Living in Westfield, NJ

Union County

Westfield's most genuinely distinct identity within New Jersey is its real, historic, walkable downtown -- 26 separately designated historic landmarks, anchored by Mindowaskin Park (established 1918, 12.6 acres), a City Beautiful-era green space named for the Lenape word for "pleasant place," honoring Chief Mindowaskin. Downtown Westfield hosts its own real annual holiday tradition, branded "Miracle on Elm St." -- a distinct Westfield tradition, unrelated to the similarly-named but genuinely different Baltimore holiday-lights tradition an early research pass mistakenly suspected a connection to (corrected here rather than repeated). Westfield carries a genuinely remarkable median household income of $232,629 -- the 9th-highest of any municipality in New Jersey. Westfield Public School District ranks #18 in New Jersey (Niche 2026), #3 in Union County, home to a nationally-recognized National Blue Ribbon middle school and a 'Star School'-designated high school. Westfield's property-tax story carries a real, disclosed "$19K paradox": Westfield's average tax bill (~$18,948, April 2026) runs nearly as high in dollar terms as Summit's ($19,697, built alongside this record), even though Westfield's $953,400 median home value runs below Summit's $994,500 -- because Westfield's effective RATE (2.21%) runs meaningfully higher than Summit's (1.475%-1.48%). Westfield Station sits on the NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line, though most trains terminate at Newark Penn Station, requiring a transfer for New York Penn Station -- a real, disclosed nuance distinct from Summit's direct Midtown Direct service. Westfield's real hazard profile is inland-flood-driven, via the same Union County/Rahway River basin mechanism as Summit: Hurricane Sandy caused real, documented inland basement flooding across Westfield specifically via power-outage-driven sump-pump failures. Westfield's population runs genuinely family-oriented rather than retiree-skewed -- its senior share (14.45%-14.9%) runs meaningfully below both New Jersey's own statewide average and the national comparison.

Explore Westfield in depth

• Moving to Westfield: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Westfield
• Housing in Westfield
• Taxes & Insurance in Westfield
• Climate in Westfield
• Schools & Families in Westfield
• Healthcare & Safety in Westfield
• Pros and Cons of Living in Westfield
• Best Areas to Live in Westfield

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits families and young professionals specifically drawn to Westfield's real, historic, walkable downtown character and strong #18-in-NJ schools, who are comfortable with a Newark Penn Station transfer for most NYC-bound rail trips and have separately budgeted for the town's real, elevated property-tax bill and planned sump-pump backup power given documented Hurricane Sandy flooding history.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for commuters who specifically require a direct, no-transfer NY Penn Station rail commute, given most Raritan Valley Line trains terminate at Newark Penn Station; anyone comparing only percentage tax rates without confirming Westfield's real, near-$19,000 dollar tax bill; and anyone without a backup-power plan for sump pumps, given Westfield's documented Hurricane Sandy-driven inland basement flooding history.