New Jersey is a state on the Atlantic coast of the United States
of America. It is bordered by Delaware to the south,
Pennsylvania to the east,
New York State to the northeast, and
the rest of the Atlantic Ocean. New Jersey is one of the fifty
states that, together with Washington, D.C., make up the United
States. Its capital is Trenton and its most populated city,
Newark. It is located in the east-northeast of the country, in
the Mid-Atlantic region. It is bordered to the north by the
state of New York, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the
southwest by the Delaware Bay that separates it from Delaware,
and to the west by the Delaware River that separates it from
Pennsylvania. With 22,588 km² it is the fourth smallest state -
ahead of Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island - and with 389
inhabitants/km², the most densely populated. He was the third
admitted to the Union on December 18, 1787.
It is
primarily located within the extensive metropolitan areas of New
York and Philadelphia. New Jersey's economy depends primarily on
its manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries and the
provision of transportation services. It is one of the most
industrialized states in the country. Products manufactured in
the state, as well as other products produced in neighboring
states, are exported through ports located along the Hudson and
Delaware rivers. New Jersey is also one of the national leaders
in the production of chemical agents. By 2017, it was the second
richest state in the country in average household income.
Tourism is also one of the main sources of income in the
state. The main tourist attractions are its numerous beaches
located in relatively sparsely populated regions. In addition to
this, for its numerous gardens and parks, the state is nicknamed
The Garden State.
More than one hundred battles and
confrontations between American militias and British troops were
carried out in New Jersey. The most famous of these occurred on
December 26, 1776, when George Washington made his famous
crossing of the Delaware River during the Battle of Trenton.
After the independence of the United States, New Jersey was the
third state to ratify the Constitution, on December 18, 1787.
North West Skyland Region (Counties: Sussex, Warren, Morris,
Hunderdon, Somerset)
North East Gateway Region (counties:
Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, Union, Middlesex)
Western
Delaware River Region (Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester,
Salem counties)
Eastern Shore Region (Monmouth, Ocean
counties)
Greater Atlantic City (Atlantic County)
Southern
Shore region in the far south (Counties: Cumberland, Cape Mahy)
1 Newark - the largest city in New Jersey, home of Newark Liberty
International Airport
2 Jersey City – the second largest city in New
Jersey
3 Hoboken
4
Elizabeth
5 Trenton - capital of the state
of New Jersey
6 Princeton - college town
7
Atlantic City - seaside
resort and gambler's paradise
With more than 9 million inhabitants on about 22,500 km² (about the
size of Hesse), New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the
USA. And that, although there is no really big metropolis here. Rather,
much of the state is made up of a dense network of medium-sized cities,
towns and suburbs that are part of the metropolitan areas of New York
City to the north and Philadelphia to the south. On a larger scale, New
Jersey is part of BosWash, the densely populated chain of cities that
stretches from Boston to Washington.
New Jersey has a very
multicultural population that has immigrated from different parts of the
world over time. The largest group is that of Italian-Americans, which
includes about 18% of New Jerseyans. Many Americans associate New Jersey
primarily with this demographic. The stereotype of an uneducated
Italian-American with a gold chain and gelled hair is called Guido, and
its female counterpart is Guidette - a stereotype particularly
propagated by the MTV series Jersey Shore. Of course, most real-life New
Jerseyans don't like being associated with this cliché, and
Guido/Guidette are considered racist swear words to be avoided. Another
successful series associated with New Jersey is The Sopranos, which is
about an Italian-born mafia family.
By far the largest airport in New Jersey is Newark Liberty
International Airport (IATA: EWR), which can also be reached by direct
flights from Central Europe. Much smaller is Atlantic City Airport
(ACY), which is only of regional importance. You can also use the nearby
New York airports (John F. Kennedy International (IATA: JFK), LaGuardia
internet (IATA: LGA)) or Philadelphia International Airport (IATA: PHL)
to get to New Jersey.
The Northeastern Corridor of Amtrak, the
busiest long-distance rail route in the United States, runs through New
Jersey. The high-speed Acela Express (Boston-New York-Washington) and
the slightly slower Northeast Regional run almost every hour on this.
Serviced only once or a few times per day, Einzu has connections to
Pittsburgh, Vermont, Chicago, the Southern States and Florida. The main
train stations in New Jersey are Newark (Penn Station), Metropark
Station in Iselin and Trenton.
NJ Transit operates an 11-line regional rail network covering more
than 1500 km of rail network in northern and central New Jersey - the
most extensive regional rail network in the United States. Central
transfer points are Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction. In
addition, NJ Transit operates three Light Rail lines, a type of tram
that runs partly on its own track bed and connects several cities. They
cover a total of more than 90km route network. However, the most common
form of public transport is the bus network with 267 lines.
Some
locations in the south of the state are served by the SEPTA Regional
Rail, the metropolitan area's regional rail network. SEPTA buses also
operate in the Philadelphia suburbs that are part of New Jersey.
Area, location and general information
New Jersey has a total area
of 22,588 km², of which 3377 km² are bodies of water. The state borders
New York to the north and northeast, where the Hudson River forms a
natural boundary. To the west, New Jersey is completely separated from
the states of Pennsylvania and Delaware by the Delaware River. Finally,
to the south, in the Delaware Bay, and to the east, New Jersey has
portions of the Atlantic.
The state is roughly in the shape of
the head and torso of a human, with the head slightly bent forward. From
this image, the head, which is the north of the country, is the region
with the higher elevations in an otherwise flat country. Here in the
Greater Appalachian Valley (also known as the Kittatinny Valley), which
stretches from Alabama to the Hudson River, on the New York State
border, is the High Point, New Jersey's highest mountain, which at 550
meters is the average exceeds the national level by more than seven
times.
The east of the country, the catchment area of the Hudson
and the largest US metropolis, New York City, is densely populated. That
metropolitan area west of the Hudson already includes all four major
cities in the country with Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Elizabeth.
To the south of this begins the Atlantic coastal plain, which is
more than 200 km long and is a popular holiday destination with its
numerous seaside resorts. The coastal strip is relatively densely
populated, especially in the northern and then again in the southern
part with its numerous medium-sized towns lined up one after the other.
The largest cities along the coast are Long Branch in the north and
Atlantic City in the south, which is important for tourism.
Inland to the southern part, dense forests characterize the image of the
state. A well-known and popular travel destination in this region are
the Pine Barrens, which are protected and are associated with the myth
of the Jersey Devil.
New Jersey was originally settled by Native Americans, and the Lenape were the dominant tribe at the time of the arrival of Europeans. The Lenape were loosely organized into groups that practiced small-scale agriculture (based primarily on growing corn), hunting, and gathering, settled primarily in the region surrounding the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. The society was divided into matrilineal clans that were based on common female ancestors. These clans were organized into three different phratries, identified by their sign: turtle, turkey, and wolf. Their first contact with Europeans was with the Dutch at the beginning of the 17th century, and their main relationship was through the fur trade.
The Dutch were the first Europeans to claim the lands of New Jersey.
The Dutch colony of New Netherlands consisted of parts of the
present-day Mid-Atlantic states. Although European ownership of land was
not initially recognized by the Lenape, the Dutch West India Company
required its settlers to purchase land to settle. The first to do so was
Michiel Pauw who established a patronage named Pavonia along the
northern river that eventually became Bergen. Peter Minuit purchases the
lands along the Delaware River and establishes the colony of New Sweden.
The entire region became a territory of England in 1664, when an English
fleet under Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed to what is now New York
Harbor and took control of Fort Amsterdam, annexing the entire province.
During the English Civil War the island of Jersey remained loyal to
the Crown and gave asylum to the king. It was from the royal square of
Saint Helier that Charles II was first proclaimed king in 1649, after
the execution of his father, Charles I. The lands of North America were
divided by Charles II, who gave his brother, the Duke of York (later
King James II), the region between New England and Maryland. James then
granted the land between the Hudson River and the Delaware River to two
friends who had remained faithful during the Civil War: George Carteret
and John Berkeley. The area was named the province of New Jersey.
Since the state's creation, New Jersey has been characterized by
ethnic and religious diversity. New England Congregationalists lived
alongside Scottish Presbyterians and Dutch Reformed migrants. While most
residents lived in towns with individual 100-acre (40 ha) plots, a few
wealthy people owned vast estates. Unlike Plymouth, Jamestown, and other
colonies, New Jersey was populated by a second wave of immigrants who
came from other colonies rather than those who migrated directly from
Europe. New Jersey remained agrarian and rural throughout the colonial
period, with commercial agriculture developing only sporadically. Some
municipalities such as Burlington on the Delaware River and Perth Amboy
emerged as important ports for shipping to New York and Philadelphia.
The colony's fertile lands and tolerant religious policies attracted
more settlers, and the population increased to 120,000 by 1775.
Unlike other colonies that were settled by immigrants from Europe, New
Jersey was settled by a secondary wave of settlement from communities
already established in North America. On March 18, 1673, Berkeley sold
half of his colony to Quakers in England, who settled as a Quaker colony
in the Delaware Valley region. New Jersey was very briefly governed as
two distinct provinces, East and West Jersey between 1674 and 1702,
sometimes as part of the Province of New York or the Dominion of New
England. In 1702 the two provinces were united under a royal colony.
Edward Hyde, Lord of Cornbury, became the colony's first governor. The
Lord of Cornbury was an ineffective and corrupt ruler, accepting bribes
and land speculation, so in 1708 he was recalled to England. New Jersey
was then governed by the governors of New York, but this angered New
Jersey settlers who accused the governors of favoritism to New York.
Judge Lewis Morris led the case for an independent governor, and was
appointed governor by King George II in 1738.
Today the state of New Jersey is one of the richest and most advanced
in the US. Its wealth is due to the proximity of the cities of New York
and Philadelphia.
Its more than 8.8 million inhabitants are very
diverse. It is an important destination for foreign immigrants to the
United States. There is a large Hispanic population, and also many
Chinese and Haitians. New Jersey is also home to one of the largest
Italian communities in the country. It also has a reputation for being
one of the most liberal and tolerant states in the nation. The state
revoked the death penalty in December 2007.
The state of New Jersey has a population of 8,791,894 inhabitants
(2010), representing an increase of 4.5% compared to the 2000 census
population (8,414,350). New Jersey has an area of 19,047.4 km² and a
population density of 461.6 inhabitants/km², making it the most densely
populated state in the United States. It has an urban population of
8,324,126 inhabitants (94.7%) and a rural population of 467,768
inhabitants (5.3%). The ethnic distribution of the state is made up of:
68.6% white
13.7% African American or black
0.3% Amerindians or
Native Americans
8.3% Asian
6.4% from other ethnicities
2.7%
from two or more ethnicities
Its agricultural products include vegetables and fruits (specifically eggplant and blueberries), seafood, and dairy products. Its primary industrial products are: pharmaceutical and chemical products, and tourism. The state is famous for its beautiful beaches, collectively called the Jersey Shore.
Development towards the supremacy of the Democrats
Like
Connecticut, New Jersey, formerly a swing state, has become a
democratically dominated state in recent years.
At the state
level, Republican Chris Christie was elected governor in 2009 and was
confirmed in office in 2013 with a clear majority. The Democrats are
clearly focusing on the large industrial cities of Newark and Jersey
City in the New York metropolitan area, as this is where one of their
classic target groups, the middle and lower class working class and
ethnic minorities, is very well represented. New Jersey has 14 electoral
votes in presidential elections.
Democrats Bob Menendez and Cory
Booker currently represent the state in the US Senate. The latter won
the by-election for the late Frank Lautenberg's mandate against
Republican Steve Lonegan.
The United States House of
Representatives in the 116th Congress includes one Republican and eleven
Democrats from New Jersey.
In December 2007, a majority of the
New Jersey Legislature (Senate and House of Representatives) voted to
abolish the death penalty.
New Jersey is the hub of several major highways and rail lines,
especially the Northeast Corridor. The "New Jersey Turnpike" is one of
the best-known and most used highways in the United States. Commonly
referred to as "The Turnpike", it is also known for its numerous rest
areas, individually named after prominent natural-born citizens of the
state, as diverse as inventor Thomas Edison; United States Secretary of
the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton; United States Presidents such as
Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson; writers James Fenimore Cooper,
Joyce Kilmer among others.
The "Garden State Parkway", or simply
"The Parkway", carries much more state traffic and crosses the state
from the town of Montvale (in northern New Jersey), to the southernmost
tip in Cape May for a total of 172 .4 miles. It is the main road that
connects New York with Atlantic City.
Other freeways in New
Jersey include the Atlantic City Expressway, the Palisades Interstate
Parkway, Interstate 76, Interstate 78, Interstate 80, Interstate 95
(called the "New Jersey Turnpike"), Interstate 195, Interstate 280,
Interstate 287, and Interstate 295.
There is also a state
corporation (NJ Transit) that runs many buses and trains across the
state. Newark Liberty International Airport is in the city of Newark and
is one of the largest airports in the United States.
In the major professional leagues, the only team identified with New
Jersey is the New Jersey Devils, which competes in the National Hockey
League and is based in Newark. However, several New York teams have used
New Jersey stadiums for their home games: the New York Giants and New
York Jets of the National Football League, located in East Rutherford,
and the New York Red Bulls of the Major League Soccer, which they play
in Harrison. Previously, the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball
Association played in East Rutherford and Newark.
The three most
prominent college teams in New Jersey are the Rutgers Scarlet Knights,
Princeton Tigers, and Seton Hall Pirates.
Since 2008, several
editions of the Barclays PGA Tour have been played in New Jersey.
Likewise, Baltusrol has hosted seven editions of the United States Open.
Trenton Speedway was an oval that hosted AAA National Championship,
USAC National Championship, CART and NASCAR Grand National races in the
1940s to 1970s. Additionally, the Meadowlands Grand Prix was a CART
street race 1984 until 1991.
There is a project to hold the
Formula 1 American Grand Prix on a street circuit in Port Imperial.