CRANFORD, NEW JERSEY

'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 Township folds from the banks of the meandering Rahway pond and has been dubbed the "Venice of New Jersey".^[1]
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)."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 237.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Life in Cranford

Commerce

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Town communications

TV 35

Transportation

Sports and recreation

Cranford in film and television

Notable residents

References

External links

Geography

Cranford is located at (40.656302, -74.303716).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 12.5 km² (4.8 mi²). 12.5 km² (4.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.41%) is water.
There are eight 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, and Clark to the south.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,578 people, 8,397 households, and 6,222 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,808.6/km² (4,684.2/mi²). There were 8,560 housing units at an average density of 685.7/km² (1,775.9/mi²). 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.
The median income for a household in the township was $76,338, and the median income for a family was $86,624. 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.

Life in Cranford

Cranford has been described 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."^[2]

Commerce

Cranford 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 buildings 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. On the south side of the community, the Cranford Crossings redevelopment project is underway. When completed, this long awaited project, will feature 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 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.

Government

Local government

Cranford is governed by a five-member executive-legislative Township Committee which is elected at-large for three year terms. The commissioners 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.
Members of the 2007 Cranford Township Committee are^[3]:

★ Mayor Michael A. Plick (Republican, term ends 2008)

★ Deputy Mayor Robert I. Puhak (Republican, 2008) (Commissioner of Public Works and Engineering)

★ Commissioner George J. Jorn (Democrat, 2007) (Commissioner of Public Affairs)

★ Commissioner George T. McDonough (Democrat, 2007) (Commissioner of Public Safety)

★ Commissioner David W. Robinson (Republican, 2009) (Commissioner of Finance)

Federal, state and county representation

Cranford Township is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st Legislative District.^[4]

Freeholder Chairwoman Bette Jane Kowalski is a Cranford resident.

Education

The 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 is ranked as one of the top 75 high school in New Jersey 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(whose boys soccer team recently went undefeated, grades 3-8) and Hillside Avenue School(K-8), which are located on each end of the community and serve their local neighborhood. Both also are elementary schools as well. 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. On the north side of town next to Orange Avenue School is Solomon Schechter Day School, a Jewish day school, with both an English and Judaic studies curriculum, serving grades Nursery through 5th.
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.

Town communications

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.
The township operates a low-power AM radio station at 680 kHz. The station provides information during emergencies in the township.

TV 35

Cranford also has its own channel, TV-35, which is only available to cable television subscribers.

Transportation

The 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.^[5]
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.

Sports and recreation

Cranford has a long history of competitive and award winning youth sports programs. The town's Department of Recreation and Parks hosts several youth sports programs a year, including basketball, cheerleading and flag football. The town's Police Athletic League has a variety of recreational programs including track, football and cheerleading. Little League baseball and softball is coordinated out of the Cranford baseball league, while soccer is run by the town's two private soccer clubs. Soccer has long been considered a dominant sport in Cranford, with many players playing on both local and traveling teams. Private clubs exist for hockey and lacrosse as well. Swimmers can swim with either the Jersey Gators team or the Cranford Swim Club team.
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 an 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 bike path runs through the township around Nomahegan Park. The path features exercise stations around its two mile course. 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.
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:

★ Memorial Day Parade

★ Fourth of July Firecracker Four Miler Road Race

★ Crafts Fairs in Nomahegan Park

★ Street Fairs in Downtown Cranford

★ Christmas Tree Lighting and Santa's Arrival

★ Pancake Breakfasts

★ Friday Night High School Football Games

★ Pride in Cranford Awards
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.

Cranford in film and television

★ Several episodes in the third season of the popular 1990's television show, ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' were filmed in Cranford. One episode was shot at Cranford's Orange Avenue Pool.

★ Cranford is the setting of the 2005 film, ''Guess Who'' starring Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher.

★ Portions of the films ''Garden State,'' ''Far from Heaven'' and ''September 12'' were shot in Cranford.

★ Cranford was referred to in the Popular show "The Simpsons" during the episode "My Mother the Carjacker" when at one point, Homer holds up a newspaper reading "Cranford Man Missing". One of the writers, Michael Price, had parents living in Cranford.

★ Cranford was seen in the opening credits of the TV show, ''Ed''.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Cranford include:

★ Carol Blazejowski (1956-), member of Basketball Hall of Fame and 1974 Cranford High School graduate.^[6]

★ Charles N. Fowler (1852-1932), represented 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1895 to 1911.^[7]

★ Socratic - pop/rock band signed to indie music label Drive-Thru Records, home of bands such as Halifax and Hellogoodbye

★ Thomas Sperry - Co-founder (the "S") of S&H Green Stamps

References

1. Cranford History, accessed February 27, 2007
2. Adams, Andrea. Featured Communities: Cranford Township, ''The Star-Ledger'', April 28, 2005.
3. Cranford Township Committee, Cranford Township. Accessed May 4, 2007.
4. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 56. Accessed August 30, 2006.
5. Union County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 19, 2007.
6. "Spotlight: Carol Blazejowski", ''SI for Women'', May 28, 1999. Accessed May 4, 2007. "In 1974, while a student at Cranford High (NJ), Blazejowski told the school's athletic director (who was also the coach of the boys basketball team) that she would play on boys basketball team if no girls team was created. It wasn't long before Cranford had a girls basketball team."
7. Charles Newell Fowler biography, United States Congress. Accessed August 9, 2007.

External links

★ Cranford Township home page

★ Cranford Township Public Schools

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Cranford Township Public Schools

★ Cranford.com

★ Narrated history of Cranford by Cranford resident Bernie Wagenblast

★ Hometown Memories - Cranford Page

★ Cranford Track

★ CNN Money Best Places Contender 2005

★ Ranked Twelfth in NJ Monthly Top Towns 2006