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State of New Jersey
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Flag of New Jerseysvg
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Flag Of New Jersey
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Map of USA highlighting New Jerseypng
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The Garden State
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Trenton
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Newark
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Jon Corzine (D)
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Bob_Menendez" class="copylinks">Bob Menendez (D)
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NJ
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''None defined'', English ''de facto''
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47<sup>th</sup>
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22,608
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19,231
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3,378
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149
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10<sup>th</sup> (as of 2005)
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8,717,925 (as of 2005)
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1<sup>st</sup>
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438
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3<sup>rd</sup>
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December 18 , 1787
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-5/ -4
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38°55'N to 41°21'23"N
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73°53'39"W to 75°35'W
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110
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550
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US-NJ
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is the fourth smallest and the most densely populated
State of the
United States . It is abbreviated '''NJ''' by the
U.S. Postal Service and '''N.J.''' conventionally. The state is named after the island of
Jersey in the
English Channel . The state's official nickname is the "Garden State."
New Jersey is considered part of the
Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by
New York , on the east by the
Atlantic Ocean , on the south by
Delaware , and on the west by
Pennsylvania . Parts of New Jersey are included in the
Metropolitan Area s of
New York ,
Philadelphia , and the
Delaware Valley . The highest point of elevation in New Jersey is
High Point , with an elevation of 1,803 feet (550 m).
Inhabitated by Native Americans for
11,000-50,000 years, New Jersey was later settled by the Swedes and Dutch. The British later seized control of the region of New Jersey, which was granted to Sir
George Carteret and Lord
John Berkeley . New Jersey was an important site during the
American Revolution ; several decisive battles were fought there. Cities like
Paterson, New Jersey helped to drive the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century. New Jersey's position at the center of the
BosWash Megalopolis , between New York City, Philadelphia, and
Baltimore /
Washington, D.C. , fueled its rapid growth through the
Suburbia boom of the 1950s and beyond.
See Also: Geography of New Jersey
See Also: List of New Jersey counties
New Jersey is bordered on the north and northeast by
New York ; on the east by the
Atlantic Ocean ; on the south by
Delaware ; and on the west by
Pennsylvania . The western border of New Jersey is largely defined by the
Delaware River . New Jersey is at the center of the
BosWash Megalopolis .
from the
Staten Island Ferry , with views of
Jersey City (in
North Jersey ) and its
Gold Coast featuring the 781-foot (238 m)
Goldman Sachs Tower .]]
New Jersey is broadly divided into three geographic regions:
North Jersey ,
Central Jersey , and
South Jersey . North Jersey is within
New York City 's general sphere of influence, with large parts of it within the
New York Metropolitan Area , and many of its residents commuting into the city for work. Central Jersey is a largely
Suburban area. South Jersey is within
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 's general sphere of influence, and most of it is included in the
Delaware Valley . Such geographic definitions are broad, however, and there is often dispute over where one region begins and another ends. Some people do not consider Central Jersey to exist at all, but most believe it is a separate geographic and cultural area from the North and South.
Additionally, the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth & Tourism Commission divides the state into six distinct regions to facilitate the state's tourism industry. The regions are:
- Gateway Region , encompassing Hudson County , Essex County , Union County , Middlesex County , Bergen County , and Passaic County .
- Skylands Region , encompassing Sussex County , Morris County , Warren County , Hunterdon County , and Somerset County .
- Shore Region , encompassing Monmouth County and Ocean County .
- Delaware River Region , encompassing Mercer County , Burlington County , Camden County , Gloucester County , and Salem County .
- Greater Atlantic City Region , encompassing Atlantic County .
- Southern Shore Region , encompassing Cumberland County and Cape May County .
High Point Mountain, in
Montague Township ,
Sussex County , has the highest elevation in New Jersey, at 1,803 feet (550 m).
There are
Many Rivers in New Jersey. The major rivers include the
Manasquan ,
Maurice ,
Mullica ,
Passaic ,
Rahway ,
Rancocas ,
Raritan ,
Musconetcong , and
Delaware rivers. The
Palisades are a line of steep cliffs on the lower west side of the
Hudson River .
Sandy Hook , along the eastern coast of New Jersey, is a popular beach of recreation. It is a barrier spit and the extension of a barrier peninsula along the state's coast.
Areas managed by the
National Park Service include:
Prominent geographic features include:
See Also: History of New Jersey
New Jersey was once inhabited by the
Lenape Native Americans . New Jersey was settled by the
Dutch in the early 1630s, who formed a settlement at present-day
Jersey City . At the time, much of what is now New Jersey was claimed as part of the Dutch colony of
New Netherland , which also included parts of present-day
New York State and had its capital at
New Amsterdam , now known as
New York City . Some of southwestern New Jersey also was settled by the
Swedes in the mid-1600s as part of the Swedish colony of
New Sweden , which included parts of
Delaware and southeastern
Pennsylvania . These Swedish territories were seized by the Dutch under
Peter Stuyvesant in 1654 and incorporated into New Netherland.
See Also: Colonial history of New Jersey
The entire region became a territory of
England in 1664 when a British fleet under the command of Colonel
Richard Nicolls sailed into what is today
New York Harbor and took over the colony. They met extremely little resistance.
During the and
Lord Berkeley Of Stratton .
Settlement for the first 10 years of English rule was in the
Hudson River region and came primarily from New England. On
March 18 ,
1673 , Berkeley sold his half of New Jersey to
Quakers in England (with
William Penn acting as trustee for a time) who settled the Delaware Valley region as a Quaker colony. New Jersey was governed as two distinct provinces,
West Jersey and
East Jersey , for the 28 years between 1674 and 1702. In 1702, the two provinces were united under a royal, rather than a proprietary, governor.
See Also: New Jersey during the American Revolution
New Jersey was one of the was passed
July 2 ,
1776 , the same day as the
Second Continental Congress declared American Independence from the
Kingdom Of Great Britain . It was an act of the Provincial Congress, which made itself into the state Legislature. To reassure neutrals, it provided that it would become void if New Jersey reached a reconciliation with Great Britain.
During the
American Revolutionary War , British and American armies crossed New Jersey numerous times and several pivotal battles took place in the state. Because of this, New Jersey today is often referred to as "The Crossroads of the Revolution."
On
Christmas Day ,
1776 , the
Continental Army under
George Washington crossed the
Delaware River and engaged the unprepared
Hessian troops in the
Battle Of Trenton . Slightly more than a week after victory at
Trenton , on
January 3 ,
1777 , the American forces scored an important victory by stopping Cornwallis's charges at the
Second Battle Of Trenton . By evading Cornwallis's army, Washington made a surprise attack on
Princeton , and successfully defeated the British garrison there.
Later on, the American forces underneath George Washington engaged the forces underneath General
Henry Clinton at the
Battle Of Monmouth , resulting indecisively. Washington attempted to take the British column by surprise; when the British army attempted to flank the Americans the Americans retreated in disorder. The ranks were later reorganized and withstood the British charges.
In the summer of 1783, the
Continental Congress met in
Nassau Hall at
Princeton University , making
Princeton the nation's capital for four months. It was there that the Continental Congress learned of the signing of the
Treaty Of Paris (1783) which ended the war.
New Jersey was the third state to ratify the
United States Constitution , which was overwhelmingly popular in New Jersey; it prevented New York and Pennsylvania from charging and keeping tariffs on goods imported from Europe. In
November 20 ,
1789 , the state became the first in the newly-formed Union to ratify the
Bill Of Rights .
The 1776 constitution gave the vote to "all inhabitants" who had a certain level of wealth. This included both women and blacks; although not married women, who could not own property. Both sides, in several elections, claimed that the other side had had unqualified women vote, and mocked them for use of "petticoat electors" (entitled to vote or not); on the other hand, both parties passed Voting Rights Acts. In 1807, the legislature passed a bill interpreting the constitution to mean universal ''white male'' suffrage, excluding paupers. (This was less revolutionary than it sounds: the "constitution" was itself only an act of the legislature.) Klinghoffer and Elkis ("The Petticoat Electors: Women’s Suffrage in New Jersey, 1776–1807." ''Journal of the Early Republic'' 12, no. 2 (1992): 159–193.)
See Also: New Jersey in the Nineteenth Century
On
February 15 ,
1804 , New Jersey became the last northern state to abolish
Slavery by enacting legislation that slowly phased out slavery. However, by the close of the Civil War, about a dozen African-Americans in New Jersey were still apprenticed
Freedmen . New Jersey initially refused to ratify the Constitutional Amendments banning slavery and granting rights to America's Black population.
Unlike the Revolutionary War, no battles of the
American Civil War took place within the state of New Jersey. However, throughout the course of the American Civil War, over 80,000 enlisted in the Northern army to defeat the Southern rebels. In total, the soldiers from New Jersey formed 4 militia regiments, 33 infantry regiments, 3 cavalry regiments, and 5 batteries of light artillery.
New Jersey was one of the few states to reject President
Abraham Lincoln twice in national elections. It sided toward
Stephen Douglas and
George B. McClellan during their campaigns. George McClellan later became a governor of the state. During the war the state was led first by Republican Governor
Charles Smith Olden , then by Democratic Governor
Joel Parker .
In 1844, the second
New Jersey State Constitution was ratified and placed into action. This made the counties districts for the State Senate, and some realignment of boundaries (including the creation of
Mercer County ) immediately followed. This provision was retained in the 1947 Constitution, but was overturned by the United States Supreme Court in 1961.
While the Governorship was stronger than under the 1776 constitution (it could hardly be weaker), the 1844 created many offices which were not responsible to him, or to the people, and gave him a three-year term, but he could not succeed himself.
In the
Industrial Revolution , cities like
Paterson grew and prospered. Previously, the economy had been largely based upon agriculture, which was problematic due to crop failures and poor soil. This caused a shift to a more industrialized economy, such as
Textile s and
Silk . Inventor
Thomas Edison also became an important figure of the Industrial Revolution, having been granted 1,093 patents. Transportation was greatly improved as
Locomotion and
Steamboat s were introduced to New Jersey.
See Also: New Jersey in the Twentieth Century
Through both World Wars, New Jersey was a center for war production, especially in naval construction. Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers were all made in this state. In addition,
Camp Kilmer ,
Fort Dix , and
Camp Merritt were all constructed to help American soldiers through both World Wars. New Jersey also became a principal location for defense in the
Cold War . Fourteen
Nike Missile stations were constructed, especially for the defense of
New York City and
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania .
New Jersey became a prosperous state through the
Roaring Twenties but fell in prosperity under the
Great Depression . Begging licenses were even offered to the unemployed by the state government in order to provide money for those who could not be helped by the exhausted state funds.Gerdes, Louise I. The 1930s, Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2000. During this time period, the zeppelin
Hindenburg went up in flames over
Lakehurst .
In the 1960s, several
Race Riot s sprung up in New Jersey, the first of which occurred in
Jersey City on
August 2 ,
1964 . Several other riots ensued in 1967.
See Also: Demographics of New Jersey
According to the
United States Census Bureau , as of 2005, New Jersey has an estimated population of 8,717,925, which is an increase of 32,759, or 0.4%, from the prior year and an increase of 303,578, or 3.6%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 220,220 people (that is 604,110 births minus 383,890 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 95,293 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 290,194 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 194,901 people. There are 1.6 million foreign-born living in the state (accounting for 19.2% of the state population).
New Jersey is the tenth most populous state, but the most densely populated, at 1,134.4 residents per square mile (438.0 per sq. km.), although the population density varies widely across the state. It is also the wealthiest state in the United States as per the United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-P14&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-format=US-9
The racial makeup of New Jersey is:
New Jersey has the second largest )
Diversity index citation with state percentages (
Microsoft Excel )
Ancestry citation with state percentages (Adobe PDF)
The five largest ancestry groups in New Jersey are:
Italian (17.9%),
Irish (15.9%),
African American (13.6%),
German (12.6%),
Polish (6.9%).
Newark and
Camden are two of the poorest cities in America, but New Jersey as a whole has the highest median household income in the nation, as well as the second highest per capita income, after
Connecticut . This is largely because so much of New Jersey is comprised of suburbs, most of them affluent, of
New York City and
Philadelphia . New Jersey is also the most densely populated state in the nation, and the first and only state that has had every one of its 21 counties deemed "urban" .
The dominant race, ethnicity, or ancestry by county, according to the 2000 Census, are the following:
- New Jersey
- ---Italian - Bergen, Morris, Somerset, Ocean, Monmouth
- ---Irish - Sussex
- ---Black - Essex, Union, Mercer, Hudson
- ---German - Warren, Hunterdon
- ---Polish/Slavic - Middlesex
- ---Puerto Rican/Hispanic - Hudson, Passaic
6.7% of its population were reported as under 5, 24.8% under 18, and 13.2% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.5% of the population.
The religious affiliations of adults of New Jersey are:
See Also: Economy of New Jersey
The .
Its agricultural outputs are nursery stock, horses, vegetables, fruits and nuts, seafood, and dairy products. In particular,
Cranberries and
Eggplant are two of the state's largest crops. Hammonton in the southern part of the state is known as the
Blueberry capital of the world. Its industrial outputs are pharmaceutical and chemical products, food processing, electric equipment, printing and publishing, and tourism. New Jersey's economy has a large base of industry and chemical manufacturing. Additionally, New Jersey is home to the largest petroleum containment system outside of the
Middle East .
New Jersey hosts several business headquarters. Fifty is noted for having one of the highest business per person ratios in the nation. Several New Jersey counties such as Essex, Morris, Middlesex, Union, and Bergen counties have been ranked in the
World Almanac 2002, as being among the top 15 highest per person per capita income areas in the country.
New Jersey's major industries are agriculture, tourism, nursery products, electronics, manufacturing equipment, pharmacuticals, etc. This diversity enables New Jersey to weather volatility in the national economy and contributes to New Jersey's low unemployment rate. New Jersey's geographical location between Philadelphia and New York City has helped New Jersey to grow and thrive since the time of its creation as a state in 1702. Another of New Jersey's great strengths is its large and well-educated labor pool that supports the myriad of industries that exist today. The
Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal is the world's largest container port.
Newark Liberty International Airport is ranked as number 7 in the list of the nation's busiest airports and among the top 20 busiest airports in the world.
Six Flags Great Adventure in
Jackson is one of the largest theme parks in the world. It is home to the largest wild safari outside of Africa and is now home to the world's tallest and fastest rollercoaster,
Kingda Ka . As of 2001, New Jersey makes $30 billion each year from tourism as stated in the ''Star-Ledger'' article "The Best Of New Jersey". New Jersey is one of the top ten most visited states in the nation.
New Jersey has 7 tax brackets for determining
Income Tax rates. The rates range from 1.4 percent to 8.97 percent. New Jersey's
Sales Tax rate is 6 percent. All retail sales are taxable unless specifically exempt by law. Exemptions include most food items for at-home preparation, medicines, clothing, footwear, and disposable paper products for use in the home. All
Real Property and tangible
Personal Property located in the state of New Jersey is subject to
Property Tax unless specifically exempted by statute. New Jersey does not assess an intangible personal property tax but it does collect an
Inheritance Tax .
- Bayway Refinery ( ConocoPhillips ), Linden, New Jersey 230,000 barrels per day (bpd)
- Eagle Point Refinery ( Sunoco ), Westville, New Jersey 145,000 bpd
- Paulsboro Asphalt Refinery ( Citgo ), Paulsboro, New Jersey 51,000 bpd
- Paulsboro Refinery ( Valero ), Paulsboro, New Jersey 160,000 bpd
- Perth Amboy Refinery ( Chevron ), Perth Amboy, New Jersey 80,000 bpd
- Port Reading Refinery ( Hess ), Port Reading, New Jersey 62,000 bpd
.]]
See Also: Transportation in New Jersey
The
New Jersey Turnpike is one of the best-known and most-trafficked roadways in the
United States . This
Toll Road carries interstate traffic between
Delaware and
New York . Commonly referred to as simply "the Turnpike," it is known for its numerous rest-areas named after prominent New Jerseyans as varied as inventor
Thomas Edison ;
United States Secretary Of The Treasury Alexander Hamilton ;
United States Presidents Grover Cleveland and
Woodrow Wilson ; writers
James Fenimore Cooper ,
Joyce Kilmer , and
Walt Whitman ; patriot
Molly Pitcher ; Red Cross advocate
Clara Barton ; and football coach
Vince Lombardi .
The
Garden State Parkway , or simply "the Parkway", carries more in-state traffic and runs from the town of
Montvale along New Jersey's northern border with
New York to the southernmost tip of the state at
Cape May for 172.4 miles. It is the trunk that connects the New York metropolitan area to Atlantic City. The Parkway is secretly known as NJ 444.
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Other expressways in New Jersey include the ,
Interstate 78 ,
Interstate 80 ,
Interstate 195 ,
Interstate 280 ,
Interstate 287 , and
Interstate 295 .
New Jersey has
Interstate Compact s with all three neighboring states. The
Port Authority Of New York And New Jersey , the
Delaware River Port Authority (with Pennsylvania), and the
Delaware River And Bay Authority (with Delaware) operate most of the major transportation routes into and out of New Jersey. Tolls for the bridges are charged in one direction — it is free to cross into New Jersey, but motorists must pay when exiting the state. The Washington Crossing and Scudders Falls (on I-95) bridges near Trenton, as well as Trenton's Calhoun Street and Bridge Street ("Trenton Makes") bridges, are free.
See Also: List of New Jersey State Highways
Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States. Operated by the
Port Authority Of New York And New Jersey , which runs the other two major
Airport s in the
New York City region (
John F. Kennedy International Airport and
LaGuardia Airport ), it is one of the main airports serving the New York City area.
Continental Airlines is the facility's largest tenant, operating an entire terminal at Newark, which it uses as one of its primary
Hubs .
United Airlines and
FedEx operate cargo hubs. The adjacent
Newark Airport Railroad Station provides access to the trains of
Amtrak and
New Jersey Transit along the
Northeast Corridor Line .
Two smaller commercial airports,
Atlantic City International Airport and
Trenton-Mercer Airport , also operate in other parts of New Jersey.
The
New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) operates extensive rail and bus service throughout the state. NJ Transit is a state-run corporation that began with the consolidation of several private bus companies in North Jersey. In the early 1980s, it acquired the commuter train operations of
Conrail that connect towns in northern and central New Jersey to
New York City . NJ Transit has eight lines that run throughout different parts of the state. Most of the trains start at start at various points in the state and most end at
Pennsylvania Station in
New York City . NJ Transit began service between
Atlantic City and
Lindenwold in 1989 and extended it to
Philadelphia ,
Pennsylvania , in the 1990s. This is the only mass transit line that is based entirely in
South Jersey , and the only one that connects
Philadelphia and
Atlantic City .
Amtrak also operates numerous long-distance passenger trains in New Jersey to and from neighboring states and around the country. In addition to the Newark Airport connection, other major Amtrak railway stations include
Trenton Rail Station ,
Metropark , and the grand historic
Newark Penn Station .
See Also: Law and government of New Jersey
Jon Corzine (
Democrat ) is the
Governor .
New Jersey is one of the few states that has no
Lieutenant Governor , and will not until
2009 .
The current version of the
New Jersey State Constitution was adopted in 1947. It provides for a
Bicameral Legislature consisting of a Senate of 40 members and an Assembly of 80 members. Each of the 40 legislative districts elects one Senator and two Assembly members. Assembly members are elected by the people for a two-year term in all odd-numbered years; Senators are elected in the years ending in 1, 3, and 7 and thus serve either four or two year terms. See
for the constitution
The
Governor Of New Jersey is considered one of the most powerful governors in the nation, as it is currently the only state-wide elected office in the state and appoints many government officials. Additionally, an acting governor is even more powerful as he simultaneously serves as president of the senate, thus directing the entire legislative and executive process. Former Acting Governor Codey was the last acting governor to serve simultaneously as Senate president, as a result of the Constitutional amendment approved by the voters in 2005.
The governor's mansion is
Drumthwacket , located in
Princeton Township .
The
New Jersey Supreme Court Supreme Court of New Jersey consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. All are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of a majority of the membership of the state senate. Justices serve an initial seven-year term, after which they can be reappointed to serve until age 70.
New Jersey is broken up into 21 counties, most of which are vestiges of the colonial area, and the remaining were partitioned from existing counties in the 1800s. New Jersey is the only state in the nation where elected county officials are called "
Freeholder s," governing each county as part of its own
Board Of Chosen Freeholders . The number of freeholders in each county is determined by referendum, and cannot exceed nine members.
Depending on the county, the
Executive and
Legislative functions may be performed by the Board of Chosen Freeholders or split into separate branches of government. In some counties, members of the Board of Chosen Freeholders perform both legislative and executive functions on a commission basis, with each Freeholder assigned responsibility for a department or group of departments. In other counties (
Atlantic ,
Bergen ,
Essex ,
Hudson and
Mercer ), there is a directly-elected
County Executive who performs the executive functions while the Board of Chosen Freeholders retains a legislative and oversight role. In counties without an Executive, a County Administrator (or County Manager) may be hired to perform day-to-day administration of county functions.
New Jersey has 566
Municipalities ; until recently, 567 (
Pahaquarry Township was absorbed by
Hardwick Township in 1997). Unlike other states, all of its municipalities are incorporated entities with fixed boundaries, and no local government can simply absorb land from another.
When the types of government were devised in the nineteenth century, the intention was that
Cities would be large built-up areas, with progressively smaller
Boroughs ,
Towns , and
Villages ; the rural areas in between would be relatively large
Townships . This is still often true, although
Shrewsbury Township has been divided over the years; today it is less than a square mile, consisting only of a single housing development. Some townships—notably
Middletown ,
Brick ,
Hamilton , and
Dover (which includes
Toms River )—have, without changing their boundaries, become large stretches of
Suburbia , as populous as cities, often focused around shopping centers and highways rather than traditional downtowns and main streets.
As with
Toms River , many locations in New Jersey are simply neighborhoods, with no exact boundaries; often the cluster of houses, the traditional neighborhood, the postal district, and the
Census Designated Place will differ.
The
Federal Government has often failed to understand that a New Jersey township is just another municipality, and some municipalities have changed forms to become the
Township Of The Borough Of Verona or the
Township Of South Orange Village to receive more Federal aid.
The five types of municipality differ mostly in name. Originally, each type had its own form of government but more modern forms are available to any municipality, even though the original type is retained in its formal name. Only boroughs can have the "borough form" of government.
Starting in the 1900s, largely driven by reform-minded goals, a series of six modern forms of government was implemented. This began with the
Walsh Act , enacted in 1911, which provided for a 3- or 5-member commission elected on a non-partisan basis. This was followed by the
1923 Municipal Manager Law , which offered a non-partisan council, provided for a weak mayor elected by and from the members of the council, and introduced
Council-Manager Government with an (ideally apolitical) appointed manager responsible for day-to-day administration of municipal affairs.
The ,
Council-Manager ,
Small Municipality , and
Mayor-Council-Administrator . The act provides many choices for communities with a preference for a strong executive and professional management of municipal affairs and offers great flexibility in allowing municipalities to select the characteristics of its government: the number of seats on the Council; seats selected at-large, by wards, or through a combination of both; staggered or concurrent terms of office; and a mayor chosen by the Council or elected directly by voters. Most large municipalities and a majority of New Jersey's residents are governed by municipalities with Faulkner Act charters.
While municipalities retain their types of government, they may have changed to one of the modern forms of government, or further in the past to one of the other traditional forms, leading to municipalities with formal names quite baffling to the general public. For example, though there are four municipalities with the ''village'' type of government,
Loch Arbour is the only one remaining with the village form of government. The three other villages—
Ridgefield Park (now with a Walsh Act form),
Ridgewood (now with a Faulkner Act Council-Manager charter), and most confusingly,
South Orange (now the Township of South Orange Village)—have all migrated to other non-village forms.
See Also: Politics of New Jersey
New Jersey is a politically competitive state; the governorship alternated between the parties from the election of
Richard J. Hughes in 1961 until Democrat
Jon Corzine was elected to replace a Democrat in 2005; the legislature has also switched hands, and one house was evenly divided from 1999–2001. Three of the last five gubernatorial elections have been close. The Congressional seats have also been as evenly divided as thirteen seats can be.
In national elections, the state now leans towards the national
Democratic Party . It was, however, a
Republican stronghold for years in the past, having given comfortable margins of victory to the Republican candidate in the close elections of
1948 ,
1968 , and
1976 . New Jersey was a crucial
Swing State in the elections of
1960 ,
1968 , and
1992 . In national elections, the state has given large victories to Democrats since the 1990's. The last elected Republican to hold a Senate seat from New Jersey was
Clifford P. Case in 1979. (
Nicholas Brady was appointed a U.S. Senator by Governor
Thomas Kean in 1982 after
Harrison A. Williams resigned the Senate seat following the
Abscam investigations.)
The state's Democratic strongholds include
Mercer County around
Trenton and
Princeton ;
Essex County and
Hudson County , the state's two most urban counties, around the state's two largest cities,
Newark and
Jersey City ;
Camden County and most of the other urban communities just outside of
Philadelphia and
New York ; and more suburban northern counties in New York's orbit, such as
Union County and
Middlesex County .
The more suburban northwestern and southeastern counties of the state are reliably Republican: Republicans have strong backing along the coast in
Ocean County and in the mountainous northwestern part of the state, especially
Sussex County ,
Morris County , and
Warren County .
Somerset County and
Hunterdon County , other suburban counties in the region, are also Republican in local elections but can be competitive in national races. In the 2004 General Election, Bush received about 51% in Somerset and 56% in Hunterdon, while up in rural Republican Sussex County, Bush won with 64% of the vote.
About half of the counties in New Jersey, however, are considered swing counties, but some go more one way than others. For an example,
Bergen County , which leans Republican in the northern half of the county, is mostly Democratic in the more populated southern parts, causing it to usually vote slightly Democratic (same with
Passaic County , with a highly populated Hispanic Democratic south and a rural, Republican north), other "swing" counties like
Cape May County tend to go Republican, as they also have population in conservative areas.
Socially, New Jersey is considered one of the highly liberal and progressive states in the nation. Polls indicate 2/3rds of the population are self-described as -
April 14 ,
2005
See Also: List of Municipalities in New Jersey (by population)
Major cities (and their populations):
For its overall population and nation-leading density, New Jersey has a relative paucity of classic large cities. As of the
United States 2000 Census , only four municipalities had populations in excess of 100,000. With the 2004 Census estimate, Woodbridge has surpassed Edison in population, as both joined the 100,000 club.
- Newark : 273,546 (Census Estimate 2004: 280,451)
- Jersey City : 240,055 (Census Estimate 2004: 239,079)
- Paterson : 149,222 (Census Estimate 2004: 150,869)
- Elizabeth : 120,568 (Census Estimate 2004: 124,724)
- Edison 97,687 (Census Estimate 2004: 100,142)
- Woodbridge Township : 97,203 (Census Estimate 2004: 100,775)
- , a Census-designated Place within Dover Township. Toms River had a 2000 census population of 86,327. Dover Township is not to be confused with the town of Dover , which is in a different county.
- Hamilton : 87,109
- Trenton : 85,403
- Camden : 79,904
- Clifton : 78,672
- Brick : 76,119
- Cherry Hill Township : 69,965
- East Orange : 69,824
- Passaic : 67,861
- Union City : 67,088
- Middletown : 66,327
- Gloucester Township : 64,350
- Bayonne : 61,842
- Irvington : 60,695
- Old Bridge Township 60,456
- Lakewood 60,352
''The following communities are other notable places in New Jersey with under 60,000 people''.
Wealth of municipalities by
Per Capita Income :
See Also: New Jersey locations by per capita income
Although some problems exist in certain inner city neighborhoods, New Jersey overall is considered to have one of the best public education systems in the United States. 54% of high school graduates continue on to college or university, which is tied with
Massachusetts for the second highest rate in the nation (
North Dakota holds first place at 59%). New Jersey also has the highest average scores for advanced placement testing in public schools in the nation.
New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers than any other state.
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In addition to the above institutions, there are 19
County Colleges , serving the 21 counties in the state.
- Atlantic Cape Community College , Mays Landing
- Bergen Community College , Paramus
- Brookdale Community College , Lincroft - the community college of Monmouth County
- Burlington County College , Pemberton
- Camden County College , Blackwood , Camden and Cherry Hill
- County College Of Morris , Randolph
- Cumberland County College , Vineland
- Essex County College , Newark & West Caldwell campuses
- Gloucester County College , Sewell
- Hudson County Community College , Jersey City
- Mercer County Community College , West Windsor
- Middlesex County College , Edison
- Ocean County College , Toms River
- Passaic County Community College , Paterson - Wanaque - Wayne
- Raritan Valley Community College , North Branch
- Salem Community College , Carneys Point
- Sussex County Community College , Newton
- Union County College , Cranford , Elizabeth , and Plainfield
- Warren County Community College , Washington
New Jersey currently has four
Major Professional Sports League teams playing in the state, although the
Major League Soccer team and two
National Football League teams identify as being from New York. It is currently the most populous state without a team in each of the major leagues, although this is largely due to the close proximity of New York City and Philadelphia.
- The USS ''New Jersey'' , one of the most decorated vessels in the United States Navy , was named in honor of this state and is now a Tourist Attraction in Camden .
- New Jersey is the fourth smallest and the most densely populated of the states.
- The state is named after the island of Jersey in the English Channel .
- The official nickname is the "Garden State."
- New Jersey is the birthplace of many modern inventions such as: the motion picture camera, the of a Submarine in warfare, and the ice cream cone.
- The properties in the United States version of the board game Monopoly are named after the streets of Atlantic City .
- The four-mile long Boardwalk in Atlantic City was the world's first boardwalk and is still its largest.
- New Jersey has more Horse s per square mile than any other state. The United States Equestrian Team now is headquartered in Gladstone after being founded in Morristown .
- The book '' Jaws '' by Peter Benchley , which inspired the classic film of the same name, was based on a series of actual Shark Attacks During The Summer Of 1916 that took place in Matawan and elsewhere off the Jersey Shore .
- New Jersey is home to the second largest waterfall east of the in Paterson . Only Niagara Falls is larger. ]]
- Diner s are common in New Jersey. The state is home to many diner manufacturers and has more diners than any other state: over 600. Due to the state's small size, New Jersey has more diners per square mile than any other state in America.
- Ben Shahn settled in Roosevelt, New Jersey , and did most of his work there.
- Sculptor Jim Gary grew up in Colts Neck Township where he also opened his gallery, ''Iron Butterfly'', before moving it to Red Bank . Jim Gary was the only living Sculptor ever invited to have a solo show at the '' Smithsonian Institution ’s National Museum Of Natural History ''.
- New Jersey is one of only two states (along with Oregon ) where self-service filling of gasoline is prohibited.
See Also: Music of New Jersey
New Jersey has long been an important area for both
Rock and
Rap music. Some prominent musicians from or with significant connections to New Jersey are:
- Frank Sinatra , the only child of working-class Italian-American immigrants, was born December 12 , 1915 in a tenement at 415 Monroe St. in Hoboken . He sang with a neighborhood vocal group, the Hoboken Four, and appeared in neighborhood theater amateur shows before he became an entertainment legend as an Academy Award winning actor and one of the most famous male vocalists of all time. Some of his greatest hits include "Strangers In The Night," "My Way," "Luck Be A Lady," and "New York, New York."
- Bruce Springsteen , who has sung of New Jersey life on most of his albums, hails from Freehold and is the most popular rock musician to ever come out of the state. Some of his songs that represent New Jersey life are "Born To Run", "Spirit In The Night", "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", "Thunder Road", "Atlantic City", and "Jungleland".
- Jon Bon Jovi , who hails from Sayreville , reached fame in the 1980's with hard rock outift Bon Jovi . The band has also written many songs about life in New Jersey including "Livin' On A Prayer" and even named one of his albums after the state (see New Jersey ).
- Dionne Warwick was born in East Orange and has had a long career, including nearly 60 charted hits, from "Do You Know The Way to San Jose?" (winning the first of her five Grammy s), "Alfie," "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," and "That's What Friends Are For." She is a cousin of Whitney Houston.
- Whitney Houston was born in the city of Newark but grew up in neighboring East Orange . She had a successful solo career in the 1980's and 1990's and is best known for her cover of Dolly Parton 's " I Will Always Love You ", which set new records for sales and weeks at number one. Houston has sold well over 180 million records internationally. Her mother is Cissy Houston , winner of two Grammy's in her own right.
- Former Fugee Lauryn Hill is a South Orange resident and is hip-hop's best-selling solo female artist. Her 1998 debut album, ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'', sold 10 million copies internationally.
- Redman, an influential underground figure and Newark native, has recently found commercial success through collaborations with Eminem and the Wu-Tang Clan 's Method Man .
- All members of The Sugarhill Gang were born in Englewood . The group wrote the single ''Rapper's Delight'' which many credit as the first Hip Hop single. The terms rap and rapper is originated from this song.
- Motion picture technology was invented in New Jersey, by Thomas Edison. The early work was done at his West Orange laboratory. His "Black Maria" was the first motion picture studio.
- More recent motion pictures and televisions shows also have been set in New Jersey. The popular television drama '' The Sopranos '' depicts the life of a New Jersey Organized Crime family and is filmed on location at various places throughout the state. "The Family Man" was filmed in Teaneck . The 1979 film The Amityville Horror was filmed in Toms River .
- Actor and comedian Joe Piscopo was born in Passaic . In 1985, he released a comedy album entitled "New Jersey." The cover art parodied the common (and erroneous) perception of New Jersey as nothing but freeways and factories. The following year he starred in an HBO comedy special entitled '' The Joe Piscopo New Jersey Special ''. In 2004, Piscopo announced that he was considering a run for the governor's office. {Link without Title}
- Bruce Willis grew up in Penns Grove and graduated from Penns Grove High School. He returns to the borough occasionally to visit family.
- The medical drama House is set in New Jersey and takes place at the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.
A long circulated legend says a creature, the
Jersey Devil or the Leeds Devil, terrorizes the population of the
Pine Barrens . New Jersey is also home to several other urban legends, such as the ghost of
Annie's Road in
Totowa ;
Midgetville in
Edgewater ;
Albino Village in
Clifton ; the supposed
Ku Klux Klan hotbed
Whipporwill Valley Road in
Middletown ; the haunted and demon-possessed
Clinton Road in
West Milford ; and the
Witch Of Igoe Road in
Marlboro . There is also the popular attraction of the
Atco Ghost —the ghost of a little boy runs across the street late at night chasing a basketball on
Burnt Mill Road in
Atco . It is also rumored that
Jimmy Hoffa , the late leader of the
Teamsters union, is buried beneath
Giants Stadium or the
New Jersey Turnpike .
Camp NoBeBoSco in
Blairstown was the location of the original ''
Friday The 13th '' movie (some believe the series of films to be set in New Jersey, although this is never confirmed onscreen), which was partially based on real murders that have occurred near the campground, in the state's rural northwest. Such horror stories were the inspiration behind the now nationally-famous ''
Weird NJ '' magazine and website.
