Westfield is a prosperous family friendly sophisticated community with beautiful residential neighborhoods and an appealing downtown. The town noted for it's broad, tree-lined streets,stately homes, and manicured properties is the epitome to grace and style. Residents are proud of its rich history and colonial heritage. Civic mindedness and volunteerism characterize the community, which is also noted for its excellent school system and convenient commute to New York City.
The picturesque downtown offers a variety of specialty shops and boutiques, along with mall-drawn stores such as the Lord & Taylor, Gap, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, and Victoria's Secret. It is also enhanced by a number of coffeehouses and delicious eateries - some with alfresco dining. Many lush parks and golf courses are located in town or nearby.There are many churches and synagogues, as well as a movie theater. Community programs and services abound, such as the Westfield YMCA ,the Westfield Symphony Orchestra, and the NJ Workshop of Fine Arts. There are numerous public playgrounds and tennis courts maintained by the town, as well as several swim clubs.Tamaques, Mindowaskin, and nearby Echo Lake Park offer trails for walking, jogging ,and biking, and ample grounds for a picnic and family gatherings.
A collective pride in the past and an energy for the future make Westfield a very sought after community, as evidenced in the real estate prices which range from the mid $300,000's to $5,000,000. Westfield offers its residents the attractions of fine suburban living close to the advantages of metropolitan New York.
Westfield is at is a wonderful small community enjoying the sophistication of a more cosmopolitan area providing a great style of living
Summit, New Jersey
SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY: Incorporated in 1899, the Town of Summit is one of the most widely-known and most highly considered communities in Union County, NJ. It sits poised over 400 ft. above sea level in the least densely populated potion of the county. Summit is home to people of many social, economic and ethnic backgrounds who have found in Summit a stimulating, heterogeneous, suburban environment. Travel to New York City makes Summit highly desirable. Two train lines funnel into Summit: Midtown Direct moving directly into Penn Station located in midtown Manhattan and New Jersey Transit’s original line which carries passengers into Hoboken where PATH trains connect to lower Manhattan and Wall Street. Newark International Airport is a 15-minute car ride away. New Jersey with its thriving business climate has a well-educated workforce and easy access to a wealth of recreation. Summit, running along the expansive Watchung Reservation, has an abundance of resources and is rich with history and culture. Summit residents and neighbors from the surrounding communities enjoy the Summit Playhouse, the Summit Symphony and the Summit arts center now known as the New Jersey Center for the Visual Arts. Summit public schools are known for their excellence with small class sizes and only two students per computer. Summit has eleven historic districts with many of its finest architectural buildings and homes dating back to the turn of the century. As evidenced by its thriving downtown, Summit’s shopping district hosts an assortment of unique owner-operated businesses. Summit is an excellent town to which to relocate or visit.
Summit Facts:
Population: 21,103
Land Size: 6.05 sq. mi.
County: Union County, NJ
Median Home Value: $956,098
Median Household Income: $113,460
Cost of Living Index: 145.8
Mountainside Set on the first ridge of the Watchung Mountains, Mountainside is a nature lover's dream come true! This lovely community has 13 miles of marked hiking trails, several nature trails, and nearly 30 miles of bridle trails. It is also home to Trailside Nature and Science Center, a complex containing a visitor center, a museum, and a planetarium.
A sense of history pervades this community which was initially used by the Lenape Indians for hunting grounds and settled in the 1600's by English miners and English and Dutch farmers. Approximately 7,000 people live in Mountainside, which reserves only 9% of its land for industrial and commercial development. Home styles range from contemporary, to cape cods, to expansive split levels and ranches.
Mountainside is a special place to watch the seasons change. Spectacular changing of the leaves, park the car and walk through any number of areas in the Watchung Reservation
HISTORY OF MOUNTAINSIDE
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"The Borough of Mountainside celebrated its Centennial with a year-long series of events in 1995 in recognition of its separation from Westfield on October 22, 1895. Water supply, street lights, sewers, and the taxes relating to them were the precipitating concerns that led to the split. The "Freeholders" of that area of Westfield voted affirmatively on September 24, 1895. Following that, an election of Borough officers was held on October 22 at Beaman’s Blacksmith Shop, behind present-day Mountainside Drug. Joseph W. Cory, the first mayor, held that position until 1901. He served again from 1906 to 1909. In addition to a mayor, councilman, clerk, and treasurer, elected officials included a constable, a surveyor of highways, a commissioner of appeal, and an overseer of the poor. After the organization of the government of the borough, departments necessary to conduct the governing functions - such as police, fire, and education and public welfare - were gradually added.
"In 1910 Mayor C.A. Baechtold asked Robert Laing about organizing a Volunteer Fire DepartentA large group worked on the idea, and in May 1915 the department was incorporated as a non-profit organization. A used chemical engine found in Westfield (purchased price: $35) was pulled by a horse and buggy belonging to Henry Weber. This unit was used until 1918, when Weber bought a Thomas Flyer truck with an engine containing two seventy-Gallon chemical tanks. Later a Ford chassis was built into the equipment. The total cost for this customizing amounted to $1,500. Mountainside’s Fire Department now operates state-of-the-art equipment out of a modern Fire House located on New Providence Road.
"An ordinance by the Borough Council in 1934 created a Police Department Charles Honecker was appointed first chief. Prior to that, chief marshals, justices of the peace, and recorders looked after affairs pertinent to this area. A new building to house the Police Department was completed in 1996.
"In 1938 the Fire Department began planning for rescue work in case of accidents, illness, or other emergencies, and in December of that year A Rescue Squad was fully organized after the training of police and firemen in first aid. The Rescue Squad now has its own building near the Borough Hall and a modern ambulance.
"In the days before Mountainside became a borough with its own government it was part of the Township of Elizabethtown, which was organized in 1693, covered a wide area, and included the West Fields. The Locust Grove, Branch Mills, and Baltusrol sections of the West Fields, rural communities composed mostly of farmers, later became Mountainside. The Dutch preceded the English in some areas of New Jersey, but the majority of settlers here were English. Descendants of some early pioneers still live in the area.
"Some early eighteenth century houses are still standing in Mountainside but others have given way to modern buildings, both residential and commercial. One of the earliest homes, built by pioneers James and John Badgley in 1738 near where Trailside Museum now stands, became a garage for the Union County Parks Commission. Arson destroyed it in 1984. The Deacon Andrew Hetfield House, built about 1760, was used by the Hetfield family or in-laws until 1936. From then through the early 1980’s it was an antique shop called the Dutch Oven. When developers bought the property in 1984, they planned to demolish the house. Fern Carter Hyde, chairman of the Mountainside’s Historic Preservation Committee, persuaded the Borough Council to save it, and on June 29, 1985, the house was moved to Constitution Plaza near the Mountainside Library. The Hetfield House is now on the National and State Registers of Historic Places,
"Many early residents, such as Andrew Hetfield, Ichabod Clarke, and Jonathan Woodruff, served in the Revolutionary War. Residents also served in both World Wars. A portion of Route 22 is named Blue Star Drive in honor of World War I veterans
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Berkeley Heights New Jersey is home to over 13,000 residents and covers a land area of 6.3 square miles in Union County. Berkley Heights is located 10 miles from Edison, 18 miles from Newark, and 35 miles from New York, NY.
Berkeley Heights began in an area that is now part of the 1,960-acre Watchung Reservation, a Union County park that includes 305 acres of the township. In 1793, a regional government was formed. It encompassed the area from present-day Springfield, Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights, and was called Springfield Township. Growth continued in the area, and by 1809, Springfield Township divided into Springfield Township and New Providence Township. New Providence Township included Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights.
Today Berkeley Heights is nestled in the Watchung Mountains, a community of comfortable homes, quiet tree lined streets, which provides the ideal setting for raising a family and enjoying life. The Berkeley Heights Public School District is an excellent school system consisting of 4 elementary schools, 1 middle school and 1 High School.
Residents enjoy spacious parks and outstanding recreational programs for all ages. Berkeley Heights is an easy commute by train to New York City for work or play and provides access to other locations by nearby major highways.
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