New Jersey is known for its beaches, industrial centers and its high population density. It has been the site of many important events in American history, including the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War and the birthplace of American independence. The state is also famous for its music, with native legends such as rock musicians Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. Other famous residents include U.S. President Grover Cleveland, author Judy Blume, and singer Frank Sinatra. Inventions by Thomas Edison, who made the light bulb and phonograph while living here, are on display at Menlo Park Museum in his home town.
The Garden State borders the State of New York in the north and northeast, Delaware across the Delaware Bay and Pennsylvania in the west, and the Atlantic Ocean in the south. It is a largely flat, flat state, with the highest point in New Jersey being at High Point, which stands at 1,803 feet (550 meters). New Jersey is also known for its salt marshes, pine forests and sandy beaches.
Prior to European settlement, the land that is now New Jersey was inhabited by the Lenape people. The first Europeans to arrive were the Dutch, who came to what was then New Netherland in the early 16th century. They were followed by the Swedes and then the English. Small trading colonies began to grow, and the first towns were established in New Jersey, including Bergen, the capital of what was then the province of New Netherland.
By the end of the 17th century, anti-British feelings spread in the colony, and by the time the Revolutionary War broke out, New Jersey had joined the rebelling colonies. During the war, New Jersey became a leading manufacturing center, and its location near the middle of the thirteen colonies, between New York City and Philadelphia, made it a key military base.
After the war, New Jersey was a leader in the manufacturing of textiles and drugs. In the 20th century, it became a leading pharmaceutical and biotechnical research center, with firms such as Johnson & Johnson and Merck located in the state. New Jersey also has rich deposits of granite, sand, and gravel for mining and is a major seafood producer, especially of clams.
New Jersey is divided into four distinct physical regions: the rugged, mountainous Ridge and Valley section in the northwest, the Highlands, which are a southern extension of the ancient Appalachian rocks, and the rolling central Piedmont area, where most of the state’s large cities are located.
Although suburbanization has consumed much of the state’s farmland, horse farms and truck farming still thrive in the northern Piedmont, and some dairying continues in the northeastern Highlands. New Jersey is also home to many of the nation’s most famous golf courses. The state is also renowned for its seafood, with the clams and oysters harvested off its coast being particularly popular. In the 21st century, New Jersey has developed an information and technology industry, with several major computer companies headquartered there.