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Cranford is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 22,578. Cranford was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1871, from portions of the Townships of Clark, Linden, Springfield, Union and Westfield. Portions of the township were taken to form Garwood (March 19, 1903) and Kenilworth (March 13, 1907).[7] New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Cranford as its 37th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.[8]
[edit] GeographyCranford is located at 40°39′23″N 74°18′13″W / 40.656302°N 74.303716°W.[9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12.5 km²), of which, 4.8 square miles (12.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.41%) is water. There are nine municipalities bordering the township: Garwood and Westfield to the west, Springfield Township to the north, Kenilworth to the northeast, Roselle and Roselle Park to the east, Linden to the southeast, Clark and Winfield to the south. [edit] Demographics
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 22,578 people, 8,397 households, and 6,222 families residing in the township. The population density was 4,684.2 people per square mile (1,808.6/km²). There were 8,560 housing units at an average density of 1,775.9/sq mi (685.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.70% White, 2.58% Black or African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.15% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 3.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 8,397 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.09. In the township the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males. According to a 2007 estimate,[11] the median income for a household in the township was $99,281, and the median income for a family was $114,738. Males had a median income of $60,757 versus $41,020 for females. The per capita income for the township was $33,283. About 1.0% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over. According to the 2007 estimate,[11] the racial makeup of the township in 2007 was 91.50% White, 3.40% Black or African American, 3.10% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.40% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 3.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. [edit] Life in CranfordThe Newark Star-Ledger describes Cranford as "a charming bedroom community that packs quite a punch, with a flourishing downtown, bountiful parkland and recreational amenities, and top-ranked schools, all presented in quiet fashion."[12] [edit] CommerceCranford has long been considered a center of commerce. The Cranford Business Park on the south side of town consists of a complex of office buildings housing a variety of major corporations and small businesses. Along North Avenue are a variety of Dbuildings housing doctors and other businesses. Law offices predominate in small buildings around town. Banks are also extremely common throughout the town, which hosts at least half a dozen. Downtown Cranford is a center of business and commerce, serving as a retail shopping district. On the south side of town, the Centennial Avenue Business District is a small shopping district with a mix of neighborhood stores. There is a push to redevelop this business district. Downtown Cranford is the main retail business district for the township. Consisting of a variety of small family owned businesses on both sides of the railroad tracks, there has been a debate in town over the. direction of the downtown. With neighboring communities seeing downtown development and a focus on either recruiting chain store or upscale small stores, Cranford has been debating the issue. The recent focus of downtown Cranford has been to recruit more restaurants in to the downtown and allow for a nightlife to flourish. One of the more popular restaurants is Emma's Brick Oven Pizza and Cafe. Famous for its brick oven pizza, some say it is the best in New Jersey. Emma's is a restaurant that attracted traffic from other towns. On the south side of the community, the Cranford Crossings redevelopment project features retail space, apartments, and a new parking deck. The Riverfront redevelopment project is proposed on South Avenue to bring more business and housing into downtown Cranford. In the 1980s the downtown was renovated to take on a Victorian feel. This included the installation of new light fixtures and cobblestone sidewalks, along with decorative planters and benches. A Victorian street clock was installed in the center of town, allowing for the creation of a small pocket park in the center of the downtown. The clock park has become a hangout for teenagers who are walking to and from school. In the 1980s, Cranford founded the first special improvement district in New Jersey. The SID allows for the downtown district to have a special tax on building and business owners for downtown development and marketing. The SID is managed by the Cranford Downtown Management Corporation. The DMC has used its budget for development projects, to recruit new businesses and to market shopping in Cranford. Various downtown sales and street fairs are administered by the DMC. The DMC is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of business owners and residents, which is appointed by the Township Committee. The DMC Board appoints a DMC Director, who runs the day-to-day operations of the corporation. [edit] Government[edit] Local governmentCranford is governed under the Township form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.[1] The Committee members elect a chairman of the committee who assumes the title of Mayor. Similarly, a Deputy Mayor is elected. Both positions carry one-year terms. Four of the commissioners take on departmental oversight assignments as Commissioner of Finance, Commissioner of Public Safety, Commissioner of Public Works and Engineering, and Commissioner of Public Affairs. The Mayor of Cranford does not take on a departmental assignment. The commissioners are part time officials and the township government is run day to day by the Township Administrator and various department heads. The Chief of Police is Eric Mason. Members of the 2009 Cranford Township Committee are[13]:
[edit] Women in Elected OfficeAs of 2009, seven women have been elected to the Cranford Township Committee and three women have served as Mayor of Cranford. Barbara Brande was the first woman elected to the Township Committee and the first woman mayor of the township. Mayor Brande was elected to the Township Committee in 1974 and reelected in 1977, serving a total of six years. She was Mayor of Cranford in 1977. Carolyn Vollero, who served the longest length of time for a woman on the Township Committee - nine years - was Cranford's second female Mayor in 1994. Barbara Bilger, the township's third female mayor in 2002 and 2004, was also the first woman to serve two terms as the township's mayor. Mayor Bilger is the first Republican woman to serve as a Township Commissioner and as mayor. Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski is a Cranford resident and the first woman from Cranford to be elected to the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Freeholder Kowalski was an unsuccessful candidate for Cranford Township Committee in 1999 and served as Union County Freeholder Chairwoman in 2007. Women Township Commissioners in Cranford
[edit] Federal, state and county representationCranford Township is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st Legislative District.[14] New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District, covering portions of Hunterdon County, Middlesex County, Somerset County and Union County, is represented by Leonard Lance (R, Clinton Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken). For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 21st District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the Senate by Thomas Kean, Jr. (R, Westfield) and in the General Assembly by Jon Bramnick (R, Westfield) and Nancy Munoz (R, Summit).[15] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[16] Union County is governed by a nine-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected at-large to three-year terms on a staggered basis. Union County's Freeholders are Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella (Roselle Park), Freeholder Vice Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan (Elizabeth), Angel G. Estrada (Elizabeth), Chester Holmes (Rahway), Bette Jane Kowalski (Cranford), Rick Proctor (Rahway), Deborah P. Scanlon (Union), Rayland Van Blake (Plainfield), and Nancy Ward (Linden).[17] Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski is a Cranford resident. [edit] EducationThe Cranford Township Public Schools are a comprehensive and successful public school system, which is governed by a nine-person elected Board of Education. The system's high school, Cranford High School was ranked as one of the top 30 high schools in New Jersey in 2008[18] and has won a series of national and statewide awards for its innovative curriculum. Cranford High School has a curriculum which has a strong push for technology in the schools, along with stressing service learning. The high school is recognized for its work in service learning and for being a national school of character. Cranford High School students are regularly admitted to some of the nation's top private and public universities, with over 90% of each graduating class going onto college. Cranford has two public middle schools, Orange Avenue School (grades 3-8) and Hillside Avenue School (K-8), which are located on each end of the community and serve their local neighborhood. On the north side of town, along with Orange Avenue, are two other elementary schools, Bloomingdale Avenue School (K-2) and Brookside Place School (K-5). On the south side of town, along with Hillside Avenue, are two other elementary schools, Walnut Avenue School (K-2) and Livingston Avenue School (3-5). Lincoln School, which is the home of the district's administrative offices, also houses the districts two alternative education programs, CAP and CAMP. In addition to the public education system, Cranford houses several religious and private schools. Saint Michael's School, located in downtown Cranford, is a major Roman Catholic parochial school which offers Nursery through Grade 8 and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools. The main campus of Union County College, New Jersey's oldest community college dating back to 1933, is located in Cranford. The Cranford campus, one of four county locations, was established in 1956. [edit] Town communicationsCranford is covered by a daily online-only community publication called Cranford Patch. Headed by a local editor, a small freelance staff and backed by a support staff in New York, Cranford Patch offers 24/7 coverage of the town. Find it at: Patch.com[1]. Cranford has long been a newspaper community. The Cranford Chronicle (formerly the Cranford Citizen & Chronicle) is a longtime newspaper serving the community. Owned by the Ray Family and published in town, the Chronicle served as the center of community journalism. Stu Awbrey purchased the Chronicle and continued as the town's newspaperman. Awbrey sold the paper to Malcolm Forbes, whose publishing company published the paper for several years before the paper changed hands to other community newspaper publication companies. The Chronicle's office left Cranford for Somerville and later Clark. The Chronicle now also features coverage of Garwood and Kenilworth. The Cranford Eagle started publishing in 1999 as another community newspaper. Owned by Worrall Community Newspapers, the Eagle focused solely on Cranford and other neighboring towns. Edited and reported by several people in its history, the Eagle quickly became a fixture in the community. The Eagle's sports page is shared with the Clark newspaper, published by the same company. WMBQ-CA, an affiliate of MTV2, is licensed to Cranford.  Cranford also has its own channel, TV-35, which is available to cable and Verizon FIOS television subscribers. The channel was founded in 1986. The township operates a low-power AM radio station at 680 kHz. The station provides information during emergencies in the township. Cranford.com is The Official Website of the Township of Cranford, NJ and has been in operation since the summer of 1996. Cranford.com is currently owned and operated by Cranford Residents William and Gina Tipton. [edit] TransportationThe Cranford station offers service on the New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line, formerly the mainline of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. NJ Transit also provides bus service on the 112 and 113 routes to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City and on the 59 and 66 to Newark. The 56, 57 and 58 routes provide local service.[19] Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 13 minutes away in Newark/Elizabeth. Linden Airport, a general aviation facility, is in nearby Linden, New Jersey. The southern section of the township is bisected by Conrail's freight-only Lehigh Line (jointly owned by CSX and Norfolk Southern) along the tracks of the former Lehigh Valley Railroad. The former Staten Island Railway connects with the Raritan Valley Line in Cranford. That line has been rehabilitated but is still inactive. The Garden State Parkway passes through Cranford, with access at Exit 136 for County Route 607 and Exit 137 for Route 28. Exit 136 is known as the "four corners", where Clark, Winfield, Cranford and Linden meet. [edit] Sports and recreation
Cranford has a long history of competitive and award winning youth sports programs. Cranford recently erected lights at the local football field and Friday night football games have become a staple of town nightlife. Cranford has an active recreational program for residents. With many local parks and county parks, Nomahegan, Lenape, Unami, and Rahway River Parkway, Cranford residents are regular fixtures in walking, running, biking and playground usage. The Rahway River, which runs through the community, is a regular for fishing and the Cranford Canoe Club is a historic spot where residents rent canoes to use on the river. Many homes located on the river have canoes in the backyards and docks on the river. A 13.5 mile bike path runs through the township, connecting major points of interest. It was built with in 1982 as part of a fuel-conservation program with funds from the Federal Housing Administration. As a result, there are bike lockers in the town center and at the train station, recreational facilities, schools and the library. The path features exercise stations around its two mile course through Nomahegan Park. Township officials are currently discussing plans to erect a skatepark in the township. The township also hosts a section of the East Coast Greenway which will run between Calais, Maine and Key West, Florida. Cranford's Department of Recreation and Parks sponsors many recreational programs during the course of the year. These include classes, fairs, and sports. Senior citizens in Cranford have many programs for them provided through the Recreation Department. Many of these programs are housed in the Cranford Community Center. The Recreation Department sponsors a summer playground program for township youth. The township also owns Cranford West, a 9 acre tract of land located 60 miles from the town on the banks of Silver Lake in Hope, New Jersey. This campground is open exclusively to Cranford residents during the summer, and features renovated cabins, canoes, a floating dock, picnic benches, as well as restroom and shower facilities. Cranford has two public swimming pools, which residents can join for the summer. The Orange Avenue Pool, on the north side of town, is an outdoor only pool with a large pool with areas for children, general usage and diving. The pool also has a baby pool, a playground, beach volleyball court, and tennis courts, in addition to playing fields and extensive grounds. There are summer recreational programs for children and a popular snack stand. Centennial Avenue Pool, on the south side of town, is both an outdoor and indoor pool. The outdoor pool has separate children, general, and diving pools. There are tennis courts, volleyball and fields, along with a playground and baby pool. There are summer recreational programs for children and a snack stand. The indoor pool is a lap pool, which is used by the high school swim team and the Jersey Gators Swim Team, along with use by the general membership. The indoor complex includes fitness rooms, basketball and a sauna. The Cranford Swim Club is an outdoor private facility. Established as a private swim club, with a family focus, the club offers a pool with diving area and slide. There is a lap swimming area, popular grill and a popular tennis club. There are baseball fields throughout the community, along with soccer fields and other playing grounds. Many of these fields are located on school grounds. Memorial Field, which is located behind Centennial Avenue Pool, contains the township football field, running track, and baseball fields. The track, named after longtime Cranford High School Cross Country and Track Coach Ray White, was renovated recently in order to allow for a new state of the art facility, which can host regional and statewide track contests. Cranford is host to a series of annual community events. These include:
Cranford's 125th Anniversary Celebration, in 1996 was a year-long community celebration. With a series of events to tie the town together, Cranford residents learned about the town's first 125 years. Celebrations included a parade, street fairs, and a celebratory banquet. Banquet attendees were encouraged to wear clothes from 1871. 1997 marked the 100th anniversary of the Cranford Police Department. This anniversary was marked by special events, including a parade and the publication of an anniversary book. A store in downtown Cranford was used to sell memorabilia from the Police Department anniversary. Commemorative bricks were sold around the gazebo in Mayor's Park for township residents to leave a mark on the township. Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman marched in the anniversary parade. For those interested in the arts, the CDC (Cranford Dramatic Club) Community Theatre is a 300-seat community theater that sponsors award-winning musicals and plays year-round. More information, including subscriptions, can be found at the Theatre's website. [edit] Cranford in film and television
[edit] Notable residentsNotable current and former residents of Cranford include:
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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