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State of New Jersey

Flag of New Jersey Seal of New Jersey Nickname(s): The Garden State
Official language(s)	None, English de facto
Capital Largest city	Trenton Newark
Area	Ranked 47th
- Total	8,729 sq. mi.  (22,608 km²)
- Width	70 miles (110 km)
- Length	150 miles (240 km)
- % water	14.9
- Latitude	38°55'N to 41°21'23"N
- Longitude	73°53'39"W to 75°35'W
Population	Ranked 10th (as of 2005)
- Total (2000)	8,717,925 (as of 2005)
- Density	1,134/sq. mi.  438/km² (1st)
Elevation
- Highest point	High Point 1,803 feet  (550 m)
- Mean	246 feet  (75 m)
- Lowest point	0 feet  (0 m)
Admission to Union	December 18, 1787 (3rd)
Governor	Jon Corzine (D)
U.S. Senators	Frank Lautenberg (D) Robert Menendez (D)
Time zone(s)	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Abbreviations	NJ N.J. US-NJ
Web site	www.state.nj.us

New Jersey is the fourth smallest and the most densely populated state of the United States. The state is named after the island of Jersey in the English Channel. New Jersey is considered part of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania. Parts of New Jersey are included in the metropolitan areas of New York, Philadelphia, and the Delaware Valley.

Inhabitated by Native Americans for 11,000-50,000 years, New Jersey was later settled by the Swedes and Dutch. The British later seized control of the region of New Jersey, which was granted to Sir George Carteret and Lord John Berkeley. New Jersey was an important site during the American Revolution; several decisive battles were fought there. Cities like Paterson, New Jersey helped to drive the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century. New Jersey's position at the center of the BosWash megalopolis, between New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore/Washington, D.C., fueled its rapid growth through the suburbia boom of the 1950s and beyond.

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 2.1 Colonial era 2.2 Revolutionary War era 2.3 Nineteenth century 2.4 Twentieth century 3 Demographics 3.1 State population 3.2 Race, ethnicity, and ancestry 3.3 Religion 4 Economy 4.1 Oil refineries 5 Transportation 5.1 Roadways 5.2 Airports 5.3 Rail and bus 6 Law and government 6.1 Counties 6.2 Municipalities 6.2.1 Types of government 6.2.2 Forms of government 6.3 Politics 7 Prominent cities and towns 7.1 Large cities (100,000 or greater) 7.2 Towns and small cities (60,000 up to 100,000) 7.3 Other (less than 60,000) 7.4 Wealth of municipalities 8 Education 8.1 Colleges and universities 9 Professional sports teams 10 Miscellaneous topics 10.1 State symbols 10.2 Music 10.3 Television and film 10.4 Legends and ghosts 11 References 12 See also 13 External links

Geography

Main article: Geography of New Jersey

New Jersey is bordered on the north and northeast by New York; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean; on the south by Delaware; and on the west by Pennsylvania. The western border of New Jersey is largely defined by the Delaware River. New Jersey is at the center of the BosWash megalopolis.

New Jersey is broadly divided into three geographic regions: North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey. North Jersey is within New York City's general sphere of influence, with large parts of it within the New York metropolitan area, and many of its residents commuting into the city for work. Central Jersey is a largely suburban area. South Jersey is within Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's general sphere of influence, and most of it is included in the Delaware Valley. Such geographic definitions are broad, however, and there is often dispute over where one region begins and another ends. Some people do not consider Central Jersey to exist at all, but most believe it is a separate geographic and cultural area from the North and South.

Additionally, the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth & Tourism Commission divides the state into six distinct regions to facilitate the state's tourism industry. The regions are:

• Gateway Region, encompassing Hudson County, Essex County, Union County, Middlesex County, Bergen County, and Passaic County.
• Skylands Region, encompassing Sussex County, Morris County, Warren County, Hunterdon County, and Somerset County.
• Shore Region, encompassing Monmouth County and Ocean County.
• Delaware River Region, encompassing Mercer County, Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, and Salem County.
• Greater Atlantic City Region, encompassing Atlantic County.
• Southern Shore Region, encompassing Cumberland County and Cape May County.

High Point Mountain, in Montague Township, Sussex County, has the highest elevation in New Jersey, at 1,803 feet (550 m).

There are many rivers in New Jersey. The major rivers include the Manasquan, Maurice, Mullica, Passaic, Rahway, Rancocas, Raritan, Musconetcong, and Delaware rivers. The Palisades are a line of steep cliffs on the lower west side of the Hudson River.

Sandy Hook, along the eastern coast of New Jersey, is a popular beach of recreation. It is a barrier spit and the extension of a barrier peninsula along the state's coast.

Areas managed by the National Park Service include:

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Delaware National Scenic River
• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
• Edison National Historic Site in West Orange
• Ellis Island National Monument
• Gateway National Recreation Area in Monmouth County
• Great Egg Harbor River
• Morristown National Historical Park in Morristown
• New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
• New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve

Prominent geographic features include:

• Delaware Water Gap
• New Jersey Meadowlands
• Pine Barrens
• South Mountain

History

Main article: History of New Jersey

New Jersey was once inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans. New Jersey was settled by the Dutch in the early 1630s, who formed a settlement at present-day Jersey City. At the time, much of what is now New Jersey was claimed as part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which also included parts of present-day New York State and had its capital at New Amsterdam, now known as New York City. Some of southwestern New Jersey also was settled by the Swedes in the mid-1600s as part of the Swedish colony of New Sweden, which included parts of Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. These Swedish territories were seized by the Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant in 1654 and incorporated into New Netherland.

Colonial era

Main article: Colonial history of New Jersey

The entire region became a territory of England in 1664 when a British fleet under the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed into what is today New York Harbor and took over the colony. They met extremely little resistance.

During the English Civil War the Channel Isle of Jersey remained loyal to The English Crown and gave sanctuary to the King. It was from the Royal Square in St. Helier that Charles II of England was first proclaimed King of England in 1649, following the execution of his father, Charles I of England. The North American lands were divided by King Charles II of England, who gave his brother, the Duke of York (later King James II) the region between New England and Maryland as a proprietary colony (as opposed to a royal colony). James then granted the land between the Hudson River and the Delaware River (the land that would become New Jersey) to two friends who had been loyal through the English Civil War: Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton.

Settlement for the first 10 years of English rule was in the Hudson River region and came primarily from New England. On March 18, 1673, Berkeley sold his half of New Jersey to Quakers in England (with William Penn acting as trustee for a time) who settled the Delaware Valley region as a Quaker colony. New Jersey was governed as two distinct provinces, West Jersey and East Jersey, for the 28 years between 1674 and 1702. In 1702, the two provinces were united under a royal, rather than a proprietary, governor.

Revolutionary War era

Main article: New Jersey during the American Revolution

New Jersey was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. The New Jersey Constitution of 1776 was passed July 2, 1776, just two days before the Second Continental Congress declared American Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was an act of the Provincial Congress, which made itself into the state Legislature. To reassure neutrals, it provided that it would become void if New Jersey reached a reconciliation with Great Britain.

During the American Revolutionary War, British and American armies crossed New Jersey numerous times and several pivotal battles took place in the state. Because of this, New Jersey today is often referred to as "The Crossroads of the Revolution."

On Christmas Day, 1776, the Continental Army under George Washington crossed the Delaware River and engaged the unprepared Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton. Slightly more than a week after victory at Trenton, on January 3, 1777, the American forces scored an important victory by stopping Cornwallis's charges at the Second Battle of Trenton. By evading Cornwallis's army, Washington made a surprise attack on Princeton, and successfully defeated the British garrison there.

Later on, the American forces underneath George Washington engaged the forces underneath General Henry Clinton at the Battle of Monmouth, resulting indecisively. Washington attempted to take the British column by surprise; when the British army attempted to flank the Americans the Americans retreated in disorder. The ranks were later reorganized and withstood the British charges.

In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall at Princeton University, making Princeton the nation's capital for four months. It was there that the Continental Congress learned of the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the war.

New Jersey was the third state to ratify the United States Constitution, which was overwhelmingly popular in New Jersey; it prevented New York and Pennsylvania from charging and keeping tariffs on goods imported from Europe. In November 20, 1789, the state became the first in the newly-formed Union to ratify the Bill of Rights.

The 1776 constitution gave the vote to "all inhabitants" who had a certain level of wealth. This included both women and blacks; although not married women, who could not own property. Both sides, in several elections, claimed that the other side had had unqualified women vote, and mocked them for use of "petticoat electors" (entitled to vote or not); on the other hand, both parties passed Voting Rights Acts. In 1807, the legislature passed a bill interpreting the constitution to mean universal white male suffrage, excluding paupers. (This was less revolutionary than it sounds: the "constitution" was itself only an act of the legislature.) ^[1]

Nineteenth century

Main article: New Jersey in the Nineteenth Century

On February 15, 1804, New Jersey became the last northern state to abolish slavery by enacting legislation that slowly phased out slavery. However, by the close of the Civil War, about a dozen African-Americans in New Jersey were still apprenticed freedmen. New Jersey initially refused to ratify the Constitutional Amendments banning slavery and granting rights to America's Black population.

Unlike the Revolutionary War, no battles of the American Civil War took place within the state of New Jersey. However, throughout the course of the American Civil War, over 80,000 enlisted in the Northern army to defeat the Southern rebels. In total, the soldiers from New Jersey formed 4 militia regiments, 33 infantry regiments, 3 cavalry regiments, and 5 batteries of light artillery.

New Jersey was one of the few states to reject President Abraham Lincoln twice in national elections. It sided toward Stephen Douglas and George B. McClellan during their campaigns. George McClellan later became a governor of the state. During the war the state was led first by Republican Governor Charles Smith Olden, then by Democratic Governor Joel Parker.

In 1844, the second New Jersey State Constitution was ratified and placed into action. This made the counties districts for the State Senate, and some realignment of boundaries (including the creation of Mercer County) immediately followed. This provision was retained in the 1947 Constitution, but was overturned by the United States Supreme Court in 1961.

While the Governorship was stronger than under the 1776 constitution (it could hardly be weaker), the 1844 created many offices which were not responsible to him, or to the people, and gave him a three-year term, but he could not succeed himself.

In the Industrial Revolution, cities like Paterson grew and prospered. Previously, the economy had been largely based upon agriculture, which was problematic due to crop failures and poor soil. This caused a shift to a more industrialized economy, such as textiles 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 steamboats were introduced to New Jersey.

Iron mining was also a prevalent industry during the mid to late 1800's. Mines such as Mt Hope, Mine Hill and the Rockaway Valley Mines created industry which spawned new towns, and was one of the driving forces behind the need for the Morris Canal.

Twentieth century

Main article: New Jersey in the Twentieth Century

Through both World Wars, New Jersey was a center for war production, especially in naval construction. Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers were all made in this state. In addition, Camp Kilmer, Fort Dix, and Camp Merritt were all constructed to help American soldiers through both World Wars. New Jersey also became a principal location for defense in the Cold War. Fourteen Nike Missile stations were constructed, especially for the defense of New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

New Jersey became a prosperous state through the Roaring Twenties but fell in prosperity under the Great Depression. Begging licenses were even offered to the unemployed by the state government in order to provide money for those who could not be helped by the exhausted state funds.^[2] During this time period, the zeppelin Hindenburg went up in flames over Lakehurst.

In the 1960s, several race riots sprung up in New Jersey, the first of which occurred in Jersey City on August 2, 1964. Several other riots ensued in 1967.

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

According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2005, New Jersey has an estimated population of 8,717,925, which is an increase of 32,759, or 0.4%, from the prior year and an increase of 303,578, or 3.6%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 220,220 people (that is 604,110 births minus 383,890 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 95,293 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 290,194 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 194,901 people. There are 1.6 million foreign-born living in the state (accounting for 19.2% of the state population).

New Jersey is the tenth most populous state, but the most densely populated, at 1,134.4 residents per square mile (438.0 per sq. km.), although the population density varies widely across the state. It is also the wealthiest state in the United States as per the United States Census Bureau. [3]

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

The racial makeup of New Jersey is:

• 66.0% White Non-Hispanic
• 13.6% Black
• 13.3% Hispanic
• 5.7% Asian
• 0.2% Native American
• 2.5% Mixed race

New Jersey has the second largest Jewish population by percent (after New York); the second largest Muslim population by percent (after Michigan); the third highest Italian-American population by percent of any state according to the 2000 Census; and a large percentage of the population is Black, Hispanic, Arab, and Asian. All of these facts combine to make New Jersey one of the most religiously and ethnically diverse states in the country. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

The five largest ancestry groups in New Jersey are: Italian (17.9%), Irish (15.9%), African American (13.6%), German (12.6%), Polish (6.9%).

Newark and Camden are two of the poorest cities in America, but New Jersey as a whole has the highest median household income in the nation, as well as the second highest per capita income, after Connecticut. This is largely because so much of New Jersey is comprised of suburbs, most of them affluent, of New York City and Philadelphia. New Jersey is also the most densely populated state in the nation, and the first and only state that has had every one of its 21 counties deemed "urban" [citation needed].

The dominant race, ethnicity, or ancestry by county, according to the 2000 Census, are the following:

• New Jersey
  • Italian - Bergen, Morris, Somerset, Ocean, Monmouth
  • Irish - Sussex
  • Black - Essex, Union, Mercer, Hudson
  • German - Warren, Hunterdon
  • Polish/Slavic - Middlesex
  • Puerto Rican/Hispanic - Hudson, Passaic

6.7% of its population were reported as under 5, 24.8% under 18, and 13.2% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.5% of the population.

Religion

The religious affiliations of adults of New Jersey are:

• 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%

(disputed �?? see talk page)

Economy

Main article: Economy of New Jersey

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Jersey's total state product in 2004 was $416 billion.^[6] 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.^[7] 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. 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 pharmaceutical and chemical products, food processing, electric equipment, printing and publishing, and tourism. New Jersey's economy has a large base of industry and chemical manufacturing. Additionally, New Jersey is home to the largest petroleum containment system outside of the Middle East.

New Jersey hosts several business headquarters. Fifty Fortune 500 companies have headquarters in or conduct business from Morris County alone. New Jersey is said to have the largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the world: nearly one hundred companies on the Fortune 500 list have headquarters or conduct business from New Jersey. Paramus is noted for having one of the highest business per person ratios in the nation. Several New Jersey counties such as Essex, Morris, Middlesex, Union, and Bergen counties have been ranked in the World Almanac 2002, as being among the top 15 highest per person per capita income areas in the country.

New Jersey's major industries are agriculture, tourism, nursery products, electronics, manufacturing equipment, pharmacuticals, etc. This diversity enables New Jersey to weather volatility in the national economy and contributes to New Jersey's low unemployment rate. New Jersey's geographical location between Philadelphia and New York City has helped New Jersey to grow and thrive since the time of its creation as a state in 1702. Another of New Jersey's great strengths is its large and well-educated labor pool that supports the myriad of industries that exist today. The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal is the world's largest container port. Newark Liberty International Airport is ranked as number 7 in the list of the nation's busiest airports and among the top 20 busiest airports in the world.

Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson is one of the largest theme parks in the world. It is home to the largest wild safari outside of Africa and is now home to the world's tallest and fastest rollercoaster, Kingda Ka. As of 2001, New Jersey makes $30 billion each year from tourism as stated in the Star-Ledger article "The Best Of New Jersey". New Jersey is one of the top ten most visited states in the nation.

New Jersey has 7 tax brackets for determining income tax rates. The rates range from 1.4 percent to 8.97 percent. New Jersey's sales tax rate is 6 percent. All retail sales are taxable unless specifically exempt by law. Exemptions include most food items for at-home preparation, medicines, clothing, footwear, and disposable paper products for use in the home. All real property and tangible personal property located in the state of New Jersey is subject to property tax unless specifically exempted by statute. New Jersey does not assess an intangible personal property tax but it does collect an inheritance tax.

Oil refineries

• 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 its numerous rest-areas named after prominent New Jerseyans as varied as inventor Thomas Edison; United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton; United States Presidents Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson; writers James Fenimore Cooper, Joyce Kilmer, and Walt Whitman; patriot Molly Pitcher; Red Cross advocate Clara Barton; and football coach Vince Lombardi.

The Garden State Parkway, or simply "the Parkway", carries more in-state traffic and runs from the town of Montvale along New Jersey's northern border with New York to the southernmost tip of the state at Cape May for 172.4 miles. It is the trunk that connects the New York metropolitan area to Atlantic City. The Parkway is secretly known as NJ 444. [4]

Other expressways in New Jersey include the Atlantic City Expressway also known as NJ 446 [5], the Palisades Interstate Parkway also known as NJ 445 [6], Interstate 76, Interstate 78, Interstate 80, Interstate 195, Interstate 280, Interstate 287, and Interstate 295.

New Jersey has interstate compacts with all three neighboring states. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Delaware River Port Authority (with Pennsylvania), and the Delaware River and Bay Authority (with Delaware) operate most of the major transportation routes into and out of New Jersey. Tolls for the bridges are charged in one direction �?? it is free to cross into New Jersey, but motorists must pay when exiting the state. The Washington Crossing and Scudders Falls (on I-95) bridges near Trenton, as well as Trenton's Calhoun Street and Bridge Street ("Trenton Makes") bridges, are free.

Airports

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 airports 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.

Rail and bus

The New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) operates extensive rail and bus service throughout the state. NJ Transit is a state-run corporation that began with the consolidation of several private bus companies in North Jersey. In the early 1980s, it acquired the commuter train operations of Conrail that connect towns in northern and central New Jersey to New York City. NJ Transit has eight lines that run throughout different parts of the state. Most of the trains start at start at various points in the state and most end at Pennsylvania Station in New York City. NJ Transit began service between Atlantic City and Lindenwold in 1989 and extended it to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the 1990s. This is the only mass transit line that is based entirely in South Jersey, and the only one that connects Philadelphia and Atlantic City.

Amtrak also operates numerous long-distance passenger trains in New Jersey to and from neighboring states and around the country. In addition to the Newark Airport connection, other major Amtrak railway stations include Trenton Rail Station, Metropark, and the grand historic Newark Penn Station.

Law and government

Main article: Law and government of New Jersey

Further information: Governor of New Jersey,  Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey, and New Jersey Legislature

Jon Corzine (Democrat) is the governor.

New Jersey is one of the few states that has no Lieutenant Governor, and will not until 2009.

The current version of the New Jersey State Constitution was adopted in 1947. It provides for a bicameral Legislature consisting of a Senate of 40 members and an Assembly of 80 members. Each of the 40 legislative districts elects one Senator and two Assembly members. Assembly members are elected by the people for a two-year term in all odd-numbered years; Senators are elected in the years ending in 1, 3, and 7 and thus serve either four or two year terms. See for the constitution

The Governor of New Jersey is considered one of the most powerful governors in the nation, as it is currently the only state-wide elected office in the state and appoints many government officials. Additionally, an acting governor is even more powerful as he simultaneously serves as president of the senate, thus directing the entire legislative and executive process. Former Acting Governor Codey was the last acting governor to serve simultaneously as Senate president, as a result of the Constitutional amendment approved by the voters in 2005.

The governor's mansion is Drumthwacket, located in Princeton Township.

The New Jersey Supreme Court ^[8] consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. All are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of a majority of the membership of the state senate. Justices serve an initial seven-year term, after which they can be reappointed to serve until age 70.

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 were partitioned from existing counties in the 1800s. New Jersey is the only state in the nation where elected county officials are called "Freeholders," 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.

Municipalities

New Jersey has 566 municipalities; until recently, 567 (Pahaquarry Township was absorbed by Hardwick Township in 1997). Unlike other states, all of its municipalities are incorporated entities with fixed boundaries, and no local government can simply absorb land from another.

Types of government

When the types of government were devised in the nineteenth century, the intention was that cities would be large built-up areas, with progressively smaller boroughs, towns, and villages; the rural areas in between would be relatively large townships. This is still often true, although Shrewsbury Township has been divided over the years; today it is less than a square mile, consisting only of a single housing development. Some townships�??notably Middletown, Brick, Hamilton, and Dover (which includes Toms River)�??have, without changing their boundaries, become large stretches of suburbia, as populous as cities, often focused around shopping centers and highways rather than traditional downtowns and main streets.

As with Toms River, many locations in New Jersey are simply neighborhoods, with no exact boundaries; often the cluster of houses, the traditional neighborhood, the postal district, and the Census designated place will differ.

The Federal Government has often failed to understand that a New Jersey township is just another municipality, and some municipalities have changed forms to become the Township of the Borough of Verona or the Township of South Orange Village to receive more Federal aid.

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 municipality, even though the original type is retained in its formal name. Only boroughs can have the "borough form" of government.

Starting in the 1900s, largely driven by reform-minded goals, a series of six modern forms of government was implemented. This began with the Walsh Act, enacted in 1911, which provided for a 3- or 5-member commission elected on a non-partisan basis. This was followed by the 1923 Municipal Manager Law, which offered a non-partisan council, provided for a weak mayor elected by and from the members of the council, and introduced Council-Manager government with an (ideally apolitical) appointed manager responsible for day-to-day administration of municipal affairs.

The 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 municipal affairs and offers great flexibility in allowing municipalities to select the characteristics of its government: the number of seats on the Council; seats selected at-large, by wards, or through a combination of both; staggered or concurrent terms of office; and a mayor chosen by the Council or elected directly by voters. Most large municipalities and a majority of New Jersey's residents are governed by municipalities with Faulkner Act charters.

While municipalities retain their types of government, they may have changed to one of the modern forms of government, or further in the past to one of the other traditional forms, leading to municipalities with formal names quite baffling to the general public. For example, though there are four municipalities with the village type of government, Loch Arbour is the only one remaining with the village form of government. The three other villages�??Ridgefield Park (now with a Walsh Act form), Ridgewood (now with a Faulkner Act Council-Manager charter), and most confusingly, South Orange (now the Township of South Orange Village)�??have all migrated to other non-village forms.

Politics

Main article: Politics of New Jersey

New Jersey is a politically competitive state; the governorship alternated between the parties from the election of Richard J. Hughes in 1961 until Democrat Jon Corzine was elected to replace a Democrat in 2005; the legislature has also switched hands, and one house was evenly divided from 1999�??2001. Three of the last five gubernatorial elections have been close. The Congressional seats have also been as evenly divided as thirteen seats can be.

In national elections, the state now leans towards the national Democratic Party. It was, however, a Republican stronghold for years in the past, having given comfortable margins of victory to the Republican candidate in the close elections of 1948, 1968, and 1976. New Jersey was a crucial swing state in the elections of 1960, 1968, and 1992. In national elections, the state has given large victories to Democrats since the 1990's. The last elected Republican to hold a Senate seat from New Jersey was Clifford P. Case in 1979. (Nicholas Brady was appointed a U.S. Senator by Governor Thomas Kean in 1982 after Harrison A. Williams resigned the Senate seat following the Abscam investigations.)

The state's Democratic strongholds include Mercer County around Trenton and Princeton; Essex County and Hudson County, the state's two most urban counties, around the state's two largest cities, Newark and Jersey City; Camden County and most of the other urban communities just outside of Philadelphia and New York; and more suburban northern counties in New York's orbit, such as Union County and Middlesex County.

The more suburban northwestern and southeastern counties of the state are reliably Republican: Republicans have strong backing along the coast in Ocean County and in the mountainous northwestern part of the state, especially Sussex County, Morris County, and Warren County. Somerset County and Hunterdon County, other suburban counties in the region, are also Republican in local elections but can be competitive in national races. In the 2004 General Election, Bush received about 51% in Somerset and 56% in Hunterdon, while up in rural Republican Sussex County, Bush won with 64% of the vote.

About half of the counties in New Jersey, however, are considered swing counties, but some go more one way than others. For an example, Bergen County, which leans Republican in the northern half of the county, is mostly Democratic in the more populated southern parts, causing it to usually vote slightly Democratic (same with Passaic County, with a highly populated Hispanic Democratic south and a rural, Republican north), other "swing" counties like Cape May County tend to go Republican, as they also have population in conservative areas.

Socially, New Jersey is considered one of the highly liberal and progressive states in the nation. Polls indicate 2/3rds of the population are self-described as pro-choice and a majority support gay marriage.^[9][10]

Prominent cities and towns

Major cities (and their populations):

Large cities (100,000 or greater)

For its overall population and nation-leading density, New Jersey has a relative paucity of classic large cities. As of the United States 2000 Census, only four municipalities had populations in excess of 100,000. With the 2004 Census estimate, Woodbridge has surpassed Edison in population, as both joined the 100,000 club.

• Newark: 273,546 (Census Estimate 2004: 280,451)
• Jersey City: 240,055 (Census Estimate 2004: 239,079)
• Paterson: 149,222 (Census Estimate 2004: 150,869)
• Elizabeth: 120,568 (Census Estimate 2004: 124,724)
• Edison 97,687 (Census Estimate 2004: 100,142)
• Woodbridge Township: 97,203 (Census Estimate 2004: 100,775)

Towns and small cities (60,000 up to 100,000)

• Dover Township: 89,706 (Census Estimate 2004: 94,320) - the Census 2000 total includes the population of Toms River, a census-designated place within Dover Township. Toms River had a 2000 census population of 86,327. Dover Township is not to be confused with the town of Dover, which is in a different county.
• Hamilton: 87,109
• Trenton: 85,403
• Camden: 79,904
• Clifton: 78,672
• Brick: 76,119
• Cherry Hill Township: 69,965
• East Orange: 69,824
• Passaic: 67,861
• Union City: 67,088
• Middletown: 66,327
• Gloucester Township: 64,350
• Bayonne: 61,842
• Irvington: 60,695
• Old Bridge Township 60,456
• Lakewood 60,352

Other (less than 60,000)

The following communities are other notable places in New Jersey with under 60,000 people.

• Asbury Park
• Atlantic City
• Cape May
• Egg Harbor Township
• Englewood
• Evesham Township
• Ewing
• Fort Lee
• Hackensack
• Hoboken
• Holmdel
• Jackson
• Lambertville
• Long Branch
• Mendham
• Montclair
• Moorestown
• Morristown
• New Brunswick
• The Oranges
  • Orange
  • East Orange
  • South Orange
  • West Orange
• Plainfield
• Point Pleasant
• Princeton
  • Princeton Borough
  • Princeton Township
• Red Bank
• Teaneck
• Union
• Wildwood
• Willingboro

Wealth of municipalities

Wealth of municipalities by per capita income:

1 Mantoloking, New Jersey $114,017 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 overall is considered to have one of the best public education systems in the United States. 54% of high school graduates continue on to college or university, which is tied with Massachusetts for the second highest rate in the nation (North Dakota holds first place at 59%). New Jersey also has the highest average scores for advanced placement testing in public schools in the nation. Secretary of Education Rick Rosenberg, appointed by Governor Jon Corzine, has created the Education Advancement Initiative 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 publically 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. [7]

Colleges and universities

Assumption College for Sisters, Mendham Berkeley College, various campuses Bloomfield College, Bloomfield Caldwell College, Caldwell Centenary College, Hackettstown The College of New Jersey, Ewing Township College of Saint Elizabeth, Morristown-Florham Park DeVry University, North Brunswick Drew University, Madison Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham Park-Madison & Teaneck-Hackensack campuses Felician College, Rutherford & Lodi campuses Georgian Court University, Lakewood Kean University, Union-Elizabeth Monmouth University, West Long Branch Montclair State University, Montclair New Jersey City University, Jersey City New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark Princeton University, Princeton

Rabbinical College of America, Morristown, New Jersey Ramapo College, Mahwah Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, New Jersey Rider University, Lawrenceville Rowan University, Glassboro Rowan University, Camden Campus Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Rutgers, New Brunswick/Piscataway Campus Rutgers, Camden Campus Rutgers, Newark Campus Saint Peter's College, Jersey City Seton Hall University, South Orange Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken Thomas Edison State College, Trenton University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark William Paterson University, Wayne

In addition to the above institutions, there are 19 county colleges, serving the 21 counties in the state.

• Atlantic Cape Community College, Mays Landing
• Bergen Community College, Paramus
• Brookdale Community College, Lincroft - the community college of Monmouth County
• Burlington County College, Pemberton
• Camden County College, Blackwood, Camden and Cherry Hill
• County College of Morris, Randolph
• Cumberland County College, Vineland
• Essex County College, Newark & West Caldwell campuses
• Gloucester County College, Sewell
• Hudson County Community College, Jersey City
• Mercer County Community College, West Windsor
• Middlesex County College, Edison
• Ocean County College, Toms River
• Passaic County Community College, Paterson-Wanaque-Wayne
• Raritan Valley Community College, North Branch
• Salem Community College, Carneys Point
• Sussex County Community College, Newton
• Union County College, Cranford, Elizabeth, and Plainfield
• Warren County Community College, Washington

Professional sports teams

New Jersey currently has four major professional sports league teams playing in the state, although the Major League Soccer team and two National Football League teams identify as being from New York. It is currently the most populous state without a team in each of the major leagues, although this is largely due to the close proximity of New York City and Philadelphia.

National Hockey League New Jersey Devils National Basketball Association New Jersey Nets Major League Soccer Red Bull New York possible 2009 expansion team in Glassboro, New Jersey Major League Lacrosse New Jersey Pride Bergen River Dogs National Football League New York Giants New York Jets American Basketball Association Newark Express

Minor League Baseball teams Atlantic City Surf Bergen Cliff Hawks (planned, expected to play at Meadowlands Xanadu) Camden Riversharks Lakewood BlueClaws New Jersey Jackals (Montclair) Newark Bears Somerset Patriots (Bridgewater) Sussex Skyhawks (Augusta) Trenton Thunder

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.
• New Jersey is the fourth smallest and the most densely populated of the states.
• The state is named after the island of Jersey in the English Channel.
• The official nickname is the "Garden State."
• New Jersey is the birthplace of many modern inventions such as: FM radio, the motion picture camera, the lithium battery, the light bulb, transistors, and the electric train. Other New Jersey creations include: the drive-in movie, the cultivated blueberry, cranberry sauce, the postcard, the boardwalk, the zipper, the phonograph, saltwater taffy, the dirigible[8], the first use of a submarine 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 New 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 and is still its largest.
• New Jersey has more horses per square mile than any other state. The United States Equestrian Team now is headquartered in Gladstone after being founded in Morristown.
• The book Jaws by Peter Benchley, which inspired the classic film of the same name, was based on a series of actual shark attacks during the summer of 1916 that took place in Matawan and elsewhere off the Jersey Shore.
• New Jersey is home to the second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi River: the Great Passaic Falls in Paterson. Only Niagara Falls is larger.
  

  

  A diner in Freehold
• Diners are common in New Jersey. The state is home to many diner manufacturers and has more diners than any other state: over 600. Due to the state's small size, New Jersey has more diners per square mile than any other state in America. [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 gallery, Iron Butterfly, before moving it to Red Bank. Jim Gary was the only living sculptor ever invited to have a solo show at the Smithsonian Institution�??s National Museum of Natural History.
• New Jersey is one of only two states (along with Oregon) where self-service filling of gasoline is prohibited.

State symbols

• State bird: Eastern Goldfinch
• State animal: Horse
• State flower: Common Violet
• State tree: Red Oak
• State fish: Brook Trout
• State dance: The Square Dance
• State dinosaur: Hadrosaurus foulkii
• State insect: Honey bee
• State number: 3
• State motto: Liberty and prosperity
• State slogan: Come see for yourself
• State license plate slogan: Garden State

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 connections to New Jersey are:

• Frank Sinatra, the only child of working-class Italian-American immigrants, was born December 12, 1915 in a tenement at 415 Monroe St. in Hoboken. He sang with a neighborhood vocal group, the Hoboken Four, and appeared in neighborhood theater amateur shows before he became an entertainment legend as an Academy Award winning actor and one of the most famous male vocalists of all time. Some of his greatest hits include "Strangers In The Night," "My Way," "Luck Be A Lady," and "New York, New York."
• Bruce Springsteen, who has sung of New Jersey life on most of his albums, hails from Freehold and is the most popular rock musician to ever come out of the state. Some of his songs that represent New Jersey life are "Born To Run", "Spirit In The Night", "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", "Thunder Road", "Atlantic City", and "Jungleland".
• Jon Bon Jovi, who hails from Sayreville, reached fame in the 1980's with hard rock outift Bon Jovi. The band has also written many songs about life in New Jersey including "Livin' On A Prayer" and even named one of his albums after the state (see New Jersey)
• Dionne Warwick was born in East Orange and has had a long career, including nearly 60 charted hits, from "Do You Know The Way to San Jose?" (winning the first of her five 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 Orange. She had a successful solo career in the 1980's and 1990's and is best known for her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You", which set new records for sales and weeks at number one. Houston has sold well over 180 million records internationally. Her mother is Cissy Houston, winner of two Grammy's in her own right.
• 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 frequented early in their careers and is still considered by many to be a "Mecca" for up-and-coming Jersey Shore musicians.
• Former Fugee Lauryn Hill is a South Orange resident and is hip-hop's best-selling solo female artist. Her 1998 debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, sold 10 million copies internationally.
• 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 single Rapper's Delight which many credit as the first hip hop single. The terms rap and rapper is originated from this song.

Television and film

• Motion picture technology was invented in New Jersey, by Thomas Edison. The early work was done at his West Orange laboratory. His "Black Maria" was the first motion picture studio.
• More recent motion pictures and televisions shows also have been set in New Jersey. The popular television drama The Sopranos depicts the life of a New Jersey organized crime family and is filmed on location at various places throughout the state. "The Family Man" was filmed in Teaneck. The 1979 film The Amityville Horror was filmed in Toms River.
• Although not credited, at least one scene from The Godfather (1972) was filmed in New Jersey. The scene with Clemenza's famous line, "Leave the gun. Take the cannolis," was filmed in the marsh along the Hudson River in Jersey City, just west of the Statue of Liberty, in what is now Liberty State Park.
• The 2004 Sundance Film Festival favorite Garden State (starring Zach Braff and Natalie Portman) was shot on location in Morris Township around Morristown.
• The popular animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Megas XLR take place primarily in New Jersey.
• Director Kevin Smith's movies have a recurring set of characters (most famously Jay and Silent Bob) and nearly all of them come from New Jersey (primarily the "tri-town" area of Atlantic Highlands, Leonardo, and Red Bank). The state appears in all of Smith's films, and his first three films, Clerks., Mallrats and Chasing Amy, were dubbed the "New Jersey Trilogy". Smith's first movie, Clerks. also had a short-lived animated series spin-off by the same name. It took place in the same locations as the movie. Smith's subsequent efforts, Dogma, Jersey Girl, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks II all had scenes taking place in various New Jersey locales.
• 2001's A Beautiful Mind had several scenes shot at Princeton University. The movie is a biopic of the mathematician John Nash, who currently lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
• Actor Jack Nicholson grew up on the Jersey shore, and went to Manasquan High School in Monmouth County. The school's auditorium is named after him.
• The 2004 stoner film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle took place in New Jersey. Several locations seen in the movie include Princeton University, Newark, New Brunswick, and a fictional White Castle in Cherry Hill.
• Although supposedly set in New York, the 2003 movie School of Rock was filmed primarily in Edison and Mahwah, perhaps due to the significance these towns have on rock music.
• The 1988 comedy film Big starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, Jon Lovitz, and Mercedes Ruehl was filmed in Bergen County, New Jersey, specifically in Cliffside Park.
• The 1983 cult classic Eddie and the Cruisers was filmed mostly in Somers Point and Ocean City.
• Goodfellas, the 1990 Martin Scorsese film about the mob, had some scenes filmed on location in Fort Lee.
• The movie War of the Worlds was filmed in many locations in New Jersey, including Bayonne, Howell Township and Newark. The infamous radio show broadcast starring Orson Welles, The War of the Worlds was set in Grover's Mill (a section of West Windsor Township) and other locations around New Jersey.
• The Ron Howard film Cinderella Man and the Elia Kazan film On the Waterfront both take place in the old Hudson County docks.

• The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) was set in New Brunswick, and includes a scene set in "Greasy Tony's"�??a real Rutgers-area eatery.
• Actor and comedian Joe Piscopo was born in Passaic. In 1985, he released a comedy album entitled "New Jersey." The cover art parodied the common (and erroneous) perception of New Jersey as nothing but freeways and factories. The following year he starred in an HBO comedy special entitled The Joe Piscopo New Jersey Special. In 2004, Piscopo announced that he was considering a run for the governor's office.[9]
• Bruce Willis grew up in Penns Grove and graduated from Penns Grove High School. He returns to the borough occasionally to visit family.
• Tom Cruise went to high school and lived his teen years in Glen Ridge
• The medical drama House is set in New Jersey and takes place at the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.

Legends and ghosts

A long circulated legend says a creature, the Jersey Devil or the Leeds Devil, terrorizes the population of the Pine Barrens. New Jersey is also home to several other urban legends, such as the ghost of Annie's Road in Totowa; Midgetville in Edgewater; Albino Village in Clifton; the supposed Ku Klux Klan hotbed Whipporwill Valley Road in Middletown; the haunted and demon-possessed Clinton Road in West Milford; and the Witch of Igoe Road in Marlboro. There is also the popular attraction of the Atco Ghost�??the ghost of a little boy runs across the street late at night chasing a basketball on Burnt Mill Road in Atco. It is also rumored that Jimmy Hoffa, the late leader of the Teamsters union, is buried beneath Giants Stadium or the New Jersey Turnpike.

Camp NoBeBoSco in Blairstown was the location of the original Friday the 13th movie (some believe the series of films to be set in New Jersey, although this is never confirmed onscreen), which was partially based on real murders that have occurred near the campground, in the state's rural northwest. Such horror stories were the inspiration behind the now nationally-famous Weird NJ magazine and website.

References

1. ^ 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.)
2. ^ Gerdes, Louise I. The 1930s, Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2000.
3. ^ Race/ethnicity citation with state percentages (Adobe PDF)
4. ^ Diversity index citation with state percentages (Microsoft Excel)
5. ^ Ancestry citation with state percentages (Adobe PDF)
6. ^ Bureau of Economic Analysis
7. ^ Bureau of Economic Analysis
8. ^ Supreme Court of New Jersey
9. ^ SurveyUSA Pro-Life vs. Pro Choice Sorted by State
10. ^ Garden State Equalty Poll Results from surveys done April 12 - April 14, 2005
11. ^ [1] (Adobe PDF)
12. ^ [2]

See also

• List of New Jersey-related topics
• List of people from New Jersey
• Ancestry citation with county maps: ^[11]
• Specific ancestry maps by county, place, and census tract available at:

^[12]

• Scouting in New Jersey

External links

• 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
• AboutNewJersey.com
• New Jersey History
• US Census Bureau
• Abandoned and Historic Mines of New Jersey
• Weird NJ
• 1-2-3 NJ - an eclectic collection of images from all over New Jersey

	State of New Jersey
Capital	Trenton
Regions	Central Jersey | Delaware Valley | Jersey Shore | Meadowlands | North Jersey | Pine Barrens | South Jersey | New York metro area | Tri-State Region
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