New
Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the
United States. The state is named after the island of Jersey in the English
Channel. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Atlantic
Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania. Parts
of New Jersey lie within the metropolitan areas of New York and Philadelphia.
Inhabited
by Native Americans for more than 2800 years, the first European settlements
in the area were established by the Swedes and Dutch in the early 1600s. The
British later seized control of the region, which was granted to Sir George
Carteret and John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton as the colony of
New Jersey. New Jersey was an important site during the American Revolutionary
War; several decisive battles were fought there. The winter quarters of the
revolutionary army were established twice by George Washington in Morristown,
which was called the military capital of the revolution. The New Jersey Journal,
a newspaper published by Shepard Kollock, who established his press in Chatham
during 1779, became a catalyst in the revolution. News of events came directly
to Kollock from Washington's headquarters in nearby Morristown, which he published
to boost the morale of the troops and their families, and he conducted lively
debates about the efforts for independence with those who opposed and supported
the cause he championed. Later, working-class cities such as Paterson and
Trenton helped to drive the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century.
New Jersey's position at the center of the BosWash megalopolis, between Boston,
New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., fueled its rapid
growth through the suburban boom of the 1950s and beyond.
New
Jersey is bordered on the north and northeast by New York; on the east by
the Atlantic Ocean; on the south and southwest by Delaware; and on the west
by Pennsylvania. The western border of New Jersey is largely defined by the
Delaware River. Because of its dense population and because most communities
of northern New Jersey do not have the widespread reservoir system of neighboring
Greater New York City, the slightest dry season leads to drought warnings;
but because there are many streams and rivers close to these communities,
the slightest above average rainfall causes frequent flooding as many parts
of Northern New Jersey are part of a flood plain. It is also at the center
of the Boston to Washington megalopolis.
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 (i.e., largely within the New York metropolitan area), 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.
The federal Office of Management and Budget divides New Jersey's counties
into seven Metropolitan Statistical Areas, including sixteen counties in the
New York City or Philadelphia metro areas. Four counties have independent
metro areas, and Warren County joins another Pennsylvania-based metro area.
See Metropolitan Statistical Areas of New Jersey for details.
The temperatures vary greatly from the northernmost part of New Jersey to the southernmost part of New Jersey. For example, these are the average high and low temperatures for Cape May, near the state's southernmost ocean-facing point, and Sussex, in the mountainous northwest.
Metropolitan areas by population
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