Springfield

WHY BUY IN SPINGFIELD.

If you travel the tangle of tree lined roads outside Springfield, New Jersey in the fall, before you enter the historic township which is home to the famous Baltusrol Golf Club, the site of several major golf championships, including the U.S. Open, you will pass through softly undulating hills carpeted with leaves the color of copper and gold; and, as you near the center of town and pass through the attractive neighborhoods – affordable and laid back, filled with split-level or ranch houses; Queen Anne cottages and Craftsman bungalows – the cottonwood and maple trees that line the streets, providing shade for the well-tended lawns, will also be changing color, flaunting their spectacular foliage.

Springfield, population 14,500, although it shares many of the characteristics of neighboring towns is, in some ways, a hidden gem; not quite as tony as Summit or Short Hills, it is a place where everyone seems to know everybody by name, the perfect spot to escape the city and start a family. From Labor Day to Memorial Day, the municipal pool, becomes the center of activity – a family pass is $325 a year – and on weekends in the historic plaza, you’re likely to stumble upon a free concert, an art show, or a farmer’s market. There are also men’s, women’s, and girl’s softball leagues, and for eight weeks each summer, children have access to a camp program for four hours each day at the community center. The fee is $40 for each two-week session.

The Mall at Short Hills is less than a 10 minute drive from the center of Springfield. Shopping districts in Millburn and Maplewood are also nearby. A 10-screen movie complex is in the other direction, on Route 22 in Mountainside.

SCHOOLS
About 2,000 students attend the five public schools in Springfield: one from prekindergarten through second grade, two for Grades 3 through 5, one for Grades 6 through 8, and Jonathan Dayton High School, where seventy-seven percent of the class of 2007 said they planned to attend four-year colleges. SAT averages were 528 in reading, 507 in math and 498 in writing, compared with 509, 491 and 489 statewide.

COMMUTE
Many people in Springfield take a New Jersey Transit bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal from a large parking lot at Mountain and Morris Avenues. On weekdays, more than 40 buses run to and from New York. The trip takes 40 to 45 minutes.

A monthly bus pass is $146. Annual stickers for the parking lot in Springfield, which has 275 spaces, sell for $15 to residents and $100 to nonresidents.

Some Springfield residents live only a few blocks from New Jersey Transit’s Short Hills station, which is on the Morris and Essex Line, with service to Hoboken and to Penn Station in New York. A monthly pass to New York is $186.

Seven years ago, Springfield began a jitney service from the municipal pool to the Short Hills station; it runs from 5:45 to 8:50 a.m. and from 4:45 to 8 p.m. A yearly jitney pass, which includes parking at the pool, is $600. Homes Currently For Sale in Springfield, New Jersey

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