| New Jersey claims a notable part in America's history. Some of the most significant battles in the Revolutionary War were fought on New Jersey soil. The state was also a pioneer in the nation's first steps toward industrialization, particularly in the area of transportation by roadway and rail. Yet New Jersey, the fourth-smallest state in land area, has always been overshadowed by its giant neighbors, New York and Pennsylvania. In colonial times, Benjamin Franklin likened New Jersey to "a keg [barrel] tapped at both ends," with its southern half dominated by Philadelphia and its northern half by New York City. Even now some Americans seem to believe that the state is little more than a stretch of road between those two cities. Jokes about "Joisey" have been popular with comedians for at least a century. |
| The laughs are misplaced. For one thing, New Jerseyans are proud of their state. In poll after poll, most residents of the Garden State say they wouldn't live anywhere else. Secondly, New Jersey has a long, proud history of innovation, industry, and invention: New Jersey was the site of the nation's first planned industrial town, and the telegraph, the light bulb, and the telecommunications satellite were all developed in New Jersey. Today the state's high-tech businesses and research institutes set a standard of excellence the rest of the nation strives to match. |
| New Jersey is also a place of great natural beauty. It is the most densely populated state, and yet within its borders are natural treasures like the Pine Barrens, the Delaware Water Gap, the beaches of the Jersey shore, and the mighty Palisades that tower over the Hudson River. |
| Together, New Jersey's people, history, and landscape make it one of the most remarkable of the fifty states. |
|
Created in association with Media Projects Incorporated