Westfield is a town in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Manhattan.

Almost immediately after the division emigration from the older parts of the town of Elizabeth began to set towards the interior,—especially to the territory lying between the Rahway river, on the east, and the mountains, on the west.

[1][2] Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Germantown and Tamaques Reservation Mill.

[30] Six municipalities border the town of Westfield: Mountainside to the north, Springfield Township to the northeast, Garwood and Cranford to the east, Clark to the southeast, and Scotch Plains to the west and southwest.

The library's collection consists of over 250,000 books, two dozen public computers, a wide array of multimedia options, a large youth services area with a vivid mural depicting Westfield history, and multiple tables and carrels for studying.

[35] Westfield's downtown features many local and national stores and several landmarks that were shown and used in the NBC network television show Ed such as the Rialto Theater.

The Downtown Westfield Corporation (DWC) manages the Special Improvement District (SID) area's growth and enhancement.

The DWC sponsors marketing efforts and promotions, special event planning, urban design and building improvement projects.

The DWC works closely with the town government and volunteer groups to improve the downtown area.

[36] In 2010, Westfield was the winner of the America in Bloom contest for communities with a population of 25,001–50,000 against the other two towns entered in their category.

[60][61] The governing body is comprised of a mayor and an eight-member Town Council, with all positions filled in partisan elections.

[7] The Town Council holds meetings every two weeks where it discusses legislation under consideration, and which are open to the public.

As of 2024[update], the mayor of Westfield is Democrat Michelle W. "Shelley" Brindle, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2025.

[3][63][64][65][66] In April 2022, the Town Council selected Emily Root from a list of three alternatives submitted by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the Ward 1 seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by James Boyes until he resigned from office earlier that month.

The chief of police is Christopher Battiloro, who was appointed to the position in December 2018, after serving for four months on an interim basis.

[71] Westfield Fire Headquarters, located at 405 North Avenue West, is staffed 24 hours a day by a Battalion Chief (Shift Commander), a lieutenant and three firefighters.

The WFD serves as a backup EMS agency for the town if the Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad is not readily available.

Members are paged in the event that another emergency arises and the original crew is answering a medical call.

[76][77][78] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 7th congressional district is represented by Thomas Kean Jr. (R, Westfield).

[80] For the 2024-2025 session, the 21st legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Jon Bramnick (R, Westfield) and in the General Assembly by Michele Matsikoudis (R, New Providence) and Nancy Munoz (R, Summit).

[82] As of 2025[update], Union County's County Commissioners are: Rebecca Williams (D, Plainfield, 2025),[83] Joesph Bodek (D, Linden, 2026),[84] James E. Baker Jr. (D, Rahway, 2027),[85] Michele Delisfort (D, Union Township, 2026),[86] Sergio Granados (D, Elizabeth, 2025),[87] Bette Jane Kowalski (D, Cranford, 2025),[88] Vice Chair Lourdes M. Leon (D, Elizabeth, 2026),[89] Alexander Mirabella (D, Fanwood, 2027)[90] and Chair Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded (D, Westfield, 2027).

[91][92] Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are: Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (D, Union Township, 2025),[93][94] Sheriff Peter Corvelli (D, Kenilworth, 2026)[95][96] and Surrogate Christopher E. Hudak (D, Clark, 2027).

[99] Among the town's 2010 Census population, 68.2% (vs. 53.3% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 97.5% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.6% countywide).

[127] Holy Trinity School is a Middle States-accredited Catholic school run by the three parishes of Holy Trinity and St. Helen's in Westfield along with Our Lady of Lourdes in Mountainside, which offers education from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade and operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

[130] The main road serving Westfield is Route 28, which runs for about two miles alongside the commuter railroad that marks the boundary between the town's North and South Sides.

NJ Transit (NJT) provides passenger rail service from the Westfield train station.

[132] Westfield riders are able to make a one-seat ride (no transfer necessary) into NY Penn Station during weekday off-peak hours, which was made possible by upgrades of the NJT train equipment to operate into New York City.

Westfield's position and schedule on the Raritan Valley Line make it desirable for commuters, as several times in the morning and evening rush hours a non-stop service operates to/from Newark Penn Station.

[133] Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 20 minutes away, most conveniently reached via Route 22 or NJT trains.

[138] The local community access channel 36 operates out of the Municipal Building on Broad Street in Westfield on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and half of every Sunday.