Westfield, New Jersey, formerly known as the West Fields of Elizabeth was settled in 1720 and was incorporated as a town in 1903.

Westfield is well known for its attractive, small-town environment, excellent school system, vibrant downtown shopping and activities. The town is conveniently located close to major highways and transportation.

There are many restaurants and casual dining establishments throughout town. Downtown is located just north of the Westfield train station.

Westfield's downtown features many local shops and chain stores and many landmarks that were shown and used in the television show Ed such as the Rialto Theater, which has been featured prominently in many commercials. A Perfect Christmas, a movie with Queen Latifah, was recently filmed in the town.

The town hosts a number of events around the holidays, including strolling carolers and carriage rides, which attract thousands to the downtown area.

As of the 2000 Census, there were 29,644 people, 10,622 households, and 8,178 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,700.7/km2 (4,403.1/mi2). There were 10,819 housing units at an average density of 620.7/km2 (1,607.0/mi2). The racial makeup of the town was 89.98% White, 3.88% African American, 0.09% Native American, 4.08% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.82% of the population.

There were 10,622 households out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $98,390, and the median income for a family was $112,145. Males had a median income of $82,420 versus $45,305 for females. The per capita income for the town was $47,187. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Westfield offers easy access to New York City, metropolitan New Jersey, and Newark International Airport.