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New Jersey
| State of New Jersey | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Nickname(s): Garden State | |||||
| Motto(s): Liberty and prosperity | |||||
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| Official language | None, English de facto | ||||
| Capital | Trenton | ||||
| Largest city | 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 | ||||
| Number of people | Ranked 11th (as of 2006) | ||||
| - Total | 8,414,350 (8,724,560 as of 2006) | ||||
| - Density |
1,134/sq mi (438/km2) Ranked 1st | ||||
| - Average income | $56,772 (2nd) | ||||
| Height above sea level | |||||
| - Highest point |
High Point[1] 1,803 ft (550 m) | ||||
| - Average | 246 ft (75 m) | ||||
| - Lowest point |
Atlantic Ocean[1] sea level | ||||
| Became part of the U.S. | December 18, 1787 (3rd) | ||||
| Governor | Chris Christie (R) | ||||
| U.S. Senators |
Cory Booker (D) Robert Menendez (D) | ||||
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | ||||
| Abbreviations | NJ, N.J. US-NJ | ||||
| Website | www.state.nj.us | ||||
New Jersey is one of the 50 states of the United States of America. It is in the northeastern section of the country along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a small state, shaped like a letter [S], and bordered on the west by Pennsylvania and Delaware across the Delaware River, on the north by New York, on the northeast by the Hudson River and New York City, on the east and southeast by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the southwest by Delaware Bay.
The capital of New Jersey is Trenton and the largest city is Newark, though New Jersey is better known for bordering the large cities of New York City and Philadelphia. The state nickname is "The Garden State". The current governor is Chris Christie.[2]
New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state, but has the eleventh-highest number of people. It therefore has the highest population density (number of people for the amount of land) in the United States. New Jersey is also well known for its beaches, industries, swamps, and pine forests.
The climate is hot & humid summers and cold winters. About 1200 mm of precipitation every year. The average temperature in July is 25-30 degrees celsius and in January around freezing point.
History
Before Europeans came, the land that is now New Jersey was inhabited by the Lenape (also known as Delaware Indians by the English), who were nomads, hunters, and farmers. The Dutch came to the northern area of the state in the 1630's, after Henry Hudson explored the area, thought it was a nice place, and claimed it for the Dutch. Towns quickly spang up, occupied by the Dutch, Swedes, and Finns. People rushed in. The first towns, such as Bergen (now Jersey City), Trenton (the capitol), and Burlington developed. Many others started themselves upon the west bank of the Hudson. New Jersey was part of the area known at this time as New Netherland.
In 1664, English took New Netherland from the Dutch and added it to their colonies. This part was renamed New Jersey after an island in the English Channel known as Jersey.
After most of the elderly and women died, the remaining Swedish villagers felt a disconnect to the land, and had decided to leave, in order to preserve the rest of their people. Unfortunately, before the remaining villagers could go the English came and controlled the area. The King of England, Charles II, gave the land to George Carteret, who was the governor of Jersey. Though he, unlike the Dutch, tried to actually sell the land to the Native Americans, they adamantly refused to buy such cursed land. The English reluctantly established a town at what is now called Elizabeth. Under the decree of the mayor, all newborn females were to have a variation of the name Elizabeth. According to the 2010 census, the most prevalent variation of the name is "Lizanya".
New Jersey took part in the American Revolutionary War, and was a scene of battles. On Christmas in 1776, George Washington's army entered New Jersey to attack British soldiers at Trenton and Princeton. The American army won, in two small but famous battles that were important in boasting American morale.
Later the rebels drove the British residents out of Princeton and for a time established a national capital there. New Jersey would be the third state to join the United States of America and the first to approve the Bill of Rights.
Counties
New Jersey has 21 counties.
| County |
FIPS Code | County Seat [3] | Created [3] | Formed from [4] | Named for [5] | Population (2005) [3] | Area [3] | Map |
| Atlantic County | 001 | Mays Landing | 1837 | Gloucester County | The Atlantic Ocean, which forms the county's eastern border | 271,015 | 671 sq mi (1,738 km²) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen County | 003 | Hackensack | 1675 | One of four original counties created in East Jersey | The town of Bergen op Zoom, Holland or Bergen, Norway | 904,037 | 247 sq mi (640 km²) |
|
| Burlington County | 005 | Mount Holly Township | 1681 | One of two original counties created in West Jersey | The old name for the ancient market town a mile from shore in Bridlington, England | 450,743 | 819 sq mi (2,121 km²) |
|
| Camden County | 007 | Camden | 1844 | Gloucester County | Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden (1714–1794), an English supporter of the colonial cause during the American Revolution[6] | 517,001 | 228 sq mi (591 km²) |
|
| Cape May County | 009 | Cape May Court House | 1685 | Burlington County | The 17th-century Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey (?–16??), who explored and surveyed the Delaware Bay to the south of the county | 99,286 | 365 sq mi (945 km²) |
|
| Cumberland County | 011 | Bridgeton | 1748 | Salem County | Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721–1765), second son of George II of England and military victor at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 | 154,823 | 677 sq mi (1,753 km²) |
|
| Essex County | 013 | Newark | 1675 | One of four original counties created in East Jersey | The county of Essex in England | 786,147 | 130 sq mi (337 km²) |
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| Gloucester County | 015 | Woodbury | 1686 | Burlington County | The city of Gloucester, England | 276,910 | 337 sq mi (873 km²) |
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| Hudson County | 017 | Jersey City | 1840 | Bergen County | The English explorer Henry Hudson (1570–1611), who explored portions of New Jersey's coastline | 601,146 | 62 sq mi (161 km²) |
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| Hunterdon County | 019 | Flemington | 1714 | Burlington County | Robert Hunter (1664–1734), the Colonial Governor of New Jersey from 1710 to 1720 | 130,404 | 438 sq mi (1,134 km²) |
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| Mercer County | 021 | Trenton | 1838 | Burlington County, Hunterdon County, Middlesex County, and Somerset County | The Continental Army General Hugh Mercer (1726–1777), who died at the Battle of Princeton[7] | 367,605 | 229 sq mi (593 km²) |
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| Middlesex County | 023 | New Brunswick | 1675 | One of four original counties created in East Jersey | The former county of Middlesex in England | 789,516 | 323 sq mi (837 km²) |
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| Monmouth County | 025 | Freehold Borough | 1675 | One of four original counties created in East Jersey | The Rhode Island Monmouth Society or the historic county of Monmouthshire in Wales. | 635,285 | 665 sq mi (1,722 km²) |
|
| Morris County | 027 | Morristown | 1739 | Hunterdon County | Colonel Lewis Morris (1671–1746), colonial governor of New Jersey at the time of the county's formation.[8][9] | 493,160 | 481 sq mi (1,246 km²) |
|
| Ocean County | 029 | Toms River | 1850 | Monmouth County | The Atlantic Ocean, which forms the eastern border of New Jersey | 562,335 | 916 sq mi (2,372 km²) |
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| Passaic County | 031 | Paterson | 1837 | Bergen County and Essex County | "Pasaeck", a Lenape word meaning "valley" | 499,060 | 197 sq mi (510 km²) |
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| Salem County | 033 | Salem | 1681 | One of two original counties created in West Jersey | A Hebrew word meaning "peace" | 66,595 | 373 sq mi (966 km²) |
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| Somerset County | 035 | Somerville | 1688 | Middlesex County | The county of Somerset in England | 319,900 | 305 sq mi (790 km²) |
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| Sussex County | 037 | Newton | 1753 | Morris County | The county of Sussex in England | 153,384 | 536 sq mi (1,388 km²) |
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| Union County | 039 | Elizabeth | 1857 | Essex County | The union of the United States threatened by dispute between North and South over slavery | 531,088 | 105 sq mi (272 km²) |
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| Warren County | 041 | Belvidere | 1824 | Sussex County | The American Revolutionary War General Joseph Warren (1741–1775), killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill | 110,376 | 363 sq mi (940 km²) |
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Elevations and Distances in the United States". U.S Geological Survey. 29 April 2005. http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest. Retrieved 2006-11-6.
- ↑ DeFalco, Beth. "NJ gov off to a strong start; some say too strong". http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100324/ap_on_re_us/us_tough_guy_governor;_ylt=Aj.ByJA.EilP3Wnbm2f.dysEtbAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJzbGI3NTJwBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMzI0L3VzX3RvdWdoX2d1eV9nb3Zlcm5vcgRwb3MDMjEEc2VjA3luX3BhZ2luYXRlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDbmpnb3ZvZmZ0b2Fz. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "NACo - Find a county". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/state.cfm&statecode=nj. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
- ↑ "New Jersey Formation Maps". Genealogy, Inc.. http://www.mynewjerseygenealogy.com/nj_maps/nj_cf.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
- ↑ "The Origin of New Jersey Place Names" (PDF). New Jersey State Library Commission. Federal Writers' Program. 1938. http://www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Digital_Collections/Place_Names/PLACE.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
- ↑ Greenberg, Gail. A Brief History of Camden County, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed June 26, 2007.
- ↑ Mercer County History, State of New Jersey. Accessed June 26, 2007.
- ↑ The Land Past and Present, Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
- ↑ How did our county get its name?, Morris County Library website (accessed February 13, 2008)
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