township (town), Union county, northeastern New Jersey, U.S. It lies along the Rahway River, immediately west of Elizabeth. The first permanent settler, John Denman, arrived about 1699, and the Denman Homestead (1720) is marked by a plaque. A bronze tablet identifies Crane's Ford, where, during the American Revolution, a light-horse troop was stationed to warn General George Washington (Washington, George) at Morristown of British raiding parties. A secret tunnel in the cellar of Cory House (still standing) helped American soldiers evade the British. In the American Civil War era, Cory House was a stop along the Underground Railroad for sheltering fugitive slaves.

Originally called Craneville, the community was renamed Cranford and incorporated in 1871. Although mainly a residential suburb of the New York City region, it has some manufactures, which include plastics and electronic equipment. Union County Community College, created in 1982 from the merger of Union College (1933) and a technical institute, is in the township. Pop. (1990) 22,624; (2000) 22,578.