Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
A
Absecon Allentown Andover Asbury Park Atlantic City Atlantic Highlands Avalon Av
enel
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B
Barnegat Basking Ridge Bayonne Bayville Beach Haven Bedminster Belle Mead Bellev
ille Bellmawr Belmar Belvidere Bergenfield Berkeley Heights Berlin Bernardsville
Blackwood Blairstown Bloomfield Boonton Bordentown Bound Brook Branchville Bric
k Bridgeton Bridgewater Brigantine Budd Lake Burlington Butler
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C
Caldwell Califon Camden Cape May Cape May Court House Carlstadt Carteret Cedar G
rove Chatham Cherry Hill Chester Clark Clementon Cliffside Park Clifton Clinton
Closter Collingswood Colonia Colts Neck Cranbury Cranford
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D
Deal Denville Dover Dumont Dunellen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E
East Brunswick East Hanover East Orange East Rutherford Eatontown Edgewater Edis
on Egg Harbor City Egg Harbor Township Elizabeth Elmer Elmwood Park Emerson Engl
ewood Englewood Cliffs Englishtown
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F
Fair Lawn Fairfield Fairview Fanwood Farmingdale Flanders Flemington Florham Par
k Forked River Fort Lee Franklin Franklin Lakes Franklin Park Franklinville Free
hold Frenchtown
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G
Garfield Glassboro Glen Rock Gloucester City
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H
Hackensack Hackettstown Haddon Heights Haddonfield Haledon Hamburg Hammonton Har
rison Hasbrouck Heights Hawthorne Hazlet Highland Park Hightstown Hillsborough H
illside Hoboken Holmdel Hopatcong Hopewell Howell
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I
Irvington Iselin
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
J
Jackson Jersey City
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
K
Keansburg Kearny Kenilworth Keyport
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
L
Lakehurst Lakewood Lambertville Lebanon Leonia Lincoln Park Linden Linwood Littl
e Falls Little Ferry Little Silver Livingston Lodi Long Branch Long Valley Lyndh
urst
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
M
Madison Mahwah Manahawkin Manasquan Maple Shade Maplewood Margate City Marlboro
Marlton Matawan Mays Landing Maywood Medford Mendham Merchantville Metuchen Midd
lesex Middletown Midland Park Milford Millburn Millington Millville Monmouth Jun
ction Monroe Township Montclair Montvale Montville Moonachie Moorestown Morganvi
lle Morris Plains Morristown Mount Holly Mount Laurel Mountainside Mullica Hill
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
N
Neptune Netcong New Brunswick New Providence Newark Newfoundland Newton North Ar
lington North Bergen North Brunswick Northfield Northvale Nutley
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
O
Oakhurst Oakland Ocean City Old Bridge Oradell Orange
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P
Palisades Park Paramus Park Ridge Parsippany Passaic Paterson Paulsboro Penningt
on Penns Grove Pennsauken Pennsville Perth Amboy Phillipsburg Piscataway Pitman
Plainfield Plainsboro Pleasantville Point Pleasant Beach Pompton Lakes Pompton P
lains Princeton Princeton Junction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
R
Rahway Ramsey Randolph Raritan Red Bank Ridgefield Ridgefield Park Ridgewood Rin
gwood River Edge Riverside Riverton Rochelle Park Rockaway Roseland Roselle Rose
lle Park Rumson Rutherford
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
S
Saddle Brook Saddle River Salem Sayreville Scotch Plains Sea Isle City Secaucus
Sewell Short Hills Shrewsbury Sicklerville Somers Point Somerset Somerville Sout
h Amboy South Hackensack South Orange South Plainfield South River Sparta Spring
Lake Springfield Stratford Succasunna Summit Sussex Swedesboro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T
Teaneck Tenafly Toms River Totowa Trenton Tuckerton
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U
Union Union City
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
V
Ventnor City Vernon Verona Vincentown Vineland Voorhees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
W
Waldwick Warren Washington Watchung Wayne West Berlin West Milford West New York
West Orange Westfield Westwood Whippany Whitehouse Station Whiting Wildwood Wil
liamstown Willingboro Woodbridge Woodbury Woodstown Wyckoff
New Jersey (often informally abbreviated to "Jersey") is a state in the Mid-Atla
ntic and Northeastern regions of the United States . It is the fourth smallest,
tenth most populous, and most densely populated state in the US. The state is na
med after the island of Jersey in the English Channel . It is bordered on the no
rth by New York , on the east by the Atlantic Ocean , on the southwest by Delawa
re , and on the west by Pennsylvania . Parts of New Jersey lie within the metrop
olitan areas of New York , Philadelphia , and the Delaware Valley .
Inhabitated by Native Americans for more than 11,000 years, the area was settled
by the Swedes and Dutch . The British later seized control of the region, which
was granted to Sir George Carteret and John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Str
atton as the colony of New Jersey. New Jersey was an important site during the A
merican Revolutionary War ; several decisive battles were fought there. Later, w
orking-class cities such as Paterson helped to drive the Industrial Revolution i
n the nineteenth century. New Jersey's position at the center of the BosWash meg
alopolis , between Boston , New York City , Philadelphia , Baltimore and Washing
ton, D.C. , fueled its rapid growth through the suburban boom of the 1950s and b
eyond.
Contents
[ hide ] 1 Geography
2 Climate
3 History 3.1 Colonial era
3.2 Revolutionary War era
3.3 Nineteenth century
3.4 Twentieth century
12 References
13 See also
14
Geography
Main article: Geography of New Jersey See also: List of New Jersey counties Map
of New Jersey showing major transportation networks and cities New York Harbor f
rom the Staten Island Ferry , with views of Jersey City (in North Jersey ) and i
ts Gold Coast featuring the 781-foot (238 m) Goldman Sachs Tower . New Jersey is
bordered on the north and northeast by New York ; on the east by the Atlantic O
cean ; on the south and southwest by Delaware ; and on the west by Pennsylvania
. The western border of New Jersey is largely defined by the Delaware River . Be
cause of its dense population and because most communities of northern New Jerse
y do not have the widespread reservoir system of neighboring Greater New York Ci
ty, the slightest dry season leads to drought warnings; but because there are ma
ny streams and rivers close to these communities, the slightest above average ra
infall causes frequent flooding as many parts of Northern New Jersey are part of
a flood plain . It is also at the center of the Boston to Washington megalopoli
s.
New Jersey is broadly divided into three geographic regions: North Jersey , Cent
ral Jersey , and South Jersey . North Jersey lies within New York City 's genera
l sphere of influence largely within the New York metropolitan area , in which r
eside many residents commuting to the city to work. Central Jersey is a largely
suburban area. South Jersey is within Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 's general sphe
re of influence, and most of it is included in the Delaware Valley . Such geogra
phic definitions are loosely defined, however, and there is often dispute over w
here one region begins and another ends. Some people do not consider Central Jer
sey to exist at all, but most believe it is a separate geographic and cultural a
rea from the North and South.
Additionally, the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth & Tourism Commission divi
des the state into six distinct regions to facilitate the state's tourism indust
ry. The regions are:
Gateway Region , encompassing Hudson County , Essex County , Union County , Midd
lesex County , Bergen County , and Passaic County .
Skylands Region , encompassing Sussex County , Morris County , Warren County , H
unterdon 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 .
Climate
New Jersey has a temperate climate , with warm/hot summers and cool/cold winters
. During the hurricane season , tropical cyclones can hit New Jersey, though it
is unusual for them to travel this far up the east coast . During the winter mon
ths, Nor'easters can dump up to two feet of snow at once.
The temperatures vary greatly from the northernmost part of New Jersey to the so
uthernmost part of New Jersey. For example, these are the average high and low t
emperatures for Cape May, NJ and Sussex, NJ :
Sussex Cape May
High Low High Low January 34
14
42
27
February 38
16
43
28
March 47
25
51
35
April 59
35
60
43
May 70
45
69
53
June 78
54
78
62
July 83
59
84
67
August 82
57
83
66
September 74
49
77
60
October 63
37
66
49
November 51
30
56
40
December 39
21
47
31
History
Main article: History of New Jersey Some claim there is evidence suggesting that
people have inhabited New Jersey since 10,500 BC. This would have been a post I
ce age culture consisting of traveling hunters. However, the Europeans were the
first to document the land. New Jersey's first European presence was not until t
he year 1497, when an English explorer named John Cabot first saw New Jersey whi
le sailing up the coast. Florentine, Giovanni da Verrazano , reportedly visited t
he coast in 1524 but neither of these men are considered New Jersey's discoverer
(McCormick 3). Cabot failed to explore the land and Verrazano left no record sup
porting his claim.
Sir Henry Hudson is the explorer generally credited with having discovered New J
ersey in 1609. On September 4 , 1609 he dropped anchor in Cape May and took a cr
ew of 20 men for a week of exploration. He didn't leave any European culture beh
ind, but he did document his discovery very well. New Jersey's first taste of Eu
ropean personality came from Captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey . In 1620 he sailed u
p the Delaware, and in 1624 he erected Fort Nassau at the Mouth of Timber Creek (
Pomfret 5b). He explored the greater Delaware Bay area and confirmed that the la
nd was good for planting. He declared it as ready for colonization and named Cap
e May in his own honor.
Europeans agreed that the land was good for planting, but they felt discontent t
owards the inhabitants. The Lenni-Lenape tribe occupied New Jersey at this time.
The Europeans found them strange and uncivilized; while in fact that couldn't h
ave been further from the truth. The Lenni-Lenape Native Americans tribe was par
t of the greater Algonquin nation. The tribe was well organized into three groups
, which were geographic distributed (Worton 27). These sub-tribes each had a sub-
chief or sakima. The sub-tribes each had their respective names, the Minsi, or th
e people of the stony country in the north; the Unami, or the people down the ri
ver in the central portion; and Unilachitgo or the people who leave near the oce
an in the south (ibid 27). The Unami sakima was normally thought to be the chief
of the whole Lenni-Lenape tribe. The tribe was in fact so well organized that it
had a network of trails resembling the locations of many of our modern-day high
ways. They were also the leading force of peace within the nation. The tribe was
frequently asked to serve as intermediaries to settle inter-tribal conflicts.
It was their contact with the early Dutch traders that would be the beginning of
the end for the Lenni-Lenape. In 1638, a company of Swedes and ethnic Finns , u
nder the supervision of Dutch political and commercial interests, set sail for t
he New World. They sailed across the North Atlantic, south along the New Jersey
Coast, then into the Delaware Bay and up the Delaware River to Wilmington. They
began to settle both sides of the Delaware at a site not far from what would bec
ome Salem. A fort named Old Fort Elfsborg became the central hub for trade. The
Scandinavian influence prevails today as linguists theorize that certain speech
patterns in Southern New Jersey area are traceable to the mixed and changing Swe
dish-English vocabulary.
Colonial era
Main article: Colonial history of New Jersey Much of New Jersey was claimed by t
he Dutch . The Dutch colony of New Netherland consisted of parts of modern New Y
ork (Nieuw Amsterdam) and New Jersey. Although the European principle of land ow
nership 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 Pete
r Minuit .
The entire region became a territory of England in 1664, when a British fleet un
der the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed into what is today New York Ha
rbor and took over the colony, against extremely little resistance.
During the English Civil War the Channel Isle of Jersey remained loyal to the Cr
own and gave sanctuary to the King. It was from the Royal Square in St. Helier t
hat Charles II of England was first proclaimed King in 1649, following the execu
tion of his father, Charles I . The North American lands were divided by Charles
II , who gave his brother, the Duke of York (later King James II ) the region b
etween New England and Maryland as a proprietary colony (as opposed to a royal c
olony). James then granted the land between the Hudson River and the Delaware Ri
ver (the land that would become New Jersey) to two friends who had remained loya
l through the English Civil War : Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Strat
ton .
Rutgers University was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766 Settlemen
t 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), w
ho settled the Delaware Valley region as a Quaker colony. New Jersey was governe
d as two distinct provinces, West Jersey and East Jersey , for the 28 years betw
een 1674 and 1702. In 1702, the two provinces were united under a royal, rather
than a proprietary, governor.
Nineteenth century
Main article: New Jersey in the Nineteenth Century On February 15 , 1804 , New J
ersey 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 Jer
sey initially refused to ratify the Constitutional Amendments banning slavery an
d 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 Nor
thern army to defeat the Southern rebels. In total, soldiers from New Jersey for
med 4 militia regiments, 33 infantry regiments, 3 cavalry regiments, and 5 batte
ries of light artillery.
New Jersey was one of the few states to reject President Abraham Lincoln twice i
n national elections, and sided with Stephen Douglas and George B. McClellan dur
ing 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. Cou
nties thereby became districts for the State Senate, and some realignment of bou
ndaries (including the creation of Mercer County ) immediately followed. This pr
ovision was retained in the 1947 Constitution, but was overturned by the Supreme
Court of the United States in 1961.
While the Governorship was stronger than under the 1776 constitution (it could h
ardly be weaker), the 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 him
self.
In the Industrial Revolution , cities like Paterson grew and prospered. Previous
ly, the economy had been largely agrarian, which was problematically subject to
crop failures and poor soil. This caused a shift to a more industrialized econom
y, one based on manufactured commodities such as textiles and silk . Inventor Th
omas Edison also became an important figure of the Industrial Revolution, having
been granted 1,093 patents. Transportation was greatly improved as locomotion a
nd steamboats 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 in
dustry, which spawned new towns and was one of the driving forces behind the nee
d for the Morris Canal .
Twentieth century
Main article: New Jersey in the Twentieth Century Through both World Wars, New J
ersey was a center for war production, especially in naval construction. Battles
hips, cruisers, and destroyers were all made in this state. In addition, Camp Ki
lmer , Fort Dix (originally called "Camp Dix"), and Camp Merritt were all constr
ucted to help American soldiers through both World Wars. New Jersey also became
a principal location for defense in the Cold War . Fourteen Nike Missile station
s 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 Enterprise (CV-6) was briefl
y docked at the Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne in the 1950s before she was s
ent to Japan to be scrapped.
New Jersey became a prosperous state through the Roaring Twenties but fell in pr
osperity 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. [2] During this time period, the ze
ppelin Hindenburg went up in flames over Lakehurst .
In the 1960s, several race riots sprang up in New Jersey, the first of which occ
urred 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
. The 1960s race riots in Freehold are mentioned in the Bruce Springsteen song "
My Hometown ".
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of New Jersey Historical population Census
year Population
1790
184,139
1800
211,149
1810
245,562
1820
277,575
1830
320,823
1840
373,306
1850
489,555
1860
672,035
1870
906,096
1880
1,131,116
1890
1,444,933
1900
1,883,669
1910
2,537,167
1920
3,155,900
1930
4,041,334
1940
4,160,165
1950
4,835,329
1960
6,066,782
1970
7,168,164
1980
7,364,823
1990
7,730,188
2000
8,414,350
State population
Residents of New Jersey are most commonly referred to as "New Jerseyans" or "New
Jerseyites". The United States Census Bureau , as of 2005, estimated New Jersey
's population at 8,717,925, which represents an increase of 32,759, or 0.4%, fro
m the prior year and an increase of 303,578, or 3.6%, since the last census in 2
000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 220,220 people (t
hat 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 res
ulted in a net increase of 290,194 people, and migration within the country prod
uced a net loss of 194,901 people. There are 1.6 million foreign-born living in
the state (accounting for 19.2% of the 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 km²), although the density varies w
idely across the state. It is also the wealthiest state in the United States as
per the United States Census Bureau. [3]
New Jersey is one of the most religiously and ethnically diverse states in the c
ountry. It has the largest Jewish population by percent; the second largest Musl
im population by percent (after Michigan ); the fourth highest Italian-American
population by percent of any state according to the 2000 Census ; and a large pe
rcentage of the population is Black , Hispanic , Arab , and Asian . It has the s
econd highest Indian American population of any state by absolute numbers. [4] [
5] [6] [7]
The five largest ancestry groups are: Italian (17.9%), Irish (15.9%), African Am
erican (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 among the states. This is largely
because so much of New Jersey consists of suburbs, most of them affluent, of New
York City and Philadelphia . New Jersey is also the most densely populated stat
e in the nation, and the only state that has had every one of its counties deeme
d "urban" as defined by the Census Bureau 's Combined Statistical Area . [8]
New Jersey population distribution The dominant race, ethnicity, or ancestry by
county, according to the 2000 Census, are the following:
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.
Religion
The religious affiliations of adults of New Jersey are (figures do not sum to 10
0 from rounding):
Christian 77% Roman Catholic 39%
Protestant 36% Baptist 9%
Methodist 6%
Presbyterian 4%
Other Protestant or general Protestant 17%
Other Christian 2%
Jewish 6%
Muslim 1%
Other Religions (e.g. Hindu, Sikh) 1%
Non-Religious 16%
Economy
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Jersey's total state product
in 2004 was $416 billion. [9] Its per capita personal income in 2004 was $41,636
, 4 th in the U.S. and 126% of the national average of $33,041. [10] 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 averag
e with 76.4%. Nine of New Jersey's counties are in the wealthiest 100 of the cou
ntry. Women in New Jersey earn the highest per capita income as stated in a 2002
article in the Newark Star-Ledger .
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 pharmaceutica
l and chemical products, food processing, electric equipment, printing and publi
shing, and tourism. New Jersey's economy has a large base of industry and chemic
al manufacturing. Additionally, New Jersey is home to the largest petroleum cont
ainment system outside of the Middle East .
New Jersey hosts several business headquarters. Fifty Fortune 500 companies have
headquarters in or conduct business from Morris County alone. New Jersey is sai
d to have the largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the world: nearl
y one hundred companies on the Fortune 500 list have headquarters or conduct bus
iness from New Jersey. Paramus is noted for having one of the highest retail sal
es per person ratios in the nation. Several New Jersey counties such as Somerset
(#7), Morris (10), Hunterdon (13), Bergen (21), Monmouth (42) counties have bee
n ranked among the highest-income counties in the United States . Four others ar
e also in the top 100.
New Jersey's major industries are agriculture, tourism, nursery products, electr
onics, manufacturing equipment, pharmacuticals, etc. This diversity enables New
Jersey to weather volatility in the national economy and contributes to New Jers
ey's low unemployment rate. New Jersey's geographical location between Philadelp
hia and New York City has helped New Jersey to grow and thrive since the time of
its colonial origin in 1702. Another of New Jersey's great strengths is its lar
ge and well-educated labor pool that supports the myriad of industries that exis
t today. The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal is one of the world's largest
container ports. Newark Liberty International Airport is ranked seventh among t
he 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 wo
rld. It is home to the largest wild safari outside Africa and is now home to the
world's tallest, fastest rollercoaster, Kingda Ka . As of 2001, New Jersey make
s $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 seven tax brackets for determining income tax rates. The rates ra
nge from 1.4 percent to 8.97 percent. The sales tax rate is 7 percent, applicabl
e to all retail sales unless specifically exempt by law. Exemptions include most
food items for at-home preparation, medicines, clothing, footwear, and disposab
le paper products for use in the home. All real property located in the state is
subject to property tax unless specifically exempted by statute. New Jersey doe
s not assess an intangible personal property tax, but it does impose an inherita
nce tax .
Oil refineries
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 . Th
is is a list of the major oil refineries in the state:
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
Transportation
Main article: Transportation in New Jersey
Roadways
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 it
s numerous rest-areas named after prominent New Jerseyans as diverse as inventor
Thomas Edison ; United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton ; Un
ited States Presidents Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson ; writers James Fenim
ore 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 traffi
c and runs from the town of Montvale along New Jersey's northern border to its s
outhernmost tip at Cape May for 172.4 miles. It is the trunk that connects the N
ew York metropolitan area to Atlantic City.
Other expressways in New Jersey include the Atlantic City Expressway , the Palis
ades Interstate Parkway , Interstate 76 , Interstate 78 , Interstate 80 , Inters
tate 195 , Interstate 280 , Interstate 287 , and Interstate 295 .
New Jersey has interstate compacts with all three neighboring states. The Port A
uthority of New York and New Jersey , the Delaware River Port Authority (with Pe
nnsylvania), and the Delaware River and Bay Authority (with Delaware) operate mo
st of the major transportation routes into and out of New Jersey. Bridge tolls a
re collected in one direction only it is free to cross into New Jersey, but moto
rists must pay when exiting the state. Exceptions to this are the Dingman's Ferr
y Bridge and the Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge where tolls are charged bot
h ways. The Washington Crossing and Scudders Falls (on I-95) bridges near Trento
n, as well as Trenton's Calhoun Street and Bridge Street ("Trenton Makes") bridg
es, are toll-free.
See also: List of New Jersey State Highways
Airports
Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the Unite
d States. Operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey , which runs
the other two major airports in the New York City region ( John F. Kennedy Inte
rnational Airport and LaGuardia Airport ), it is one of the main airports servin
g 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 hub
s . United Airlines and FedEx operate cargo hubs. The adjacent Newark Airport ra
ilroad station provides access to the trains of Amtrak and New Jersey Transit al
ong 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 corpo
rate aircraft, due to its proximity to New York City.
Counties
Further information: List of New Jersey counties New Jersey is broken up into 21
counties, most of which are vestiges of the colonial area, and the remaining we
re partitioned from existing counties in the 1800s. New Jersey is the only state
in the nation where elected county officials are called " Freeholders ," govern
ing each county as part of its own Board of Chosen Freeholders . The number of f
reeholders in each county is determined by referendum, and cannot exceed nine me
mbers.
Depending on the county, the executive and legislative functions may be performe
d by the Board of Chosen Freeholders or split into separate branches of governme
nt. In some counties, members of the Board of Chosen Freeholders perform both le
gislative and executive functions on a commission basis, with each Freeholder as
signed responsibility for a department or group of departments. In other countie
s ( 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 Ex
ecutive, a County Administrator (or County Manager) may be hired to perform day-
to-day administration of county functions.
Municipalities
New Jersey has 566 municipalities ; until recently, 567 ( Pahaquarry Township wa
s absorbed by Hardwick Township in 1997). Unlike other states, all of its munici
palities are incorporated entities with fixed boundaries, and no local governmen
t can simply absorb land from another.
Types of government
When the types of government were devised in the nineteenth century, the intenti
on was that cities would be large built-up areas, with progressively smaller bor
oughs , towns , and villages ; the rural areas in between would be relatively la
rge 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 aroun
d shopping centers and highways rather than traditional downtowns and main stree
ts.
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 bec
ome the Township of the Borough of Verona or the Township of South Orange Villag
e to receive more Federal aid.
Forms of government
New Jersey Local Government
Traditional forms of municipal government
Borough
Township
City
Town
Village
Modern forms of municipal government
Walsh Act/Commission
1923 Municipal Manager
Faulkner Act forms of municipal government
Mayor-Council
Council-Manager
Small Municipality
Mayor-Council-Administrator
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 municipali
ty, 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 mo
dern forms of government was implemented. This began with the Walsh Act , enacte
d in 1911, which provided for a 3- or 5-member commission elected on a non-parti
san 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 apol
itical) appointed manager responsible for day-to-day administration of municipal
affairs.
The Faulkner Act , originally enacted in 1950 and substantially amended in 1981,
offers four basic plans: Mayor-Council , 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 municip
al affairs and offers great flexibility in allowing municipalities to select the
characteristics of its government: the number of seats on the Council; seats se
lected at-large, by wards, or through a combination of both; staggered or concur
rent terms of office; and a mayor chosen by the Council or elected directly by v
oters. Most large municipalities and a majority of New Jersey's residents are go
verned 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 othe
r traditional forms, leading to municipalities with formal names quite baffling
to the general public. For example, though there are four municipalities with th
e village type of government, Loch Arbour is the only one remaining with the vil
lage form of government. The three other villages Ridgefield Park (now with a Wal
sh Act form), Ridgewood (now with a Faulkner Act Council-Manager charter), and m
ost confusingly, South Orange (now the Township of South Orange Village) have all
migrated to other non-village forms.
Politics
Main article: Politics of New Jersey New Jersey was once a politically competiti
ve state; the governorship alternated between the parties from the election of R
ichard J. Hughes in 1961 until Democrat Jon Corzine was elected to replace a Dem
ocrat 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 seat
s can be. Currently; the Democrats hold the post of Governor, have majority cont
rol of both the houses of state legislature, have both Congressional Senate seat
s and also most positions in state delegation to House of Representatives.
In national elections, the state leans heavily towards the national Democratic P
arty . It was, however, a Republican stronghold for years in the past, having gi
ven comfortable margins of victory to the Republican candidate in the close elec
tions of 1948 , 1968 , and 1976 . New Jersey was a crucial swing state in the el
ections of 1960 , 1968 , and 1992 . In national elections, the state has given l
arge victories to Democrats since the 1990's. The last elected Republican to hol
d a Senate seat from New Jersey was Clifford P. Case in 1979. ( Nicholas F. Brad
y 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 Prin
ceton ; Essex County and Hudson County , the state's two most urban counties, ar
ound 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 an
d Middlesex County .
The more suburban northwestern and southeastern counties of the state are reliab
ly Republican: Republicans have backing along the coast in Ocean County and in t
he mountainous northwestern part of the state, especially Sussex County , Morris
County , and Warren County . Somerset County and Hunterdon County , other subur
ban counties in the region, are also Republican in local elections but can be co
mpetitive in national races. In the 2004 General Election, Bush received about 5
1% 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 le
ans Republican in the northern half of the county, is mostly Democratic in the m
ore populated southern parts, causing it to usually vote slightly Democratic (sa
me with Passaic County , with a highly populated Hispanic Democratic south and a
rural, Republican north), other "swing" counties like Cape May County tend to g
o Republican, as they also have population in conservative areas.
Socially, New Jersey is considered one of the highly liberal and progressive sta
tes in the nation. Just like other North-east states, even conservatives and Rep
ublicans are moderate and 'walk in the middle of the road'. Polls indicate 2/3rd
s of the population are self-described as pro-choice and a majority support gay
marriage . [14] [15]
Piscataway
Plainfield
Point Pleasant
Princeton Princeton Borough
Princeton Township
Red Bank
Ridgewood
Teaneck
Tenafly
Union
Wayne Township
Wildwood
Willingboro
Wealth of municipalities
Wealth of municipalities by per capita income :
See also: New Jersey locations by per capita income 1 Mantoloking, New Jersey $1
14,017
2 Saddle River, New Jersey $85,934
3 Far Hills, New Jersey $81,535
4 Essex Fells, New Jersey $77,434
5 Alpine, New Jersey $76,995
6 Millburn, New Jersey $76,796
7 Rumson, New Jersey $73,692
8 Harding Township, New Jersey $72,689
9 Teterboro, New Jersey $72,613
10 Bernardsville, New Jersey $69,854
693 Newark, New Jersey $13,009
694 Laurel Lake, New Jersey $12,965
695 Passaic, New Jersey $12,874
696 Seabrook Farms, New Jersey $12,499
697 McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey $12,364
698 New Hanover Township, New Jersey $12,140
699 Lakewood, New Jersey $11,802
700 Bridgeton, New Jersey $10,917
701 Fort Dix, New Jersey $10,543
702 Camden, New Jersey $9,815
Education
Although some problems exist in certain inner city neighborhoods, New Jersey ove
rall is considered to have one of the best public education systems in the Unite
d States. 54% of high school graduates continue on to college or university, whi
ch 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 Ed
ucation Rick Rosenberg, appointed by Governor Jon Corzine , has created the Educ
ation Advancement Initiative (EAI) to increase College admission rates by 10% fo
r New Jersey's High School students, decrease drop out rates by 15%, and increas
e the amount of money devoted to schools by 10%. Rosenberg was since forced to r
etract this plan when publicly criticized for taking the money out of healthcare
to fund this initiative.
New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers than any other state. [1]
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 Ar
ena , and the Giants and Jets play in Giants Stadium . The Meadowlands and its s
ports 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 Me
adowlands upon the completion of their new arena in Newark in 2007. The Nets als
o have plans to leave the Meadowlands for Brooklyn as soon as a new arena for th
em 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 t
he sports complex. The Xanadu Project, when completed in 2007, will be the large
st 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.
Miscellaneous topics
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 .
The official nickname is the "Garden State."
New Jersey is the birthplace of many modern inventions such as: FM radio , the m
otion picture camera, the lithium battery , the light bulb , transistors , and t
he electric train. Other New Jersey creations include: the drive-in movie, the c
ultivated blueberry , cranberry sauce, the postcard, the boardwalk , the zipper,
the phonograph , saltwater taffy , the dirigible [2] , the first use of a subma
rine in warfare, and the ice cream cone.
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 Ne
w York Knickerbockers with a score of 23-1. Alexander Cartwright formalized the
rules and umpired .
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 an
d 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, foll
owing the 1994 rape and murder of Megan Kanka .
New Jersey has more horses per square mile than any other state. The United Stat
es Equestrian Team now is headquartered in Gladstone after being founded in Morr
istown .
The book Jaws by Peter Benchley , which inspired the classic film of the same na
me, 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 Mississippi River
: the Great Passaic Falls in Paterson . Only Niagara Falls is larger. A diner i
n Freehold
Diners are common in New Jersey. The state is home to many diner manufacturers a
nd 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 and
World. [ citation needed ]
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 galler
y, 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 Nati
onal Museum of Natural History .
New Jersey is one of only two states (along with Oregon ) where self-service fil
ling of gasoline is prohibited.
State symbols
The Garden State
State animal
Horse
( Equus caballus )
State bird
Eastern Goldfinch
State freshwater fish
Brook Trout
( Salvelinus fontinalis )
State Dance
Square Dance
State insect
Honey Bee
( Apis mellifera )
State flower
Common Meadow Violet ( Viola sororia )
State motto
" Liberty and prosperity "
State song
" I'm From New Jersey "
State tree
Northern Red Oak
( Quercus borealis maxima )
(syn. Quercus rubra )
State dinosaur
Hadrosaurus foulkii
State soil
Downer
State color
Buff and Jersey Blue
State ship
A.J. Meerwald
State fruit
Highbush Blueberry
( Vaccinium corymbosum )
State vegetable
Tomato
( Solanum lycopersicum )
State shell
Knobbed whelk
( Busycon carica gmelin )
State number
3
State memorial tree
Dogwood
( Cornus Florida )
State Slogan
Come see for yourself
Music
Main article: 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 conn
ections 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 wi
th a neighborhood vocal group, the Hoboken Four, and appeared in neighborhood th
eater 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 hi
s greatest hits include "Strangers In The Night," "My Way," "Luck Be A Lady," an
d "New York, New York."
Four of five band members of rock group My Chemical Romance hail from New Jersey
. The band frequently speak about their home state, and guitarist Frank Iero can
be seen on occasion wearing a guitar strap with the letter NJ encircled in a he
art.
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 sta
te. 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", a
nd "Jungleland".
Jon Bon Jovi , who hails from Sayreville , reached fame in the 1980's with hard
rock outfit Bon Jovi . The band has also written many songs about life in New Je
rsey including "Livin' On A Prayer" and even named one of his albums after the s
tate (see New Jersey )
Dionne Warwick was born in East Orange and has had a long career, including near
ly 60 charted hits, from "Do You Know The Way to San Jose?" (winning the first o
f her five Grammys ), "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 O
range . She had a successful solo career in the 1980's and 1990's and is best kn
own for her cover of Dolly Parton 's " I Will Always Love You ", which set new r
ecords for sales and weeks at number one. Houston has sold well over 180 million
records internationally. Her mother is Cissy Houston , winner of two Grammys in
her own right.
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 . There is a theater in Red Bank named in his honor.
Asbury Park is home of The Stone Pony , where Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi fre
quented early in their careers and is still considered by many to be a "Mecca" f
or up-and-coming Jersey Shore musicians.
Former Fugee Lauryn Hill is a South Orange resident and is hip-hop's best-sellin
g solo female artist. Her 1998 debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill , so
ld 10 million copies internationally.
Irvington 's Queen Latifah was the first female rapper to succeed in music, film
, and television.
All members of The Sugarhill Gang were born in Englewood . The group wrote the s
ingle Rapper's Delight which many credit as the first hip hop single. The terms
rap and rapper are originated from this song.
Princeton record exchange , the Northeast's largest independent record store, wa
s founded in 1980 and is located in Princeton, New Jersey . They have been featu
red in the New York Times and in Billboard Magazine , and have been praised by L
CD Soundsystem in Wired Magazine . On a note of trivia, they have employed Micky
of Ween before the band's rise to fame.
The Broadway musical Jersey Boys is based on the lives of the members of the Fou
r Seasons , three of whose members were born in New Jersey ( Tommy DeVito , Fran
kie Valli , and Nick Massi )
References
^ 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.)
^ Gerdes, Louise I. The 1930s, Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2000.
^ 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 Foreign Born from India in the United States , dated December 1 , 2003
^ Race/ethnicity citation with state percentages ( Adobe PDF )
^ Diversity index citation with state percentages ( Microsoft Excel )
^ Ancestry citation with state percentages (Adobe PDF)
^ http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/99mfips.txt
^ Bureau of Economic Analysis
^ Bureau of Economic Analysis
^ Supreme Court of New Jersey
^ http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/01/nj.budget.ap/index.html
^ New Jersey Reaches Budget Deal After Six-Day Shutdown
^ SurveyUSA Pro-Life vs. Pro Choice Sorted by State
^ Garden State Equalty Poll Results from surveys done April 12 - April 14 , 2005
^ http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/20/joe.piscopo/
See also
List of New Jersey-related topics
List of people from New Jersey
Ancestry citation with county maps (Adobe PDF)
Specific ancestry maps by county, place, and census tract
Scouting in New Jersey