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State of New Jersey
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Garden State The Garden State and Other New Jersey State Nicknames , Robert Lupp, New Jersey Reference Services, New Jersey State Library, Oct 12, 1994
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Liberty and prosperity
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Newark
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US-NJ
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(/) is a
State in the
Mid-Atlantic and
Northeastern regions of the
United States . The state is named after the island of
Jersey in the
English Channel . It is bordered on the north by
New York , on the east by the
Atlantic Ocean , on the southwest by
Delaware , and on the west by
Pennsylvania . Parts of New Jersey lie within the
Metropolitan Area s of
New York and
Philadelphia .
Inhabited by and
John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley Of Stratton as the colony of New Jersey. New Jersey was an important site during the
American Revolutionary War ; several decisive battles were fought there. The winter quarters of the revolutionary army were established twice by
George Washington in
Morristown , which was called the military capital of the revolution. The ''New Jersey Journal'', a
Newspaper published by
Shepard Kollock , who established his press in
Chatham during 1779, became a catalyst in the revolution. News of events came directly to Kollock from Washington's headquarters in nearby Morristown, which he published to boost the morale of the troops and their families, and he conducted lively debates about the efforts for independence with those who opposed and supported the cause he championed. Later, working-class cities such as
Paterson and
Trenton helped to drive the
Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century. New Jersey's position at the center of the
BosWash Megalopolis , between
Boston ,
New York City ,
Philadelphia ,
Baltimore and
Washington, D.C. , fueled its rapid growth through the
Suburb an 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 and southwest by
Delaware across
Delaware Bay ; and on the west by
Pennsylvania across the
Delaware River .
; counties shaded in blue hues are in the
New York City metro; counties shaded in green hues are in the
Philadelphia metro. It should be noted that
Mercer County and
Warren County are located in the 'Greater' New York Metropolitan Area and that Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland Counties are in the 'Greater' Philadelphia Metropolitan Area]]
New Jersey can be thought of as five regions, based on natural geography and population. Northeastern New Jersey, the
Gateway Region , lies within the
New York Metropolitan Area , and some residents commute to the city to work. Northwestern New Jersey, or the "Skylands", is, compared to the northeast, more wooded, rural, and mountainous, but still a popular place to live. The "Shore" along the Atlantic Coast in the southeast has it's own residence and lifestyle characteristics owing to the ocean. The southwest is within Metropolitan
Philadelphia , and is included in the
Delaware Valley . The fifth region is the
Pine Barrens in the interior of the southern part and is covered rather extensively by mixed pine and oak forest, and as such has a much lower population density than much of the rest of the state.
New Jersey can also be broadly divided into three geographic regions:
North Jersey ,
Central Jersey , and
South Jersey . However, some people do not consider Central Jersey to exist at all, but still many believe it is a separate geographic and cultural area from the North and South.
The federal
Office Of Management And Budget divides New Jersey's counties into seven
Metropolitan Statistical Area s, including sixteen counties in the New York City or Philadelphia metro areas. Four counties have independent metro areas, and Warren County joins another Pennsylvania-based metro area. (See
Metropolitan Statistical Areas Of New Jersey for details.)
It is also at the center of the
Boston To Washington Megalopolis .
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 , in
Montague Township ,
Sussex County , is the highest elevation, at 1,803
Feet (550
M ). The
Palisades are a line of steep cliffs on the lower west side of the
Hudson River .
Major
Rivers include the
Hudson ,
Delaware ,
Raritan ,
Passaic ,
Hackensack ,
Rahway ,
Musconetcong ,
Mullica ,
Rancocas ,
Manasquan ,
Maurice , and
Toms rivers.
Sandy Hook , along the eastern coast, is a popular recreational beach. It is a barrier
Spit and an extension of the
Barnegat Peninsula along the state's
Atlantic Ocean coast.
Areas managed by the
National Park Service include:
Prominent geographic features include:
New Jersey has a
Temperate Climate , with hot humid summers and cold winters. During the
Hurricane Season , tropical
Cyclones can hit New Jersey, though it is uncommon for one to remain at hurricane strength so far to the north. During the winter months,
Nor'easter s can dump heavy amounts of precipitation across the state. Because of its dense population and because most communities of northern New Jersey do not have the widespread
Reservoir system of neighboring Greater New York City, the slightest dry season leads to
Drought warnings; but because there are many streams and rivers close to these communities, the slightest above average rainfall causes frequent flooding as many parts of Northern New Jersey are part of a
Flood Plain .
The temperatures vary greatly from the northernmost part of New Jersey to the southernmost part of New Jersey. For example, these are the average high and low temperatures for
Cape May , near the state's southernmost ocean-facing point, and
Sussex , in the mountainous northwest:
See Also: History of New Jersey
Around 180 million years ago, during the ,
2005 .
New Jersey was originally settled by ,
Turkey , and
Wolf . They first encountered the Dutch in the early 1600s, and their primary relationship with the Europeans was through
Fur Trade .
See Also: Colonial history of New Jersey
Since the state's inception, New Jersey has been characterized by ethnic and religious diversity. In
East Jersey , New England
Congregationalists settled alongside Scottish
Presbyterians and
Dutch Reformed migrants from New York. While the majority of residents lived in towns with individual landholdings of , a few rich proprietors owned vast estates. West Jersey had fewer people than East Jersey, and both English
Quakers and
Anglicans owned large landholdings. Both Jerseys remained agrarian and rural throughout the colonial era, and commercial farming only developed sporadically. Some townships, though, like Burlington and Perth Amboy, emerged as important ports for shipping to New York and Philadelphia. The colony's fertile lands and tolerant religious policy drew more settlers, and New Jersey boasted a population of 120,000 by 1775.
Much of New Jersey was claimed by the
Dutch . The Dutch colony of
New Netherland consisted of parts of modern
New York (New Amsterdam) and New Jersey. Although the European principle of land ownership was not recognized by the Lenape, Dutch policy required formal purchase of all land settled upon, and the first such purchase was of
Manhattan , by
Peter Minuit .
The entire region became a territory of
England in 1664, when an English fleet under the command of Colonel
Richard Nicolls sailed into what is today
New York Harbor and took over the colony, against 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 the colony 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
was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766, and possesses a variety of architectural styles.]]
New Jersey was one of the was passed
July 2 ,
1776 , just two days before the
Second Continental Congress declared American Independence from
Britain .
New Jersey representatives
Richard Stockton ,
John Witherspoon ,
Francis Hopkinson ,
John Hart , and
Abraham Clark were among the men who signed the
United States Declaration Of Independence . These men, just like all the others, took tremendous risks in order to fight for independence and all went on to serve their newly founded country for the rest of their lives. Distinguished lawyer Richard Stockton, New Jersey-born and
College Of New Jersey graduate, sacrificed his royal judicial title and his considerable international economic interest in order to be an elected delegate for New Jersey at the General Congress. John Witherspoon was a Scottish
Immigrant . He came to New Jersey to serve as the sixth president of the College of New Jersey. He was a world renowned Presbyterian minister and became a leading member of the
Continental Congress . Witherspoon went on to become one of the leaders of the new national Presbyterian church. Francis Hopkinson was somewhat of a
Renaissance Man for his time. He was articulate in several fields of the arts and a very impressive scientist. Perhaps the capstone of his career was his appointment by President
George Washington to the federal bench. John Hart was a prominent landowner and judge of the Hunterdon County court. Like Stockton, he sacrificed his high standing with the royal court and dedicated his life to the New Jersey Assembly. After signing the Declaration of Independence, he went on to become the speaker of the New Jersey Assembly. The last of the men, Abraham Clark, was native to Elizabethtown. He was slightly different from his fellow New Jersey representatives as he jumped from job to job working as a farmer, surveyor, transporter, legal adviser, and finally politician. He was well liked in all these fields and had become a prominent member of society, but he found his home in government. He held numerous political positions at all the various levels of government.
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 December 25, 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 gained 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 forces there.
Later, American forces under Washington met the forces under General
Henry Clinton at the
Battle Of Monmouth in an indecisive engagement. 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, as 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
New Jersey State 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 Civil War battles took place within the state. However, throughout the course of the Civil War, over 80,000 enlisted in the Northern army to defeat the Southern rebels. In total, 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, and sided with
Stephen Douglas and
George B. McClellan during their campaigns. McClellan later became governor. During the war, the state was led first by Republican Governor
Charles Smith Olden , then by Democrat
Joel Parker .
In 1844, the second
State Constitution was ratified and brought into effect. Counties thereby became 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
Supreme Court Of The United States in 1962 by the decision
Baker V. Carr .
While the Governorship was stronger than under the 1776 constitution (it could hardly be weaker), the constitution of 1844 created many offices that 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 agrarian, which was problematically subject to crop failures and poor soil. This caused a shift to a more industrialized economy, one based on manufactured commodities 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.
Iron mining was also a prevalent industry during the middle to late 1800s.
Mines such as Mt. Hope, Mine Hill and the Rockaway Valley Mines created a thriving industry, which spawned new towns and was one of the driving forces behind the need for the
Morris Canal .
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 (originally called "Camp 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 . ''
PT-109 '', commanded by Lt.(jg)
John F. Kennedy , was built at the Elco Boatworks in Bayonne, and the aircraft carrier
USS Enterprise (CV-6) was briefly docked at the Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne in the 1950s before she was sent to Japan to be scrapped. In 1962, the world's first nuclear powered cargo ship, the
NS Savannah was launched at Camden.
New Jersey became a prosperous state through the
Roaring Twenties but fell from 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 infamously went up in flames over
Lakehurst , and the
SS Morro Castle beached itself on the Jersey Shore after going up in flames while at sea.
In the 1960s, several
Race Riot s sprang up in New Jersey, the first of which occurred in
Jersey City on
August 2 ,
1964 . Several other riots ensued in 1967, in the cities of
Newark and
Plainfield .
Camden also dealt with race riots in 1971.
Throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, New Jersey was afflicted by
Nor'easter s that caused blizzards and flooding. Those are rather common storms in New Jersey and elsewhere on the east coast of the US, although
Hurricane s and
Tropical Storm s occasionally come to visit, such as
Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
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Residents of New Jersey are most commonly referred to as "New Jerseyans" or "New Jerseyites." The
United States Census Bureau , as of July 1, 2006, estimated New Jersey's population at 8,724,560,
3 which represents an increase of 310,213, or 3.7%, since the last census in 2000.
4 This includes a natural increase since the last census of 254,766 people (that is 705,812 births minus 451,046 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 79,211 people into the state.ibid.
Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 357,111 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 277,900 people.ibid. There are 1.6 million foreign-born living in the state (accounting for 19.2% of the population).
5
As of 2006, New Jersey is the eleventh-most populous state, but the most densely populated, at 1,174 residents per square mile (453 per km&
2), although the density varies widely across the state. It is also the 2nd wealthiest state
Per Capita in the United States (behind only
Connecticut ) 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 United States — States; and Puerto Rico GCT-P14. Income and Poverty in 1999: 2000]
The ,
2006
New Jersey is one of the most religiously and ethnically )
The five largest ancestry groups are:
Italian (17.9%),
Irish (15.9%),
African (13.6%),
German (12.6%),
Polish (6.9%).
. New Jersey is also the most densely populated state in the nation, and the only state that has had every one of its counties deemed "urban" as defined by the
Census Bureau 's
Combined Statistical Area .
Metropolitan Areas and Components, 1999, with FIPS codes
The state has very sizable enclaves of different language speaking communities. Some of these include (by ranking)
- Spanish-spoken in many of the Hudson County towns, especially Union City.
- Portuguese-spoken throughout the entire state, but Brazilian Portuguese is common in Newark.
- Italian-spoken throughout the state also, but is concentrated in the towns of Hudson and Essex counties.
The dominant race, ethnicity, or ancestry by county, according to the 2000 Census, are the following:
- Italian - Bergen, Morris, Somerset, Ocean, Monmouth, Mercer, Middlesex, Union, Passaic, Hudson, Atlantic, Cumberland
- Irish - Sussex, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Cape May
- Black - Essex
- German - Warren, Hunterdon, Salem
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.
According to the
2000 U.S. Census , 12.31% of the population aged 5 and over speak
Spanish at home, while 1.48% speak
Italian {Link without Title} .
The
Bureau Of Economic Analysis estimates that New Jersey's total state product in 2004 was $416 billion. Its per capita personal income in 2004 was $41,636, 2
nd in the U.S. and 126% of the national average of $33,041.
Bureau of Economic Analysis Its median household income is the highest in the nation with $55,146. It is ranked 2nd in the nation by the number of places with per capita incomes above national average with 76.4%. Nine of New Jersey's counties are in the wealthiest 100 of the country.
New Jersey has seven tax brackets for determining
Income Tax rates. The rates range from 1.4 to 8.97%. The standard
Sales Tax rate is 7%, applicable to all retail sales unless specifically exempt by law. Exemptions include most food items for at-home preparation, medicines, clothing (except fur items), footwear, and disposable paper products for use in the home. Approximately 30 New Jersey municipalities are designated as
Urban Enterprise Zone s and shoppers are charged a 3½% tax rate, half of the rate charged outside the UEZs. Sections of
Elizabeth and
Jersey City are examples of communities that are subject to the lower sales tax rate.
All
Real Property located in the state is subject to
Property Tax unless specifically exempted by statute. New Jersey does not assess an intangible personal property tax, but it does impose an
Inheritance Tax .
New Jersey has the highest imbalance of any state in the United States between what it gives to the federal government and what it receives, resulting in large deficits in New Jersey and high property taxes. In fiscal year 2004, New Jersey gave the federal government $77 billion dollars but only received $55 billion dollars back. This difference is higher than any other state and means that for every dollar ($1.00) New Jersey sends, the state only receives $0.55 cents back. This calculation is applied correctly after making the federal government deficit neutral as sometimes the federal government spends more than it takes in.
link Chart of State to Federal government spend/receive ratios
As a result, New Jersey runs into deficits frequently and has one of the highest tax burdens in the nation.
link Tax Burdens in New Jersey Factors for this include the large federal tax liability which is not adjusted for New Jersey's higher cost of living, Medicaid funding formulas, etc.
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's greatest natural resource is its location, which has made the state a crossroads of commerce and an ideal area for manufacturing. Other commercial advantages include its extensive transportation system, which puts one quarter of all United States consumers within overnight delivery range. Lake and seaside resorts have contributed to New Jersey's rank of fifth among the states in revenues from tourism.
Despite more than three centuries of development almost half of New Jersey is still wooded. The chief tree of the northern forests is the oak. A large part of the southern section is in pine. Jersey oak has been used extensively in shipbuilding.
The mineral resources in New Jersey are small. The state, however, does rank high in smelting and refining minerals from other states.
New Jersey's chief conservation agency is the Department of Environmental Protection, which was formed in 1970 by the merger of parts of the Department of Conservation and Economic Development with parts of the Department of Health. The department has an extensive range of responsibilities that include acquiring and preserving land for recreation, wildlife protection, and curbing pollution. The department also regulates activities on public waters, oversees hunting and fishing, and has jurisdiction over some state-owned land. In addition, the conservation agency is responsible for maintaining an adequate high-quality water supply for industry, recreation, and aquatic life. New Jersey launched a long-range conservation and development program under the terms of its 1958 Water Supply Law
The
Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal was the world's first container port and is one of the world's largest container ports.
Newark Liberty International Airport is ranked seventh among the nation's busiest airports and among the top 20 busiest airports in the world.
Its agricultural outputs are nursery stock, horses, vegetables, fruits and nuts, seafood, and dairy products. In particular,
Cranberries ,
Peach ,
Tomato and
Eggplant are some of the state's largest crops. The local entities that support agricultural efforts are the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and
Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension .
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 heavy 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, including twenty-four
Fortune 500 companies.
8 Paramus is noted for having one of the highest retail sales per person ratios in the nation. Several New Jersey counties such as Somerset (#7), Morris (10), Hunterdon (13), Bergen (21), Monmouth (42) counties have been ranked among the
Highest-income Counties In The United States . Four others are also in the top 100.
New Jersey is infamous for its abundance of oil refineries. The smell given off by the refineries is common to motorists who travel the
New Jersey Turnpike which runs through the central industrial corridor of the state. This is a list of the major oil refineries in the state:
- Bayway Refinery ( ConocoPhillips ), Linden 230,000 barrels per day (bpd)
- Eagle Point Refinery ( Sunoco ), Westville 145,000 bpd
- Paulsboro Asphalt Refinery ( Citgo ), Paulsboro 51,000 bpd
- Paulsboro Refinery ( Valero ), Paulsboro 160,000 bpd
- Perth Amboy Refinery ( Chevron ), Perth Amboy 80,000 bpd
- Port Reading Refinery ( Hess ), Port Reading 62,000 bpd
While home to many chemical plants New Jersey also is home to major pharmaceutical firms
Merck ,
Wyeth ,
Johnson And Johnson ,
Sanofi-aventis ,
Novartis ,
Pfizer ,
Hoffman-LaRoche ,
Bristol-Myers Squibb , and
Schering-Plough . It draws upon its large and well-educated labor pool which also supports the myriad of industries that exist today.
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 , and the East Coast in general. Commonly referred to as simply "the Turnpike," it is known for its numerous rest-areas named after prominent New Jerseyans as diverse 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 to its southernmost tip at
Cape May for 172.4 miles. It is the trunk that connects the New York metropolitan area to Atlantic City.
as seen from New Jersey]]
Other expressways in New Jersey include the
Atlantic City Expressway , the
Palisades Interstate Parkway ,
Interstate 76 ,
Interstate 78 ,
Interstate 80 ,
Interstate 195 ,
Interstate 280 ,
Interstate 287 , and
Interstate 295 . Other major roadways include
U.S. 1 ,
U.S. 9 ,
U.S. Route 1/9 .
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. Bridge tolls are collected in one direction only — it is free to cross into New Jersey, but motorists must pay when exiting the state. Exceptions to this are the
Dingman's Ferry Bridge and the
Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge where tolls are charged both ways. 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 toll-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.
Teterboro Airport , in
Bergen County , is a
General Aviation airport popular with private and corporate aircraft, due to its proximity to New York City.
See Also: New Jersey Transit
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 eleven lines that run throughout different parts of the state. Most of the trains start at various points in the state and most end at either
Pennsylvania Station , in
New York City , or
Hoboken Terminal in
Hoboken . NJ Transit began service between Atlantic City and
Lindenwold in 1989 and extended it to
Philadelphia ,
Pennsylvania , in the 1990s.
NJ Transit also operates three light rail systems in the state. The
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail connects
Bayonne to
North Bergen , with planned expansion into
Bergen County communities. The
Newark City Subway is the only
Subway system in the state. Its Main Line connects
Newark Penn Station with Grove Street station in
Bloomfield . The Broad Street Line of the subway, the first component of the
Newark-Elizabeth Rail Link , opened in the summer of 2006. The last of the three light rail lines is the
River Line which connects
Trenton and
Camden .
The
PATH links
North Jersey and
New York City . The PATH operates four lines that connect various points in North Jersey and New York. The lines all start in either
Hudson County or
Essex County, New Jersey and end either at the
World Trade Center station or at
33rd Street in
Midtown Manhattan .
The
PATCO High Speedline links
Camden County and
Philadelphia . PATCO operates a single elevated and subway line that runs from
Lindenwold to Center City Philadelphia. PATCO operates stations in Lindenwold,
Voorhees ,
Cherry Hill ,
Haddonfield ,
Haddon Township ,
Collingswood , and
Camden , along with four stations in Philadelphia.
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 .
SEPTA also has two lines that operate into New Jersey. The
R7 lines terminates at the Trenton Rail Station, and the
R3 lines terminates at the
West Trenton Rail Station in
Ewing .
AirTrain Newark is a monorail connecting the Amtrak/NJ Transit station on the
Northeast Corridor to the airport's terminals and parking lots.
Some private bus carriers still remain in New Jersey. Most of these carriers operate with state funding to offset losses and state owned buses are provided to these carriers of which
Coach USA companies make up the bulk. Other carriers include private charter and tour bus operators that take gamblers from other parts of New Jersey,
New York City ,
Philadelphia , and
Delaware to the casino resorts of Atlantic City.
There are many ferry services that operate in New Jersey.
On the
Delaware Bay , the
Delaware River And Bay Authority operates the
Cape May-Lewes Ferry . The Delaware River and Bay Authority also operates ferries between
Fort Mott in New Jersey and
Fort Delaware and Fort DuPont in
Delaware . The
Delaware River Port Authority operates the
RiverLink Ferry between the
Camden waterfront and
Penn's Landing in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania .
On the
Hudson River ,
New York Waterway has numerous ferry terminals in
Belford ,
Jersey City ,
Hoboken and
Weehawken . The stops are at
Port Liberte , Liberty Harbor,
Colgate/Exchange Place in Jersey City,
Belford , Port Imperial and Lincoln Harbor in
Weehawken ,
Hoboken Terminal (Hoboken South) and 14th Street (Hoboken North) in Hoboken. These ferries run to one or several of the Manhattan stops at
Wall Street , the
World Financial Center or Midtown at 39th St. Liberty Landing in
Jersey City has ferries from Portside in
Paulus Hook and Liberty Landing in
Liberty State Park . The
Circle Line ferry has service from Liberty State Park to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Although there is a bridge from Ellis Island to Jersey City, it was built for renovations on the building on the island and is considered unsafe for public use.
SeaStreak offers services from the
Raritan Bayshore to Manhattan and during
The Met's season
Shea Stadium . The ferries on the Bayshore leave from
Atlantic Highlands and two terminals in
Highlands .
New York Water Taxi also has seasonal service from Paulus Hook to Wall Street. Ferry service from
Keyport and
Perth Amboy have been proposed and ferry service from
Elizabeth has been discussed with a proposed light rail connection to
Newark Airport and
Downtown Elizabeth .
Jon Corzine (
Democrat ) is the
Governor . In April 2007, Corzine was seriously injured in a car accident but returned to office duty in early May. The Governor of New Jersey is considered one of the most powerful governorships in the nation, as it is currently the only state-wide elected office in the state and appoints many government officials. Formerly, an acting governor was even more powerful as he simultaneously served as President of the
New Jersey State Senate , thus directing half of the legislative and all of the executive process.
Richard Codey was the last to serve that way as the result of a state
Constitutional Amendment approved by the voters in 2005.
The governor's mansion is
Drumthwacket , located in
Princeton Township .
New Jersey is currently one of the few states that has no
Lieutenant Governor . The first
Lieutenant Governor Of New Jersey will take office in January 2010 and will be elected conjointly with the Governor of New Jersey. The position was created as the result of a
Constitutional Amendment to the
New Jersey State Constitution passed by the voters on
November 8 ,
2005 and effective as of
January 17 ,
2006 .
in
Trenton ]]
The current version of the
New Jersey State Constitution was adopted in 1947. It provides for a
Bicameral New Jersey Legislature , consisting of an
Upper House Senate of 40 members and a
Lower House General Assembly of 80 members. Each of the 40 legislative districts elects one State Senator and two Assembly members. Assembly members are elected for a two-year term in all odd-numbered years; State Senators are elected in the years ending in 1, 3, and 7 and thus serve either four- or two-year terms.
New Jersey is one of only five states that elects its state officials in odd numbered years (The others are
Kentucky ,
Louisiana ,
Mississippi , and
Virginia ). New Jersey holds elections for these offices every 4 years in the years following federal Presidential election years. Thus, the last year when New Jersey elected a Governor was 2005; the next gubernatorial election will occur in 2009, with future gubernatorial elections to take place in 2013, 2017, 2021, etc.
The 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.
Most of the day-to-day work in the New Jersey courts is carried out in the Municipal Courts, where simple traffic tickets, minor criminal offenses, and small civil matters are heard. More serious criminal and civil cases are handled by the Superior Court for each county.
New Jersey is unusual in that it still has separate courts of law and
Equity , like its neighbor
Delaware but unlike most other U.S. states. The
New Jersey Superior Court is divided into Law and Chancery Divisions at the trial level.
New Jersey is broken up into 21 counties, 13 of which date from the colonial era. New Jersey was completely divided into counties by 1692; the present counties were created by dividing the existing ones; most recently
Union County in 1857. 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 ; the number was 567 before
Pahaquarry Township was absorbed by
Hardwick Township in 1997. Unlike other states in the west and south, all New Jersey land is part of a municipality, as well as a county. 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
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 (but are not required to) 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 by the
New Jersey Legislature , 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 with the approval of the
New Jersey Legislature .
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 that are officially named villages,
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 was once a politically competitive state in past federal elections but has become a seats and also 7 out of 13 of the state's delegation to the
United States House Of Representatives .
Republicans have not won a statewide election since 1997. With the exception of then-Vice President
George H.W. Bush's 1988 Presidential Victory , no Republican has received a majority of the vote in a statewide election since 1985, though the state had a Republican governor from 1994 to 2002, as
Christie Todd Whitman won twice with vote percentages of 47 and 49 percent.
In federal elections, the state leans heavily 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 . The last elected Republican to hold a Senate seat from New Jersey was
Clifford P. Case in 1979. (
Nicholas F. 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 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, President
George W. Bush received about 52% in Somerset and 60% 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 most liberal and progressive states in the nation. Polls indicate two thirds of the population are self-described as -
April 14 ,
2005
See Also: Civil unions in New Jersey
New Jersey also has some of the most stringent gun-control laws in the U.S. These includes bans on assault firearms, hollow nose bullets and even slingshots. No gun offense in New Jersey is graded less than a felony.
BB Guns and black powder guns are all treated as modern firearms. Visitors to the state should beware of bringing any firearms into the state. New Jersey recognizes no out of state gun licenses and aggressively enforces its own gun laws.
See Also: List of Municipalities in New Jersey (by population)
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 2005: 280,666)
- Jersey City : 240,055 (Census Estimate 2005: 239,614)
- Paterson : 149,222 (Census Estimate 2005: 149,843)
- Elizabeth : 120,568 (Census Estimate 2005: 125,809)
- Edison 97,687 (Census Estimate 2005: 100,499)
- Woodbridge Township : 97,203 (Census Estimate 2005: 100,577)
- Toms River Township : 89,706 (Census Estimate 2005: 94,590)
- Hamilton Township (Mercer County) : 87,109
- Trenton : 85,403
- Camden : 79,904
- Clifton : 78,672
- Brick Township : 76,119
- Cherry Hill Township : 69,965
- East Orange : 69,824
- Passaic : 67,861
- Union City : 67,088
- Middletown Township : 66,327
- Gloucester Township : 64,350
- Bayonne : 61,842
- Irvington : 60,695
- Old Bridge Township 60,456
- Lakewood Township 60,352
Wealth of municipalities and communities by
Per Capita Income :
See Also: New Jersey locations by per capita income
See Also: Post-secondary education in New Jersey
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, 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. Secretary of Education Rick Rosenberg, appointed by Governor
Jon Corzine , has created the Education Advancement Initiative (EAI) to increase College admission rates by 10% for New Jersey's high school students, decrease drop out rates by 15%, and increase the amount of money devoted to schools by 10%. Rosenberg was since forced to retract this plan when publicly criticized for taking the money out of healthcare to fund this initiative.
New Jersey is ranked first in the nation in funding K-12 education but is ranked last in higher-education funding.
New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers ''per square mile'' than anywhere else in the world.
Delaware / Hudson Valley Hot Spot for biotechnology
New Jersey currently has five teams from
Major Professional Sports League s playing in the state, although the
Major League Soccer team and two
National Football League teams identify as being from New York.
The state's four major professional sports teams play at the
Meadowlands Sports Complex in
East Rutherford . The Devils and Nets play in
Continental Airlines Arena , and the Giants and Jets play in
Giants Stadium . The Meadowlands and its sports venues are widely considered to be outdated by today's professional sports standards. This led to the Devils announcement that they will be leaving the Meadowlands upon the completion of the new
Prudential Center in
Newark in 2007. The Nets also have plans to leave the Meadowlands for
Brooklyn as soon as a new arena for them is completed. The Giants and Jets though announced in 2005 that they will be staying in the Meadowlands, and a new stadium for both teams should be ready by the 2010 season. The new stadium is part of the
Xanadu Project taking shape at the sports complex. The Xanadu Project, when completed in 2007, will be the largest retail and entertainment complex in New Jersey.
The sports complex is also home to the
Meadowlands Racetrack one of three major
Horse Racing tracks in the state. The Meadowlands Racetrack along with
Freehold Raceway in
Freehold are two of the major
Harness Racing tracks in North America.
Monmouth Park Racetrack in
Oceanport , is also a popular spot for
Thoroughbred Racing in New Jersey and the northeast. It will host the
Breeders' Cup in 2007, and its turf course was recently renovated in preparation.
In 1978, the New Jersey legislature approved casino gambling in
Atlantic City .
- New Jersey has the lowest rate of depression in the United States found by a study from NAMI National Alliance on Mental Illness(www.nami.com)
- In an April 12, 2007 car accident, Corzine was the third straight New Jersey governor to break a leg while in office. James E. McGreevey broke his left leg in 2002 during a nighttime walk on the beach, and Christie Whitman broke her right leg while skiing in the Swiss Alps in 1999.
- New Jersey has the largest grove of cherry blossom trees in the United States, eclipsing the more famous one in Washington D.C.
- 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 birthplace of many modern inventions such as: of a Submarine in warfare, and the ice cream cone.
- Joseph Bonaparte , the brother of Napoleon I , lived for 17 years in the South Jersey town of Bordentown .
- New Jersey is home to the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world: Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in Jackson Township .
- The first officially recorded Baseball game in history was played at the Elysian Fields, Hoboken, New Jersey , with the New York Base Ball Club defeating the New York Knickerbockers with a score of 23-1. Alexander Cartwright formalized the Rules and Umpired .
- The first intercollegiate football game in history was played in New Brunswick, New Jersey on November 6 , 1869 , with home team Rutgers University defeating Princeton University 6-4. Rutgers University is considered "The Birthplace of College Football."
- The properties in the United States version of the board game Monopoly are named after the streets of Atlantic City.
- The four-mile (6 km) long Boardwalk in Atlantic City was the world's first boardwalk and is still its largest.
- The Lindbergh Kidnapping drama unfolded in New Jersey in 1932.
- New Jersey was the national pioneer of Megan's Law sex offender registries, following the 1994 rape and murder of Megan Kanka .
- 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 .
]]
A long-circulated legend says a creature, the
Jersey Devil or the Leeds Devil, terrorizes the population of the
Pine Barrens . The
New Jersey Devils are named for this mythical creature. New Jersey is also home to several other legends, such as the ghost of
Annie's Road in
Totowa and the haunted and demon-possessed
Clinton Road in
West Milford . There is also the
Atco Ghost —the ghost of a little boy runs across the street late at night 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 . However, on the popular television show ''
Mythbusters '', the myth of Jimmy Hoffa being buried under Giants Stadium was debunked using
Ground Penetrating Radar .
The magazine ''
Weird NJ '' (the creators of which later started ''
Weird U.S. '') was started to catalog and explore the ghosts, legends, and prevalence of otherwise "weird" things in the state.
There are 14 major New Jersey newspapers including ''''.
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See Also: Television and film of New Jersey
- In the movie 1996 science fiction film '' Independence Day '' the scene in which Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch are playing chess was filmed in West New York , NJ.
- 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 '', starring Nicholas Cage was filmed in Teaneck in 2000. The 1979 film '' The Amityville Horror '' was filmed in Toms River and the scene in the church is filmed in Point Pleasant . The popular FOX television show '' House '' is set in a fictional hospital located in the Princeton - Plainsboro area. Another FOX show, '' Point Pleasant '' was based on a fictional version of the town. It was not shot on location within the town of the same name in 2005. Cartoon Network's Adult Swim cartoons Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Megas XLR both take place in New Jersey. The opening of the popular NBC comedy Ed (TV Series) was filmed in Hillsdale and Westfield, New Jersey .
- Cable network CNBC originates most of its in-studio programming from Englewood Cliffs , while sister network MSNBC broadcasts the bulk of its in-studio programming from Secaucus .
- All of Kevin Smith 's movies take place in New Jersey (though not all of them are filmed there), as Smith grew up in Red Bank, New Jersey .
- The popular character The Toxic Avenger is often touted as the first superhero from New Jersey.
- 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.
- In the animated television comedy '' Futurama '', New Jersey is slandered many times by the characters. In one episode, Fry finds a seemingly ideal apartment in New Jersey while house hunting, but later comments that he found "not one place even remotely liveable". In another, when discussing the global garbage problem, a television ad states that "...landfills were full...New Jersey was full...", implying a lack of places to store garbage. Additionally, Robot Hell is located in Atlantic City.
- In the 2005 Film Adaptation of ''War of the Worlds'', the beginning of the movie is set in New Jersey, a homage to the 1968 Radio Broadcast .
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:
- Singer Frank Sinatra was born 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.
- 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 ."
- Irvington 's Queen Latifah was the first female rapper to succeed in music, film, and television.
- Lauryn Hill is from South Orange, New Jersey . Her 1998 debut solo album, ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'', sold 10 million copies internationally. She also sold millions with The Fugees second album The Score .
- Redman (Reggie Noble) was born, raised, and resides in Newark . He is the most successful African-American solo hip-hop artist out of New Jersey.
- All members of The Sugarhill Gang were born in Englewood .
- Jon Bon Jovi , who hails from Sayreville , reached fame in the 1980s with hard rock outfit 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 )
- Singer Dionne Warwick was born in East Orange .
- Singer Whitney Houston (who is Dionne Warwick's cousin) was born in Newark , and grew up in neighboring East Orange .
- Legendary Jazz pianist and Bandleader Count Basie was born in Red Bank in 1904. In the 1960s, he collaborated on several albums with fellow New Jersey native Frank Sinatra . The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank is named in his honor.
- Parliament-Funkadelic , the pioneering funk music collective, was formed in Plainfield by George Clinton .
- Asbury Park is home of The Stone Pony , which Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi frequented early in their careers and is still considered by many to be a "Mecca" for up-and-coming Jersey Shore musicians.
- Hip-hop pioneers Naughty By Nature hail from East Orange .
- In 1964, The Isley Brothers founded the record label T-Neck Records , named after Teaneck , their home at the time.
- The Broadway Musical " Jersey Boys " is based on the lives of the members of the Four Seasons , three of whose members were born in New Jersey ( Tommy DeVito , Frankie Valli , and Nick Massi )
- Famous Jazz Pianist Bill Evans was born in Plainfield in 1929.
- Horror punk band The Misfits hail from Lodi , as well as their founder Glenn Danzig .
- Punk rock poet Patti Smith is from Mantua .
- Acclaimed indie rock veterans Yo La Tengo are based in Hoboken . They also have a song called "The Night Falls on Hoboken".
- New Jersey was the hub for ska music in the 90's. Some of the most popular ska bands, such as Catch 22 and Streetlight Manifesto , come from East Brunswick .
- Four of the five members of the rock band My Chemical Romance hail from Newark , Belleville , and Kearny .
- Black Label Society's and Ozzy Osbourne's famed guitarist Zakk Wylde was born in Bayonne and raised in Jackson
- The Jonas Brothers all reside in Wyckoff, New Jersey, where the eldest brother of the group, Kevin Jonas was born.
- Official New Jersey state web site
- Official New Jersey state tourism site
- A list of official and unofficial NJ county and municipal web sites
- Descriptions of NJ forms of government (e.g., township, borough, etc.) from NJ State League of Municipalities
- USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of New Jersey
- AboutNewJersey.com - New Jersey Travel and Tourism Information
- US Census Bureau
- NJ.com , portal site for the Star-Ledger , Jersey Journal , Asbury Park Press and Trenton Times
- New Jersey Resource Directory and Events Calendar
- The New Jersey Digital Highway, the statewide cultural heritage portal to digital collections from the state's archives, libraries and museums
- Abandoned and Historic Mines of New Jersey
- New Jersey State Facts
- NJ Event and Resource Guide
- Upstage Magazine - New Jersey arts & entertainment news
- AsburyMusic.com - Asbury Park's Online Music Community
- New Jersey Court Directory
- Specific ancestry maps by county, place, and census tract
