Outline of New Jersey
New Jersey is a state of industrial cities and towns, glistening beaches, and popular summer resorts. It is the fifth smallest state of the United States. Only Hawaii, Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island have a smaller area. But New Jersey ranks ninth in population among the states, and few states manufacture more products or attract more vacationers.
New Jersey is the most densely populated state. Its cities include such busy manufacturing centers as Camden, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, and Trenton. However, New Jersey also has many small, quiet towns. A large number of these towns are the homes of people who work in New York City or Philadelphia. Both of these giant cities are neighbors of New Jersey. The thousands of New Jerseyites who work in New York City and Philadelphia commute daily by train, automobile, or bus. The Holland and Lincoln tunnels and the George Washington Bridge link New Jersey with New York City. Four bridges connect New Jersey with Philadelphia.
New Jersey's location gives it great economic importance. The state lies between the Hudson and Delaware rivers, and between New York City and Philadelphia. Miles of wharves stretch along the New Jersey side of the Hudson. Ocean liners, freighters, and other ships from all parts of the world dock there and along the Delaware.
Products made in New Jersey are used throughout the United States and in many other parts of the world. They find giant nearby markets in New York City and Philadelphia. New Jersey is one of the leading states in the production of chemical and pharmaceutical products. The state's other leading manufactures include electronics and food products. Service industries are an important part of the New Jersey economy. Many of the state's workers are employed in such activities as education, health care, and retail trade, especially in northeastern New Jersey.
New Jersey and its people have played important roles in United States history. The state earned the nickname Cockpit of the Revolution because of the many battles fought on its soil during the Revolutionary War. American patriots and British redcoats clashed nearly a hundred times in New Jersey. People compared these actions with cockfights. General George Washington turned the tide of the war at Trenton in 1776 when he led his tattered army across the Delaware River and surprised the enemy. Trenton and Princeton each served as the nation's capital during the 1780's.
Six metropolitan areas in the northern part of New Jersey, together with four metropolitan areas in New York and five in southwestern Connecticut, make up a consolidated metropolitan area. This area, called the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area, has a population of about 21 million. Newark is New Jersey's largest city, with a population of about 274,000. The state's other cities with more than 75,000 people, in order of population, include Jersey City; Paterson; Elizabeth; Trenton, the state capital; and Camden.
New Jersey is one of the great coastal playgrounds of the United States. New Jersey's vacation areas along the Atlantic Coast contrast sharply with the state's industrial cities. More than 50 resort cities and towns, including Atlantic City, Ocean City, and Cape May, line the New Jersey coast. The resort communities provide a wide variety of recreation activities for vacationers. Atlantic City's gambling casinos attract many visitors. Every year, millions of vacationers flock to the state's seaside resorts. They swim in the Atlantic Ocean, sunbathe on sandy beaches, and stroll along boardwalks lined with shops and museums. Visitors also enjoy many historic sites in the state. New Jersey attracts many people who enjoy outdoor sports. They can catch game fish in the ocean or cast for trout in stocked streams. Hunters shoot ducks in coastal areas, and deer, pheasants, and rabbits on inland shooting grounds. Sailing is popular in the coastal bays. The state also has fine ski areas and golf courses.
New Jersey was named after the Isle of Jersey. New Jersey's many truck farms, orchards, and flower gardens give it the nickname of the Garden State. Trenton is the capital of New Jersey and Newark is the largest city in the state.
