Cranford, New Jersey

Cranford is a census-designated place (CDP) comprising the downtown part of Cranford Township, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census with a population of population was 2,032.The CDP is bordered by Lincoln Avenue to the south and southwest, by the borough of Garwood to the west, by an unnamed stream and the Rahway River to the north and northeast, by Centennial Avenue to the east, and by Lincoln Park to the southeast. New Jersey Route 28 (North Avenue) runs through the center of downtown, as does the NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line, with access at Cranford station. Elizabeth is 5 miles (8 km) to the east, and Plainfield is 6 miles (10 km) to the southwest.

The Cranford Theater is an independently owned movie theater in Cranford, New Jersey, United States that has been in operation since 1926.

Saint Michael's School, also referred to as SMS or St. Mike's, is an American Catholic parochial school whose motto, "Fides et Ratio" (Latin for "Faith and Reason") describes the school's goal of having their students become independent thinkers and grow into responsible young adults grounded in Catholic values. St. Michael's, which offers nursery through 8th grade, was founded in 1929 and is located in Cranford, New Jersey, United States. As of 2013, the principal is Mrs. Sandy Miragliotta. St. Michael's follows the New Jersey Core Content Curriculum Standards in addition to Curriculum Guidelines set forth by the Archdiocese of Newark. It is also independently accredited by the Middle States Association for Elementary Schools, most recently in 2010. St. Michael's students consistently outperform the national and archdiocesan averages on standardized MAP Growth tests. The school has both a Before-care and Aftercare program Extracurricular sports are offered by the St. Michael's Sports Association.

Cranford is an active commuter railroad station in the township of Cranford, Union County, New Jersey. Trains operate between High Bridge and Newark Penn Station (with limited trains continuing to New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal) on New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line. The next station east is Roselle Park while west is Garwood. Cranford station contains two side platforms to service three tracks and is accessible for handicapped persons under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Cranford station opened as French House with the opening of the Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad on January 1, 1839. The first station was built in 1844, replaced itself in 1869, when it attained its current name of Cranford. The 1869 depot came down in 1905, replaced with a new depot in 1906. The Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) replaced the station in 1929 and 1930 when they began a track elevation process in October 1928. In 1967, the construction and opening of the Aldene Plan, resulting in the line using the former Lehigh Valley Railroad alignment into Newark rather than continuing to Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City. This resulted in a shuttle service between East 33rd Street station in Bayonne and Cranford station. This service operated until August 6, 1978.NJ Transit considered Cranford station as a stop of the Union go bus expressway, a bus rapid transit service utilizing the former CNJ alignment between Cranford and Elizabeth.

The Crane-Phillips House, located at 124 N. Union Avenue in Cranford in Union County, New Jersey, United States, is a Victorian cottage in the architectural style of Andrew Jackson Downing, the first American architect. The Crane-Phillips House is now a museum operated by the Cranford Historical Society that offers visitors a glimpse of what life was like for a modest family in the Victorian era of opulence. It illustrates the late 19th century as the era of invention and highlights inventions that changed everyday life for the average person by way of the house's second owners, the Phillips family. Henry J. Phillips, an American Civil War veteran of the 7th New York Militia, was one of the first inventors of the modern kitchen hood. During the war, he had also patented a convertible tent and overcoat for military use. His brother, Charles Henry Phillips, was the inventor of Phillips' Milk of Magnesia. The museum features a collection of Native American artifacts, American Revolutionary War and American Civil War artifacts, other arms and armaments, 19th century tools and farm implements, a Victorian parlor, and a Victorian girl's bedroom circa 1870. There is also an extensive archives of Cranford-related documents. Changing exhibits include major displays from the Society's large antique clothing collection.

Droescher's Mill is located in Cranford, Union County, New Jersey, United States. The mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 8, 1974. It is the oldest continuously operated commercial building in New Jersey.

The Cranford Township Public Schools is a comprehensive public school district serving students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade in Cranford in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The district is governed by a nine-member elected board of education. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of seven schools, had an enrollment of 3,853 students and 323.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.9:1.The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "I", the second-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.

Cranford High School is a four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in Cranford, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and operating as the lone secondary school of the Cranford Township Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1929.As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,107 students and 97.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1. There were 13 students (1.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 4 (0.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.The student population consists primarily of students who attended junior high school at either Orange Avenue School or Hillside Avenue School within the Cranford Township Public Schools or went to Saint Michael's School. The school is home to championship sports teams, a competitive academic program, and a large number of clubs.

Dreyer Farms is a Cranford, New Jersey produce farm. It was the winner of Edible Communities' New Jersey Farm local hero award in 2008.

Union County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was state's seventh-most-populous county with a population of 575,345, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 38,846 (+7.2%) from the 2010 census count of 536,499. Its county seat is Elizabeth, which is also the most populous municipality in the county, with a 2020 census population of 137,298, and the largest by area, covering 13.46 square miles (34.9 km2). The county is located in the North Jersey region. In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $60,089, the seventh-highest in New Jersey and ranked 152nd of 3,113 counties in the United States. The Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked the county as having the 119th-highest per capita income of all 3,113 counties in the United States (and the eighth-highest in New Jersey) in 2009. A study by Forbes.com determined that Union County pays the second-highest property taxes of all U.S. counties, based on 2007 data.With a population density of 4,955 inhabitants per square mile (1,913/km2) in 2000, Union County was the 15th-most densely populated county in the United States as of the 2010 Census, and third-densest in New Jersey, behind Hudson County (ranked 6th nationwide at 9,754 per square mile) and Essex County (ranked 11th at 6,126).

Garwood is a borough in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,454, an increase of 228 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 4,226, which in turn reflected an increase of 73 (+1.8%) from the 4,153 counted in the 2000 census.

Garwood is a New Jersey Transit (NJT) railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Garwood, New Jersey. There are two short, low platforms on each side, long enough for 2 cars only. Passengers using the inbound platform must cross over a siding track. Access to neighboring stations is available on the 59 or 113 bus to Newark and New York, traveling between Cranford and Westfield stations. Since June 2011, a ticket vending machine (TVM) has been available on the inbound platform. The former Jersey Central Railroad depot, built in 1892, burned in an early morning fire on June 30, 1976.Garwood station has been identified as the western terminus of the Union go bus expressway, a proposed bus rapid transit line utilizing the a portion of the abandoned Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) right-of-way between it and Midtown Station, a transit hub combining the NJT station and the former CNJ station in Elizabeth.