New Jersey is a Northeastern state bordered by New York, New York City and the Hudson River on the north and northeast; Pennsylvania and Delaware across the Delaware River on the west; and the Atlantic Ocean on the east and south. New Jersey is also home to numerous lakes and ponds, including the large Lake Hopatcong in Sussex and Morris counties.
The earliest inhabitants of the New Jersey region were Lenape people who lived in matrilineal clans that identified themselves by their animal sign (Turtle, Turtle, or Wolf). The Lenape practiced maize agriculture and hunted wild game, fish, and shellfish.
European colonists settled New Jersey in the seventeenth century, establishing their homes in towns along the Hudson, Raritan, and Passaic rivers. Early Dutch and English colonists traded European goods for Lenape furs, although conflict between the two groups grew. New Jersey’s complex settler and colonial history left enduring legacies, including diversity in faith, gender, and race and ethnicity. Enslaved African Americans, who accounted for 12% of the colony’s population in 1776, were primarily employed as laborers.
After the Civil War, the state adopted a new constitution that strengthened the governor’s office and streamlined its convoluted judicial system. In the years that followed, New Jersey’s suburbs exploded, thanks in part to affordable mortgages and federally backed loan guarantees. However, restrictive covenants and redlining practices exacerbated wealth gaps between white and black residents of the suburban and rural parts of the state.
In the twentieth century, New Jersey was a center of American manufacturing and innovation. The state led the nation in the production of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and steel, as well as cellular phone technology and other electronics. Its research parks have attracted multinational corporations to the region, and its universities have helped produce an abundant pool of science and engineering graduates.
Despite its small size, New Jersey has made an enormous mark on popular culture. It has spawned many renowned artists, including Jon Bon Jovi of Sayreville, who rose to fame in the 1980s as lead singer for the hard rock band, Bon Jovi, with hit songs such as “Livin’ on a Prayer”.
New Jerseyans have served proudly in branches of the United States Armed Forces throughout the world. In World War II, more than 560,000 New Jerseyans joined the military and became members of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and the Allied Forces of Occupied Japan. After the war, the state’s political climate shifted to a more liberal direction, with Democratic governors and majorities in both houses of its legislature and the Supreme Court. The state’s economy continues to be diversified and is the fourth largest in the United States. New Jersey is also the home of several professional sports teams, including six National Football League and Major League Baseball franchises. The state’s nickname is the Garden State, and it is a top tourist destination. More than a million visitors come to New Jersey each year for vacation and business, and millions more have connections with the state through longstanding family ties or by attending its renowned colleges or universities.