New Jersey Info

Quick Facts
Capital: Trenton
Population: 8,414,350
Total Area: 8,729 square miles
Top Industry: Pharmaceutical

New Jersey is full of history. It originally was inhabited by Native Americans until Dutch and Swedish settlers came in the 1600s. Soon after, the English took control of New Jersey (the name was taken from the largest island in the English Channel). Not long after the English took control, the American Revolutionary War took place--many of the battles were fought in New Jersey. And even later, a few cities (Trenton and Paterson) aided the drive of the Industrial Revolution. New Jersey's location has made it what it is today--a commerce crossroad. 

Although the pharmaceutical industry--which includes Johnson and Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer, Hoffman-LaRoche, and Bristol-Myers Squibb-- is New Jersey's top industry, it has a myriad of others as well, including chemical development, food processing, electric equipment, telecommunications, tourism, printing and publishing, and agricultural. The specific agricultural outputs include vegetables, fruits and nuts, dairy, seafood, and horses.

New Jersey Transportation
Because of the fact that many New Jerseyans commute to New York for work, there are many bridges and turnpikes. Here are some of the most well-known/commonly used:

- New Jersey Turnpike
- Garden State Parkway
- George Washington Bridge (carries the heaviest load of traffic in the entire world)
- Outerbridge Crossing
- Goethals Bridge
- Bayonne Bridge

New Jersey Expressways:
- Atlantic City Expressway
- Palisades Interstate Parkway
- I-76
- I-78
- I-80
- I-195
- I-280
- I-287
- I-295

In New Jersey, there are always multiple ways to get to where you need to go. Next, just try to figure out a way to get through the traffic.

Major Metropolitan Areas
Newark: As New Jersey's largest city, The Brick City (Newark) has a population of 281,402. The Newark Museum's Tibetan collection is one of the best in the world. The museum also includes science galleries, a mini zoo, a fire museum, a planetarium, and a sculpture garden.

Jersey City: With a population of 241,791, Jersey City is New Jersey's second largest city. Ellis Island is in the boundaries of Jersey City, but New York jointly manages it as well. New York actually sued New Jersey because they wanted ownership of Ellis Island. The courts ruled in New Jersey's favor.

Paterson: Known as the Silk City, Paterson is New Jersey's third largest city--with a population of 148,708. Interestingly enough, Lou Costello (from the comedy pair Abbott and Costello) was from Paterson, New Jersey.