4 NEW JERSEY INTRODUCTION Though New Jersey is a rather small state it offers its citizens a rich blend of fascinating cultures diverse land regions and thriving economic activities New Jersey is known as the Garden State because in the 1700s it was famous for the productivity of its farmland Today it is an important industrial state New Jersey also has a long tradition of scientific and technological creativity In 1933 the well known scientist Albert Einstein moved from Germany to the United States to become a professor at Princeton University in New Jersey Menlo Park was the site of inventor Thomas Alva Edison’s residence and his laboratory Edison who held a record 1,093 patents invented the phonograph the lightbulb and the motion-picture projector Edison and many others have helped New Jersey become a world leader in technology and communications The Great Falls National Historic District Landmark preserves the site of some of the largest early manufacturing plants in the country The name New Jersey comes from the island of Jersey in the English Channel The island was the birthplace of Sir George Carteret one of the proprietors of New Jersey during the late 1600s New Jersey adopted the horse as its state animal in 1977 New Jersey’s state flag was adopted in 1896 The seal located in the center shows a shield with three plows which represent the state’s agricultural tradition The horse’s head above the shield stands for strength The woman holding the staff to the left of the shield is Liberty and the woman to the right is Ceres the Roman goddess of grain At the bottom is a scroll with the state motto Liberty and Prosperity The phonograph was invented in Thomas Alva Edison’s laboratory in Menlo Park
INTRODUCTION 5 New Jersey is located in the Middle Atlantic region of the United States Except for a 50-mile border it shares with New York to the north New Jersey is surrounded by water The Atlantic Ocean lies to the east The Hudson River separates New Jersey from New York City in the northeast Pennsylvania and Delaware are to the west across the Delaware River New Jersey’s coastal location makes it an important arrival point for cargo ships ocean vessels and freighters New Jersey has long been an important transportation route between New York City and Philadelphia New Jersey commuters can reach New York City by driving over the George Washington Bridge or through the Lincoln or Holland tunnels Several bridges link New Jersey to Pennsylvania and the Delaware Memorial Bridge crosses into Delaware The New Jersey Turnpike one of New Jersey’s main highways and part of Interstate 95 spans 148 miles with extensions The busiest airport in the state is Newark Liberty International Airport which serves many passengers traveling to New York City New Jersey Location Map Capital Trenton Interstate highways Scale 0 0 15 24 30 48 Mi Km Population 8,414,350 Size 7,790 square miles Highest peak High Point 1,803 feet The terminal building for the Central Railroad of New Jersey was a departure point to the rest of the United States for new immigrants to the United States between 1892 and 1954 Today the terminal is part of Liberty State Park Before the invention of the automobile it took horse drawn wagons five days to bring passengers from New York City through New Jersey to Philadelphia This 90-mile journey now takes less than two hours The PATH railroad system links New Jersey and New York across the Hudson River It carries tens of millions of passengers annually New Jersey has the most densely packed system of highways and railroads in the nation
6 NEW JERSEY Visitors to the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton can witness reenactments of battles from the American Revolution Trenton is named for New Jersey’s first resident chief justice William Trent Trent a merchant from Philadelphia founded the town in 1719 In 1971 Kenneth Gibson became the first African American mayor of Newark New Jersey’s state flower is the common meadow violet New Jersey is rich in history In the mid 1600s the Dutch the British and the Swedish struggled for control of the region During the American Revolution 1775 83 more than 100 battles were fought on New Jersey soil and thousands of New Jersey citizens took up arms against the British Two very important battles were fought in New Jersey the battle of Trenton and the battle of Princeton In the 1800s New Jersey became an important transportation center This allowed industrialization to spread across the state at a rapid pace New Jersey was the third state to ratify the U S Constitution and it officially joined the Union on Dec 18 1787 In 1790 Trenton was named the state capital Princeton and Trenton also served briefly as the nation’s capital in 1783 and 1784 respectively The Clinton Historical Museum houses a restored 18th-century gristmill The museum also features a country village with a blacksmith shop a schoolhouse a general store and a log cabin
INTRODUCTION 7 New Jersey’s cities are bustling with activity Newark located only 10 miles west of New York City is the financial trade and transportation center of the state Newark’s population is as diverse as its industries African Americans make up more than half of the city’s population There are also many people of Italian Portuguese and Hispanic particularly Puerto Rican descent New Jersey is among the most populous states in the United States At the time of the 2000 census the state was ranked ninth in population Incredibly it is also the fifth smallest state in the United States As a result most city neighborhoods are densely populated New Jersey’s Atlantic coast offers a quick getaway for the state’s city dwellers The sand and surf attract many people to the shoreline especially during the summer months Coastal Atlantic City beckons visitors with its 4-mile Boardwalk live entertainment casinos and amusement-park rides New Jersey has more than 50 resort areas Among them are some of the best-known resorts in the United States such as Asbury Park Atlantic City Avon-by-the-Sea Cape May Long Beach Island and Seaside Heights With more than 270,000 residents Newark is the most populous city in New Jersey One of the worst disasters in aviation history occurred at Lakehurst on May 6 1937 when the German Hindenburg airship exploded while landing Thirty-six people were killed Samuel F B Morse sent the first successful telegraph message in the United States from Morristown on Jan 6 1838 The message was sent 2 miles and read Railroad cars just arrived 345 passengers
