New Jersey

State of New Jersey

Flag of New Jersey Seal of New Jersey Also called: Garden State Saying(s): Liberty and prosperity
Official language(s)	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 (2010)	{{{2010Pop}}}
- Density	{{{2010DensityUS}}}/sq mi  {{{2010Density}}}/km² (1st)
- Average income	$56,772 (2nd)
Height above sea level
- Highest point	High Point 1,803 ft  (550 m)
- Average	246 ft  (75 m)
- Lowest point	Atlantic Ocean 0 ft  (0 m)
Became part of the U.S.	December 18, 1787 (3rd)
Governor	Chris Christie (R)
U.S. Senators	Frank Lautenberg (D) Robert Menendez (D)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Abbreviations	NJ N.J. US-NJ
Web site	http://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.

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	Created	Formed from	Named for	Population (2005)	Area	Map
Atlantic County	001	Mays Landing	1837	Gloucester County	The Atlantic Ocean, which forms the county's eastern border	&&&&&&&&&0271015.&&&&&0271,015	&&&&&&&&&&&&0671.&&&&&0671 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01738.&&&&&01,738 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	&&&&&&&&&0904037.&&&&&0904,037	&&&&&&&&&&&&0247.&&&&&0247 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0640.&&&&&0640 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	&&&&&&&&&0450743.&&&&&0450,743	&&&&&&&&&&&&0819.&&&&&0819 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&02121.&&&&&02,121 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	&&&&&&&&&0517001.&&&&&0517,001	&&&&&&&&&&&&0228.&&&&&0228 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0591.&&&&&0591 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	&&&&&&&&&&099286.&&&&&099,286	&&&&&&&&&&&&0365.&&&&&0365 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0945.&&&&&0945 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	&&&&&&&&&0154823.&&&&&0154,823	&&&&&&&&&&&&0677.&&&&&0677 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01753.&&&&&01,753 km²)
Essex County	013	Newark	1675	One of four original counties created in East Jersey	The county of Essex in England	&&&&&&&&&0786147.&&&&&0786,147	&&&&&&&&&&&&0130.&&&&&0130 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0337.&&&&&0337 km²)
Gloucester County	015	Woodbury	1686	Burlington County	The city of Gloucester, England	&&&&&&&&&0276910.&&&&&0276,910	&&&&&&&&&&&&0337.&&&&&0337 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0873.&&&&&0873 km²)
Hudson County	017	Jersey City	1840	Bergen County	The English explorer Henry Hudson (1570–1611), who explored portions of New Jersey's coastline	&&&&&&&&&0601146.&&&&&0601,146	&&&&&&&&&&&&&062.&&&&&062 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0161.&&&&&0161 km²)
Hunterdon County	019	Flemington	1714	Burlington County	Robert Hunter (1664–1734), the Colonial Governor of New Jersey from 1710 to 1720	&&&&&&&&&0130404.&&&&&0130,404	&&&&&&&&&&&&0438.&&&&&0438 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01134.&&&&&01,134 km²)
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	&&&&&&&&&0367605.&&&&&0367,605	&&&&&&&&&&&&0229.&&&&&0229 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0593.&&&&&0593 km²)
Middlesex County	023	New Brunswick	1675	One of four original counties created in East Jersey	The former county of Middlesex in England	&&&&&&&&&0789516.&&&&&0789,516	&&&&&&&&&&&&0323.&&&&&0323 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0837.&&&&&0837 km²)
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.	&&&&&&&&&0635285.&&&&&0635,285	&&&&&&&&&&&&0665.&&&&&0665 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01722.&&&&&01,722 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.	&&&&&&&&&0493160.&&&&&0493,160	&&&&&&&&&&&&0481.&&&&&0481 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01246.&&&&&01,246 km²)
Ocean County	029	Toms River	1850	Monmouth County	The Atlantic Ocean, which forms the eastern border of New Jersey	&&&&&&&&&0562335.&&&&&0562,335	&&&&&&&&&&&&0916.&&&&&0916 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&02372.&&&&&02,372 km²)
Passaic County	031	Paterson	1837	Bergen County and Essex County	"Pasaeck", a Lenape word meaning "valley"	&&&&&&&&&0499060.&&&&&0499,060	&&&&&&&&&&&&0197.&&&&&0197 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0510.&&&&&0510 km²)
Salem County	033	Salem	1681	One of two original counties created in West Jersey	A Hebrew word meaning "peace"	&&&&&&&&&&066595.&&&&&066,595	&&&&&&&&&&&&0373.&&&&&0373 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0966.&&&&&0966 km²)
Somerset County	035	Somerville	1688	Middlesex County	The county of Somerset in England	&&&&&&&&&0319900.&&&&&0319,900	&&&&&&&&&&&&0305.&&&&&0305 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0790.&&&&&0790 km²)
Sussex County	037	Newton	1753	Morris County	The county of Sussex in England	&&&&&&&&&0153384.&&&&&0153,384	&&&&&&&&&&&&0536.&&&&&0536 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01388.&&&&&01,388 km²)
Union County	039	Elizabeth	1857	Essex County	The union of the United States threatened by dispute between North and South over slavery	&&&&&&&&&0531088.&&&&&0531,088	&&&&&&&&&&&&0105.&&&&&0105 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0272.&&&&&0272 km²)
Warren County	041	Belvidere	1824	Sussex County	The American Revolutionary War General Joseph Warren (1741–1775), killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill	&&&&&&&&&0110376.&&&&&0110,376	&&&&&&&&&&&&0363.&&&&&0363 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0940.&&&&&0940 km²)