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About New Jersey
New Jersey, a state in the Middle Atlantic region of the United States. Its long eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. To the northeast and north it is bordered by the Hudson River and New York. To the west lies Pennsylvania. New Jersey is separated from Delaware on the south and southwest by Delaware Bay and the Delaware River. Trenton is the capital of New Jersey. Newark is the largest city.
New Jersey is the fifth smallest state but one of the most diversified. Lying between New York City and Philadelphia, in the heart of the highly urbanized area called a megalopolis by some population experts, it is the second most urbanized state, behind only California, and the most densely populated. New Jersey is the only state in which all 21 counties are officially classified as “metropolitan” by the census. Yet it has wilderness areas, in the mountains of the northwest and the sparsely settled southern tidelands. New Jersey is in the forefront of industrial research and development, but the continuing importance of farming is reflected in its nickname, the Garden State. New Jersey’s ready access to the markets of New York City and Philadelphia led to an early specialization in fresh fruits and vegetable production. As early as the 17th century, colonists described the area as a garden because of its agricultural bounty.
Proud of its status as the third state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, entering the Union on December 18, 1787, New Jersey traces its history back more than 350 years. Its name derives from the island of Jersey in the English Channel, the birthplace of Sir George Carteret, a co-owner of New Jersey in the 17th century. The state contains many well-preserved monuments commemorating the American Revolution (1775-1783), many of whose battles were fought on New Jersey soil, including George Washington’s famed crossing of the Delaware River in December 1776, to defeat the British at Trenton. |
| New Jersey Facts and Figures |
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| General Information |
| Capital |
Trenton |
| Statehood |
December 18, 1787 |
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| State nickname |
The Garden State |
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| Name for residents |
New Jerseyans or New Jerseyites |
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| State motto |
Liberty and prosperity |
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| Abbreviation |
NJ |
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| Land |
| Total area |
22,587 sq km |
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| 8,721 sq mi |
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| Rank among states in total area |
46th |
| Land area |
19,214 sq km |
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| 7,419 sq mi |
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| Highest point |
High Point |
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| 550 m/1,803 ft |
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| Forested land as a share of total area |
44.9 percent (2002) |
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| Federally owned land as a share of land area |
3.9 percent (2002) |
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| People |
| Population |
8,724,560 (2006 estimate) |
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| Rank among states in population |
10th |
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| Ten-year population growth |
8.9 percent (1990-2000) |
| Population density |
454 persons per sq km (2006 estimate) |
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| 1,176 persons per sq mi (2006 estimate) |
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| Urban population |
94.4 percent (2000) |
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| Largest cities (by population) |
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| Newark |
280,666 (2005 estimate) |
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| Jersey City |
239,614 (2005 estimate) |
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| Paterson |
149,843 (2005 estimate) |
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| Elizabeth |
125,809 (2005 estimate) |
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| Edison |
100,499 (2005 estimate) |
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| Ethnic groups |
| Whites |
72.6 percent (2000) |
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| Blacks |
13.6 percent (2000) |
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| Asians |
5.7 percent (2000) |
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| Native Americans |
0.2 percent (2000) |
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| Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders |
less than 0.1 percent (2000) |
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| Mixed heritage or not reporting |
7.9 percent (2000) |
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| Hispanics (of any race) |
13.3 percent (2000) |
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| Health and Education |
| Life expectancy |
75.4 years (1989-1991) |
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| Infant mortality rate |
6 deaths per 1,000 live births (2002) |
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| Residents per physician |
327 people (2004) |
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| Residents per hospital bed |
396 people (2004) |
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| Share of population not covered by health insurance |
15.3 percent (2004) |
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| Number of students per teacher (K-12) |
12.7 (2003) |
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| Government spending per student (K-12) |
$13,884 (2002-2003) |
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| Share of students attending private school |
15.4 percent (1999) |
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| Share of people over age 25 with high school diploma |
87.6 percent (2004) |
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| Government |
| State government |
| Governor |
Jon Corzine |
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| (acting governor, term ends January, 2010) |
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| Legislature |
Senate, 40 members |
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| General Assembly, 80 members |
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| National representation |
| Members of the U.S. Senate |
2 |
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| Members of the U.S. House of Representatives |
13 |
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| Electoral votes |
15 |
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| Economy |
| Gross state product (GSP) |
$431 billion (2005 approximate) |
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| Income per capita |
$41,636 (2004) |
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| GSP by economic sector |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fishing |
0.1 percent (2004) |
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| Industry |
| Construction |
4.3 percent (2004) |
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| Manufacturing |
10.9 percent (2004) |
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| Mining |
0 percent (2004) |
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| Transportation and utilities |
5 percent (2004) |
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| Services |
| Finance, insurance, and real estate |
24.2 percent (2004) |
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| Government |
10.1 percent (2004) |
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| Information technology |
5 percent (2004) |
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| Retail trade |
6.5 percent (2004) |
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| Wholesale trade |
8 percent (2004) |
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| Other services |
26.2 percent (2004) |
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| Employment |
| Number of workers |
4,518,000 (2006 estimate) |
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| Unemployment rate |
4.6 percent (2006 estimate) |
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| Share of workers in unions |
20.5 percent (2005) |
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| Energy, Communications, and Transportation |
| Electricity production |
| Share from geothermal, solar, and wind |
2.2 percent (2005 estimate) |
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| Share from hydroelectric |
0.1 percent (2005 estimate) |
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| Share from nuclear |
51.8 percent (2005 estimate) |
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| Share from thermal |
46.3 percent (2005 estimate) |
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| Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people |
141 newspapers per 1,000 people (2005 estimate) |
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| Share of households with Internet access |
60.5 percent (2003 estimate) |
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| Number of library books circulated per resident |
6.3 books per person (2002) |
| Length of highways |
61,351 km (2004) |
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| 38,122 mi (2004) |
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| Length of interstate highways |
694 km (2004) |
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| 431 mi (2004) |
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| Length of railroad tracks |
1,476 km (2004) |
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| 917 mi (2004) |
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| Airports |
4 (2007) |
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