New Jersey, US (Population: 8,724,560)
State Capitol: Trenton
Major Cities: Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Edison Township, Woodbridge Township, Dover Township, Hamilton
State Nickname/Motto: Garden State – Liberty and Prosperity
Statehood Granted: December 18, 1787
History: New Jersey was originally settled by American Indian communities and confederacies, in most recent history the Lenni-Lenape called the area home. The Lenape were loosely organized groups that practiced small-scale agriculture of corn, beans, and squash in order to increase their largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region surrounding the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. The Lenape society was divided into matrilinear clans that were based upon common female ancestors. These clans were organized into three distinct groups identified by Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf relationships. They first encountered the Dutch in the early 1600s, and their primary relationship with the Europeans was through fur trade.
Geography: Highest point: High Point 1,803 feet. New Jersey is broadly divided into three geographic regions: North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey. North Jersey lies within New York City's general sphere of influence, and some residents commute to the city to work. Central Jersey is a largely suburban area. South Jersey is within Philadelphia's general sphere of influence, and most of it is included in the Delaware Valley. Such geographic definitions are loosely defined, however, and there is often dispute over where one region begins and another ends. Some people do not consider Central Jersey to exist at all, but most believe it is a separate geographic and cultural area from the North and South.
Ethnic Diversity: One Race (98.5%), White (69.9%), Black or African American 13.37%), American Indian and Alaska Native (0.2%), Asian (7.3%), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (0.0%), Some other race (7.8%), Two or more races (1.5%), Hispanic or Latino (15.3%)*
Famous State People:
William (Bud) Abbott (1895 - 1974) Comedian made famous in the popular team Abbott and Costello with routines such as “Who’s on First;” born in Asbury Park.
Charles Addams (1912 - 1988) Cartoonist that created The Addams Family; born in Westfield.
Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin (1930 - ) First astronaut to leave a spacecraft and walk in space, he later became the second person to walk on the moon; born in Montclair.
Judy Blume (1938 - ) Fiction writer for youth with well-known books such as Superfudge and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing; born in Elizabeth.
Joseph Campbell (1817 - 1900) Founder of the Campbell Soup Company; born in Camden County.
Grover Cleveland (1837 - 1908) The 22nd and 24th President of the United States; born in Caldwell.
Lou Costello (1906 - 1959) Comedian made famous in the popular team Abbott and Costello with routines such as “Who’s on First;” born in Paterson.
Stephen Crane (1871 - 1900) Author most famous for The Red Badge of Courage; born in Newark.
Bruce Springsteen (1949 - ) Singer made famous with album Born in the U.S.A.; born in Freehold.
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) Famous Physicist, lived in Princeton.
Whitney Houston (1963 - ) Popular singer and actor that was the first to sell 10 million copies of her first two albums; born in Newark.
Jerry Lewis (1926 - ) Popular comedian during the 1950s and 1960s famous for The Nutty Professor and hosting the Jerry Lewis Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy; born in Newark.
Jack Nicholson (1937 - ) Actor and Academy Award winner for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest made famous in Chinatown and The Shining; born in Neptune.
Paul Robeson (1898 - 1976) The first black all-American football player, famous singer and actor; born in Princeton.
Paul Simon (1941 - ) Popular singer in the 1960s made famous with songs like “Mrs. Robinson;” born in Newark.
Frank Sinatra (1915 - 1998) Actor and Singer starting in the 1940s; born in Hoboken.
John Travolta (1954 - ) Actor made famous in Grease and Saturday Night Fever; born in Englewood.
Aaron Burr (1756 - 1836) Vice President of the United States under Thomas Jefferson, born in Newark.
Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi) (1962 - ) Musician, born in Perth Amboy.
Major Colleges/Universities: Berkley College, Bloomfield College, Caldwell College, Centenary College, Drew University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Georgian Court University, Montclair State University, New Jersey City University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Ramapo College, Rider University, Rowan University, Rutgers/The State University of New Jersey, Saint Peter’s College, Seton Hall University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Thomas Edison State College, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, William Patterson University
State and National Parks: Abram S. Hewitt State Forest, Allaire State Park, Allamuchy Mountain State Park, Atsion Recreation Area, Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, Bass River State Forest, Belleplain State Forest, Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, Bull's Island Recreation Area, Cape May Point State Park, Cheesequake State Park, Corson's Inlet State Park, Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, Double Trouble State Park, Senator Frank S. Farley State Marina, Farny State Park, Forked River State Marina, Fortescue State Marina, Fort Mott State Park, Hacklebarney State Park, High Point State Park, Hopatcong State Park, Island Beach State Park, Jenny Jump State Forest, Kittatinny Valley State Park, Leonardo State Marina, Liberty Landing Marina, Liberty State Park, Long Pond Ironworks State Park, Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Norvin Green State Forest, Parvin State Park, Penn State Forest, Princeton Battlefield State Park,Ramapo Mountain State Forest, Rancocas State Park, Ringwood State Park, Round Valley Recreation Area, Spring Meadow Golf Course, Spruce Run Recreation Area, Stephens State Park, Stokes State Forest, Swartswood State Park, Voorhees State Park, Washington Crossing State Park, Washington Rock State Park, Wawayanda State Park, Wharton State Forest, Worthington State Forest
Misc: A legend with various events associated with it, has long been a favorite of New Jersey residents. These stories centers around a creature named the Jersey Devil or the Leeds Devil, who terrorizes the population of the Pine Barrens. The New Jersey Devils are named for this mythical creature. New Jersey is also home to several other legends, such as the ghost of Annie's Road in Totowa; Albino Village in Clifton; Gravity Road in Franklin Lakes; the supposed Ku Klux Klan hotbed Whippoorwill Valley Road in Middletown; the haunted and demon-possessed Clinton Road in West Milford; and the Witch of Igoe Road in Marlboro. There is also the popular attraction of the Atco Ghost—the ghost of a little boy runs across the street late at night chasing a basketball on Burnt Mill Road in Atco. It is also rumored that Jimmy Hoffa, the late leader of the Teamsters Union, is buried beneath Giants Stadium or the New Jersey Turnpike. However, on the popular television show Mythbusters, the myth of Jimmy Hoffa being buried under Giants Stadium was debunked using ground penetrating radar.
*U.S. Census - 2005