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 11th in population among the states.
New Jersey is the most densely populated state. All of New Jersey’s people live in one of the state’s metropolitan areas. The state’s cities include such communities 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. It also lies between New York City and Philadelphia. Miles of wharves stretch along the New Jersey side of the Hudson. Ocean liners, container ships, freighters, and other ships from all parts of the world dock there and along the Delaware.
New Jersey remains an important manufacturing state. New Jersey products find huge nearby markets in New York City and Philadelphia. New Jersey is one of the leading states in the production of chemical and pharmaceutical (medicinal drug) products. The state’s other leading manufactures include electronics and food products.
Service industries are the leading 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’s vacation areas along the Atlantic Coast contrast sharply with the state’s industrial cities. Dozens of resort cities and towns line the New Jersey coast. They include Atlantic City, Ocean City, and Cape May. The resort communities provide a wide variety of recreational activities for vacationers. Atlantic City’s gambling casinos attract many visitors. 
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 American Revolution (1775-1783). 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.
In 1884, Grover Cleveland of New Jersey was elected the 22nd president of the United States. He was elected president again in 1892. Woodrow Wilson served as president of Princeton University and governor of New Jersey before he was elected the 28th president in 1912. Wilson was reelected in 1916. He led the nation through World War I.
Three of the world’s greatest scientists and inventors worked in New Jersey. Thomas Edison invented the electric light and the phonograph in his laboratory in Menlo Park. Samuel F. B. Morse developed the first successful U.S. electric telegraph near Morristown. Albert Einstein worked many years at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
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. Newark is the largest city in the state.
People
Population.
The 2020 United States census reported that New Jersey had 9,288,994 people. The population of New Jersey had increased 6 percent over the 2010 census figure, which was 8,791,894. According to the 2020 census, New Jersey ranks 11th in population among the 50 states.
All of the people in New Jersey live in metropolitan areas (see Metropolitan area). Six metropolitan areas lie either partly or entirely in New Jersey. The metropolitan areas entirely in New Jersey are Atlantic City-Hammonton, Trenton-Princeton, and Vineland. The metropolitan areas shared with other states are Allentown (Pennsylvania)-Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)-Easton (Pennsylvania), New York (New York)-Newark-Jersey City, and Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)-Camden-Wilmington (Delaware).
About three-fourths of New Jersey’s people live in the New York (New York)-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area. In terms of population, this metropolitan area is the largest in the United States.
Newark is New Jersey’s largest city, with a population of about 312,000. 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 Clifton.
New Jersey ranks among the most ethnically and racially diverse states in the nation. New Jersey’s largest population groups include people of English, German, Irish, Italian, and Polish descent. Hispanic Americans account for more than 20 percent of the population. Nearly 15 percent of New Jersey’s people are African Americans. Asian Americans make up approximately 10 percent.
Schools.
Colonial New Jersey had no public schools. Children attended school only if their parents could pay tuition. A public school system began in 1817. In that year, the Legislature established a permanent school fund.
A commissioner of education and a State Board of Education direct New Jersey’s public school system. The governor, with the Senate’s approval, appoints the board members to six-year terms. The governor appoints the commissioner to a term that coincides with his or her own. The state government is responsible for education. But it delegates administrative responsibilities to local school boards. The Commission on Higher Education directs the state’s higher education system.
New Jersey law requires children from age 6 to 16 to attend school. For the number of students and teachers in New Jersey, see Education (table: U.S. students, teachers, and school expenditures).
Two of the oldest U.S. universities and colleges are in New Jersey. They are Princeton University, founded in 1746, and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, founded in 1766.
Libraries.
Thomas Cadwalader founded New Jersey’s first public library at Trenton in 1750. The State Library in Trenton has large law and general reference collections. The library serves state government officials and the public. The New Jersey Library Network includes many member libraries, organized by region. Member libraries can call on major libraries in each region for reference and interlibrary loan services. Princeton and Rutgers universities have the state’s largest college libraries. The Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library of Princeton University is New Jersey’s largest research library. 
Museums.
The New Jersey State Museum in Trenton features archaeology and ethnology, fine art, and cultural and natural history exhibits. It includes an auditorium and a planetarium. The Newark Museum of Art houses art and science exhibits and a Buddhist altar. It also includes a planetarium and Ballantine House, a restored 1885 mansion. The Liberty Science Center in Jersey City features exhibits on the environment, inventions, and health. The Montclair Art Museum focuses on American and Native American art. The Princeton University Art Museum displays artwork from many periods and locations.
Visitor’s guide
New Jersey is one of the great coastal playgrounds of the United States. 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.
Outdoors enthusiasts enjoy many options in New Jersey. They can catch game fish in the ocean or cast for trout in stocked streams. Hunters shoot ducks in coastal areas. They also hunt deer, pheasants, and rabbits inland. Many areas are popular for camping, hiking, and bird watching. Sailing is popular in the coastal bays. The state also has fine ski areas and golf courses.
Many cultural festivals and historical celebrations are held in the state each year. One popular event is the reenactment of George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River, held every Christmas Day at Titusville.
Land and climate
Land regions.
New Jersey has four main land regions. They are, from northwest to southeast, the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region, the New England Upland, the Piedmont, and the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
The Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region
is a mountainous area in the northwestern corner of the state. It is part of a large region of the same name that runs from New York to Alabama. In New Jersey, it includes the Kittatinny Mountains and several valleys. The Kittatinny Mountains run parallel to New Jersey’s northwestern border. The Delaware Water Gap is formed where the Delaware River cuts through the mountains. It is one of the most scenic areas in the East (see Delaware Water Gap). The Appalachian Valley lies southeast of the Kittatinny Mountains. This wide valley is part of the larger Great Valley. Shale and limestone formations lie in various parts of the Appalachian Valley. Herds of dairy cattle graze on grassy slopes in the valley. Farmers there raise apples and vegetables.
The New England Upland,
usually called the Highlands, lies southeast of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region. The region extends into New York and Pennsylvania. Flat-topped ridges of hard rock, called gneiss, cover much of the New England Upland in New Jersey. Many lakes nestle among the ridges of the New England Upland in New Jersey. These lakes are among the state’s most important tourist attractions.
The Piedmont
crosses northern New Jersey in a belt 20 miles (32 kilometers) wide southeast of the New England Upland. The Piedmont covers an area from New York to Alabama. It covers only about a fifth of New Jersey. But about three-fifths of the state’s people live there. The region includes such large industrial cities as Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark, and Paterson. The cities of the Piedmont region owe much of their industrial importance to the many large rivers in the area. These rivers include the Hudson, the Passaic, the Ramapo, and the Raritan. See Piedmont Region.
The Atlantic Coastal Plain
is a gently rolling lowland that covers the southern three-fifths of New Jersey. It is part of a plain with the same name that stretches from New York to Florida. In New Jersey, more than half the plain lies less than 100 feet (30 meters) above sea level. In the west and southwest, fertile soil supports many truck farms. Camden, Trenton, and other cities lie along the wide Delaware River in the western part of the plain. To the east, pine forests and salt marshes cover much of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. For this reason, large areas of the region are thinly populated. Salt marshes, shallow lagoons, and meadows lie near New Jersey’s Atlantic coast. Over 50 resort cities and towns, including Atlantic City, Ocean City, and Cape May, lie on the eastern edge of the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Coastline.
A long, narrow sandbar makes up most of New Jersey’s 130-mile (209-kilometer) coastline. Many inlets break the coast and lead to bays between the sandbar and the mainland. New Jersey’s coastal bays include, from south to north, Great Egg Bay, Great Bay, Little Egg Harbor, Barnegat Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Raritan Bay, and Newark Bay.
Mountains.
New Jersey’s most mountainous area is in the northwest. High Point, the state’s highest peak, has an elevation of 1,803 feet (550 meters). It is in the Kittatinny Mountains in the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region. The New Jersey Highlands, in the New England Upland Region, has mountains averaging more than 1,000 feet (305 meters). Other ranges in New Jersey include the Sourland and Watchung mountains. They generally rise about 450 feet (137 meters) in the Piedmont Region.
Rivers and lakes.
New Jersey’s most important rivers are the Delaware and the Hudson. The Delaware forms the state’s western border and empties into Delaware Bay. The Hudson separates New Jersey and New York in the northeast and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Raritan is the longest river entirely within New Jersey. It flows about 75 miles (121 kilometers) through the north. Other important rivers in the north include the Hackensack, Millstone, Musconetcong, and Passaic. Southern New Jersey rivers include Great Egg Harbor, Maurice, Mullica, and Toms.
New Jersey has more than 800 lakes and ponds, mostly in the north. Lake Hopatcong is the state’s largest lake. Other large lakes include Budd, Culvers, Green Pond, Greenwood (partly in New York), Lake Mohawk, and Swartswood.
Plant and animal life.
Forests cover about two-fifths of New Jersey. Beech, birch, maple, oak, sweet gums, yellow-poplar, and other hardwoods are the most valuable trees in the northern part of the state. Important trees of southern New Jersey include cedar, pitch pine, and short-leaf pine. The common blue violet, the state flower, grows in wooded areas throughout the state. Honeysuckle, goldenrod, and Queen Anne’s lace grow in many areas. Other flowers found in New Jersey include azaleas, buttercups, mountain laurels, rhododendrons, and Virginia cowslips.
The state’s animals include deer, foxes, minks, muskrats, opossums, otters, rabbits, raccoons, and skunks. Wild ducks and geese are found along the marshy shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Game birds of the meadows and woodlands include partridges, pheasants, quail, ruffed grouse, and wild turkeys.
Clams, crabs, lobsters, menhaden, and oysters live in New Jersey’s coastal waters. The state’s bays and streams abound with bass, bluefish, crappies, pickerel, pike, salmon, shad, sturgeon, trout, and weakfish.
Climate.
New Jersey has warm to hot summers and cold winters. Ocean breezes reduce summer temperatures and increase winter temperatures in a narrow strip along the eastern coast. Average July temperatures range from 76 °F (24 °C) in the southwest to 70 °F (21 °C) in the north. On July 10, 1936, Runyon had the state’s highest temperature, 110 °F (43 °C). Average January temperatures range from 35 °F (2 °C) at Cape May to 26 °F (–3 °C) in the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region. On Jan. 5, 1904, River Vale had the state’s lowest temperature, –34 °F (–37 °C). 
Snowfall averages about 13 inches (33 centimeters) a year in the south and 50 inches (127 centimeters) in the north. New Jersey averages about 45 inches (114 centimeters) of precipitation (rain, melted snow, and other forms of moisture) a year. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the state.
Economy
Despite its small size, New Jersey ranks as an important industrial state. Many of New Jersey’s factories are in the northeastern part of the state. Service industries have become the pillar of the state’s economy.
The 127-mile (204-kilometer) long, beach-lined Atlantic seaboard is the center of New Jersey’s tourist trade. Tourist activities in the state account for tens of billions of dollars a year. New Jersey’s proximity to New York City and Philadelphia helps the state’s economy. These cities provide large markets for goods and services produced within New Jersey.
Natural resources
of New Jersey include fertile soils and small deposits of minerals. Unlike many other states, New Jersey does not rely on its own resources for the raw materials of its industries.
Soil.
Three types of soil are most common in New Jersey. In the north, the soil has a high limestone and glacial mineral content. Farmers in this region raise field crops and operate dairy farms. A subsoil of greensand marl lies under loam in central New Jersey. Greensand marl is rich in phosphorus and potash. The mixture of greensand marl and loam yields good vegetable crops. When mixed with fertilizer, the sandy soil of the south supports fruit orchards and vegetable farms.
Minerals.
Stone—especially granite and traprock—is New Jersey’s most abundant mined resource. Northern and central New Jersey produce almost all the stone in the state. Sand and gravel are found throughout New Jersey. Counties in southern New Jersey produce sand and gravel for construction. Cumberland County produces a large amount of industrial sand for glassmaking and foundry work. Other mined resources include clay, greensand marl, and peat.
Service industries
account for over 85 percent of both New Jersey’s gross domestic product and its employment. Gross domestic product is the total value of all goods and services produced in the state in a year. Most of New Jersey’s service industries are in the northeastern part of the state, near New York City.
Northern New Jersey is one of the nation’s leading centers of commercial real estate. Prudential, one of the nation’s largest life insurance companies, is headquartered in Newark. Northern New Jersey is also one of the country’s leading centers for the wholesale trade of chemicals and machinery. The Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal is the leading container ship facility in the New York metropolitan area. The facility is run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It is among the busiest in the world. Many of New Jersey’s hotels, restaurants, and retail trade establishments are in the northeastern part of the state. 
Trenton, the state capital, is the center of government activities. Atlantic City has many casinos. One of the world’s most famous private research complexes, Bell Laboratories, is in Murray Hill, near New Providence. Now part of Nokia, Bell Laboratories was formerly operated by AT&T Corp.
Manufacturing
in New Jersey has declined since its heyday in the mid-1900’s. But New Jersey still is an important state in manufacturing and processing. Many foreign manufacturers operate factories in New Jersey. Most of New Jersey’s manufacturing is in the northeastern part of the state.
New Jersey is one of the leading states in chemical production. Chemicals rank as New Jersey’s top manufactured product. Pharmaceuticals (medicinal drugs) are the most valuable types of chemicals made in the state. Such major pharmaceutical companies as Johnson & Johnson and Merck have their world headquarters in New Jersey. Sanofi, a major pharmaceutical manufacturer based in France, has its U.S. headquarters in Bridgewater. Shampoo, lotion, perfume, and other personal care products also make up an important part of New Jersey’s chemical industry. 
Factories in northeastern New Jersey process a wide variety of foods. They include bakery products, beverages, dairy products, meats, roasted coffee, and sugar and confectionery products. Food-processing plants in southern New Jersey process and can fruits and vegetables brought in from nearby orchards and truck farms. Truck farms are small farms that raise produce for market. Southern New Jersey also produces baked goods and sugar and confectionery products.
The state’s main electronic manufacture is surveillance and navigation equipment. Large petroleum refineries operate in Linden and Paulsboro. Fabricated metal products and surgical supplies are manufactured in the northeastern part of the state, near New York City.
Agriculture.
Farmland covers about one-sixth of New Jersey’s land area. Greenhouse and nursery products are the most valuable source of agricultural income. New Jersey is an important state in the production of greenhouse and nursery products. These products are raised throughout New Jersey. Greenhouses raise chrysanthemums, geraniums, lilies, and poinsettias.
Milk is a valuable source of farm income in New Jersey. Dairy farms flourish in the northwestern part of the state, especially in Sussex and Warren counties. Burlington, Gloucester, and Salem counties in southern New Jersey also rank high in milk production. New Jersey ranks second to Kentucky in the raising of horses. Beef cattle and eggs are also leading livestock products. 
New Jersey is also an important vegetable-growing state. The state is one of the nation’s leading producers of green peppers and spinach. Farmers also raise asparagus, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, snap beans, squash, sweet corn, and tomatoes. The largest vegetable farms are in the southern half of the state.
Blueberries and peaches are the most valuable fruit crops grown in the state. New Jersey ranks among the leading states in the production of these fruits and of cranberries. Most of New Jersey’s fruit orchards are in the southern half of the state.
Corn, hay, soybeans, and wheat are New Jersey’s chief field crops. Corn and hay are grown mainly in New Jersey’s northwestern and southwestern counties. Soybeans and wheat are grown primarily in the southern half of the state.
Mining.
The most important products mined in New Jersey include crushed stone and sand and gravel. The most valuable types of crushed stone quarried in New Jersey are granite and traprock, which come from the northern half of the state. Sand and gravel are mined throughout the state. The state’s other mined products include greensand marl and peat. New Jersey is the only state to mine greensand marl.
Fishing industry.
Scallops and clams are among New Jersey’s leading fish catches. New Jersey is a leading state in the catching of both scallops and clams. Huge clam beds extend from Barnegat Bay to Cape May. The fish catch also includes crab, flounder, goosefish, lobster, menhaden, squid, tilefish, and tuna.
Electric power and utilities.
Nuclear power plants and plants that burn natural gas account for most of New Jersey’s electric power. Renewable sources, including solar and biofuel, provide much of the remaining electric power.
Transportation.
New Jersey lies between New York City and the western and southern states. This location makes its highways and railroads important links in the nation’s transportation system. New Jersey is a leader in containerization. Containerization is transporting goods by containers along a network of airplanes, ships, trains, and trucks.
Passenger trains connect many New Jersey cities with New York City and Philadelphia. These trains include swift commuter lines that carry thousands of New Jerseyites to jobs in these two large cities. A number of rail lines provide freight service in New Jersey.
In 1891, New Jersey became the first state to help local communities build roads. New Jersey now has an extensive system of roads and highways. The New Jersey Turnpike is 148 miles (238 kilometers) long. It runs between Deepwater in the southwest part of the state and Ridgefield Park in the northeast. The turnpike was opened in 1952 and was extended in 1956. It is 14 lanes wide in some areas, making it one of the widest highways in the United States. Hundreds of millions of vehicles travel the turnpike each year. The 173-mile (278-kilometer) Garden State Parkway crosses New Jersey between the New York state line near Montvale and Cape May, at New Jersey’s southern tip. The Garden State Parkway was completed in 1957.
Bridges and tunnels link New Jersey and neighboring states. The George Washington Bridge spans the Hudson River between Fort Lee and New York City. It is one of the world’s longest suspension bridges. The Bayonne Bridge crosses Kill Van Kull, a channel between Bayonne and Staten Island. The bridge is one of the longest steel arch bridges in the world. Bridges across the Delaware River include the Benjamin Franklin Bridge between Camden and Philadelphia and the Delaware Memorial Bridge Twin Span between Deepwater and the New Castle, Delaware, area. The Holland and Lincoln auto tunnels and the PATH tubes—four rapid transit tunnels—link New Jersey and New York City. All of these tunnels run beneath the Hudson River. 
Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the country’s busiest airports. It serves many passengers going to or from New York City as well as those headed to or from northeastern New Jersey. The first regular air passenger service in the United States began operating in 1919 between Atlantic City and New York City.
New Jersey has many important ports along the Hudson and Delaware rivers, in Newark and Raritan Bay, and along Kill Van Kull and Arthur Kill. New Jersey’s part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway extends for 118 miles (190 kilometers) from Manasquan Inlet to Cape May. This waterway is protected from the ocean by barrier beaches. As a result, it offers safe passage for small boats.
Communication.
Numerous newspapers, many of them dailies, are published in New Jersey. The leading papers include the Asbury Park Press of Neptune, the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill, The Press of Atlantic City, The Record of Hackensack, The Star-Ledger of Newark, and The Times of Trenton. New York City and Philadelphia newspapers also have wide circulation in New Jersey. The state’s first weekly newspaper, the New Jersey Gazette, began publishing in Burlington in 1777. New Jersey’s first daily newspaper, the Newark Daily Advertiser, was founded in 1832.
New Jersey boasts many other “firsts” in communication. The first interstate long-distance telephone call was made from New Brunswick, New Jersey, to New York City in 1877. The first coast-to-coast direct dialing system was established in Englewood in 1951. Telstar 1, the first communications satellite to transmit live television across the Atlantic, was designed at New Jersey’s Bell Laboratories. The satellite was launched in 1962.
Government
Constitution
of New Jersey was adopted in 1947. New Jersey had two earlier constitutions, adopted in 1776 and 1844. Either house of the state Legislature may propose constitutional amendments. Amendments must be approved by three-fifths of the members of both houses, or by a majority vote of both houses in two successive years. To become law, amendments must also be approved by a majority of the voters in a general election. The Constitution does not provide for a constitutional convention that can amend the Constitution.
Executive.
Historically, the governor was the only New Jersey executive official elected by the people. However, in 2005 voters approved a constitutional amendment creating an office of lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor serves as governor if the governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office. Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor campaign as a team. The governor and lieutenant governor may serve any number of terms, but not more than two in succession. The state’s first lieutenant governor took office in 2010.
The governor is responsible for appointing most of the high-level executive officials of New Jersey’s government. These officials include the attorney general; secretary of state; and state treasurer. The governor also appoints the commissioners of banking and insurance, community affairs, education, environmental protection, health, and labor and workforce development. The state Board of Agriculture appoints the secretary of agriculture. Board members are recommended by an agricultural convention and appointed by the governor. Some of the governor’s appointments must be approved by the state Senate. Most executive officials serve four-year terms.
Legislature
of New Jersey consists of a 40-member Senate and an 80-member General Assembly. Voters in each of the state’s 40 legislative districts elect one senator and two members of the Assembly. Senate terms are on 10-year cycles of two, four, and four years. Senators are elected to a two-year term in the election after each U.S. population census. The next two terms are each for four years. Members of the Assembly are elected to two-year terms. The two-year legislative term begins each even-numbered year on the second Tuesday of January. Legislative sessions have no time limit. 
Courts.
New Jersey’s highest court, the state Supreme Court, hears cases involving constitutional problems and other major matters. The Supreme Court has a chief justice and six associate justices. The state Superior Court is New Jersey’s chief trial court. It has three divisions—Appellate, Law, and Chancery. The governor, with the Senate’s approval, appoints both the members of the Supreme and Superior courts to seven-year terms. If the governor reappoints them once, the judges may serve until they are 70 years old.
Lower courts include municipal courts, surrogate courts, and tax courts. The governor of New Jersey, with the Senate’s approval, appoints all lower court judges except those of the single-municipal courts. Judges of single-municipal courts are appointed by local governments. New Jersey voters elect surrogate judges.
Local government.
Each of New Jersey’s 21 counties is governed by a board of county commissioners. The boards have between three and nine members. All commissioners in New Jersey’s 21 counties are elected to three-year terms.
New Jersey has hundreds of cities, towns, townships, boroughs, and villages. Most have the mayor-council, commission, or council-manager form of government. Most of the large cities have the mayor-council form. Municipalities get their charters from the state. They choose from among a variety of charters. There are two ways a municipality can adopt a new charter or revise an existing one. The municipality may use a direct petition. Or it may create a charter study commission. Local voters must approve the new or revised charter.
Revenue.
Taxes account for about half of the state’s general revenue (income). Most of the rest comes from federal grants, charges for government services, rents on leased property, casino fees, and a state lottery. The chief sources of tax revenue are a personal income tax and a general sales tax. Other major sources are taxes on alcoholic beverages, corporate income, inheritance, insurance premiums, motor fuels, and tobacco products.
Politics.
In the late 1800’s, most New Jersey governors were Democrats. Since 1900, the office has been about equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. The Republicans had a majority in the state Senate and General Assembly during most of the early 1900’s. But Democrats won increased support in state elections during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Since then, control of the houses of the legislature has passed between the Democrats and the Republicans several times. New Jersey’s voters have preferred Democratic candidates for president in each election since 1992 (see Electoral College).
History
Before European settlement
, the Indigenous (native) Delaware people occupied the New Jersey area. They called themselves Lenape, which means the people or genuine people. They built small, scattered villages. They lived by hunting, gathering, and farming. Trade began with the arrival of Europeans. The Lenape traded furs for such items as beads and metal goods. See Delaware Indians.
Exploration.
Giovanni da Verrazzano was probably the first European to explore the New Jersey coast. Verrazzano was an Italian navigator in the service of France. He reached the coast in 1524. Henry Hudson explored the Sandy Hook Bay area in 1609. Hudson was an English sea captain employed by the Dutch East India Company. He also sailed up the river that now bears his name. The Dutch explorer Cornelius Mey sailed the Delaware River in 1614. Cape May was later named for him. Many Dutch trading ships visited the New Jersey area during the 1600’s.
Settlement.
The Dutch and the Swedes were the first white settlers in New Jersey. The Dutch founded an outpost in Pavonia (now part of Jersey City) about 1630. Indigenous uprisings prevented permanent settlement until 1660. That year, the Dutch built the fortified town of Bergen (now part of Jersey City). Bergen was New Jersey’s first permanent European settlement. 
Sweden established Fort Christina in Delaware in 1638. Soon, traders and settlers crossed the Delaware River into neighboring New Jersey. The Dutch feared Swedish competition in the fur trade. The Dutch forced the Swedes out of the New Jersey area in 1655.
English control.
English armies won control of New Jersey and other Dutch North American possessions in 1664. King Charles II of England gave the New Jersey area to his brother James, Duke of York. James, in turn, gave it to two of his friends, Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. James named the area New Jersey after Carteret’s home island of Jersey, in the English Channel. Berkeley and Carteret offered to sell the land to colonists at low prices. They also allowed settlers to have political and religious freedom. These policies attracted settlers. The newcomers established such towns as Elizabeth, Middletown, Newark, Piscataway, Shrewsbury, and Woodbridge.
In 1674, a group of Quakers headed by Edward Byllynge bought Berkeley’s share of New Jersey. Two years later, the colony was divided into two sections—West Jersey and East Jersey. Byllynge and his associates made West Jersey the first Quaker colony in America. Carteret owned East Jersey until his death in 1680. Another group of Quakers, called the Twenty-Four Proprietors, bought East Jersey in 1682.
New Jersey’s political and religious freedom attracted a variety of groups. Puritans, Baptists, and Scotch-Irish people arrived during the late 1600’s. White settlers imported enslaved Africans. Increasing European settlement and disease wiped out much of the Lenape population. The Lenape were forced to sell their lands and move west. They moved first to western Pennsylvania, and eventually to Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
Rapid growth in the white population led to conflict among settlers over landownership. The colonists also objected to paying rent to the owners. Many colonists rioted during the 1690’s. The owners gave up East and West Jersey in 1702. England then united the two colonies as a single royal colony.
Colonial days.
New Jersey had twin capitals from 1703 to 1775. They were Perth Amboy, the former capital of East Jersey, and Burlington, the former capital of West Jersey. At first, the governor of New York also ruled New Jersey. But strong protests from the colonists forced England to give New Jersey its own governor in 1738. Lewis Morris, the first colonial governor, served from 1738 to 1746.
Colonial New Jersey was a rural society. By the 1760’s, the colony had about 100,000 people. The English king appointed the colonial governor and a 12-member council. The people elected the colonial assembly. But only property owners could vote. In 1746, the Presbyterian Church founded the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). Dutch Reformed clergy founded Queen’s College (later Rutgers University) in 1766.
The American Revolution.
During the 1760’s, Britain passed a series of laws that caused unrest in New Jersey and the other American Colonies. Most of these laws either set up severe taxes or restricted colonial trade. Some New Jerseyites urged the colonists to remain loyal to the United Kingdom in spite of the laws. But many colonists believed that political and religious freedom could be retained only through independence from Britain.
In 1774, a group of New Jerseyites dressed as Indigenous people burned a supply of British tea stored in a ship at Greenwich, near Salem. This event, called the Greenwich Tea Burning, was similar to the more famous Boston Tea Party of 1773. Like the Boston Tea Party, the action symbolized colonial opposition to British taxation policies. See Boston Tea Party.
The Revolutionary War began in Massachusetts in 1775. Large numbers of New Jerseyites joined the patriots in their fight for independence. But many other New Jerseyites fought on the British side. New Jersey’s location between New York City and Philadelphia made it a major battleground during the war. The Americans and British fought nearly a hundred engagements in New Jersey. The most important ones included the battles of Trenton in 1776, Princeton in 1777, and Monmouth in 1778. 
Before the Battle of Trenton, George Washington made his famous surprise crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night. During the war, Washington’s army camped two winters at Morristown and a third at Bound Brook. See Revolutionary War in America (The war in the North).
During the Revolutionary period, two New Jersey cities served as the temporary national capital. They were Princeton, from June 30 to Nov. 4, 1783, and Trenton, from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24, 1784.
New Jersey declared its independence from Britain and adopted its first constitution on July 2, 1776. On Nov. 26, 1778, it ratified the Articles of Confederation, the forerunner of the United States Constitution. 
The New Jersey delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 proposed a plan to protect the interests of small states. This New Jersey Plan suggested that all states have equal representation in Congress. But the convention adopted the Great Compromise instead. The compromise created the present two-house Congress. The states have equal representation in the Senate. But their representation in the House of Representatives is based on population. New Jersey became a state on Dec. 18, 1787, when it ratified the U.S. Constitution. It was the third state to do so. William Livingston became New Jersey’s first state governor.
The 1800’s.
One of the most famous duels of all time was fought at Weehawken in 1804. Aaron Burr, the vice president of the United States, shot and killed his political rival, Alexander Hamilton. Also in 1804, New Jersey passed legislation to begin the gradual freeing of slaves held in the state. The act freed all children born into slavery when the men reached the age of 25 and the women reached 21. Under this law, however, some people would still be held in bondage as the American Civil War (1861-1865) approached.
Public demand for a more democratic state government led to the adoption of a new state constitution in 1844. The new Constitution provided for the separation of powers among the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the state government. The Constitution also provided for a bill of rights. The Constitution called for the election of the governor by the people. In 1845, Charles C. Stratton became the first New Jersey governor so elected.
About 88,000 New Jersey men served in the Union army during the American Civil War. But there was much pro-Southern sympathy in the state. In 1864, New Jersey was one of only three states that voted against the reelection of President Abraham Lincoln.
New Jersey was one of the first great industrial states. As early as 1792, Paterson had become a textile center. Later, the city became known for the manufacture of locomotives and for silk production. Other New Jersey cities grew because of industry. Trenton specialized in clay products, iron, and steel. John Roebling, who built the Brooklyn Bridge, had his firm in Trenton. Camden, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark, and Passaic all became major manufacturing centers in the 1800’s.
Improvements in transportation during the first half of the 1800’s helped New Jersey to grow industrially. New canals connected New Jersey cities to Philadelphia and New York City. New railroads expanded the transportation system. As industry grew, thousands of Europeans came to New Jersey cities to work in factories. At first, most came from Ireland and Germany. Later, large numbers came from Italy and eastern Europe. By 1910, more than half the state’s people had been born outside the United States or had parents who were born in other countries. With the growth of industry, city populations increased and farm populations decreased. By 1900, more New Jerseyites were living in cities and towns than in rural areas.
During the late 1800’s, New Jersey became the home of many of the nation’s trusts (industrial monopolies). Trusts were illegal in many other states. But New Jersey law allowed them. During this period, New Jersey also attracted many holding companies. Holding companies are companies that control the stock and policies of one or more other companies. By 1900, hundreds of large corporations obtained charters under New Jersey laws and set up headquarters in the state.
The early 1900’s.
Concern about the practices of big businesses led to a reform movement in New Jersey. In 1910, the people elected Woodrow Wilson, the president of Princeton University, as governor. Under Wilson, the state passed numerous reforms. New laws provided for direct primary elections, workers’ compensation, and a public utilities commission. The legislature also passed laws restricting business monopolies. Wilson’s achievements as governor helped lead to his election as president of the United States in 1912. He was reelected in 1916. See Wilson, Woodrow (Governor of New Jersey).
Thomas A. Edison helped develop the motion picture while working in New Jersey. Fort Lee became the motion- picture capital of the world in the early 1900’s. There, Fatty Arbuckle, Mary Pickford, Pearl White, and other stars made movies that introduced a new era in entertainment.
After the United States entered World War I in 1917, Hoboken, on the Hudson River, became a major port for shipping troops overseas. Thousands of American soldiers sailed for France from the port. During the war, Camp Dix and Camp Merrit served as military training centers. New Jersey factories contributed chemicals, munitions, and ships to the war effort.
Between 1900 and 1930, New Jersey’s population more than doubled. During the same period, the state’s annual value of manufacturing rose from about $500 million to almost $4 billion. New Jersey, like other states, suffered widespread unemployment during the Great Depression of the 1930’s.
The mid-1900’s.
New Jersey’s electronics and chemical industries began large-scale operations about 1940. These industries grew during World War II (1939-1945). The state produced communications equipment, ships, and weapons and ammunition.
In 1947, New Jersey voters approved a new state constitution. The Constitution extended the governor’s term from three to four years and increased the powers of the office. The Constitution also reorganized the state’s court system.
In the mid-1900’s, the state’s population expanded steadily into many rural areas. The expansion included construction of homes and of commercial and industrial plants. Commercial and industrial growth occurred most rapidly among chemical, electronics, food-processing, pharmaceutical, and research firms.
The New Jersey Turnpike opened in 1952. It soon became one of the nation’s busiest highways. The turnpike links the Philadelphia and New York City metropolitan areas. The Garden State Parkway was completed in 1955. It runs along the New Jersey coast.
During the 1960’s, older New Jersey cities faced the problem of spreading slums, especially in Black neighborhoods. In July 1967, riots broke out in Black neighborhoods of several cities. The worst riot occurred in Newark. There, 26 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. Property damage totaled between $10 million and $15 million.
In the late 1960’s, the state adopted a sales tax. It also passed several bond issues to help pay for major government programs. One bond issue supplied money for new state colleges, highways, institutions, and commuter train facilities. Another paid for water conservation projects and for a program to fight water pollution. In 1969, voters approved a state lottery to raise money for the state government and for the schools.
The late 1900’s.
The state continued to seek new sources of revenue. In 1976, the New Jersey Legislature adopted an individual income tax for the first time. Also in 1976, voters passed a referendum permitting gambling casinos in Atlantic City. The casinos would help raise money for the elderly and people with disabilities. The first casino opened in 1978.
Large urban renewal projects of the late 1900’s upgraded parts of several New Jersey cities. The program in Trenton included construction of a group of state government office buildings and a cultural center. In Newark, the state expanded college and university facilities. A new performing arts center also opened in Newark. In the 1990’s, a minor league baseball stadium opened along the Passaic River.
Passenger railroad travel declined nationwide in the latter half of the 1900’s. But New Jersey kept its position as a major rail center. Newark Airport began a major construction program in 1963 to expand passenger and cargo service. In the 1980’s, it became one of the world’s busiest airports.
In 1994, Christine Todd Whitman took office as governor. She became the first woman to serve as New Jersey’s governor.
The early 2000’s.
Whitman resigned as governor in 2001. She headed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003.
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists crashed two hijacked commercial jetliners into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. The approximately 3,000 people killed in the attacks included more than 650 New Jersey residents. In 2002, President Bush named former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean to head a commission to investigate the attacks and to help prevent similar attacks in the future.
In 2004, Governor James E. McGreevey resigned. McGreevey, a man married to a woman, declared that he was gay and confessed to having an extramarital affair with a man. He said he resigned because the circumstances surrounding the affair would be an obstacle to his governing effectively.
When McGreevey left office, the president of the state Senate, Richard J. Codey, became acting governor. Codey retained his Senate post and served the remainder of McGreevey’s term. In 2005, U.S. Senator Jon S. Corzine won the election for governor.
In 2007, the New Jersey Legislature abolished the death penalty. The death sentence was replaced with life in prison without parole.
Voters in the 2005 election had approved a state constitutional amendment creating the post of lieutenant governor, starting in 2010. In 2009, Kim Guadagno, a Republican and former sheriff of Monmouth County, was elected as New Jersey’s first lieutenant governor. She ran on the ticket of Republican Chris Christie, who defeated Corzine in the race for governor. A party’s candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run as a team in the state. 
In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck the Atlantic Coast, killing more than 100 people and causing widespread damage. More than 20 New Jerseyites were killed. Floodwaters covered many coastal New Jersey areas. Boardwalks in several seaside towns were washed away.
Christie and Guadagno were reelected in 2014. In 2017, Democrat Phil Murphy defeated Guadagno in the campaign to succeed Christie as governor. Murphy took office in 2018. He won reelection in 2021.
Beginning in 2020, New Jersey faced a public health crisis due to COVID-19. This sometimes-fatal respiratory disease, caused by a type of coronavirus, infected communities around the world. The densely populated New York City metropolitan area, which includes northern New Jersey, experienced a severe outbreak. New Jersey authorities first canceled public gatherings and recommended that residents practice social distancing. They later issued stay-at-home advisories, ordered the closure of so-called nonessential businesses, and enforced curfews and face mask mandates. The restrictions helped control infection rates, and the state lifted some limits on business and social activity. Officials later raised or lowered restrictions based on the severity of infection rates.
Vaccines to help prevent infection with COVID-19 became available in late 2020 and early 2021. By mid-2021, an increase in vaccination rates helped limit the state’s infection and death rates. However, the spread of new, more contagious variants of the disease led to further spikes in infections. By early 2023, about 3 million COVID-19 cases had been recorded in New Jersey, and about 35,000 of the state’s residents had died from the disease.
