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| Geography | |
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Main article: Geography of New Jersey
See also: List of counties in New Jersey
New Jersey is bordered on the north and northeast by New York (parts of which are across the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, and the Arthur Kill); on the east by the Atlantic Ocean; on the southwest by Delaware across Delaware Bay; and on the west by Pennsylvania across the Delaware River.
Metropolitan statistical areas and divisions of New Jersey; counties shaded in blue hues belong to the New York City Metropolitan Area; counties shaded in green hues are in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Mercer County is located in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area. Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties are located in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Warren County is considered part of the Lehigh Valley.
New Jersey shares the Delaware Water Gap with neighboring Pennsylvania.
New Jersey can be thought of as five regions, based on natural geography and population. Northeastern New Jersey, the Gateway Region, lies within the New York City Metropolitan Area, and some residents commute into the city to work. Northwestern New Jersey, or the "Skylands", is, compared to the northeast, more wooded, rural, and mountainous. The "Shore", along the Atlantic Coast in the central-east and southeast, has its own natural, residential, and lifestyle characteristics owing to its location by the ocean. The Delaware Valley includes the southwestern counties of the state, which reside within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. The fifth region is the Pine Barrens in the interior of the southern part. Covered rather extensively by mixed pine and oak forest, it has a much lower population density than much of the rest of the state.
Sunset at Cape May on the Jersey Shore.
New Jersey also can be broadly divided into three geographic regions: North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey. Some New Jersey residents do not consider Central Jersey a region in its own right, but others 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.)
It is also at the center of the Northeast megalopolis.
Additionally, the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth, & Tourism Commission divides the state into six distinct regions to facilitate the state's tourism industry. The regions are:
Gateway Region, encompassing Middlesex County, Union County, Essex County, Hudson County, Bergen County, and Passaic County.
Skylands Region, encompassing Sussex County, Morris County, Warren County, Hunterdon County, and Somerset County.
Shore Region, encompassing Monmouth County and Ocean County.
Delaware River Region, encompassing Mercer County, Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, and Salem County.
Greater Atlantic City Region, encompassing Atlantic County.
Southern Shore Region, encompassing Cumberland County and Cape May County.
High Point, in Montague Township, Sussex County, is the highest elevation, at 1,803 feet (550 m). The Palisades are a line of steep cliffs on the lower west side of the Hudson River.
Major rivers include the Hudson, Delaware, Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, Musconetcong, Mullica, Rancocas, Manasquan, Maurice, and Toms rivers.
Sandy Hook, along the eastern coast, is a popular recreational beach. It is a barrier spit and an extension of the Barnegat Peninsula along the state's Atlantic Ocean coast.
Long Beach Island ("LBI"), a barrier island along the eastern coast, has popular recreational beaches. The primary access point to the island is by a single bridge connection to the mainland. Barnegat Lighthouse is on the northern tip.
Areas managed by the National Park Service include:
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Delaware National Scenic River
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Ellis Island National Monument
Gateway National Recreation Area in Monmouth County
Great Egg Harbor River
Morristown National Historical Park in Morristown
New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve
Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange
Prominent geographic features include:
Delaware Water Gap
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
The Highlands
New Jersey Meadowlands
Pine Barrens
South Mountain
Tags:Atlantic Ocean,R,Eastern,State,Northeastern,New York,Pennsylvania,Delaware,New York City,Philadelphia,Jersey,Northeast Megalopolis,Hudson River,Upper New York Bay,Kill Van Kull,Newark Bay,Arthur Kill,Delaware Bay,Delaware River,New York City Metropolitan Area,Philadelphia Metropolitan Area,Lehigh Valley,Delaware Water Gap,Gateway Region,Skylands,Shore,Delaware Valley,Sunset,Cape May,Jersey Shore,North Jersey,Central Jersey,South Jersey,Office Of Management And Budget,Metropolitan Statistical Areas,Skylands Region,Shore Region,Delaware River Region,Greater Atlantic City Region,Southern Shore Region,Hudson,Raritan,Passaic,Hackensack,Rahway,Musconetcong,Mullica,Rancocas,Manasquan,Maurice,Toms,Spit,Barnegat Peninsula,Long Beach Island,Barrier Island,Barnegat Lighthouse,National Park Service,Appalachian National Scenic Trail,Delaware National Scenic River,Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area,Ellis Island National Monument,Gateway National Recreation Area,Great Egg Harbor River,Morristown National Historical Park,Thomas Edison National Historical Park,Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge,South Mountain, | |
| Climate | |
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As with many other geographic features, New Jersey's climate divides into regions. The south, central, and northeast parts of the state have a humid mesothermal climate, while the northwest has a humid continental climate (microthermal), with slightly cooler temperatures due to higher elevation. New Jersey receives between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually.[12]
Summers are typically hot and humid, with statewide average high temperatures of 82–88 °F (28–31 °C) and lows of 60–70 °F (16–21 °C); however, temperatures exceed 90 °F (32 °C) on average 25 days each summer, though rarely exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Winters are usually cold, with average high temperatures of 38–46 °F (3–8 °C) and lows of 26–32 °F (-3–0 °C) for most of the state, but temperatures could, for brief interludes, be as low as 10–20 °F (-12–-7 °C) and sometimes rise to 50–60 °F (10–16 °C). Northwestern parts of the state have slightly colder winters with average temperatures just below freezing. Spring and autumn may feature wide temperature variations, with lower humidity than summer.[13]
Average annual precipitation ranges from 43 to 51 inches (1,100 to 1,300 mm), uniformly spread through the year. Average snowfall per winter season range from 10–15 inches (25–38 cm) in the south and near the seacoast, 15–30 inches (38–76 cm) in the northeast and central part of the state, to about 40–50 inches (1.0–1.3 m) in the northwestern highlands, but this varies from year to year. Precipitation falls on an average of 120 days a year, with 25 to 30 thunderstorms, most of which occur during the summer.
During winter and early spring, New Jersey can in some years experience "nor'easters", which are capable of causing blizzards or flooding throughout the northeastern United States. Hurricanes and tropical storms (such as Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999[14]), tornadoes, and earthquakes are rare.
Part of the Palisades Interstate Park, the New Jersey Palisades overlook the Hudson River.
Average high and low temperatures in various cities of New Jersey °C (°F)
City
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sussex
1/-10 (33/14)
3/-9 (38/16)
8/-4 (46/25)
15/2 (59/36)
21/7 (70/45)
26/12 (78/54)
28/15 (83/59)
28/14 (82/57)
23/9 (73/48)
17/3 (63/38)
11/-1 (52/30)
4/-6 (39/21)
Newark
3/-4 (38/25)
5/-3 (41/27)
10/1 (50/34)
16/7 (61/45)
22/12 (72/54)
27/18 (81/64)
29/21 (84/70)
28/20 (82/68)
24/16 (75/61)
18/9 (64/48)
12/4 (54/39)
6/-1 (43/30)
Atlantic City
5/-2 (42/28)
6/-1 (44/30)
9/3 (48/38)
14/7 (57/45)
19/13 (66/56)
24/18 (75/64)
27/21 (80/70)
27/21 (80/70)
23/18 (73/64)
18/12 (64/54)
13/6 (55/44)
8/1 (46/34)
Cape May
6/-3 (43/27)
6/-2 (43/28)
11/2 (52/36)
16/6 (61/43)
21/12 (70/54)
26/17 (79/63)
29/19 (84/66)
28/19 (82/66)
25/16 (77/61)
19/9 (66/48)
13/4 (55/39)
8/-1 (46/30)
Weather.com[15]
Tags:-4,/,United States,Mesothermal,Humid Continental Climate,Microthermal,Sunshine,Nor'easters, | |
| History | |
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Main article: History of New Jersey
Around 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period, New Jersey bordered North Africa. The pressure of the collision between North America and Africa gave rise to the Appalachian Mountains. Around 18,000 years ago, the Ice Age resulted in glaciers that reached New Jersey. As the glaciers retreated, they left behind Lake Passaic, as well as many rivers, swamps, and gorges.[16]
New Jersey was originally settled by Native Americans, with the Lenni-Lenape being dominant at the time Europeans arrived. The Lenape were loosely organized groups that practiced small-scale agriculture (mainly based on corn) in order to increase their largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region surrounding the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. The Lenape society was divided into matrilinear clans that were based upon common female ancestors. These clans were organized into three distinct phratries identified by their animal sign: Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf. They first encountered the Dutch in the early 17th century, and their primary relationship with the Europeans was through fur trade.
Tags:Utc,Native Americans,Lenape,Dutch, | |
| Colonial era | |
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Main article: Colonial history of New Jersey
New Jersey was first claimed by the Dutch. The Dutch colony of New Netherland consisted of parts of modern Middle Atlantic states. Although the European principle of land ownership was not recognized by the Lenape, Dutch West India Company policy required their colonists to purchase land which they settled. The first to do so was Michiel Pauw who established a patronship named Pavonia along the North River which eventually became the Bergen. Peter Minuit's purchase of lands along the Delaware River establish the colony of New Sweden. The entire region became a territory of England in 1664, when an English fleet under the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed into what is today New York Harbor and took control of Fort Amsterdam, annexing the entire province.
During the English Civil War the Channel Island of Jersey remained loyal to the Crown and gave sanctuary to the King. It was from the Royal Square in St. Helier that Charles II of England was first proclaimed King in 1649, following the execution of his father, Charles I. The North American lands were divided by Charles II, who gave his brother, the Duke of York (later King James II), the region between New England and Maryland as a proprietary colony (as opposed to a royal colony). James then granted the land between the Hudson River and the Delaware River (the land that would become New Jersey) to two friends who had remained loyal through the English Civil War: Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton. The area was named the Province of New Jersey.
The campuses of Rutgers University (originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766) include buildings of a variety of architectural styles.
Since the state's inception, New Jersey has been characterized by ethnic and religious diversity. New England Congregationalists settled alongside Scots Presbyterians and Dutch Reformed migrants. While the majority of residents lived in towns with individual landholdings of 100 acres (40 ha), a few rich proprietors owned vast estates. English Quakers and Anglicans owned large landholdings. Unlike Plymouth Colony, Jamestown and other colonies, New Jersey was populated by a secondary wave of immigrants who came from other colonies instead of those who migrated directly from Europe. New Jersey remained agrarian and rural throughout the colonial era, and commercial farming only developed sporadically. Some townships, such as Burlington on the Delaware River and Perth Amboy, emerged as important ports for shipping to New York and Philadelphia. The colony's fertile lands and tolerant religious policy drew more settlers, and New Jersey boasted a population of 120,000 by 1775.
Settlement for the first 10 years of English rule was along Hackensack River and Arthur Kill and settlers came primarily from New England. Unlike other colonies that were settled by immigrants from Europe, New Jersey was populated by a secondary wave of settlement from communities already established on the North American continent. March 18, 1673, Berkeley sold his half of the colony to Quakers in England, who settled the Delaware Valley region as a Quaker colony. (William Penn acted as trustee for the lands for a time.) New Jersey was governed very briefly as two distinct provinces, East and West Jersey, for 28 years between 1674 and 1702, at times part of the Province of New York or Dominion of New England.
In 1702, the two provinces were reunited under a royal, rather than a proprietary, governor. Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury, became the first governor of the colony as a royal colony. Lord Cornbury was an ineffective and corrupt ruler, taking bribes and speculating on land, so in 1708 he was recalled to England. New Jersey was then ruled by the governors of New York, but this infuriated the settlers of New Jersey, who accused those governors of favoritism to New York. Judge Lewis Morris led the case for a separate governor, and was appointed governor by King George II in 1738.[17]
Tags:Middle Atlantic,George Carteret, | |
| Revolutionary War era | |
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Main article: New Jersey during the American Revolution
New Jersey was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. The New Jersey Constitution of 1776 was passed July 2, 1776, just two days before the Second Continental Congress declared American Independence from Great Britain. It was an act of the Provincial Congress, which made itself into the state Legislature. To reassure neutrals, it provided that it would become void if New Jersey reached reconciliation with Great Britain.
George Washington rallying his troops at the Battle of Princeton
New Jersey representatives Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, and Abraham Clark were among those who signed the United States Declaration of Independence.
During the American Revolutionary War, British Tags:Legislature,British,American Revolutionary War, | |
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