Located in the Middle Atlantic region of the United States, New Jersey is a place of contrasts. It is the nation's fifth-smallest state in area, but it has one of the largest populations. It is called the Garden State because of the farms in the west and south, but it has long had a reputation as an industrial state.
New Jersey owes much of its development to its location. It lies between two of the nation's largest cities—New York City and Philadelphia. In addition, New Jersey was able to develop busy ports because of its long Atlantic coastline. The state capital is Trenton.
New Jersey has an area of 7,787 square miles (20,169 square kilometers). Except for a 50-mile (80-kilometer) border it shares with New York to the north, New Jersey is surrounded by water. The Atlantic Ocean lies to the east. The Hudson River separates New Jersey from New York City in the northeast. To the west across the Delaware River are Pennsylvania and Delaware.
The southern part of New Jersey is covered by a coastal plain. Much of this area is marshland. It also has large tracts of sandy soil and an area of stunted pinewoods known as the Pine Barrens. North of the coastal plain is a region of rolling upland. Many of the major cities and suburbs are located in this area. Further north is a region of wooded hills. This section has the state's largest lake, Lake Hopatcong. In the northwest corner of the state are the Kittatinny Mountains, which are part of the Appalachians. High Point, the highest elevation in New Jersey at 1,803 feet (550 meters), is in the northernmost part of the state.
New Jersey has a humid climate with cold winters and warm summers. Ocean breezes help to keep the coast warmer than the higher, inland northern region.
Many rare plants grow in the marshes and Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. Some of these plants eat insects. Plants commonly found in the state include wild azalea, honeysuckle, and mountain laurel. The violet is the state flower. Trees common to New Jersey include oak, pine, white cedar, elm, birch, ash, sweet gum, maple, walnut, and chestnut. The red oak is the state tree.
Bears and wildcats can be found in some woodlands. Deer, opossums, and raccoons are common, even in some suburbs. The state bird is the eastern goldfinch.
The first people to live in the New Jersey area were Delaware (or Lenni Lenape) Indians. The first Native American reservation in the United States was set aside for this group in 1758 at the present site of Indian Mills in Burlington County.
The earliest settlers during the colonial era were from Sweden, The Netherlands, and England. During the 19th century immigrants came from Germany, England, and Ireland. After 1900, however, most of the area's new settlers emigrated from Eastern and Southern Europe.
Italian Americans are the largest ethnic group in New Jersey. The state also has large communities of Germans, Russian and Eastern European Jews, Irish, Poles, Hungarians, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans. Both African Americans and Hispanics make up more than 13 percent of the population.
Because of its large population and small area, New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country. Many people live in the northeastern corner of the state, near New York City. New Jersey's four largest cities—Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth—lie across the Hudson River from New York City. All are industrial centers. Trenton, the state capital, is on the Delaware River across from the Pennsylvania border.
Thousands of vacationers from New Jersey cities and neighboring states flock to the lakes of northern New Jersey in the summer. Even more popular is the Atlantic shore, with its noted summer resorts. Atlantic City has long been one of the most popular resorts in the United States. It is known especially for its Boardwalk and its gambling casinos. Other resort towns and cities include Long Branch, Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Ocean City, Wildwood, and Cape May. State forests provide recreation as well as wildlife protection and timber and water conservation.
The Meadowlands Sports Complex was opened in East Rutherford in 1976. It is home to the New Jersey Nets (men's basketball), the New Jersey Devils (hockey), and the New York Giants and the New York Jets (football). The complex also is popular for concerts and horse racing.
The first schools in New Jersey were private academies in which classes were taught by schoolmasters from Europe. Public education began in 1816. The present statewide system of free public schools was established in 1871.
Despite its small area, New Jersey has a number of institutions of higher learning. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, has campuses in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden. The best-known private institution is Princeton University, at Princeton.
Thomas Alva Edison established the nation's first research laboratory at Menlo Park in New Jersey in 1876. It was there that he invented the electric light, the phonograph, and many other devices.
For many years New Jersey was one of the country's leading manufacturing states. The production of chemicals and processed foods are still major industries in the state. In the second half of the 20th century, however, manufacturing became less important to New Jersey's economy. The state became more dependent on service industries such as health care and data processing. New Jersey also developed into a center for scientific and technological research. The resort industry is also a major part of the state's economy.
Much of New Jersey's farmland was lost as industry and housing expanded. Nevertheless, the state is still a major producer of fruits and vegetables. Among its crops are lettuce, bell peppers, asparagus, sweet corn, tomatoes, peaches, cranberries, and blueberries. Dairy products and poultry and eggs are also important sources of farming income.
With its long coastline and access to rivers, New Jersey has a large fishing industry. The main commercial catches include clams, scallops, and lobster. The state's chief minerals are clays, stone, sand, and gravel.
The Lenni Lenape Indians lived in what is now New Jersey long before the arrival of white settlers. In 1524 the Italian explorer Giovanni de Verrazano became the first European to land in the area. Henry Hudson, an Englishman exploring for the Dutch, arrived in 1609. Dutch and Swedish traders established the first settlements in the area.
England took over the region in 1664. They named it New Jersey after the island of Jersey in the English Channel. In 1676 the province was divided into East and West Jersey. New Jersey was reunited as a royal colony in 1702, under the governor of New York. It was separated from New York in 1738.
New Jersey was the site of many battles during the American Revolution (1775–81), including ones at Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth. Gen. George Washington spent winters with his troops at Morristown in 1777 and in 1779–80.
At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, New Jersey represented the small states. New Jersey called for each state, regardless of size, to have the same number of senators in the United States Congress. New Jersey was the third state to approve the United States Constitution. It did so on December 18, 1787.
Between the Revolution and the American Civil War (1861–65) New Jersey underwent great industrial development. Many large companies were set up in the state and became very powerful. Much of this power was broken, however, when Woodrow Wilson was elected governor in 1910. Two years later Wilson was elected president of the United States.
Industrial growth continued during and after both world wars. Racial tension in New Jersey cities in the 1960s led to riots that caused many deaths and millions of dollars in damage. During the last part of the 20th century and into the 21st century, the state sought to improve its cities. A major issue was cleaning up environmental pollution caused by decades of careless industrial practices. Population (2000 census), 8,414,350.
