westfield Archives - Luxury Homes/Top Towns

Westfield Makes Top 10 List of Best Suburbs to Live in NJ

February 19, 2021 by Scott Gleason

Niche.com collects data on various cities all over the country. They compile this data in different “best of” lists. In 2020, they put Westfield in the top 10 of their Best Suburbs to Live in New Jersey list. (It is a little too early in the year to be releasing their 2021 list.) That actually moved us up a spot from our 2019 rankings. But that really does not surprise anyone who lives here.

Niche.com put Westfield in the #6 spot of its 2020 Top 10 Best Suburbs to Live in New Jersey, moving it up one spot from 2019.

Westfield Ranked in Top 10 Best Suburbs to Live in NJ

How Niche.com Determines Rankings

The folks at Niche.com base each city’s ranking on 15 separate categories. These include the cost of living, education, housing, public schools, and diversity among other things. They pull data from a variety of sources, including the US Census Bureau, FBI, US Department of Education, and local surveys. Each category equals a percentage of the overall score.

Why Westfield Made the Grade

While our cost of living may be higher than some other cities in New Jersey, we excel in just about every other category Niche.com judged us in. Our excellent public school system, community health and access to healthcare, and our family-friendly community set us in the “A+” category. Meanwhile, our abundance of outdoor activities, our economic growth, high employment rate, and an array of restaurants, bars, and entertainment options achieved “A” status as well. Our low crime rate, diverse population, and short commute times were all given a “B” grade.

With a population of just under 30,000, Westfield residents enjoy the close-knit community that a small town provides. Fortunately, its location allows an easy commute to NYC and everything that the city has to offer (both for work and play). Niche.com also ranked it #9 out of 637 other cities on its 2020 Best Places to Live in New Jersey list. And it made the #14 spot on its 2020 Best Suburbs to Raise a Family in New Jersey list.

Scott Gleason, CRS at RE/MAX Select, Luxury Homes

November 2019 Market Update

November 19, 2019 by Scott Gleason

Curious about your home’s value?

Please click below for the market update of interest to you:

Cranford

Scotch Plains

Westfield by Grade School:

Scott Gleason scott@luxuryhomesnj.com

RE/MAX SelectLuxury Homes for Sale in Westfield

Westfield Receives A+ for Best Places to Live in NJ

June 14, 2019 by Scott Gleason

Just last month, Safewise.com proclaimed our fair city to be the safest city in Union County. It also placed it as the sixth safest city in the entire state. A few weeks before that, WalletHub.com put us on their Best Small Cities in America list (#3 in the state). Recently, Westfield placed #7 on Niche.com’s Best Places to Live in New Jersey list. Our community received a solid A+.

Westfield made it onto another "Best Places to Live in NJ" list. This time, Niche.com gave it an A+, ranking it at #7 overall for New Jersey.

Westfield Added to Another “Best Places” List

Niche.com graded 60 different New Jersey communities based on various factors. These included the cost of living, education, the public school system, diversity of the population, crime and safety, walkability, employment, health and fitness, weather, and commute time among others. Westfield’s public schools, nightlife, family-friendly lifestyle, outdoor activities, and nightlife all received an A or better grade. Crime and safety, housing, diversity, jobs, weather, and commute times received B’s.

Every one of our schools in the Westfield Public Schools system received an A, with Wilson Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, and Westfield High achieving the highest marks of all (A+). Our rate for violent crimes comes in at 98% below the national average. We also made Niche.com’s 2019 Best Suburbs to Live in New Jersey (#3) and Best Suburbs to Raise a Family in New Jersey (#9) lists.

Top 10 Best Places to Live in New Jersey – Niche.com

Princeton Junction
Upper Montclair
Princeton
Princeton Meadows
Ridgewood
Waterfront
Westfield
Short Hills
Highland Park
Haddonfield

Scott Gleason, CRS at RE/MAX Select, Luxury Homes

Westfield Named Safest City in Union County

May 10, 2019 by Scott Gleason

When searching for a place to live, security ranks somewhere near the top for most people. So, it should ease your mind to know that Westfield was named the safest city in Union County by SafeWise.com. Cranford came in second.

According to SafeWise.com, Westfield was named the safest city in Union County, sixth in New Jersey, and 15th in the United States.

Westfield: A Safe Place to Live

SafeWise gathered crime statistics data for thousands of municipalities across the country. They used FBI stats from 2017 (the most recent data available) to determine rankings. New Jersey cities made up almost 1/3 of the top 100 safest cities in the nation (30 of them, to be precise). Westfield ranked #6 in the state and #1 in Union County.

SafeWise looked at the rate of violent crimes as well as property crimes per 1,000 people to determine rankings. The national average for violent crimes reported in the US in 2017 was 4.49 per 1000 people. Westfield reported 0.099 per 1,000 people. For property crimes, Westfield’s average (8.499) fell far below the national average (27.11) as well.

With the onslaught of 24/7 news coverage, it’s easy to believe that crime is on the rise. However, FBI statistics say otherwise. In fact, between 1993 and 2017, violent crime fell by 49%. Property crime decreased by 50% in that time period. Violent crime hit a slight uptick in 2015 and 2016 before falling again in 2017. But property crime hasn’t experienced any increase since 2001.

Top 10 Safest Cities in New Jersey

Bernards Township
Denville Township
Pequannock Township
Bergenfield
Monroe Township
Westfield
Hawthorne
Millford
Cranford Township
Readington

Keep this information in mind whenever you see a police officer out on the streets of Westfield. Then, thank them for keeping us safe. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for putting their safety before our own and allowing our families to thrive in this great community.

Scott Gleason, CRS at RE/MAX Select, Luxury Homes

Westfield Makes Top 30 Best Small Cities in America List

February 22, 2019 by Scott Gleason

Some people like the hustle and bustle of big city life. Others crave a small town atmosphere to raise a family. Westfield offers the benefits that the small town living provides. But it’s located close enough to Manhattan to enjoy everything a big city has to offer. Wallethub looked at over 1,200 US cities with 25,000 to 100,000 residents to come up with their Best Small Cities in America list. Westfield came in at the #30 spot for the entire country, making it one of the top three New Jersey towns on the list.

Wallethub looked at over 1200 US cities with between 25,000 and 100,000 residents to determine the Best Small Cities in America. Westfield made the top 30.

How Wallethub Determined Ranking

Wallethub ranked each of the 1268 cities they looked at by comparing statistics in five distinct categories:

Affordability
Economic Health
Education & Health
Quality of Life
Safety

They looked at the median household income compared to the cost of living and homeownership rates. Unemployment, rate of growth of population, income, and jobs, debt, and even credit scores were considered from city to city. The local school systems, overall health of the residents, commute time, hours worked per week, entertainment options, and crime rates were also factors in deciding how each city ranked on the list. Those cities in the 99th percentile were in the top 1% of the small cities on their list. Our city fell in the 98th percentile.

Why Westfield Made the List

Out of all the cities on Wallethub’s list, Westfield tied with Holly Springs, NC for the city with the least amount of residents living below the poverty line (just 2.2%). We were also recognized for our low crime rate and great economy. From my own personal experience, I can attest that we also have some amazing restaurants with incredibly talented chefs creating mouth-watering meals for the public on a daily basis. Visit Wallethub’s Best Small Cities in America list online to read more about their methodology as well as what the experts who put the list together have to say.

Scott Gleason, CRS at RE/MAX Select, Luxury Homes