101 Facts About New Jersey

1. New Jersey is the only state in the nation where elected county officials are called "Freeholders", governing each county as part of its own Board of Chosen Freeholders.

2. New Jersey lies completely within the combined statistical areas of New York City and Philadelphia and was the second-wealthiest US state by median household income as of 2017.

3. New Jersey has become the second state to require public schools to teach LGBT and disability-inclusive material.

4. New Jersey is the only state in the nation where elected county officials are called "Freeholders", governing each county as part of its own Board of Chosen Freeholders.

5. New Jersey was an important state during the Revolutionary War because of its location near the center of the thirteen colonies and between New York City and Philadelphia.

6. In fact, New Jersey issued begging licenses to the poor people because the New Jersey government funds were being exhausted.

7. New Jersey was a center of shipbuilding and manufacturing during World War I Existing factories such as the Singer Company in Elizabeth, New Jersey were converted to making weapon parts.

8. New Jersey was the last northern state to abolish slavery completely, and by the close of the Civil War, about a dozen African-Americans in New Jersey were still apprenticed freedmen.

9. Economy of New Jersey was largely based on agriculture, but crop failures and poor soil plagued the settlers of New Jersey.

10. New Jersey currently has four major league teams based in the state, although only one, the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils, bears the state's name.

11. New Jersey is the only state in the nation where elected county officials are called "Freeholders", governing each county as part of its own Board of Chosen Freeholders.

12. Thus, the last year when New Jersey elected a Governor was 2017; the next gubernatorial election will occur in 2021.

13. New Jersey is known for several foods developed within the region, including Taylor Ham, cheesesteaks, and scrapple.

14. Center of population for New Jersey is located in Middlesex County, in the town of Milltown, just east of the New Jersey Turnpike.

15. New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state by area but the 11th-most populous, with 9 million residents as of 2017, and the most densely populated of the 50 US states; its biggest city is Newark.

16. Throughout the colonial period New Jersey remained one of the most diverse colonies in British America.

17. New Jersey became a royal province in 1702 when the proprietorships of East Jersey and West Jersey were brought under the control of the English crown.

18. New Jersey is one of the leading states in the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

19. In 2000, New Jersey surpassed Connecticut as the state with the highest per capita income.

20. New Jersey suffered through unemployment and economic hardship during the Great Depression.

21. New Jersey became the home of many large industrial businesses.

22. New Jersey has warm-to-hot summers and cold winters, with more moderate temperatures along the coast.

23. New Jersey has more than 800 lakes and ponds, and its many rivers provide power for the state's large cities, which include Newark, Paterson, Elizabeth, Trenton, and Camden.

24. New Jersey has a 130-mile coastline on the Atlantic Ocean.

25. New Jersey was officially declared "urban" by the US Census Bureau in 1880, when the state population rose above one million for the first time.

26. New Jersey has several world class golf courses, including Baltusrol, the site of seven US Opens and the 2005 PGA Championship.

27. New Jersey is historically significant in the births of two major national sports.

28. New Jersey has more than 177 museums, historic sites, botanical gardens, and arboretums.

29. In 2001, New Jersey had 309 public library systems with a total of 458 libraries, 149 of which were branches.

30. In 2004, New Jersey had 333 doctors per 100,000 residents, and 928 nurses per 100,000 residents in 2005.

31. In 2005, New Jersey exported $21.08 billion of its own manufactures to foreign countries.

32. In 2004, New Jersey had a commercial fish catch of 185.6 million pounds worth $139.4 million, the eighth-highest catch value in the nation.

33. In 2004, New Jersey ranked fourth among the 50 states and the District of Columbia with a per capita income of $41,626 (the national average was $33,050).

34. In 2005, New Jersey had a gross state product of $431 billion, eighth highest in the nation.

35. In 2004, New Jersey had a total violent crime rate of 355.7 reported incidents per 100,000 persons.

36. In 1993, New Jersey elected its first woman as governor, Republican Christine Todd Whitman.

37. New Jersey has experienced many of the problems of urbanization.

38. New Jersey is one of the most ethnically diverse states in the nation.

39. In 2006, New Jersey ranked 11th population among the 50 states with an estimated total of 8,724,560 residents.

40. In 2003, New Jersey had 551 hazardous waste sites listed in the Environmental Protection Agency's database, 113 of which were on the National Priorities List in 2006.

41. New Jersey rapidly became the center for many research laboratories during this time, which helped creation of a number of affluent areas such as Bergen County.

42. New Jersey was the third state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.

43. New Jersey sends 12 representatives and 2 senators to the US Congress and has 14 electoral votes.

44. New Jersey is linked to Delaware and Pennsylvania by many bridges across the Delaware River.

45. New Jersey has been a leader in industrial research and development since the establishment in 1876 of Thomas Edison's research facility in Menlo Park.

46. New Jersey attempted to improve its battered image by opening of the Garden State Arts Center and the Meadowlands sports complex.

47. New Jersey is historically significant for the births of two major national sports.

48. New Jersey has several world-class golf courses, including Baltusrol, the site of seven US Opens and the 2005 PGA Championship.

49. New Jersey Nets have made a surge in the recent past, becoming one of the most successful teams in the NBA.

50. New Jersey hosts the Liberty Science Center with ferry rides to the Statue of Liberty.

51. New Jersey has not been known for having a very powerful press.

52. New Jersey has more than 177 museums, historic sites, botanical gardens and arboretums.

53. In 2005, New Jersey had 58 degree-granting institutions including, 14 public four-year schools, 19 public two-year schools, and 21 nonprofit, private four-year schools.

54. In 2003, New Jersey had 78 community hospitals with about 22,800 beds.

55. In the fiscal year 2007 federal budget, New Jersey was slated to receive: $110.5 million in State Children's Health Insurance Program funds to help the state provide health coverage to low-income, uninsured children who do not qualify for Medicaid.

56. In 2005, New Jersey exported $21.08 billion to foreign countries.

57. In the 2002 Census of Retail Trade, New Jersey was listed as having 34,741 retail establishments with sales of $102.1 billion.

58. In 2004, a total of 308,566 people in New Jersey were employed in the state's manufacturing sector, according to the ASM.

59. New Jersey has no known proven reserves or production of crude oil and natural gas.

60. In 2005, New Jersey had an estimated 44,000 cattle and calves, valued at $48.8 million.

61. In 2004, New Jersey produced 265,140 tons of fresh market vegetables.

62. New Jersey is a leading producer of fresh fruits and vegetables.

63. New Jersey is one of 28 states that does not have a right-to-work law.

64. In 2003, New Jersey spent $272,195,275 on homeland security, an average of $32 per state resident.

65. In 1993, New Jersey elected its first woman as governor, Republican Christine Todd Whitman; she was reelected in 1997.

66. In 2005, New Jersey had a total of 389 public and private-use aviation-related facilities.

67. New Jersey is one of the most ethnically heterogeneous states.

68. In 2004, New Jersey ranked first in the nation for the highest number of sites on the National Priorities List.

69. New Jersey is bordered on the n and ne by New York State; on the e by the Atlantic Ocean; on the s and sw by Delaware (with the line passing through Delaware Bay); and on the w by Pennsylvania (separated by the Delaware River).

70. New Jersey extends 166 mi n-s; the extreme width e-w is 57 mi (92 km).

71. New Jersey would be the third state to join the United States of America and the first to approve the Bill of Rights.

72. New Jersey took part in the American Revolutionary War, and was a scene of battles.

73. New Jersey was part of the area known at this time as New Netherland.

74. New Jersey is well known for its beaches, industries, swamps, and pine forests.

75. New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state, but has the eleventh-highest number of people.

76. New Jersey is one of the 50 states of the United States of America.

77. New Jersey known as the "Garden State" is a leading grower of produce.

78. New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

79. New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the Diner Capital of the World.

80. New Jersey has been the home and inspiration for a large number of popular musicians.

81. New Jersey helped correct that situation with the 1968 opening, in Holmdel, of the Garden State Arts Center.

82. New Jersey has one of the country's highest rates of union membership among employed workers.

83. New Jersey has continued to attract many industries, especially corporate headquarters from New York City, largely through its greater space, better transportation, and favourable tax rates.

84. New Jersey was a prime destination for the waves of African Americans who left the South during and after World War II; more than one-tenth of the state's total population is made up of African Americans.

85. New Jersey is called the Garden State because it became famous in the 18th century for the fertility of its land.

86. New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States.

87. New Jersey is the world leader in blueberry production, and its tomatoes are world famous.

88. New Jersey borders Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York, as well as the Atlantic Ocean on the east.

89. New Jersey has 21 counties, including Hunterdon County, which is the 3rd-richest county in the country.

90. New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is often referred to as the �Diner Capital of the World.

91. New Jersey is one of only two states where self-service filling of gasoline is prohibited.

92. New Jersey had no Lieutenant Governor position at the time, leaving a vacancy in the office.

93. New Jersey was the first state to ratify Prohibition, which restricted the purchasing and selling of alcohol.

94. New Jersey was one of the few states to favor Stephen Douglas over Abraham Lincoln in the Presidential Election of 1860.

95. New Jersey is referred to as the "Crossroads of the Revolution" because the British and Continental armies fought several crucial battles there.

96. New Jersey was one of the original thirteen colonies that joined in the struggle for independence from Great Britain.

97. Part of southwestern New Jersey was settled by the Swedes by the mid-17th century.

98. New Jersey became one of the Thirteen Colonies which broke away from Britain in the American Revolution, adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

99. Story of the area of present-day New Jersey begins at the end of the Younger Dryas, about 15,000 years ago.

100. New Jersey has the most dense system of highways and railways in the United States.

101. New Jersey owes much of its cuisine to Jewish and Italian immigrants, but the pork roll is a Garden State original.