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New Jersey

New Jersey is a state situated within both the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is the most densely populated of all 50 U.S. states, and is situated at the center of the Northeast megalopolis. New Jersey is bordered on its north and east by New York state; on its east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on its west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania; and on its southwest by Delaware Bay and Delaware. At 7,354 square miles (19,050 km2), New Jersey is the fifth-smallest state in land area, but with close to 9.3 million residents as of the 2020 United States census, its highest decennial count ever, it ranks 11th in population. The state capital is Trenton, and the state's most populous city is Newark. New Jersey is the only U.S. state in which every county is deemed urban by the U.S. Census Bureau with 13 counties included in the New York metropolitan area, seven counties in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, and Warren County part of the heavily industrialized Lehigh Valley metropolitan area.

This article is about the U.S. state. For other uses, see New Jersey (disambiguation).

New Jersey

December 18, 1787 (3rd)

8,722.58 sq mi (22,591.38 km2)

7,354.22[2] sq mi (19,047.34 km2)

1,368.36 sq mi (3,544.04 km2)  15.7%

170 mi (273 km)

70 mi (112 km)

250 ft (80 m)

1,803 ft (549.6 m)

0 ft (0 m)

9,288,994

1,263.0/sq mi (487.6/km2)

1st

3rd

New Jerseyan (official),[7] New Jerseyite[8][9]

None

38°56′ N to 41°21′ N

73°54′ W to 75°34′ W

New Jersey was first inhabited by Paleo-Indians as early as 13,000 B.C.E., with the Lenape being the dominant Indigenous group when Europeans arrived in the early 17th century. Dutch and Swedish colonists founded the first European settlements in the state,[10] with the British later seizing control of the region and establishing the Province of New Jersey, named after the largest of the Channel Islands.[11][12] The colony's fertile lands and relative religious tolerance drew a large and diverse population. New Jersey was among the Thirteen Colonies that supported the American Revolution, hosting several pivotal battles and military commands in the American Revolutionary War. On December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the United States Constitution, which granted it admission to the Union, and it was the first state to ratify the U.S. Bill of Rights on November 20, 1789.


New Jersey remained in the Union during the American Civil War and provided troops, resources, and military leaders in support of the Union Army. After the war, the state emerged as a major manufacturing center and a leading destination for immigrants, helping drive the Industrial Revolution in the U.S. New Jersey was the site of many industrial, technological, and commercial innovations,[13] including the first town (Roselle) to be illuminated by electricity, the first incandescent light bulb, and the first steam locomotive.[14] Many prominent Americans associated with New Jersey have proven influential nationally and globally, including in academia, advocacy, business, entertainment, government, military, non-profit leadership, and other fields.


New Jersey's central location in the Northeast megalopolis helped fuel its rapid growth and suburbanization in the second half of the 20th century. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the state's economy has become highly diversified, with major sectors including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, information technology, finance, and tourism, and it has become an Atlantic seaboard epicenter for logistics and distribution. New Jersey remains a major destination for immigrants and is home to one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural populations.[15][16] Echoing historical trends, the state has increasingly re-urbanized, with growth in cities outpacing suburbs since 2008.[17]


As of 2022, New Jersey had the highest annual median household income, at $96,346, of all 50 states.[18] Almost one-tenth of all households in the state, or over 323,000, are millionaires, the highest representation of millionaires among all states.[19] New Jersey's public school system consistently ranks at or among the top of all U.S. states.[20][21][22][23] According to climatology research by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, New Jersey has been the fastest-warming state by average air temperature over a 100-year period beginning in the early 20th century, which has been attributed to warming of the North Atlantic Ocean.[24]

Meadowlands

New Jersey Pine Barrens

Delaware Water Gap

Great Bay

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

Highlands

Hudson Palisades

Jersey Shore

highest concentration of oceanside boardwalks in the world

Ramapo Mountain

South Mountain

History of the Jews in New Jersey

Hispanics and Latinos in New Jersey

Indians in the New York City metropolitan region

Chinese in the New York City metropolitan region

List of U.S. cities with significant Korean American populations

Filipinos in the New York City metropolitan region

Filipinos in New Jersey

Russians in the New York City metropolitan region

Bergen County

Jersey City

in Jersey City, home to the highest concentration of Asian Indians in the Western Hemisphere

India Square

a Portuguese and Brazilian enclave in Newark

Ironbound

a Filipino enclave in Jersey City

Five Corners

a Cuban enclave in Hudson County

Havana on the Hudson

a Korean enclave in southeast Bergen County

Koreatown, Fort Lee

also a Korean enclave in southeast Bergen County

Koreatown, Palisades Park

a Bangladeshi enclave in Paterson

Little Bangladesh

the largest and most diverse South Asian hub in the United States

Little India (Edison/Iselin)

also known as Little Ramallah, a Middle Eastern enclave in Paterson

Little Istanbul

a Peruvian enclave in Paterson

Little Lima

Environment

Due to past industrial activity, New Jersey has more Superfund toxic waste sites than any other state in the union despite its small geographic size. By 2024, only 35 of New Jersey's Superfund sites (out of about 150 that have been on the EPA's list since the Superfund law was passed in 1980) have actually been cleaned up.[230]

Singer was born in Hoboken. He sang with a neighborhood vocal group, the Hoboken Four, and appeared in neighborhood theater amateur shows before he became an Academy Award-winning actor.

Frank Sinatra

who has sung of New Jersey life on most of his albums, is from Freehold. 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".

Bruce Springsteen

's Queen Latifah was one of the first female rappers to succeed in music, film, and television.[251]

Irvington

eponymous leader of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes was raised in Ocean Grove. He is considered the "Grandfather of the New Jersey Sound"[252] and is cited by Jersey-born Jon Bon Jovi as his reason for singing.[253]

Southside Johnny

from Sayreville, reached fame in the 1980s with hard rock outfit Bon Jovi. The band has also written many songs about life in New Jersey, including "Livin' On A Prayer",[254] and named one of their albums after the state.

Jon Bon Jovi

Grammy-winning jazz vocalist was born and raised in Newark. After singing in her church's choir as a child, she was sneaking into Newark nightclubs to sing and play piano by the time she was a teenager.[255]

Sarah Vaughn

In 1964, founded the record label T-Neck Records, named after Teaneck, their home at the time.[256]

the Isley Brothers

The Broadway musical is based on the lives of the members of the Four Seasons, three of whose members were born in New Jersey (Tommy DeVito, Frankie Valli, and Nick Massi) while a fourth, Bob Gaudio, was born in the Bronx but raised in Bergenfield.[257]

Jersey Boys

Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

Trenton Speedway

Atlantic City Race Course

Freehold Raceway

Garden State Park Racetrack

Monmouth Park Racetrack

Meadowlands Sports Complex

Meadowlands Arena

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Crossroads of the American Revolution

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Gateway National Recreation Area

Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River

Morristown National Historical Park

New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve

Patterson Great Falls National Historical Park

(with Ellis Island)

Statue of Liberty National Monument

Thomas Edison National Historical Park

[294]

Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route

Index of New Jersey–related articles

List of people from New Jersey

Outline of New Jersey

COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey

Official New Jersey state web site

information from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism

New Jersey travel and tourism

—annotated list of searchable databases produced by New Jersey state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association

New Jersey State Databases

(township, borough, etc.) from State League of Municipalities

Descriptions of NJ forms of government