Exploring the "Cranford Gardens" Neighborhood of Cranford

The Cranford neighborhood known as “Cranford Gardens” comprises the area in the northwest part of Cranford, defined by Tulip Street, Orchard Street, Spring Garden, and West End Avenue.  (You can almost smell the flowers, can’t you?)  Residents’ children attend Brookside School for elementary school, and then Orange Avenue School for middle school.  They also have a nice, short walk to the high school, which is very nearby.

The original development began construction in 1938, at a time when construction was hot across much of this area of the country.   Sparked by FDR’s post-Depression new Deal, and the provision of new sanitary sewer systems provided by the WPA, the era of new-home building represented the feel of hope and new beginnings that was indicative of the times.  Many of the original homes still stand proudly, and they are seamlessly intertwined with newer homes, some on a fairly grand scale,  that have been built on intermixed plots.  The streets are tree-lined, well-landscaped, and absolutely lovely.

Cranford Gardens is the perfect blend picturesque, well-kept yards and properties, and child and family friendly living.  It is a quiet neighborhood, within a close distance of the business areas of town, but set just far enough away to be quiet and peaceful.  One resident summed it up perfectly,  ”I like that I can send my kids to the movies, to school, into town with their friends, or to the store for me, and I never have to get into my car.  But then the kids can play basketball in the street and not have to worry about too much traffic going by.”  Now doesn’t that sound perfect?