playing for the Metropolitan Riveters of the National Women's Hockey League * Laura Overdeck, entrepreneur and philanthropist who is the founder and president of Bedtime Math * Bill Palatucci (born 1958), attorney who is a member of the Republican National Committee and the New Jersey Apportionment Commission, and led the selection of staff for the presidential transition of Donald Trump * John S. Penn (1926–2013), politician who represented the New Jersey's 16th legislative district, 16th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1984 to 1994 * Randolph Perkins (1871–1936), mayor of Westfield from 1903 to 1905, and represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district from 1921 to 1936 * Dave Perkowski (born 1947), former competition swimming (sport), swimmer who represented the United States in the Swimming at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre breaststroke, 100-meter breaststroke event at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City * Arthur N. Pierson (1867–1957), businessman and politician who served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and President of the New Jersey Senate * Paul Robeson (1898–1976), athlete, actor, singer, political activist, NFL guard from 1920 to 1922 for the Akron Pros and Milwaukee Badgers * Andrew K. Ruotolo (1952–1995), politician who served as the

prosecutor * John Rzeznik (born 1965), lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls * Bret Schundler (born 1959), former Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City and former New Jersey gubernatorial candidate * Amos Scudder (1779–1856), architect and builder * Ephraim Scudder (1819–1872), builder''Amos Scudder: A Yankee in Savannah'', Shelley Carroll, Armstrong State College (1994) * John Scudder (builder), John Scudder (1815–1869), builder * Coleen Sexton (born 1979), actress who made her Broadway debut at age 20 in ''Jekyll & Hyde (musical), Jekyll & Hyde'' in 2000 * Matthew Sklar (born 1973), Tony Award and Emmy Award-nominated composer of Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals ''The Prom (musical), The Prom'', ''Elf the Musical'', and ''The Wedding Singer (musical), The Wedding Singer'' * Jessica St. Clair (born 1976), actress and improvisational comedian * Dan Soucek (born 1969), North Carolina State Senator * Jeff Torborg (born 1941), Major League Baseball, MLB player and manager * P. Roy Vagelos (born 1929), former Chairman and CEO of Merck & Co. * Jeffrey A. Warsh (born 1960), former member of the New Jersey General Assembly and Executive Director of

* Dave Weinstein (born 1988), appointed by

in 2016 to serve as the state's Chief Technology Officer * Roger Welch (born 1946), conceptual artist * 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 * Alfred M. Wolin (born 1932), former United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. * Glen Everett Woolfenden (1930–2007), ornithology, ornithologist, known for his long-term study of the Florida scrub jay population at Archbold Biological Station near Lake Placid, Florida * Butch Woolfolk, Harold "Butch" Woolfolk (born 1960), NFL running back from 1982 to 1988 who played for the

, Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions * Dan Yemin, punk rock guitaristLustig, Jay. "A Lifetime later; How one scruffy N.J. hardcore band influenced a generation of musicians that followed.", ''

'', February 4, 2007.

References

External links

*
Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce
* {{Authority control Westfield, New Jersey, 1798 establishments in New Jersey Populated places established in 1798 Special Charters in New Jersey Towns in Union County, New Jersey