Your opinion of New Jersey.

[brentspeak]

What do you non-NJer's think about the Garden State? Say what's on your mind. Don't worry, I've heard it all before (and sometimes even agree).

Some things about NJ you might not know:

About 2/3rds of the Revolutionary War battles which occurred in the "northern front" took place in the colony of New Jersey. In fact, New Jersey was known as the "Military Capital of the Revolution".

For three centuries, rumors of a "Jersey Devil" wandering around the Pine Barrens and occasionally killing people are still bandied about.

Supposedly, 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period, New Jersey actually bordered the northern part of Africa. Then some kind of gigantic cataclysm occurred, and the land mass bordering Africa broke away and floated away, to become what was later known as "North America".

Both the first recorded baseball game and the first American football game (i.e. 'gridiron' football, a game between Princeton and Rutgers) took place in New Jersey.

New Jersey has more horses per square mile than any other state in the nation.

About half of New Jersey is forest and mountain territory.

[Shell Beau]

1. I have never been! I saw part of it from NYC though!

I have a friend from there, and I am sure it is a lovely state.

[ForrestGump]

2. It's right below New York

:D

I've only been to Newark (the airport..also made a shuttle run between there and JFK) and I suspect it's not the garden spot of the Garden State.

The Pine Barrens sound like my kinda place, though. :-)

[Alexander]

3. I've mostly been around northern NJ - and I like it.

I remember liking places like Hoboken and Seacaucus, where my dad used to live.

The toll sucks, though. We don't have tolls in Connecticut.

[rug]

14. Secaucus?

:scared:

[Alexander]

46. Maybe he lived in a nicer part of town.

But I didn't see anything really terrible about it.

Granted, I was like 5 or 6, and not very aware of the difference between "good" and "bad" neighborhoods.

[ceile]

4. It's ok.

A lot prettier than I thought it would be (once you got off the highway). I helped a friend move back to Cherry Hill after college. Drove from Austin to CH. Quite the trip....:yoiks:

[KamaAina]

5. Repuke Stepdad has a place "down the shore" in Long Branch.

Direct oceanfront with its own private, gated beach. I have to travel 5,000 miles from Hawai'i to get direct oceanfront. Go figure. :shrug:

There is a killer family-run Italian place almost literally right across the street from their building. The family even has its own winery down in Atlantic County! Even more dining options are a mile or so up the road. In the other direction is a lovely drive through various shore towns.

To summarize: get off the highway. That's why they have all those exits! The rest of it's good, except for Bergen County on Sunday when everything's closed. :-)

[Gormy Cuss]

6. Jeet yet?

--The highest elevation in the state is named, not surprisingly, High Point. Elevation included the tower on top is only about 1800 ft.

--For whatever reason, New Jersey corn is some of the tastiest in the whole Northeast.

--The Appalachian trail goes through the state

--It's illegal to pump your own gas at filling stations.

--there's a great park in Newark with an annual cherry blossom display that rivals the Tidal Basin.


on edit: it's a state controlled by Democrats. Hard not to like that aspect of it.

[brentspeak]

25. The Cherry Blossom Festival

http://newark1.com/branchbrook/exhibit3.htm

[July]

7. Well, I am not "from" NJ, but I live there now.

I still consider myself a Buffalonian.

I like NJ, particularly after living in PA several times (sorry, PAians, I did enjoy some of it, BUT). I think of NJ the same way I think of my native city of Buffalo: it "don't get no respect," and it's nicer than people think it is.

There is quite a bit of countryside for a small state between Manhattan and Philadelphia. Plenty to see and do. You can get almost everything here. Some good colleges. In general, people are friendly, savvy, and fairly hip.

On the other hand, they drive like maniacs.

Still, unlike PA, NJ lets me buy wine on Sunday, so that's a plus.

[brentspeak]

29. NJ has bad drivers

And the state has some of the worst-thought-out highway exit/entrances in the country. For some dumb reason, most of the exits are situated just a few yards right after the entrances.

[Reverend_Smitty]

8. I'm quite a fan of the Garden State...

but then again I may be a little biased :P

[Giant Robot]

9. Do you accept feedback from an

Ex-Jersey boy?

I was born in Camden (across the river from Philly for those of you who don't know and care) and now live in Michiagn. Much of the Jersey I know is urban blight so my opinion will not be favorable, but I also have memories of going to pick tomatoes and other veggies with my grandfather when I was still very small and living there. That and there's that smell of the oil refineries in North jersey that is awful! Not that camden is much better.

[brentspeak]

21. Unfortunately, Camden is, as you say, not doing very well

:(

[CottonBear]

10. I'd like to visit the Jersey Shore, the horse farms, the historic sites and rural areas.

Unfortunately, I've only visited the Newark Airport which is not the most senic part of New Jersey. :( I took the express bus from the airport into Manhatten.

One of my closests friends is from NJ. Being that I'm a native Southerner, sometimes we have sommunication problems. I can't understand the accent and the NJ lingo sometimes! LOL!

I love to hear my friend say "drawer." It cracks me up! ;)

[brentspeak]

22. I used to have a "Joisey" accent when I was a little kid

But it went away after my family moved to a northern NJ suburban town when I was about 7-years-old.

[CottonBear]

27. I find them charming!

My friend has a full on Joisy acccent even after over 20 years living in Florida (I know, I know, most all of Florida is not Southern) and Georgia.

[kwassa]

11. How much do the politicians cost? I hear they are for sale.

And where does Tony Soprano live?

Where are the bodies buried?

and why does it smell so bad at Exit 13 on the Jersey Turnpike?

[brentspeak]

24. a) An arm-and-a-leg

b) Secaucus.

c) In Tony Soprano's back yard.

d) Because of all those arms-and-legs Tony cut up and buried. ;)

[SarahB]

12. I wanna pump my own gas dammit!

That's my opinion! :mad:

[brentspeak]

23. I agree. Makes no sense why we can't.

[bicentennial_baby]

35. Word! People here thought I was nuts when I mentioned

"full serve" vs "self serve"

Half of them had never heard of the former, and the other half couldn't imagine the latter! :rofl:

[siouxsiecreamcheese]

13. state line was down the street from me

So I would go to NJ everyday for daily errands. The part I was in was north and a little west. About 50 miles or so from NYC. Very mountainy and foresty. I loved it there. Lots of farms and very quiet too. If I had a choice of going back up north and moving to NY or NJ I'd probably pick NJ as I loved the woods there.

[jmowreader]

15. New Jersey contains Fort Dix

The problem with New Jersey is that while half the state may be mountainous, the part that isn't mountainous is flat as a pool table...and it's connected to the ocean.

And luckily for me, the part that's flat as a pool table contains Fort Dix, where I spent two of the coldest months of my entire life.

The winter winds whip in off the Atlantic Ocean, across the Jersey Shore and right straight to Fort Dix, where they cut through anything you might be wearing and suck all the heat out of your body.

The day I left Fort Dix, I got on a bus (which didn't have a reverse gear, so the passengers had to push it backwards before we could leave) at the Fort Dix bus station at 9am. I got off a different bus in Ayer, Massachusetts, at 11:30 at night. There was so much snow coming down you couldn't see the sub shop the bus station is in front of, and it was STILL warmer than Fort Dix.

[brentspeak]

20. Yup, they picked a frigid part of the state for Ft. Dix

Interestingly, the Army built a mock Vietnamese village at Ft.Dix to train soldiers for combat in Vietnam.

[jmowreader]

41. You know how the government chose places to put military bases?

They went out and got the cheapest land they possibly could--places no one else wanted.

[Fox Mulder]

16. Have you ever seen the Jersey Devil?

[brentspeak]

18. One of my friends claims he has

But, then again, he also believes in the existence of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster.

[JVS]

17. Definitely one of my top 10 states!

[Arugula Latte]

19. I like Jersey!

Yes, the Newark area isn't the most appealing, but most of the state is surprisingly lovely. Cape May is gorgeous, too. The Princeton area is buccolic, or however you spell it.

[northzax]

26. It does a super job

Of keeping Philly and New York fans apart, and that is a great public service. Any state in which there is only one exit from which you do not have to pay a toll is impressive.

[SarahB]

28. New Jersey has some beautiful things about it too.

:loveya:

[brentspeak]

30. Is that right next to the Montclair Museum?

Looks familiar.

[SarahB]

32. It's where my husband and I first met.

I was oblivious at the time. Not sure about the rest. :)

[Corgigal]

31. I love Wildwood

beats lame Myrtle Beach in my state.

Would like to move to N. J. tomorrow, but the real estate prices are crazy

[brentspeak]

33. We spent the summer at Wildwood when one of the piers burnt down

1982, I think. Don't ever go to Seaside Heights -- you'll gain a new appreciation for Myrtle Beach, if you do.

[Critters2]

34. I think of it as one continuous suburb.

Like Illinois will be in a few years.

[Crabby Appleton]

36. I like Jersey Girls nt

[NoGOPZone]

37. It's better than its reputation

I think its a convenient target for wags from NYC and Philly, many of whom, ironically enough, seem to spend a fair amount of down time in your state.

[UrbScotty]

38. 7 governors in 7 years. Enough said.

Christie Whitman (to January 2001)
Don DiFrancesco (Jan. 2001-Jan. 2002)
John Bennett (for 84 hours)
Richard Codey (for 84 hours)
Jim McGreevey (Jan. 2002-Nov. 2004)
Richard Codey (again, Nov. 2004-Jan. 2006)
Jon Corzine (since Jan. 2006)

[Reverend_Smitty]

40. Actually Codey was gov again for about 2-3 weeks when Corzine had his accident

:P

[LeftyMom]

39. I'm looking forward to visiting

I'll be there in the fall for a wedding.

[AwakeAtLast]

42. Well, since I've only been to Camden

by way of Philly, I don't have much good to say.

Maybe I can get to other parts and give a better report. :hi:

[hfojvt]

43. half of New Jersey is forest and mountain?

I thought I saw recently that New Jersey was 100% urban. The forests must be in the same county as a major metro area and thus are counted as urban. All those horses too, and here I was thinking it was the Trantor of the US.

[Digit]

44. As a history buff, I think NJ is fantastic

I have been to Hackensack, the German Valley, and explored around the towns. I loved the old stone fences and beautiful old houses.

I also like the people....they are very direct, and I respect that.

(although my ex was an royal jerk and just happened to come from NJ...I just consider him an aberration.)

[opiate69]

45. Played in a youth hockey tourney in Oyster Bay when I was a kid..

What little I saw of Jersey seemed nice enough.. not all that much different than parts of my native Connecticut.