NEW JERSEY

1. New Jersey
 New Jersey is a state in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
Pennsylvania borders it to the west, Delaware to the south, and New York to the
northeast. The Atlantic Ocean lies to its east. New Jersey has an area of 8,729
square miles, making it the 47th largest state.
 December 18/1787
 The State of New Jersey is divided into 21 counties. In alphabetical order, these
counties are: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland,
Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris,
Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren.
 With an area of 22,591.38 sq. km, New Jersey is the 4th smallest and the 11th
most populous state in the USA.
2. Nickname
 Abraham Browning of Camden is credited for giving New Jersey the nickname
the Garden State. (August 24, 1876).
 Browning said that our Garden State is an immense barrel, filled with good
things to eat and open at both ends, with Pennsylvanians grabbing from one end
and New Yorkers from the other. The name stuck ever since.
 In 1954, the state legislature passed a bill to have "The Garden State" added to
license plates.
3. Symbols
 State seal: Pierre Eugene du Simitiere created New Jersey's State Seal in 1777. It
contains five symbols, each of which represents something about New Jersey.
 State flag: The New Jersey State Flag was adopted in 1896. Its official color is
buff, which is a yellowish-tan color. The colors of the state flag, buff and dark
blue (Jersey blue), were the colors George Washington chose for the flag of New
Jersey's army regiments during the Revolutionary War. The state seal is featured
on the flag.
 State flower - The violet: Violets can be found in New Jersey fields, lawns, and
meadows -- anywhere that they can find warm spring sunshine.
 State animal – Horse: Michael McCarthy and his fifth grade class at Our Lady of
Victories School in Harrington Park and James Sweetman, an eighth grader from
Freehold, helped make the horse New Jersey's state animal in 1977. The horse is
included on the state seal. Horses were very important to farming. Today, people
continue to raise horses in New Jersey. Racehorses are also very popular in New
Jersey.
 Sate dog – The seeing eye dog: Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation that
officially designated the Seeing Eye® dog as the state dog of New Jersey. All
 Seeing Eye dogs are born and trained in New Jersey before they are placed with
people who are blind across the United States and Canada.
4. Demographics – Religion
a. Population
 New Jersey population in 2023 is estimated to be over 9.25 million
 Like I said before, eventhough the state only ranked 47th by state in the US, but it
is the 11th populated state with 1210 people per sq mile.
 The last measured population count for New Jersey was 8,881,845 in 2018. New
Jersey experienced an average growth rate of 0.30% from our first statistic
recorded in 2009. If past trends continue, we forecast the population count to be
over 9,250,000 by 2023.
b. Demographics
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of New Jersey was:

 White: 62.68%
 Black or African American: 13.27%
 Asian: 9.75%
 Other race: 7.31%
 Two or more races: 6.68%
 Native American: 0.27%
 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.04%

In terms of religious preferences across the state, New Jersey comes in with 67%
follow Christian , 14% that don’t Christian, and 18% are non-religion.

5. Economy
 If you're thinking of moving to New Jersey, there's good news: the state has a
strong economy with a diverse and continuously growing workforce across many
different industries. It's one of smallest state but has one of the largest
population in the United States, which means that the cost of living in New
Jersey is generally higher than the national average.
 New Jersey has a diverse economy with industries such as pharmaceuticals,
finance, telecommunications, and agriculture playing significant roles.
 In October 2023, the unemployment rate in New Jersey was 4.6% -> New
Jersey has a higher unemployment rate than the US overall.
 In the 1st quarter of 2023, the real GDP growth rate for New Jersey was 1.0%
per year. Also, the real GDP for New Jersey was $759.2 billion in goods and
services per year
6. Trenton
 Located on the Delaware river, the city of Trenton is the state capital of New
Jersey and the seat of Mercer County.
 As of the 2022, Trenton had a population of 90,048 . The city is part of the Greater
New York City Combined Statistical Area.

7. Fun facts
 New Jersey Is the Most Densely Populated State: The Garden State steadily
holds its title as the most densely populated state in the United States. There are
approximately 1,196 people per square mile. Because of this, certain metropolitan
areas such as Hoboken, Newark, and Jersey City tend to see some crowding. Still,
it’s a good chance you won’t notice any crowding in most areas as our state is
bigger than it seems.
 Atlantic City Streets Are The Same As The Monopoly Game: Love the never-
ending game of Monopoly? Then you’ll want to pay close attention to the street
names the next time you’re in Atlantic City. The street names on the popular board
game are named after the streets of Atlantic City. There are so many fun things to
do in Atlantic City, but seeing this is always a highlight of my trips to the city.
 The Atlantic City Boardwalk Is The World’s Oldest Boardwalk: Speaking of
Atlantic City, the Boardwalk is another popular feature. The Atlantic City
Boardwalk is the not only world’s oldest boardwalk but also the world’s longest. It
opened in 1870 and has a length of approximately 5.5 miles. The Boardwalk was
even home to the very first Miss America Pageant. Booking Atlantic City
accommodations near the boardwalk makes taking afternoon strolls super easy.
 Thomas Edison Perfected The Light Bulb Right Here In New Jersey: Thomas
Edison did the majority of his work with the light bulb in New Jersey. He had labs
in West Orange, Menlo Park, and Edison. But his lab in Menlo Park, NJ is where
Thomas Edison perfected the light bulb as we know it today. His New Jersey
laboratories became the birthplace of many different innovative inventions. These
inventions made Thomas Edison one of the greatest inventors in history.
 New Jersey Is The Diner Capital Of The World: If you love New Jersey
food (like I do!), you’ll love this fun fact about New Jersey. New Jersey holds the
title of being the Diner capital of the world. This title goes to the Garden State
because of the high concentration of diners throughout the state. Today, there are
over 500 diners throughout New Jersey. If you pop through for a visit, don’t miss
one of my top faves, Tops Diner in East Newark.
 The Blueberry Is The State Fruit: That’s right, the succulent Blueberry is New
Jersey’s State fruit. The first NJ Blueberries were cultivated in Whitesbog, New
 Jersey. Blueberry season in New Jersey runs from about mid-June until its peak in
July. This antioxidant-rich fruit is mostly grown in the Southern part of the state
due to the soil quality. Next time you’re here in June or July, stop by a local
farmer’s market to taste some Blueberry goodness!
 There Were Almost 300 Revolutionary War Battles In New Jersey: New
Jersey’s rich American history continues with the Revolutionary War. A total of
296 Revolutionary War battles were fought in New Jersey. Some of the most
influential battles were the Battle of Princeton and the Battle of Trenton. New
Jersey actually had the most Revolutionary War battles because we were centrally
located in a highly-desired region. It’s also between New York and Pennsylvania –
two other important states in this crucial war.
 It’s Home To The Tallest Water Tower In The World: The world’s tallest water
tower, or water sphere, is in Union, of Union County. Its statuesque structure can
be seen from the major highway, the Garden State Parkway. The Union Water
Sphere is about 212 feet high (or about 65 meters) and is known as the tallest
water tower in the world. Living close to Union, I’ve seen this water tower many
times over the years.
 Drive-In Movie Theaters Started In The Garden State: New Jersey is home to
the very first drive-in movie theater. On June 6th, 1933, the very first patented
drive-in movie theater opened in Pennsauken, NJ. There were a few drive-in
movie theaters in the years prior. The one opened by Richard Hollingshead,
however, was the first official drive-in theater. He used a motion picture projector
to show movies. This is part of New Jersey’s history that would be a great idea to
bring to the present!

8. Tourist destinations:
 Located between the cultural hubs of Philadelphia and New York City,
New Jersey often gets overlooked. But with roughly 130 miles of coastline,
impressive national historical parks, recreation areas and trails, and a
fascinating past, the Garden State has a lot to offer. To help you decide which
destination is right for you, there will be a video for u guys to make the choice.