Cranford Nj Original Photo Train Wreck Vintage 8X10 Inch Railroad 1924

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Seller: memorabilia111 ✉️ (807) 100%, Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 176277815935 CRANFORD NJ ORIGINAL PHOTO TRAIN WRECK VINTAGE 8X10 INCH RAILROAD 1924. DreamWorks Waterpark East Rutherford 2020[284]. Climate chart (explanation). Climate and weather. Robinson's Branch Reservoir. Robinson's Brook. Peach Orchard Brook. Morses Creek. Marshes Creek. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL PHOTO FROM 1924 MEASURING APPROXIMATELY 8X10  INCHES FEATURING A TRAIN WRECK IN CRANFORD, NJ
Cranford is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 23,847,[11][12] an increase of 1,222 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 22,625,[21][22] which in turn reflected an increase of 47 (+0.2%) from the 22,578 counted in the 2000 census.[23] NJ Transit rail service is available at the Cranford station, along the Raritan Valley train line, with service to Newark Penn Station and to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan via Midtown Direct. It is part of the New York City metropolitan area. Cranford was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1871, from portions of the Townships of Clark, Linden, Springfield, Union and Westfield. Portions of the township were taken to form Garwood (in 1903) and Kenilworth (in 1907).[24] The township's name is said to derive from the Crane family,[25] including John Crane, who built a mill in 1720 along the Rahway River.[26] Historic preservation The cover of Souvenir of Cranford (1894) by architect Frank T. Lent 1894 river carnival announcement by the Cranford Boating Association Illustration of Cranford's lantern-lit river carnival in a 1908 edition of Harper's Weekly[27][28] Further information: Historic sites in Cranford, New Jersey Historic sites in the township are overseen by the Cranford Historic Preservation Advisory Board.[29] The Cranford Historical Society, a private entity founded in 1927 and located in Hanson Park on Springfield Avenue, maintains the Crane-Phillips House (c. 1845), located at 124 North Union Avenue, as a museum.[30] Historic figures Though no known Cranford residents died in the American Civil War, at least 22 were active in the Union Army at the time of General Robert E. Lee's surrender. Cranford's last surviving Civil War veteran died in 1935.[31] James E. Warner is a former sheriff of Union County who was the namesake of the James E. Warner Plaza at the Cranford Train Station.[32] Concerned by the then-growing pollution of the Rahway given the cleaner waters of his youth, Warner advocated for the preservation of the Rahway River and Rahway River Parkway parkland. One of Sheriff Warner's successful targets in fighting Rahway River pollution was his battle against the discharge of paper makers; one such site is now the regional theater known as the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn.[33] The Cranford Canoe Club, built in 1908, continues to offer canoes and kayaks for rent on the river in town. Charles Hansel[34] was co-founder of the Union County Parks Commission that preserved parkland all along the Rahway River and its tributaries in the 1920s, a greenway now known as the Rahway River Parkway.[35] He was an engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey. Hansel lived in the 300 block of North Union Avenue in a home that still stands today, later moving to what is now Gray's Funeral Home, near what is now called Hansel's Dam by Sperry Park. For his Rahway River preservation efforts, a memorial copper plaque was placed to Hansel in Echo Lake Park.[36] Joshua Bryant (1852–1898) was Cranford's first Black law enforcement officer, the township's first Black elected official, and an influential figure in local politics. He was born in Virginia during slavery and moved to Cranford. Bryant is buried locally in Fairview Cemetery & Arboretum. Joshua Bryant was Cranford's first Black law enforcement officer and the township's first Black elected official.[37] William P. Westervelt was credited with thwarting the Baltimore Plot, an unsuccessful assassination attempt against president-elect Abraham Lincoln. He did so by cutting telegraph wires that would have alerted assassins to Lincoln's arrival.[38] Geography Ice hockey on the Rahway River in 2017, north of Nomahegan Park in Cranford. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 4.87 square miles (12.6 km2), including 4.84 square miles (12.5 km2) of land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of water (0.78%).[2][3] There are nine municipalities bordering the township: Garwood and Westfield to the west, Springfield Township to the north, Kenilworth to the northeast, Roselle and Roselle Park to the east, Linden to the southeast, Winfield Township and Clark to the south.[39][40][41] Parks Township parks Parks run by the township and overseen by the Cranford Recreation and Parks Department include:[42] Adams Park – Adams Avenue and Lambert Street. Morses Creek dips into Cranford behind this park. Buchanan Park – Centennial Avenue and Buchanan Avenue Cranford Canoe Club – Springfield Avenue and Orange Avenue[43] The Cranford Canoe Club rents canoes and kayaks for trips on the Rahway River in Cranford. The current structure was built as a private canoe club in 1908.[44] Community Center – Walnut Avenue. The Cranford Community Center, adjacent to the Cranford Public Library, offers classes, sports, speaker series and other recreational activities. Josiah Crane Park – Springfield Avenue and North Union Avenue. In 1971, the Cranford Historical Society marked the farm and village home of Josiah Crane Sr. (1791–1873)[45] in a park across from the First Presbyterian Church on the Rahway River. This park now features Cranford's 9/11 Memorial. Cranford West – Hope, N.J. Originally the home of the Cranford Boys Club on Silver Lake from the 1920s to the 1960s Girl Scout Park – Springfield Avenue and Orange Avenue. This was once the site of a canoe club, later the Neva Sykes Girl Scout House, demolished in the 1950s. Hampton Park – Eastman Street and Hampton Street Hanson Park – Springfield Avenue and Holly Street. Home of the Hanson Park Conservancy.[46] Johnson Park – Johnson Avenue. The Johnson Avenue playground opened in July 1957.[47] Lincoln Park – Lincoln Avenue at South Union. What is now Lincoln Park was the Cranford Golf Club in 1899, now moved to Westfield and called the Echo Lake Country Club. The Lincoln Avenue grounds were designed by Willie Dunn. Lincoln Park was also originally a former estate said to have supplied lumber to build the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") in the 1700s.[48] The grounds, at the corner of the Old York Road and Benjamin Street, also included the largest sour gum ever recorded in the Northeastern states, known as the Cranford Pepperidge Tree or "Old Peppy". The park has hosted bocce ball tournaments since the mid-1960s. Mayor's Park – Springfield Avenue and North Union Avenue Memorial Park – Springfield Avenue and Central Avenue, in 2014, the Cranford Historical Society dedicated a civil war monument.[49] Roosevelt Park – Orange Avenue and Pacific Avenue Sherman Park – Lincoln Avenue East. Former site of Sherman School and located on the Old York Road.[50] County parks View around a lake in Nomahegan Park across from Union College Parks run by the county inside Cranford's borders (overseen by the Union County, New Jersey Parks and Recreation Department) include:[42][51] Lenape Park in Cranford, Kenilworth, Springfield, Union and Westfield.[52] Two tusks from an ancient American mastodon were found in 1936 north of Kenilworth Boulevard in what is now Lenape Park (other sources name the swampy area directly behind what is now the parking lot of Union College's main building).[53] MacConnell Park (formerly known as Liberty Park and frequently misspelled as "McConnell Park") is named after the township's first physician, Joseph Kerr MacConnell. It is located on Eastman Street and was known as the Peninsula during the Victorian era due to its position nearly encircled by the Rahway River.[54] Nomahegan Park (off Springfield Avenue across from Union College) is named for a tributary of the Rahway River that runs through it, to Lenape Park to Echo Lake Park in Westfield and Springfield, called Nomahegan Brook.[55] The name "Nomahegan" has had many different spellings in the historical sources (such as "Normahiggins") and may mean "she-wolf" or "women Mohegans." According to the Federal Writers' Project, The WPA Guide to New Jersey: The Garden State (1939): "CRANFORD is an old residential town spread along the Rahway River Parkway, a link of nearly 7 miles joining a series of county parks and playgrounds with the Essex County park system. There are facilities for summer and winter sports, a rifle range, and picnic grove. The Fourth of July canoe regatta is an annual affair. Gardens of fine old Victorian houses line the edge of the parkway on the riverbank. A broadening of the river parkway at the northern end of Cranford is known as Nomahegan Park. The name Nomahegan is a variation of Noluns Mohegans, as the New Jersey Indians were called in the treaty ending the Indian troubles in 1758. It is translated as women Mohegans or she-wolves and was applied to them in scorn by the fighting Iroquois.[56] In 2019, the county purchased a long-abandoned house and demolished it, adding the land to the park's footprint.[57] Droescher's Mill Park, located near the dam at Droescher's Mill on High Street. Also called Squire Williams Park. Mohawk Park is located on Mohawk Drive in Cranford's Indian Village section of town. Sperry Park (named after William Miller Sperry), located off North Union Avenue. Home of annual rubber duck derby as a fundraiser for Hanson Park further upstream on the Rahway River. Unami Park (located at Lexington and S. Union Avenue).[58] Rahway River Parkway – Cranford Section Further information: List of crossings of the Rahway River The Rahway River Parkway is a greenway of parkland that hugs the Rahway River and its tributaries. It was designed in the 1920s by the Olmsted Brothers firm, who were the sons of the eminent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The Cranford section follows the banks of the meandering Rahway River as it flows south through Lenape Park, Nomahegan Park, Hampton Park, MacConnell Park, Hanson Park, Sperry Park, Crane's Park, Droescher's Mill Park, and Mohawk Park.[59] Cranford Riverwalk The Cranford Riverwalk and Heritage Corridor portion of the Rahway River Parkway begins at the parklands near where Orange Avenue meets Springfield at the Cranford Canoe Club and follows the Rahway River on its path southbound to the Williams-Droescher Mill from the early 18th century. At Heritage Plaza at the southwest corner of South Avenue and Centennial, the century-old stone walls and iconic stone columns winding through woodland to Droescher's Mill are still in place, but are in need of restoration and preservation.[60][61] Future plans include repairing the Kaltenbach Estate skating pond, the Victorian footbridge and Squire Williams Picnic Grove at Droescher's Mill Park.[62] Demographics Historical population Census Pop. Note %± 1880 1,184 — 1890 1,717 45.0% 1900 2,854 66.2% 1910 3,641 27.6% 1920 6,001 64.8% 1930 11,126 85.4% 1940 12,860 15.6% 1950 18,602 44.7% 1960 26,424 42.0% 1970 27,391 3.7% 1980 24,573 −10.3% 1990 22,633 −7.9% 2000 22,578 −0.2% 2010 22,625 0.2% 2020 23,847 5.4% 2022 (est.) 23,801 [11][13] −0.2% Population sources: 1880–1920[63] 1880–1890[64] 1890–1910[65] 1910–1930[66] 1940–2000[67] 2000[68][69] 2010[70][21][22] 2020[11][12] 2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 22,625 people, 8,583 households, and 6,154 families in the township. The population density was 4,684.6 per square mile (1,808.7/km2). There were 8,816 housing units at an average density of 1,825.4 per square mile (704.8/km2). The racial makeup was 91.85% (20,781) White, 2.62% (592) Black or African American, 0.08% (18) Native American, 2.84% (643) Asian, 0.02% (4) Pacific Islander, 1.03% (234) from other races, and 1.56% (353) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.51% (1,474) of the population.[21] Of the 8,583 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18; 60.2% were married couples living together; 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.3% were non-families. Of all households, 24.8% were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.15.[21] 24.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.2 males.[21] The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $107,052 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,725) and the median family income was $128,534 (+/− $7,200). Males had a median income of $81,979 (+/− $7,672) versus $61,649 (+/− $4,965) for females. The per capita income for the township was $48,008 (+/− $2,581). About 2.1% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.[71] 2000 census As of the 2000 United States census[18] there were 22,578 people, 8,397 households, and 6,222 families residing in the township. The population density was 4,684.2 people per square mile (1,808.6 people/km2). There were 8,560 housing units at an average density of 1,775.9 per square mile (685.7/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 93.70% White, 2.58% Black or African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.15% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 3.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[68][69] There were 8,397 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.09.[68][69] In the township the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.[68][69] The median income for a household in the township was $76,338, and the median income for a family was $86,624. Males had a median income of $60,757 versus $41,020 for females. The per capita income for the township was $33,283. About 1.0% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.[68][69] Economy Stores in the downtown area Intersection The Riverfront redevelopment project on South Avenue brought restaurants and housing into downtown Cranford.[72] In the 1980s, Cranford founded the state's first special improvement district, which allows for the downtown district to have a special tax on building and business owners for downtown development and marketing which is managed by the Cranford Downtown Management Corporation.[73] The DMC is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of business owners, property owners, and residents, members of which are appointed by the Township Committee. Further information on the intellectual property boutique law firm: Lerner, David, Littenberg, Krumholz & Mentlik Crime Cranford was ranked the seventh safest municipality in New Jersey.[74] In 2018 the Cranford crime rate was 28.47 per 100,000, which is lower than New Jersey's 208 crime rate, which is in turn lower than the United States' 381.[75] Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Cranford has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[76] Climate data for Cranford, New Jersey. Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °F (°C) 73 (23) 75 (24) 90 (32) 97 (36) 96 (36) 98 (37) 105 (41) 103 (39) 99 (37) 88 (31) 81 (27) 76 (24) 105 (41) Average high °F (°C) 40.1 (4.5) 43.6 (6.4) 52.6 (11.4) 63.9 (17.7) 73.7 (23.2) 82.0 (27.8) 86.7 (30.4) 84.9 (29.4) 77.7 (25.4) 66.4 (19.1) 55.8 (13.2) 44.6 (7.0) 64.3 (17.9) Daily mean °F (°C) 30.8 (−0.7) 33.5 (0.8) 41.6 (5.3) 51.6 (10.9) 61.4 (16.3) 70.3 (21.3) 75.2 (24.0) 73.8 (23.2) 66.4 (19.1) 54.8 (12.7) 45.5 (7.5) 35.6 (2.0) 53.4 (11.9) Average low °F (°C) 21.5 (−5.8) 23.3 (−4.8) 30.5 (−0.8) 39.3 (4.1) 49.0 (9.4) 58.6 (14.8) 63.7 (17.6) 62.6 (17.0) 55.1 (12.8) 43.1 (6.2) 35.1 (1.7) 26.6 (−3.0) 42.4 (5.8) Record low °F (°C) −10 (−23) −6 (−21) 1 (−17) 12 (−11) 24 (−4) 32 (0) 42 (6) 39 (4) 33 (1) 22 (−6) 14 (−10) −5 (−21) −10 (−23) Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.72 (94) 3.00 (76) 4.25 (108) 4.25 (108) 4.52 (115) 4.32 (110) 5.08 (129) 4.73 (120) 4.66 (118) 4.31 (109) 4.16 (106) 4.22 (107) 51.22 (1,301) Average snowfall inches (cm) 6.9 (18) 7.9 (20) 3.7 (9.4) 0.4 (1.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.4 (1.0) 4.2 (11) 23.5 (60) Source: The Western Regional Climate Center[77] Government Local government Scene near downtown Town center and clock The town clock at twilight in downtown Cranford Cranford is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.[78] The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.[9][79] The Committee members elect a chairman of the committee who assumes the title of Mayor and another who is selected as Deputy Mayor. Both positions carry one-year terms. Four of the committee members take on departmental oversight assignments as Commissioner of Finance, Commissioner of Public Safety, Commissioner of Public Works and Engineering, and Commissioner of Public Affairs. The Mayor of Cranford does not take on a departmental assignment. The Township Committee is a part-time body and the township government is run on a day-to-day basis by the township administrator and various department heads.[7][4] The chief of police is Ryan Greco,[80] the interim township administrator is Lavona Patterson,[7] and the township clerk is Patricia Donahue.[8] As of 2023, members of the Cranford Township Committee are Mayor Brian Andrews (D, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2023), Deputy Mayor Terrence Curran (D, term on committee ends 2023; term as deputy mayor ends 2025), Gina Black (R, 2024), Paul A. Gallo (D, 2023; appointed to serve an unexpired term), and Kathleen Miller Prunty (D, 2025).[4][81][82][83][84][85][5] In June 2023, the township committee appointed Paul Gallo to fill the seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by Jason Gareis until he resigned from office.[86] Women in elected office Tree in Nomahegan Park across from Union College Nomahegan Park Through 2022, a total of 12 women have been elected to the Cranford Township Committee, and four women have served as Mayor of Cranford. Barbara Brande was the first woman elected to the Township Committee and the first woman mayor of the township. Mayor Brande was elected to the Township Committee in 1974 and reelected in 1977, serving a total of six years. She was Mayor of Cranford in 1977. Carolyn Vollero, who served the longest length of time for a woman on the Township Committee—nine years—was Cranford's second female Mayor in 1994. Barbara Bilger, the township's third female mayor in 2002 and 2004, was also the first woman to serve two terms as the township's mayor. Mayor Bilger is the first Republican woman to serve as a township commissioner and as mayor. Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski is a Cranford resident and the first woman from Cranford to be elected to the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Freeholder Kowalski was an unsuccessful candidate for Cranford Township Committee in 1999 and served as Union County Freeholder Chairwoman in 2007 and 2019. Female township commissioners include: Barbara Brande (Democrat) – 1975 to 1980 (Mayor in 1977) Sandy Weeks (Democrat) – 1982 to 1984 Mary Lou Farmer (Democrat) – 1984 to 1986 Carolyn Vollero (Democrat) – 1988 to 1996 (Mayor in 1994, Deputy Mayor in 1993) Barbara Bilger (Republican) – 1990 to 1992, 2002 to 2004 and Sept. 2015 to Nov. 2015 (Mayor in 2002 & 2004, Deputy Mayor in 1992 & 2003) Ann Darby (Republican) – 2003 to 2005 (Deputy Mayor in 2004) Martha Garcia (Republican) – 2008 to 2010 (Deputy Mayor in 2010) Lisa Adubato (Republican) – 2012 to Aug. 2015 (Deputy Mayor in 2014 and 2015 (part)) Mary O'Connor (Republican) – 2014 to present (Deputy Mayor in 2015 (part) and 2016) Ann Dooley (Democrat) – 2016 to 2019 (Deputy Mayor in 2018 and 2019) Kathleen Miller Prunty (Democrat) – 2020 to present (Deputy Mayor 2020, Mayor 2021–2022) Gina Black (Republican) – 2022 to present Federal, state, and county representation Cranford is located in the 10th Congressional District[87] and is part of New Jersey's 21st state legislative district.[88][89][90] For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's Tenth Congressional District is represented by Donald Payne Jr. (D, Newark).[91][92] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027)[93] and Bob Menendez (Englewood Cliffs, term ends 2025).[94][95] For the 2022–2023 session, the 21st Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Jon Bramnick (R, Westfield) and in the General Assembly by Michele Matsikoudis (R, New Providence) and Nancy Munoz (R, Summit).[96] Union County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, whose nine members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis with three seats coming up for election each year, with an appointed County Manager overseeing the day-to-day operations of the county. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects a chair and Vice Chair from among its members.[97] As of 2022, Union County's County Commissioners are Chair Rebecca Williams (D, Plainfield, term as commissioner and as chair ends December 31, 2022),[98] Vice Chair Christopher Hudak (D, Linden, term as commissioner ends 2023; term as vice chair ends 2022),[99] James E. Baker Jr. (D, Rahway, 2024),[100] Angela R. Garretson (D, Hillside, 2023),[101] Sergio Granados (D, Elizabeth, 2022),[102] Bette Jane Kowalski (D, Cranford, 2022),[103] Lourdes M. Leon (D, Elizabeth, 2023),[104] Alexander Mirabella (D, Fanwood, 2024)[105] and Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded (D, Westfield, 2024).[106][107] Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (D, Union Township, 2025),[108][109] Sheriff Peter Corvelli (D, Kenilworth, 2023)[110][111] and Surrogate Susan Dinardo (acting).[112][113] The County Manager is Edward Oatman.[114] Politics Menu at the Cranford Canoe Club's 1911 annual dinner As of March 2011, there were a total of 15,649 registered voters in Cranford Township, of which 4,887 (31.2% vs. 41.8% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 3,701 (23.7% vs. 15.3%) were registered as Republicans and 7,046 (45.0% vs. 42.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 15 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[115] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 69.2% (vs. 53.3% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 91.2% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.6% countywide).[115][116] In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 6,236 votes (51.0% vs. 66.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 5,772 votes (47.2% vs. 32.3%) and other candidates with 141 votes (1.2% vs. 0.8%), among the 12,223 ballots cast by the township's 16,332 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.8% (vs. 68.8% in Union County).[117][118] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 6,513 votes (49.6% vs. 63.1% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 6,371 votes (48.6% vs. 35.2%) and other candidates with 164 votes (1.3% vs. 0.9%), among the 13,120 ballots cast by the township's 16,145 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.3% (vs. 74.7% in Union County).[119] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 6,455 votes (50.4% vs. 40.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 6,160 votes (48.1% vs. 58.3%) and other candidates with 111 votes (0.9% vs. 0.7%), among the 12,795 ballots cast by the township's 15,822 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.9% (vs. 72.3% in the whole county).[120] In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 62.5% of the vote (4,926 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 35.9% (2,834 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (124 votes), among the 8,017 ballots cast by the township's 16,108 registered voters (133 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 49.8%.[121][122] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 4,787 votes (52.3% vs. 41.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 3,421 votes (37.4% vs. 50.6%), Independent Chris Daggett with 793 votes (8.7% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 82 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 9,146 ballots cast by the township's 15,871 registered voters, yielding a 57.6% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).[123] In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 6,244 votes (52.3% vs. 65.6% countywide) beating Donald Trump's 5,110 votes (42.8% vs. 30.9% countywide) and other candidates receiving a combined total of 593 votes (4.9% vs. 3.6% countywide).[124] From Cranford, 11,947 ballots were cast out of 16,844 registered voters (70% voter turnout vs. 68.87% countywide).[124][125] In the 2020 presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden received 170,245 votes in Union County beating Donald Trump's 80,002 votes. Joe Biden won Union County with 67.3% of the vote.[126] Education A program from the 1914 Cranford river carnival Professor and Baptist minister, and Cranford native Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe was the first ordained African-American woman in the American Baptist Church Public schools The Cranford Township Public Schools is a comprehensive public school district serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of seven schools, had an enrollment of 3,853 students and 323.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.9:1.[127] Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[128]) are Bloomingdale Avenue School[129] with 255 students in grades K–2, Brookside Place School[130] with 365 students in grades K–5, Hillside Avenue School[131] with 702 students in grades K–8, Livingston Avenue School[132] with 251 students in grades 3–5, Orange Avenue School[133] with 738 students in grades 3–8, Walnut Avenue School[134] with 312 students in grades Pre-K–2 and Cranford High School[135] with 1,233 students in grades 9–12.[136][137] Cranford High School has a curriculum which has a strong push for technology in the schools, along with stressing service learning. The high school is recognized for its work in service learning and for being a national school of character. Cranford High School was ranked 51st among 328 public high schools in New Jersey in 2012 by New Jersey Monthly magazine after being ranked 13th in 2010[138] and was among the top-ranked high schools in the state in 2020.[139] Lincoln School, which is the home of the district's administrative offices, also houses the district's two alternative education programs, CAP and CAMP.[140] Private schools Cranford hosts several religious and private schools. Saint Michael's School, located in downtown Cranford, is a Roman Catholic parochial school which serves students in Nursery through Grade 8 and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools, operating under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.[141][142] Helen K. Baldwin Nursery School at the First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1956.[143] Union College The main campus of Union College—New Jersey's oldest community college, dating back to 1933—is located in Cranford.[144] The Cranford campus, one of four county locations, covers 50 acres (20 ha) and was established in 1959.[145] Local media Cranford TV-35 public access logo Cranford media includes: The Westfield Leader. This locally published weekly newspaper covers all Cranford township committee meetings and offers other Cranford coverage.[146] Union News Daily. A news outlet covering Union County news, it has a dedicated Cranford section.[147] It is part of LocalSource and published by Worrall Community Newspapers of Union. The paper's Cranford coverage is also published on a monthly basis as Cranford Life. TAPInto Cranford is a local digital news site covering Cranford news exclusively, part of the TAPinto network of news in Central and Northern New Jersey. The Cranford edition reopened under new ownership in 2022.[148] Cranford Patch is an online hyperlocal Cranford digital news site, part of the Patch local news network.[149] Westfield + Cranford Local, a monthly magazine serving the two towns, launched in the early 2020s.[150] Cranford Radio is a long-running podcast on Cranford news hosted by Bernie Wagenblast.[151][152] Remaining multi-community newspapers include the Courier News, a daily newspaper based in Bridgewater Township, and The Star-Ledger and the Suburban News based in Newark.[153] Cranford Monthly is published by Renna Media, located on Walnut Street in Cranford, NJ.[154] 9,800 newspapers are printed up each month and mailed free. TV-35. Cranford also has its own channel, TV-35, which airs township committee meetings live each week and is available to cable and Verizon FiOS television subscribers. The channel was founded in 1986.[155] Emergency radio. The township operates a low-power AM radio station at 680 kHz. The station provides information during emergencies in the township. The Cranford Chronicle (formerly the Cranford Citizen & Chronicle) established in 1893[156] closed in June 2015.[157] Arts and culture Rowers on the Rahway River in Cranford, c. 1885 The Cranford Film Festival at the Cranford Theater is held annually.[158] The Garden State Film Festival began holding festival screenings at the township's century-old film theater, the Cranford Theater, in 2021. A small performing arts stage, in front of one of the screens, opened at the film theater in 2022. The Cranford Dramatic Club is a local theatrical company founded in 1918 that puts on various annual productions. The company has its own small performing arts theater on the south side of town.[159] PorchFest is an annual music festival in Cranford starting in 2017.[160] Dreyer Farms, one of the last remaining farms in Union County, hosts art shows and performances in the offseason. The Roy W. Smith Theater and Tomasulo Art Gallery at Union College offer live performances and art shows.[161][162] The Cranford Public Library began in 1910 as a Carnegie library.[163] American Atheists is headquartered in Cranford. Places of worship Temple Beth-El Mekor Chayim on Walnut Avenue in Cranford Cranford's First Presbyterian Church c. 1910 British suffragette Christabel Pankhurst, c. 1910 The Cranford United Methodist Church, at the corner of Walnut and Lincoln Avenue, was founded as Cranford's Methodist congregation in the 1850s. It is an LGBTQ-welcoming community, making a "reconciling commitment to intersectional LGBTQ justice." Its brick sanctuary was built in 1954.[164][165] Temple Beth-El Mekor Chayim, on Walnut Avenue in Cranford, has been a community of worship for more than 100 years, serving the Cranford and Union County area egalitarian-traditional Jewish community.[166] Trinity Episcopal Church on Forest Avenue was founded in 1872. Its day school offers preschool, kindergarten, and elementary aftercare programs.[167] First Presbyterian Church of Cranford on Springfield Avenue, home to Helen K. Baldwin Nursery School,[143] was founded in 1850.[168] The First Baptist Church on High Street was founded in June 1887.[169] Its former minister, Cranford native Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe, was the first Black woman ordained by the American Baptist Church. St. Michael's Church on Alden Street was founded as the township's Roman Catholic parish in 1872. The Cranford Alliance Church that stands at the corner of Cherry and Retford was founded as a Bible study in 1898, and organized as a church under the teachings of Pastor A. B. Simpson in 1905. Its permanent location at 7 Cherry Street was dedicated in 1924. British suffragette Christabel Pankhurst spoke at the church in 1929.[170] Calvary Lutheran Church on Eastman Street was founded in the 1920s.[171][172] Its Calvary Nursery School opened in 1993.[173] Transportation The Cranford station is to the lower right and offers commuter service to Newark and elsewhere. View north along the Garden State Parkway in Cranford Roads and highways As of May 2010, the township had a total of 78.60 miles (126.49 km) of roadways, of which 67.25 miles (108.23 km) were maintained by the municipality, 7.77 miles (12.50 km) by Union County, 1.72 miles (2.77 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 1.86 miles (2.99 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.[174] The major roadways in the township are the Garden State Parkway[175] and Route 28 (North Avenue).[176] The parkway runs along the eastern border of the township, connecting Clark in the south to Kenilworth in the north. The Parkway is accessible at interchange 136 to County Route 607 for Linden / Roselle / Winfield Park and at interchange 137 for Route 28, which runs east–west through the center of the township. Interchange 136 is known as the "four corners", where Clark, Winfield, Cranford and Linden meet.[177][178] Cranford's Pace Car Program aims to make the township's roads safer roads by encouraging drivers to pledge to "drive within the posted speed limit", "stop at all stop signs", "stop at all red traffic lights", and "yield to pedestrians in crosswalks".[179] Public transportation Novelist Robert Ferro of the Violet Quill, who attended Cranford High School Cranford tennis player Dean Mathey, namesake of Mathey College at Princeton University Cranford golf champion Max Marston Cranford resident John Moody founded Moody's Investors Service American advertising pioneer J. Walter Thompson moved to Cranford in 1892. Rail The Cranford station[180] offers train service to Newark Penn Station in about 20 minutes, and to New York City Penn Station in about 49 minutes in total. The World Trade Center station on PATH can likewise be reached from Cranford in under 50 minutes (42 minutes on 6:52 am express).[181] Cranford Station also offers transit to other points east, along with Raritan, High Bridge and numerous points west on the NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line, formerly the mainline of the Central Railroad of New Jersey.[182] Via Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction and NYC Penn Station, connections are possible to most other NJ Tranit rail lines, PATH trains, AirTrain Newark to Newark Liberty International Airport, Amtrak regional / long-distance trains and the Long Island Rail Road. Bus An express bus route (the 113x) offers nonstop weekday travel from the north side of the Cranford Station, and other Cranford points on North Avenue, to Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan in about 40 minutes.[183] The private bus service Boxcar provides direct commuter bus routes to midtown Manhattan in about 40 minutes.[184] NJ Transit also provides bus service on the 112 and 113 routes between Cranford and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City and on the 59 and 66 to Newark. The 56, 57 and 58 routes provide local service.[185] Air Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 13 minutes away in Newark / Elizabeth. Linden Airport, a general aviation facility, is in nearby Linden. Freight The southern section of the township is bisected by Conrail's freight-only Lehigh Line (jointly owned by CSX and Norfolk Southern) along the tracks of the former Lehigh Valley Railroad. The former Staten Island Railway connects with the Raritan Valley Line in Cranford, reaching the island via the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge. That line has been rehabilitated and since 2007 between Port Newark and Howland Hook and transports containers from the Howland Hook Marine Terminal, an intermodal freight transport service known as ExpressRail.[186][187] In film and television Several episodes in the third season of the 1990s Nickelodeon television show, The Adventures of Pete & Pete were filmed in Cranford. Episodes of the series were shot at various sites in Cranford, including Brookside Place School, Cranford High School, Orange Avenue Pool and Modern Barber Shop.[188] Scenes for the home of the title characters were filmed at a house at 11 Willow Street.[189] Cranford is the setting of the 2005 film Guess Who, starring Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher.[190] Portions of the films Far from Heaven, Garden State, September 12 and HBO's miniseries The Plot Against America were shot in Cranford.[191] Billy Eichner's comedy Bros filmed a Pride parade scene in Downtown Cranford.[192] Additional film shoots in town during the 2020s have included Maybe I Do, Mothers' Instinct, Dumb Money, Eileen, Daughter of the Bride, Sweethearts and Cat Person.[193][194] Notable people See also: Category:People from Cranford, New Jersey People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Cranford include: Frederick W. Beinecke (1887–1971), founder of Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library[195] William Sperry Beinecke (1914–2018), founder of the Central Park Conservancy and former chairman of S&H Green Stamps[196] Carol Blazejowski (born 1956), member of Basketball Hall of Fame[197] Gordon Chalmers (1911–2000), swimmer, swimming coach, and college athletics administrator. He competed in the men's 100 meter backstroke at the 1932 Summer Olympics[198] William A. Chatfield (born 1951), government executive and lobbyist who served as the 11th Director of the Selective Service System, from 2004 to 2009[199] Curtis G. Culin (1915–1963), sergeant in the 2d Armored Division during World War II who developed the rhino tank to cut through hedgerows during the Battle of Normandy[200] Howard "Dutch" Darrin (1897–1982), free-lance automotive stylist[201] Hugh S. Delano (1933–2015), sports journalist for the New York Post and author honored by induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award[202][203] Maria Dizzia (born 1974), actress who was nominated for the 2010 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)[204] William C. Dudley (born 1952), economist who served as president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Vice Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee[205] Robert Ferro (1941–1988), LGBT author whose work included a gay coming-of-age novel describing a fictionalized version of Cranford centered around the Rahway River[206] Charles N. Fowler (1852–1932), represented 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1895 to 1911[207] Will Fries (born 1998), offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League[208] Albert M. Gessler (1919–2003), ExxonMobil research chemist known for the development of elastomeric thermoplastics[209] Edward K. Gill (1917–1985), politician who served as Mayor of Cranford and was elected to two terms of office in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 21st Legislative District[210] Karen Hummer (born 1962), former competitor in judo who became the youngest US National Champion in the sport when she won a title at the age of 12[211] Gary Kott (born c. 1947), television and advertising writer, who was a writer and supervising producer of The Cosby Show[212][213] Alice Lakey (1857–1935), pure foods activist[214] Frank Townsend Lent (1855–1919), architect, painter and author[215] Paul J. Lioy (1947–2015), specialist in the field of environmental health and specializing in exposure science who analyzed the effects of dust in the wake of the collapse of the World Trade Center after the September 11 terrorist attacks[216] Greg Mankiw (born 1958), Harvard professor who chaired the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush[217] Ralph J. Marra Jr. (born c. 1953), former Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey[218] Max Marston (1892–1949), winner of the 1923 United States Amateur Championship golf tournament[219] Dean Mathey (1890–1972), tennis player and namesake of Mathey College at Princeton University[220] John Moody (1868–1958), financial analyst and founder of Moody's Investors Service[221] Bill Murphy (born 1989), professional baseball pitching coach for the Houston Astros[222] Victoria Napolitano (née Spellman, born 1988), politician who was chosen as mayor of Moorestown, New Jersey, at age 26, making her the youngest female mayor in state history[223] Nancy Salzman (born 1954), felon convicted for her role as the co-founder of NXIVM, a multi-level marketing company and cult[224] David Silverman (born 1966), president of American Atheists[225][226] Thomas Sperry (c. 1864–1913), co-founder (the "S") of S&H Green Stamps[227] William Miller Sperry (1858–1927), president of S&H Green Stamps and namesake of the William Miller Sperry Observatory and Sperry Park, who moved to Cranford in 1898[228][229] Joseph Striker (1898–1974), actor who appeared on film and in Broadway theatre[230] John Coard Taylor (1901–1946), track and field athlete who placed fifth in the men's 400 meters at the 1924 Summer Olympics. He was national champion in the 220-yd low hurdles in 1922[231] James Walter Thompson (1847–1928), namesake of the J. Walter Thompson Company advertising agency[232] Walter F. Timpone (born 1950), former Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, who served from 2016 to 2020[233] Bernie Wagenblast (born 1956), voiceover performer and former traffic reporter who is the founder and editor of the Transportation Communications Newsletter[234] Jennifer Westhoven (born 1971), business and finance correspondent on HLN's Morning Express with Robin Meade[235] Jordan White (born 1984), rock musician and American Idol contestant[236][237] Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe (1916–2004), noted educator, Cranford native, and namesake of the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education at New Jersey City University[238] Union County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was state's seventh-most-populous county[8] with a population of 575,345,[5][6] its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 38,846 (+7.2%) from the 2010 census count of 536,499.[9] Its county seat is Elizabeth,[3] which is also the most populous municipality in the county, with a 2020 census population of 137,298,[6] and the largest by area, covering 13.46 square miles (34.9 km2).[10] The county is located in the North Jersey region. In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $60,089, the seventh-highest in New Jersey and ranked 152nd of 3,113 counties in the United States.[11][12] The Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked the county as having the 119th-highest per capita income of all 3,113 counties in the United States (and the eighth-highest in New Jersey) in 2009.[13] A study by Forbes.com determined that Union County pays the second-highest property taxes of all U.S. counties, based on 2007 data.[14] With a population density of 4,955 inhabitants per square mile (1,913/km2) in 2000, Union County was the 15th-most densely populated county in the United States as of the 2010 Census, and third-densest in New Jersey, behind Hudson County (ranked 6th nationwide at 9,754 per square mile) and Essex County (ranked 11th at 6,126).[15][16] History Etymology Established in 1857 as the last county created in New Jersey, it was named after the Union threatened by slavery dispute during this period, which would erupt into civil war in 1861. History All of present-day Union County was part of the Elizabethtown Tract, which was purchased in 1664, by English colonists from the Lenape Native Americans that lived in the area of present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey. Union County was formed on March 19, 1857, from portions of Essex County; it was the last of New Jersey's 21 counties to be established.[1] Many historic places and structures are to be found in the county, including on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County, New Jersey.[17] In the fall, Union County holds its annual "Four Centuries in a Weekend" festival for the public, celebrating and touring historic buildings, museums and sites in the county.[18] Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of the 2020 Census, the county had a total area of 105.41 square miles (273.0 km2), of which 102.77 square miles (266.2 km2) was land (97.5%) and 2.64 square miles (6.8 km2) was water (2.5%).[4] Much of Union County is relatively flat and low-lying. Only in the northwestern corner does any significant relief appear as the Watchung Mountains cross the county. It is there that highest elevations, two areas approximately 560 feet (170 m) above sea level, are found in Berkeley Heights.[19] The lowest elevation is sea level along the eastern shore at the Arthur Kill. Rivers, lakes and streams Arthur Kill Rahway River Elizabeth River Nomahegan Brook Marshes Creek Morses Creek Peach Orchard Brook Robinson's Brook Robinson's Branch Reservoir Climate and weather Elizabeth, New Jersey Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D   3.5  3924   2.9  4227   4.1  5134   4.2  6244   4  7253   4  8263   4.7  8669   3.7  8468   3.8  7760   3.6  6548   3.6  5539   3.8  4430 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source:The Weather Channel[20] Metric conversion In recent years,[when?] average temperatures in the county seat of Elizabeth have ranged from a low of 24 °F (−4 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −14 °F (−26 °C) was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1993. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.99 inches (76 mm) in February to 4.76 inches (121 mm) in July.[20] In Berkeley Heights average monthly temperatures range from 29.4 °F in January to 74.7 °F in July. The climate in the county is hot-summer humid continental (Dfa) except east of approximately the New Jersey Turnpike where a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) exists. Demographics Historical population Census Pop. Note %± 1860 27,780 — 1870 41,859 50.7% 1880 55,571 32.8% 1890 72,467 30.4% 1900 99,353 37.1% 1910 140,197 41.1% 1920 200,157 42.8% 1930 305,209 52.5% 1940 328,344 7.6% 1950 398,138 21.3% 1960 504,255 26.7% 1970 543,116 7.7% 1980 504,094 −7.2% 1990 493,819 −2.0% 2000 522,541 5.8% 2010 536,499 2.7% 2020 575,345 7.2% 2022 (est.) 569,815 [5][7] −1.0% Historical sources: 1790–1990[21] 1970–2010[10] 2000[22] 2010[9] 2000–2010[23] 2010-2020[5][6] Union County is ethnically diverse. Berkeley Heights, Clark, Roselle Park, Cranford, Kenilworth, Linden, New Providence, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Union and Westfield have high percentages of Italian American residents. Elizabeth, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle and Union all have large African American communities. Roselle Park has a notably large Indian American community, while Roselle Park, Roselle, Linden, Rahway, Plainfield and particularly Elizabeth have fast-growing Hispanic and Portuguese populations.[citation needed] The county's Jewish population was 35,000 as of 2004, with notable communities located in Cranford, Elizabeth, Hillside, Linden, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Union, and Westfield.[24] 2020 census Union County, New Jersey - Demographic Profile (NH = Non-Hispanic) Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[25] Pop 2020[26] % 2010 % 2020 White alone (NH) 243,312 211,245 45.35% 36.72% Black or African American alone (NH) 111,705 112,261 20.82% 19.51% Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 546 552 0.10% 0.10% Asian alone (NH) 24,496 31,963 4.57% 5.56% Pacific Islander alone (NH) 107 78 0.02% 0.01% Some Other Race alone (NH) 2,279 6,190 0.42% 1.08% Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 7,350 17,537 1.37% 3.05% Hispanic or Latino (any race) 146,704 195,519 27.34% 33.98% Total 536,499 575,345 100.00% 100.00% Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. 2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 536,499 people, 188,118 households, and 134,692 families in the county. The population density was 5,216.1 inhabitants per square mile (2,013.9/km2). There were 199,489 housing units at an average density of 1,939.5 per square mile (748.8/km2). The racial makeup was 61.33% (329,052) White, 22.05% (118,313) Black or African American, 0.39% (2,080) Native American, 4.63% (24,839) Asian, 0.03% (163) Pacific Islander, 8.48% (45,496) from other races, and 3.09% (16,556) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.34% (146,704) of the population.[9] Of the 188,118 households, 34.4% had children under the age of 18; 50.1% were married couples living together; 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.4% were non-families. Of all households, 23.6% were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.32.[9] 24.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.7 males.[9] Government County government The Union County Courthouse prior to 1900. Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. Union County is governed by a nine-member Board of County Commissioners. The members are elected at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with three seats coming up for election each year. The Board sets policies for the operation of the county. The Commissioners perform the county's legislative and executive functions. In their legislative role, they formulate and adopt a budget and set county policies and procedures. In their executive role, they oversee county spending and functioning. Many of the administrative duties are delegated by the Board of County Commissioners to the County Manager. Each of the commissioners serves on various committees and boards as a part of their duties. These include committees on Economic Development, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works and Policy. In addition, the Board oversees the county's Open Space Trust Fund. Day-to-day operation of the county and its departments is supervised by an appointed County Manager, Edward Oatman.[27] In 2016, freeholders were paid $30,692, while the Freeholder vice chairman received $31,732 and the Freeholder chairman had an annual salary of $32,773.[28] The County Manager is Edward Oatman.[29] Union County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, whose nine members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis with three seats coming up for election each year, with an appointed County Manager overseeing the day-to-day operations of the county. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members.[30] As of 2023, Union County's County Commissioners are (with terms for Chair and Vice-Chair ending every December 31st):[31][32] Commissioner Party, Residence, Term Chair Sergio Granados D, Elizabeth, 2025[33] Vice Chair Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded D, Westfield, 2024[34] Rebecca Williams D, Plainfield, 2025)[35] James E. Baker Jr. D, Rahway, 2024[36] Joseph Bodek D, Linden, 2023[37] Angela R. Garretson D, Hillside, 2023[38] Bette Jane Kowalski D, Cranford, 2025[39] Lourdes M. Leon D, Elizabeth, 2023[40] Alexander Mirabella D, Fanwood, 2024[41] Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are: Office Party, Residence, Term County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi D, Westfield, 2025[42][43] Sheriff Peter Corvelli D, Kenilworth, 2023[44][45] Surrogate Christopher E. Hudak D, Clark, 2027[46][47] Union County constitutes Vicinage 12 of the New Jersey Superior Court and is seated at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth, with additional facilities also located in Elizabeth; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 12 is Karen M. Cassidy.[48] Law enforcement at the county level includes the Union County Police Department, the Union County Sheriff's Office, and the Union County Prosecutor's Office. Union County's Acting Prosecutor is Michael A. Monahan.[49] Notable events in county government In 2023, Union County agreed to honor the site in North Jersey of what local activists described as the public execution by burning at the stake of three enslaved New Jerseyans in 1741.[50] In 2023, the county worked to revise its logo, which has had what has been described as the only county seal in the nation that depicts a woman being shot, the murder of Elizabethtown's Hannah Caldwell by British soldiers during the American Revolutionary War.[51][52] In 2023, Union County moved to revise its county seal, asking residents to participate in an online poll to choose between two alternatives, both of which eliminate the depiction of the murder.[53] In 2022, controversy erupted over the county's deletion of negative social media comments made about the opening of Tëmike Park, an LGBTQ-inclusive playground, in Cedar Brook Park.[54][55][56] In 2022, a state court found the county illegally circumvented the public bidding process in awarding contracts for the construction of a proposed Union County government building in Elizabeth.[57][58] In 2015, the county was forced to pay legal fees after losing a trademark claim it brought against a frequent county government critic who used the County of Union seal on her blog.[59] In 2011, an investigation found mismanagement of county funds in association with MusicFest, a free annual concert.[60] In 2009, following a First Amendment challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union, the county commissioners agreed to issue a public apology for cutting off speech by a resident who was addressing the board about possible nepotism on the county payroll.[61] Federal representatives Four Congressional Districts cover the county, including portions of the 7th, 8th, 10th and 12th Districts.[62][63] For the 118th United States Congress. New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District is represented by Thomas Kean Jr. (R, Westfield).[64] For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's Eighth Congressional District is represented by Rob Menendez (D, Jersey City).[65][66] For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's Tenth Congressional District is represented by Donald Payne Jr. (D, Newark).[67][68] For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's Twelfth Congressional District is represented by Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, Ewing Township).[69][70] State representatives The 21 municipalities of Union County are represented by three separate legislative districts.[71] District Senator[72] Assembly[72] Municipalities 20th Joseph Cryan (D) Reginald Atkins (D) Annette Quijano (D) Elizabeth (128,333), Hillside (22,054), Roselle (21,637) and Union Township (58,488) 21st Jon Bramnick (R) Michele Matsikoudis (R) Nancy Munoz (R) Berkeley Heights (13,601), Cranford (24,169), Garwood (4,338), Kenilworth (8,161), Mountainside (6,826), New Providence (13,049), Roselle Park (13,581), Springfield Township (17,517), Summit (21,913) and Westfield (29,877). The remainder of this district covers portions of Morris County and Somerset County. 22nd Nicholas Scutari (D) James J. Kennedy (D) Linda S. Carter (D) Clark (15,943), Fanwood (7,660), Linden (42,222), Plainfield (50,362), Rahway (29,543), Scotch Plains (24,405) and Winfield (1,509). The remainder of this district covers portions of Middlesex County and Somerset County. Sheriff's Office The Union County Sheriff's Office is located in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Union County Sheriff's Office It is currently headed by Peter Corvelli. It was headed by Ralph Froehlich, a Union resident who was first elected in 1977 and served in office for 37 years, making him the longest-serving Sheriff in New Jersey history.[73] There are two top deputies, known as undersheriffs, and they are Dennis Burke and Amilcar Colon. A 1981 investigation of the Union County Jail reviewed issues relating to overcrowding, escapes, escape attempts and suicides in the detention facility.[74] On July 1, 2021, the Sheriff's Office regained control of the Union County Jail and made it a division within the organization; the Division of Corrections. Union County Sheriff's Office - Division of Corrections The New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 108 is the official labor union and the collective bargaining agent for the Sheriff's Officers of Union County. This body is subdivided into Local 108 for the line officers and Local 108A for the supervisors (sergeants, lieutenants, & captains). Union County Park Police Union County Police Union County is the only county with a county police department.[citation needed] The Union County Police Department operates independently of the Sheriff's office. The Union County Police Department originally began as the Union County Park Police. The Union County Police are tasked with patrolling Union County's properties. They also supplement the local municipalities with police presence and patrol when requested.[75] Martin Mogensen has been the Chief of Police since February 2023.[76] The Union County Police have several divisions and are relied upon for their multiple services. Currently assigned are Patrol, Detective Bureau, Emergency Services Unit, and the Marine Unit. Union County Regional 911 and Dispatch is one of the many services that the County Police provide. They are the primary PSAP for multiple municipalities, provide police/fire/EMS dispatch, dispatch medics, and Union County Fire Mutual Aid. The PD belongs to the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, Local 73.[citation needed] Politics Union County is a reliable state bellwether, having voted for New Jersey's statewide winner in every presidential election since 1964. As of October 1, 2021, there were a total of 362,501 registered voters in Union County, of whom 178,449 (49.2%) were registered as Democrats, 57,878 (16.0%) were registered as Republicans and 121,478 (33.5%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 4,696 voters (1.3%) registered to other parties.[77] Among the county's 2010 Census population, 53.3% were registered to vote, including 70.6% of those ages 18 and over.[78][79] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 141,417 votes here (63.1%), ahead of Republican John McCain with 78,768 votes (35.2%) and other candidates with 1,912 votes (0.9%), among the 223,951 ballots cast by the county's 299,762 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.7%.[80] In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 139,752 votes here (66.0%), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 68,314 votes (32.3%) and other candidates with 1,765 votes (0.8%), among the 211,597 ballots cast by the county's 307,628 registered voters, for a turnout of 68.8%.[81][82] In the 2016 election, Democrat Hillary Clinton won by a slightly wider margin than Barack Obama in 2012, even as the nation shifted to the right. In the 2020 election, Democrat Joe Biden received the highest share of the vote for a Democrat in the county's history. United States presidential election results for Union County, New Jersey[83]  Year Republican Democratic Third party No.  % No.  % No.  % 2020 80,002 31.49% 170,245 67.01% 3,794 1.49% 2016 68,114 30.47% 147,414 65.94% 8,042 3.60% 2012 68,314 32.52% 139,752 66.52% 2,022 0.96% 2008 78,768 35.41% 141,417 63.58% 2,241 1.01% 2004 82,517 40.55% 119,372 58.66% 1,613 0.79% 2000 68,554 36.78% 112,003 60.10% 5,816 3.12% 1996 65,912 34.65% 108,102 56.82% 16,227 8.53% 1992 87,742 41.76% 96,671 46.01% 25,699 12.23% 1988 112,967 54.27% 93,158 44.75% 2,028 0.97% 1984 135,446 59.11% 92,056 40.17% 1,638 0.71% 1980 112,288 51.66% 86,074 39.60% 18,977 8.73% 1976 118,019 51.56% 106,267 46.42% 4,616 2.02% 1972 148,290 61.03% 90,482 37.24% 4,201 1.73% 1968 110,309 45.72% 109,674 45.46% 21,273 8.82% 1964 82,999 33.29% 164,989 66.17% 1,359 0.55% 1960 123,224 50.29% 119,986 48.97% 1,798 0.73% 1956 146,228 67.57% 67,540 31.21% 2,646 1.22% 1952 122,885 60.46% 78,336 38.54% 2,024 1.00% 1948 87,402 53.89% 66,759 41.16% 8,019 4.94% 1944 86,543 52.57% 75,969 46.15% 2,113 1.28% 1940 79,962 52.50% 70,737 46.45% 1,597 1.05% 1936 59,553 45.08% 70,813 53.61% 1,731 1.31% 1932 67,512 54.91% 51,357 41.77% 4,092 3.33% 1928 68,119 64.21% 37,476 35.32% 497 0.47% 1924 50,356 67.99% 14,738 19.90% 8,966 12.11% 1920 39,409 72.57% 12,103 22.29% 2,791 5.14% 1916 16,705 59.21% 10,328 36.61% 1,181 4.19% 1912 5,421 21.55% 9,695 38.54% 10,040 39.91% 1908 15,920 60.90% 8,809 33.70% 1,414 5.41% 1904 13,906 58.92% 8,574 36.33% 1,120 4.75% 1900 12,533 58.95% 7,667 36.06% 1,061 4.99% 1896 11,707 61.58% 6,073 31.95% 1,230 6.47% In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 68,867 ballots cast (50.6%), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 56,769 votes (41.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 7,999 votes (5.9%) and other candidates with 1,058 votes (0.8%), among the 136,110 ballots cast by the county's 292,490 registered voters, yielding a 46.5% turnout.[84] In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Governor Chris Christie narrowly won the county 51.2% (58,135 votes) to 47.4% (53,869 votes) over Democrat Barbara Buono, marking the only time the county voted Republican in the 21st century. In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Republican Kim Guadagno received 32.6% of the vote (39,552 ballots cast) to Democrat Phil Murphy with 65.2% (79,113 votes).[85] In the 2021 gubernatorial election, Republican Jack Ciattarelli received 37.6% of the vote (51,279 ballots cast) to Democrat Phil Murphy's 61.6% (83,913 votes). Education Tertiary education Kean University, a co-educational, public research university dating back to 1855 is located in Union and Hillside, serving nearly 13,000 undergraduates. Kean University educates its students in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions; it is best known for its programs in the humanities and social sciences and in education, graduating the most teachers in the state of New Jersey annually, along with a physical therapy program which it holds in conjunction with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.[86] Union College is the two-year community college for Union County, one of a network of 19 county colleges in New Jersey. Union College was founded in 1933 as Union County College and has campuses in Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfield and Scotch Plains.[87] School districts Most municipalities have their own public high schools, exceptions being Garwood, whose students attend Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark; Winfield, whose students attend David Brearley High School in Kenilworth; and Mountainside, whose students attend Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights. Fanwood is mostly merged with Scotch Plains educationally and the two towns have one high school. The county has the following school districts:[88][89][90] K-12 Berkeley Heights Public Schools Clark Public School District Cranford Township Public Schools Elizabeth Public Schools Hillside Public Schools Kenilworth Public Schools Linden Public Schools New Providence School District Plainfield Public School District Rahway Public Schools Roselle Public Schools Roselle Park School District Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District Springfield Public Schools Summit Public Schools Union Public School District Westfield Public Schools Elementary (K-8) Garwood Public Schools Mountainside School District Winfield Township School District The county also has Union County Vocational Technical Schools, which has both full-time magnet programs that students must apply to, and split-time vocational programs. Economy The Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated that the county's gross domestic product was $34.4 billion in 2021, which was ranked eighth in the state and was a 2.4% increase from the prior year.[91] The top employers in 2011, according to the Union County Economic Development Corporation, were:[92] # Employer # of employees 1 Merck & Co. 10,000 2 New England Motor Freight 3,900 3 USI Services Group 3,200 4 Overlook Medical Center 2,961 5 Maher Terminals 1,700 6 Trinitas Hospital 1,674 7 Children's Specialized Hospital 1,440 8 Alcatel-Lucent 1,300 9 ConocoPhillips 1,000 Transportation The county is served by rail, air, highways and ports. Roads and highways Garden State Parkway northbound entering Union County As of 2010, the county had a total of 1,418.31 miles (2,282.55 km) of roadways, of which 1,158.45 miles (1,864.34 km) were maintained by the local municipality, 176.32 miles (283.76 km) by Union County and 66.22 miles (106.57 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, 16.22 miles (26.10 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and 1.10 miles (1.77 km) by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.[93][94] Major highways which traverse the county include the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), the Garden State Parkway, I-78, I-278, Route 1/9, Route 22, Route 24. Route 27, Route 28, Route 35 (only in Rahway), Route 82, Route 124, Route 439, and the Goethals Bridge. At 0.15 miles, Route 59, located entirely in Union County, is the shortest state highway in New Jersey.[95] Public transportation Passenger rail service is provide by NJ Transit via the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, Raritan Valley Line, the Morristown Line and the Gladstone Branch.[96][97][98][99][100] Freight service is provided by on Conrail's Lehigh Line and Chemical Coast Branch. Freight and passenger rail service was provided by the Rahway Valley Railroad from 1897 until 1992 when the short line closed due to lack of customers.[101] NJ Transit provides bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, as well as service to major cities in New Jersey and within Union County.[102] The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal is part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.[103] The southern portion of Newark Liberty International Airport is located in Elizabeth, within Union County.[104] Potential rail-to-trails Union County Park Line rail trail is a proposed walking and/or biking trail proposed on old railroad tracks. Two abandoned rails exist in the county.[105] The City of Summit and the Summit Park Line Foundation are working on turning the line from Morris Avenue to Briant Park in Summit into a rail trail that will be approximately one mile long. This rail trail, potentially called the Summit Park Line, could provide a greenway to connect several county parks, akin to a Summit High Line.[106] A path could run directly from Summit to the Arthur Kill in Linden, New Jersey on the Rahway Valley Railroad and the Staten Island Rapid Transit line. The Summit city council applied for a $1 million grant toward the Summit Park Line project in November 2016.[107] "If Summit is able to complete the project, it might help other parts of the greenway come through," said Union County Public Relations Coordinator, Sebastian Delia.[108] The Rahway Valley Railroad runs from Summit to Roselle Park. Beginning in Hidden Valley Park, the railroad right-of-way continues by connecting Houdaille Quarry, Briant Park, Meisel Park, Rahway River Parkway, Galloping Hill Golf Course and Black Brook Park. The ending of the railway is on Westfield Avenue in Roselle Park. The Staten Island Rapid Transit runs from Cranford to Staten Island, although the project would only include the section that runs from Cranford to Linden.[108] The possible inception in Cranford would be a lot on South Avenue East. The ending of this trail would be in Linden at an empty lot. A boardwalk would run over the existing tracks to ease line reactivation. Municipalities Index map of Union County municipalities (click to see index key) MapWikimedia | © OpenStreetMap Interactive map of municipalities in Union County. The 21 municipalities in Union County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area) are:[109] Municipality (with map key) Map key Municipal type Population Housing Units Total Area Water Area Land Area Pop. Density Housing Density Communities[110] Berkeley Heights 21 township 13,183 4,596 6.27 0.05 6.21 2,122.4 739.9 Murray Hill (part) Clark 14 township 14,756 5,751 4.49 0.19 4.30 3,430.5 1,337.0 Cranford 16 township 22,625 8,816 4.87 0.04 4.83 4,684.6 1,825.4 Elizabeth 11 city 124,969 45,516 13.46 1.15 12.32 10,144.1 3,694.7 Fanwood 6 borough 7,318 2,686 1.34 0.00 1.34 5,454.1 2,001.9 Garwood 5 borough 4,226 1,870 0.66 0.00 0.66 6,362.7 2,815.5 Hillside 19 township 21,404 7,536 2.76 0.01 2.75 7,784.0 2,740.6 Kenilworth 8 borough 7,914 2,924 2.16 0.00 2.16 3,668.3 1,355.3 Linden 12 city 40,499 15,872 11.41 0.73 10.68 3,793.8 1,486.8 Mountainside 3 borough 6,685 2,558 4.05 0.04 4.01 1,668.0 638.3 New Providence 2 borough 12,171 4,537 3.66 0.02 3.64 3,343.4 1,246.3 Murray Hill (part) Plainfield 7 city 49,808 16,621 6.03 0.01 6.02 8,270.1 2,759.8 Rahway 13 city 27,346 11,300 4.03 0.13 3.90 7,016.8 2,899.5 Roselle 10 borough 21,085 7,939 2.66 0.01 2.65 7,953.5 2,994.7 Roselle Park 9 borough 13,297 5,231 1.23 0.00 1.23 10,792.7 4,245.8 Scotch Plains 20 township 23,510 8,896 9.05 0.03 9.02 2,606.9 986.4 Springfield 17 township 15,817 6,736 5.19 0.02 5.17 3,057.2 1,302.0 Summit 1 city 21,457 8,190 6.05 0.05 6.00 3,578.9 1,366.0 Union 18 township 56,642 20,250 9.09 0.02 9.07 6,244.3 2,232.4 Westfield 4 town 30,316 10,950 6.74 0.02 6.72 4,512.2 1,629.8 Winfield 15 township 1,471 714 0.18 0.00 0.18 8,320.1 4,038.5 Union County county 536,499 199,489 105.40 2.55 102.85 5,216.1 1,939.5 Parks and recreation Warinanco Park in Roselle County parks are maintained and operated by the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, the successor agency to the Union County Park Commission. County-run parks [111] Ash Brook Reservation, Scotch Plains Black Brook Park, Kenilworth Briant Park, Summit[112][113] Brookside Park, Scotch Plains Shakespeare Garden at Cedar Brook Park, Plainfield Cedar Brook Park, Plainfield Home to the Shakespeare Garden. Echo Lake Park, Westfield and Mountainside The privately owned Echo Lake Country Club donated the parkland for this park in the 1920s. The name arises from the echo heard off the high bluff on the far side of the lake. Echo Lake itself was created by damning when mills were established on Nomahegan Brook, a tributary of the Rahway River. The Great Minisink Trail passed by Echo Lake Park. Elizabeth River Parkway Esposito Park, Clark Features a 1/2-mile path with exercise equipment and a skate park Green Brook Park, Plainfield (partial) Hidden Valley Park, Springfield and Summit[114][113] Eastern border is adjacent to the now-closed Houdaille Quarry. Houdaille Quarry, Springfield (closed to public) Kawameeh Park, Union Lenape Park, Cranford, Westfield, and Kenilworth In the 1930s, workers digging Lenape Lake found mastodon bones here. Madison Avenue Park, Rahway Adjacent to Rahway 7th and 8th Grade Academy Mattano Park Clark Reservoir Recreation Area Mattano Park, Elizabeth Named for a Lenape tribal leader, whose name was recorded by colonists as Mattano. In 1664, a group called the Elizabethtown Associates bought land in the Union County area from Mattano and another Lenape leader named Warinanco. McConnell Park, Cranford Named for the first town doctor in Cranford Milton Lake Park, Clark and Rahway Mindowaskin Park, Westfield Nomahegan Park, Cranford Contains Nomahegan Park Pond and encircles the Rahway River. Nomahegan Pond near Union County College in Cranford Oak Ridge Park, Clark Passaic River Parkway,[115][113] Berkeley Heights, New Providence, and Summit Phil Rizzuto Park, Elizabeth Ponderosa Farm Park, Scotch Plains Rahway River Park, Rahway Environmental groups protested at the building of a stadium here in 2016. The movement gave birth to Friends of Rahway River Parkway.[116] Rahway River Parkway Snyder Avenue Park, Berkeley Heights Sperry Park, Cranford Stanley Avenue Park, Summit Tamaques Park, Scotch Plains Unami Park, Cranford, Garwood, and Westfield Washington Avenue Park, Springfield Watchung Reservation, Mountainside and Scotch Plains Warinanco Park, Elizabeth and Roselle Named for the Native American known as "Warinanco." Designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm. Wheeler Park, Linden Other notable parks Parks that are not managed by the county government include: Hawk Rise Sanctuary. A bird sanctuary was built in 2012 on the banks of Rahway River in Linden. Hawk Rise Sanctuary is a 95-acre ecological preserve and wetland complex in Linden in an area previously concealed by various industrial land uses. Its trails were created adjacent to the former Linden Landfill area by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the city of Linden and the New Jersey Audubon Society.[117] The trails in the Hawk Rise forest are boardwalk, with some continuing as gravel along the edge of the former Linden Landfill. It has an overlook area where hikers can view the Rahway River and nearby marshes. It has been open to the public since 2012. The site includes diverse environments: forested wetlands, vernal pools, grasslands, shrublands, salt marsh, mudflats, a pond, and the tidal Rahway River. 163 bird species have been spotted there.[118][119] It has been reported as vandalized.[117] Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit.[120] Kennedy Reservation in Union.[121] The grounds of Liberty Hall Museum near the campus of Kean University in Union and Elizabeth. Rahway River Parkway The Rahway River Parkway is a greenway of parkland that hugs the Rahway River and its tributaries, such as Nomahegan Brook. It was the inaugural project of the Union County Parks Commission designed in the 1920s by the Olmsted Brothers firm, who were the sons of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Several county and municipal parks run along the Rahway River.[122][123] Elizabeth River Parkway The Elizabeth River Parkway is a greenway of parkland alongside the Elizabeth River and its tributaries. It runs through Kean University and Liberty Hall Museum on the river's way to the Arthur Kill. The Elizabeth River Parkway is broken down into separate sections. Chatfield/Zimmerman - Hillside and Union Township[124] Lightning Brook - Hillside and Union[125] Galloping Hill Golf Course in November 2022 Galloping Hill Golf Course in November 2022 Pruden/Pearl Oval - Elizabeth[126] Salem/Rutgers/Liberty - Hillside and Union[127] Woodruff/Conant Street - Hillside and Union[128] Ursino - Hillside and Union Township[129] Public golf courses Union County's Division of Golf Operations runs two golf courses, which offer golf lessons and practice areas.[130] Ash Brook Golf Course in Scotch Plains. Galloping Hill Golf Course and Golf Learning Center in Kenilworth.[131] The facility, which hosts the headquarters of the New Jersey State Golf Association, hosted the 2016 New Jersey State Open golf tournament, the first public golf course to host the tournament since it was established in 1921.[132] Another notable course Shady Rest Country Club [133] in Scotch Plains is recognized as the first African-American owned and operated golf clubhouse in the United States. As such, Shady Rest is the home course of the first African-American golf professional to play in the U.S. Open, John Matthew Shippen, Jr. (1879-1968), who is considered a pioneer of the sport. [134] Originally a private club and center for African-American social life, the township acquired and renamed it in the 1930s as the 'Scotch Hills Country Club' and made it open to the public. The history and significance of the course and clubhouse has not always been promoted as a place of national historic interest. Thankfully, the National Park Service has listed the Shady Rest Golf and Country Club (_100007869) in the National Registry of Historic Places, in large part due to the efforts of the Preserve Shady Rest Committee. [135] The committee continues working to further solidify Shady Rest as a local, state, and national landmark given its historical significance. [136] [137] [133] Private golf courses Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club in Springfield founded in 1895 by Louis Keller. Both courses were originally designed by A. W. Tillinghast in 1918. The club has hosted seven U.S. Opens and the 2005 and 2016 PGA Championships.[138] Echo Lake Country Club is a private, member-owned country club located in Westfield, founded in 1899. The 18-hole golf course was designed by Donald Ross in 1913.[139] Hyatt Hills Golf Complex in Clark. Shackamaxon Country Club Suburban Golf Club Other recreational facilities Clark Community Pool[140] Centennial Avenue Pool in Cranford, NJ Oak Ridge Archery Range Orange Avenue Pool in Cranford, NJ Trailside Nature and Science Center at Watchung Reservation Warinanco Ice Skating Rink Deserted Village of Feltville Wheeler Park Westfield Memorial Pool Spray Pool – Wheeler Park (Linden) County Pool – Rahway River Park (Rahway) Arts and culture The Union County Performing Arts Center, located in the Rahway Arts District, offers professional productions in music and theater as well as training in the performing arts.[141] Kean Stage is the professional performing arts arm of Kean University. It is home to Wilkins Theatre on the Kean Main Campus in Union, Enlow Recital Hall directly across the Elizabeth River in East Campus in Hillside, as well as Premiere Stages, the professional equity theater company in residence at Kean University.[142][143] The Cranford Dramatic Club is New Jersey's oldest continually producing theater and has been putting on theatrical productions since its establishment in 1919.[144] Tomasulo Art Gallery is in the MacKay Library at Union County College's Cranford campus.[145] The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, located in Berkeley Heights and New Providence, is a center for music training and other training in performing arts, particularly aimed at children. It consists of the Performing Arts School (formerly Wharton Music Center), New Jersey Youth Symphony, and Paterson Music Project.[146] The Plainfield Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1919, making it the state's oldest community orchestra.[147] The duCret School of Art in Plainfield was founded in 1926.[148] The Swain Gallery, in Plainfield, was founded in 1868 and is the oldest privately owned art gallery in the state.[149] Union County Historical Society In 1869, the Union County Historical Society of New Jersey was incorporated. The society meets at the Hanson House in Cranford.[150] Municipal historical societies Berkeley Heights - The Berkeley Heights Historical Society.[151] Clark - The Clark Historical Society was founded in 1970. It operates the Dr. William Robinson Plantation House Museum, built in 1690 by a doctor from Scotland.[152] Cranford - The Cranford Historic Preservation Advisory Board is an official township committee body, while the Cranford Historical Society itself is citizen-run. It is located in the Hanson House in Hanson Park on Springfield Avenue and maintains the Crane-Phillips House (c. 1845) a couple of blocks south on North Union Avenue as a museum.[153] Garwood - Garwood Historical Committee.[154] Hillside - The Hillside Historical Society, founded in 1975, meets at the Woodruff House.[155] Kenilworth - The Kenilworth Historical Society dates to 1974. It runs the Oswald J. Nitschke House (c. 1880).[156] Linden - The Linden Society for Historical Preservation is an offshoot of an official cultural board in the city.[157] Mountainside - The Mountainside Restoration Committee, Inc. is also called the Mountainside Historic Committee, founded in 1984.[158] Plainfield - The Historical Society of Plainfield is headquartered at the Nathaniel Drake House Museum, built in 1746 on the Old York Road.[159][160] Rahway - The Rahway Historical Society is now called the Merchants' and Drovers' Tavern Museum Association.[161] Scotch Plains and Fanwood - The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Historical Society runs the Osborn Cannonball House.[162] Springfield - The Historic Cannon Ball House serves as the home of the Springfield Historical Society.[163] Westfield - The Westfield Historical Society is in the Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center, a structure from the 1870s. The Society also runs the Miller-Cory House Museum, in a home that dates back to the 1740s.[164] Union - Union Township Historical Society is located in the 1782 historic Caldwell Parsonage. The Society's mission is to preserve and promote the rich and diverse history of the Township of Union. Other historical preservation groups Friends of Rahway River Parkway is dedicated to preserving Olmsted design principles and features of county parkland along the Rahway River as it flows to the Arthur Kill.[165] Sister city New Jersey is a state situated within both the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is the most densely populated of all 50 U.S. states, and is situated at the center of the Northeast megalopolis. New Jersey is bordered on its north and east by New York state; on its east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on its west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania; and on its southwest by Delaware Bay and Delaware. At 7,354 square miles (19,050 km2), New Jersey is the fifth-smallest state in land area, but with close to 9.3 million residents as of the 2020 United States census, its highest decennial count ever, it ranks 11th in population. The state capital is Trenton, and the state's most populous city is Newark. New Jersey is the only U.S. state in which every county is deemed urban by the U.S. Census Bureau with 13 counties included in the New York metropolitan area, seven counties in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, and Warren County part of the heavily industrialized Lehigh Valley metropolitan area. New Jersey was first inhabited by Paleo-Indians as early as 13,000 B.C.E., with the Lenape being the dominant indigenous group when Europeans arrived in the early 17th century. Dutch and Swedish colonists founded the first European settlements in the state,[10] with the British later seizing control of the region and establishing the Province of New Jersey, named after the largest of the Channel Islands.[11][12] The colony's fertile lands and relative religious tolerance drew a large and diverse population. New Jersey was among the Thirteen Colonies that supported the American Revolution, hosting several pivotal battles and military commands in the American Revolutionary War. On December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the United States Constitution, which granted it admitted to the Union, and it was the first state to ratify the U.S. Bill of Rights on November 20, 1789. New Jersey remained in the Union during the American Civil War and provided troops, resources, and military leaders in support of the Union Army. After the war, the state emerged as a major manufacturing center and a leading destination for immigrants, helping drive the Industrial Revolution in the U.S. New Jersey was the site of many industrial, technological, and commercial innovations,[13] including the first town (Roselle) to be illuminated by electricity, the first incandescent light bulb, and the first steam locomotive.[14] Many prominent Americans associated with New Jersey have proven influential nationally and globally, including in academia, advocacy, business, entertainment, government, military, non-profit leadership, and other fields. New Jersey's central location in the Northeast megalopolis helped fuel its rapid growth and suburbanization in the second half of the 20th century. At the turn of the 21st century, its economy became increasingly diversified with major sectors including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, specialized agriculture, and information technology. New Jersey remains a major destination for immigrants and is home to one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural populations.[15][16] In particular, New Jersey drew Italian immigrants, having the second highest Italian American population among states.[17] Echoing historical trends, the state has increasingly re-urbanized, with growth in cities outpacing suburbs since 2008.[18] New Jersey is one of the wealthiest states in the U.S., consistently ranking as one of the top three by median household income. Almost one-tenth of all households in the state, or over 323,000, are millionaires, the highest representation of millionaires among all states.[19] New Jersey's public school system consistently ranks at or among the top of all U.S. states.[20][21][22][23] According to climatology research by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, New Jersey has been the fastest-warming state by average air temperature over a 100-year period beginning in the early 20th century, which has been attributed to warming of the North Atlantic Ocean.[24] History Main article: History of New Jersey See also: Paleontology in New Jersey Around 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period, New Jersey bordered North Africa. The pressure of 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 glaciers retreated, they left behind Lake Passaic along with rivers, grasslands, swamps, and gorges.[25] Since the 6th millennium BC, Native American people have inhabited New Jersey, beginning with the Lenape tribe. Scheyichbi is the Lenape name for the land that represents present-day New Jersey.[26] The Lenape were several autonomous groups that practiced maize agriculture in order to supplement their hunting and gathering in the region surrounding the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. The Lenape were divided into matrilinear clans that were based upon common female ancestors. 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 Dutch and later European settlers was through fur trade. Colonial era Main articles: Colonial history of New Jersey, New Netherland, New Sweden, Province of New Jersey, East Jersey, West Jersey, and Dominion of New England A map of New Netherland and New Sweden in New Jersey during the colonial era The Dutch were the first Europeans to lay claim to lands in New Jersey. The Dutch colony of New Netherland consisted of parts of modern Mid-Atlantic states. Although the European principle of land ownership was not recognized by the Lenape, Dutch West India Company policy required its colonists to purchase land that they settled. The first to do so was Michiel Pauw, who established a patron ship called Pavonia in 1630 along North River, that eventually became Bergen. Peter Minuit's purchase of lands along the Delaware River established the colony of New Sweden. The entire region became a territory of England on June 24, 1664, after an English fleet under command of Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed into what is now 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 British Crown and gave sanctuary to the King. In the Royal Square in St Helier, Charles II of England was proclaimed King in 1649, following the execution of his father, Charles I. 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 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.[27] The area was named the Province of New Jersey. Since its 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 developed sporadically. Some townships, such as Burlington on the Delaware River and Perth Amboy, emerged as important ports for shipping to New York City and Philadelphia. The colony's fertile lands and tolerant religious policy drew more settlers, and New Jersey's population had increased to 120,000 by 1775. Settlement for the first ten years of English rule took place along Hackensack River and Arthur Kill. Settlers came primarily from New York and New England. On March 18, 1673, Berkeley sold his half of the colony to Quakers in England, who settled the Delaware Valley region as a Quaker colony, with William Penn acting 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 governor rather than a proprietary one. Edward Hyde, titled Lord Cornbury, became the first governor of the royal colony. Britain believed that he was an ineffective and corrupt ruler, taking bribes and speculating on land. 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 these 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.[28] Revolutionary War era Main articles: American Revolutionary War, Northern theater of the American Revolutionary War, New Jersey in the American Revolution, Lee Resolution, United States Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia campaign, Articles of Confederation § Ratification, Treaty of Paris (1783), Constitutional Convention (United States), Admission to the Union, and List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union Washington Crossing the Delaware, an 1851 portrait by Emanuel Leutze depicting Washington's covert crossing the Delaware River from Bucks County, Pennsylvania to Mercer County on December 25, 1776, prior to the Battle of Trenton Washington Rallying the Americans at the Battle of Princeton, a portrait by William Ranney depicting George Washington rallying Continental Army troops at the Battle of Princeton in January 1777 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 the legislature would disband if New Jersey reached reconciliation with Great Britain. Among the 56 Founding Fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence, five were New Jersey representatives: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, and Abraham Clark. During the American Revolutionary War, British and American armies crossed New Jersey numerous times, and several pivotal battles took place in the state. Because of this, New Jersey today is sometimes referred to as "The Crossroads of the American Revolution".[29] The winter quarters of the Continental Army were established in New Jersey twice by General George Washington in Morristown, which has been called "The Military Capital of the American Revolution.“[30] On the night of December 25–26, 1776, the Continental Army under George Washington crossed the Delaware River. After the crossing, they surprised and defeated the Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton. Slightly more than a week after victory at Trenton, Continental Army forces gained an important victory by stopping General Cornwallis's charges at the Second Battle of Trenton. By evading Cornwallis's army, the Continental Army was able to make a surprise attack on Princeton and successfully defeated the British forces there on January 3, 1777. Emanuel Leutze's painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware became an icon of the Revolution. Continental Army forces under Washington's command met British forces under General Henry Clinton at the Battle of Monmouth in an indecisive engagement in June 1778. Washington's forces attempted to take the British column by surprise. When the British army attempted to flank the Americans, the Continental Army retreated in disorder. Their ranks were later reorganized and withstood British charges.[31] In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall at Princeton University, making Princeton the nation's capital for four months. It was there that the Continental Congress learned of the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war. On December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the United States Constitution, which was overwhelmingly popular in New Jersey since it prevented New York and Pennsylvania from charging tariffs on goods imported from Europe. On November 20, 1789, New Jersey became the first in the newly-formed Union to ratify the Bill of Rights.[32] The 1776 New Jersey State Constitution gave the vote to all inhabitants who had a certain level of wealth. This included women and Black people, but not married women because they were not legally permitted to own property separately from their husbands. Both sides, in several elections, claimed that the other side had had unqualified women vote and mocked them for use of petticoat electors, whether entitled to vote or not; on the other hand, both parties passed Voting Rights Acts. In 1807, legislature passed a bill interpreting the constitution to mean universal white male suffrage, excluding paupers; the constitution was itself an act of the legislature and not enshrined as the modern constitution.[33] 19th century Main articles: New Jersey in the 19th century and New Jersey in the American Civil War Map of the 107-mile-long (172 km) Morris Canal across North Jersey On February 15, 1804, New Jersey became the last northern state to abolish new slavery and enacted legislation that slowly phased out existing slavery. This led to a gradual decrease of the slave population. By the American Civil War's end, about a dozen African Americans in New Jersey were still held in bondage.[34] New Jersey voters eventually ratified the constitutional amendments banning slavery and granting rights to the United States' black population. Industrialization accelerated in the northern part of the state following completion of the Morris Canal in 1831. The canal allowed for coal to be brought from eastern Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley to northern New Jersey's growing industries in Paterson, Newark, and Jersey City. In 1844, the second state constitution was ratified and brought into effect. Counties thereby became districts for the state senate, and some realignment of boundaries (including the creation of Mercer County) immediately followed. This provision was retained in the 1947 Constitution, but was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1962, by the decision Baker v. Carr. While the Governorship was stronger than under the 1776 constitution, the constitution of 1844 created many offices that were not responsible to him, or to the people, and it gave him a three-year term, but he could not succeed himself. New Jersey was one of the few Union states (the others being Delaware and Kentucky) to select a candidate other than Abraham Lincoln twice in national elections, and sided with Stephen Douglas (1860) and George B. McClellan (1864) during their campaigns. McClellan, a native Philadelphian, had New Jersey ties and formally resided in New Jersey at the time; he later became Governor of New Jersey (1878–81). (In New Jersey, the factions of the Democratic party managed an effective coalition in 1860.) During the American Civil War, the state was led first by Republican governor Charles Smith Olden, then by Democrat Joel Parker. During the course of the war, between 65,000 and 80,000 soldiers from the state enlisted in the Union army; unlike many states, including some Northern ones, no battle was fought there.[35] In the Industrial Revolution, cities like Paterson grew and prospered. Previously, the economy had been largely agrarian, which was problematically subject to crop failures and poor soil. This caused a shift to a more industrialized economy, one based on manufactured commodities such as textiles and silk. Inventor Thomas Edison also became an important figure of the Industrial Revolution, having been granted 1,093 patents, many of which for inventions he developed while working in New Jersey. Edison's facilities, first at Menlo Park and then in West Orange, are considered perhaps the first research centers in the United States. Christie Street in Menlo Park was the first thoroughfare in the world to have electric lighting. Transportation was greatly improved as locomotion and steamboats were introduced to New Jersey. Iron mining was also a leading industry during the middle to late 19th century. Bog iron pits in the New Jersey Pine Barrens were among the first sources of iron for the new nation.[36] Mines such as Mt. Hope, Mine Hill and the Rockaway Valley Mines created a thriving industry. Mining generated the impetus for new towns and was one of the driving forces behind the need for the Morris Canal. Zinc mines were also a major industry, especially the Sterling Hill Mine. 20th century Main article: New Jersey in the 20th century New Jersey prospered through the Roaring Twenties. The first Miss America Pageant was held in 1921 in Atlantic City; the Holland Tunnel connecting Jersey City to Manhattan opened in 1927; and the first drive-in movie was shown in 1933 in Camden. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the state offered begging licenses to unemployed residents,[37] the zeppelin airship Hindenburg crashed in flames over Lakehurst, and the SS Morro Castle beached itself near Asbury Park after going up in flames while at sea. Through both World Wars, New Jersey was a center for war production, especially naval construction. The Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company yards in Kearny and Newark and the New York Shipbuilding Corporation yard in Camden produced aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers.[38] New Jersey manufactured 6.8 percent of total United States military armaments produced during World War II, ranking fifth among the 48 states.[39] In addition, Fort Dix (1917) (originally called "Camp Dix"),[40] Camp Merritt (1917)[41] and Camp Kilmer (1941)[citation needed] were all constructed to house and train American soldiers through both World Wars. New Jersey also became a principal location for defense in the Cold War. Fourteen Nike missile stations were constructed for the defense of the New York City and Philadelphia areas. PT-109, a motor torpedo boat commanded by Lt. (j.g.) John F. Kennedy in World War II, was built at the Elco Boatworks in Bayonne. The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) was briefly docked at the Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne in the 1950s before she was sent to Kearney to be scrapped.[42] In 1962, the world's first nuclear-powered cargo ship, the NS Savannah, was launched at Camden. In 1951, the New Jersey Turnpike opened, facilitating efficient travel by car and truck between North Jersey and metropolitan New York, and South Jersey and metropolitan Philadelphia.[43] Subsequently in 1957, the Garden State Parkway was completed, serving as a diagonal counterpart to the Turnpike, and opening up highway travel along New Jersey's coastal flank between Bergen County in the northeast and the Cape May County peninsula at the southeastern tip of New Jersey; in doing so, the Jersey Shore became readily accessible to millions of residents in the New York metropolitan area. In 1959, Air Defense Command deployed the CIM-10 Bomarc surface-to-air missile to McGuire Air Force Base. On June 7, 1960, an explosion in a CIM-10 Bomarc missile fuel tank caused an accident and subsequent plutonium contamination.[44] In the 1960s, race riots erupted in many of the industrial cities of North Jersey. The first race riots in New Jersey occurred in Jersey City on August 2, 1964. Several others ensued in 1967, in Newark and Plainfield. Other riots followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968, just as in the rest of the country. A riot occurred in Camden in 1971. As a result of an order from the New Jersey Supreme Court to fund schools equitably, the New Jersey legislature passed an income tax bill in 1976. Prior to this bill, the state had no income tax.[45] 21st century Main article: New Jersey in the 21st century In the early part of the 2000s, two light rail systems were opened: the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail in Hudson County and the River Line between Camden and Trenton. The intent of these projects was to encourage transit-oriented development in North Jersey and South Jersey, respectively. The HBLR in particular was credited with a revitalization of Hudson County and Jersey City in particular.[46][47][48][49] Urban revitalization has continued in North Jersey in the 21st century. In 2014, Jersey City's Census-estimated population was 262,146,[50] with the largest population increase of any municipality in New Jersey since 2010,[51] representing an increase of 5.9% from the 2010 U.S. census, when the city's population was enumerated at 247,597.[52][53] Between 2000 and 2010 Newark experienced its first population increase since the 1950s, and by 2020 had rebounded to 311,549. State symbols of New Jersey List of state symbols Flag of New Jersey Seal of New Jersey Living insignia Bird Eastern goldfinch[55] Fish Brook trout[56] Flower Viola sororia[57] Insect Western honey bee[58] Mammal Horse[54] Tree Quercus rubra (northern red oak),[59] dogwood (memorial tree)[59] Inanimate insignia Color(s) Buff and blue     Folk dance Square dance[60] Food Northern highbush blueberry (state fruit)[61] Fossil Hadrosaurus foulkii[62] Soil Downer[63] State route marker Route marker State quarter New Jersey quarter dollar coin Released in 1999 Lists of United States state symbols Geography MapWikimedia | © OpenStreetMap Interactive map of New Jersey Main articles: Geography of New Jersey and Climate of New Jersey See also: List of counties in New Jersey and Metropolitan Statistical Areas of New Jersey Sunrise on the Jersey Shore at Spring Lake in North Jersey (top) and sunset at Sunset Beach and Cape May County in South Jersey (bottom) Atop the Hudson Palisades in Englewood Cliffs, Bergen County, overlooking the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge, and the skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan, New York City Delaware Water Gap is shared between Warren County and neighboring Pennsylvania. At 69.6 mi (112.0 km) in length, Raritan River is the longest river entirely within New Jersey, flowing from Raritan Valley near Clinton (above), eastward to Raritan Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson was designated a U.S. National Historical Park in 2009. New Jersey is located at the center of the Northeast megalopolis, the most populated American urban agglomeration. It 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(which is New Jersey's only straight border). New Jersey is broadly divided into North, Central, and South geographic regions, although some residents do not consider Central Jersey a region in its own right. Across the regions are five distinct areas divided by natural geography and population concentration. Northeastern New Jersey, often referred to as the Gateway Region, lies closest to Manhattan in New York City, and up to a million residents commute daily into the city for work, many via public transportation.[64] Northwestern New Jersey, often referred to as the Skylands Region, is more wooded, rural, and mountainous. The chief tree of the northern forests is the oak. The Jersey Shore, along the Atlantic Coast in Central and South Jersey, has its own unique natural, residential, and cultural characteristics owing to its location by the ocean. The Delaware Valley includes the southwestern counties of the state, which reside within the Delaware Valley surrounding Philadelphia. The New Jersey Pine Barrens is situated in the southern interior of New Jersey and covered extensively by mixed pine and oak forest; its population density is lower than most of the state. Despite its heavily urban character and a long history of industrialization, forests cover roughly 45 percent of New Jersey's land area, or approximately 2.1 million acres, ranking 31st among the 50 U.S. states and six territories.[65] High Point in Montague Township, Sussex County is the state's highest elevation at 1,803 feet (550 m) above sea level. The state's highest prominence is Kitty Ann Mountain in Morris County, rising 892 feet (272 m). The Palisades are a line of steep cliffs on the west side of the Hudson River in Bergen and Hudson Counties. Major New Jersey rivers include the Hudson, Delaware, Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, Musconetcong, Mullica, Rancocas, Manasquan, Maurice, and Toms rivers. Due to New Jersey's peninsular geography, both sunrise and sunset are visible over water from different points on the Jersey Shore. Prominent geographic features The Jersey Shore extends inland from the Atlantic Ocean into its many inlets, including Manasquan Inlet, looking westward at sunset from the jetty at Manasquan. Meadowlands New Jersey Pine Barrens Delaware Water Gap Great Bay Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Highlands Hudson Palisades Jersey Shore On the shore, New Jersey hosts the highest concentration of oceanside boardwalks in the world. Ramapo Mountain South Mountain Climate There are two climatic conditions in the state. The southernmost edges of the state have a humid subtropical climate, while the rest has a humid continental climate.[66][better source needed] New Jersey receives between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually.[67] Summers are typically hot and humid, with statewide average high temperatures of 82–87 °F (28–31 °C) and lows of 60–69 °F (16–21 °C); however, temperatures exceed 90 °F (32 °C) on average 25 days each summer, exceeding 100 °F (38 °C) in some years. Winters are usually cold, with average high temperatures of 34–43 °F (1–6 °C) and lows of 16 to 28 °F (−9 to −2 °C) for most of the state, but temperatures can, for brief periods, fall below 10 °F (−12 °C) and sometimes rise above 50 °F (10 °C). Northwestern parts of the state have significantly colder winters with sub-0 °F (−18 °C) being an almost annual occurrence. Spring and autumn may feature wide temperature variations, with lower humidity than summer. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone classification ranges from 6 in the northwest of the state, to 7B near Cape May.[68] All-time temperature extremes recorded in New Jersey include 110 °F (43 °C) on July 10, 1936, in Runyon, Middlesex County and −34 °F (−37 °C) on January 5, 1904, in River Vale, Bergen County.[69] Average annual precipitation ranges from 43 to 51 inches (1,100 to 1,300 mm), spread uniformly throughout the year. Average snowfall per winter season ranges 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 often varies considerably 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 experience nor'easters, which are capable of causing blizzards or flooding throughout the northeastern United States. Hurricanes and tropical storms, tornadoes, and earthquakes are rare; the state was impacted by a hurricane in 1903, Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999,[70] and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which made landfall in the state with top winds of 90 mph (145 km/h). Climate change Climate change is affecting New Jersey faster than much of the rest of the United States. Climatologists at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have concluded that New Jersey has been the fastest-warming state by average air temperature over a 100-year period beginning in the early 20th century.[24] Average high and low temperatures in various cities of New Jersey °C (°F)[1] [2] [3] City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Sussex 1/−9 (34/16) 3/−8 (38/18) 8/−4 (47/26) 15/2 (59/36) 21/7 (70/45) 25/12 (78/55) 28/16 (82/60) 27/14 (81/58) 23/10 (73/50) 17/4 (62/38) 11/−1 (51/31) 4/−6 (39/22) Newark 4/−4 (39/24) 6/−3 (42/27) 10/1 (51/34) 17/7 (62/44) 22/12 (72/53) 28/17 (82/63) 30/20 (86/69) 29/20 (84/68) 25/15 (77/60) 18/9 (65/48) 13/4 (55/39) 6/−1 (44/30) Atlantic City 5/−2 (42/29) 6/−1 (44/31) 10/3 (50/37) 14/8 (58/46) 19/13 (67/55) 24/18 (76/64) 27/21 (81/70) 27/21 (80/70) 24/18 (75/64) 18/11 (65/53) 13/6 (56/43) 8/1 (46/34) Cape May 6/−2 (42/28) 7/−2 (44/29) 11/2 (51/35) 16/7 (61/44) 21/12 (70/53) 26/17 (79/63) 29/20 (85/68) 29/19 (83/67) 25/16 (78/61) 19/9 (67/50) 14/4 (57/41) 8/0 (47/32) India Square in the Marion Section of Jersey City is home to the highest concentration of Asian Indians in the Western Hemisphere.[71] Administrative divisions See also: List of counties in New Jersey and List of municipalities in New Jersey The U.S. Census Bureau divides New Jersey's 21 counties into seven metropolitan statistical areas, with 20 counties included in either the New York City or Philadelphia metro areas. Four counties have independent metro areas, and Warren County is part of the Pennsylvania-based Lehigh Valley metro area. Counties by population (2020 census) Bergen County: 955,732 Essex County: 863,728 Middlesex County: 863,162 Hudson County: 724,854 Monmouth County: 643,615 Ocean County: 637,229 Union County: 575,345 Passaic County: 524,118 Camden County: 523,485 Morris County: 509,285 Burlington County: 461,860 Mercer County: 387,340 Somerset County: 345,361 Gloucester County: 302,294 Atlantic County: 274,534 Cumberland County: 154,152 Sussex County: 144,221 Hunterdon County: 128,947 Warren County: 109,632 Cape May County: 95,263 Salem County: 64,837 For its overall population and nation-leading population density, New Jersey has a relative paucity of classic large cities. This paradox is most pronounced in Bergen County, the state's most populous county, whose 955,732 residents at the 2020 census inhabited 70 municipalities, of which the most populous is Hackensack, with 46,030 residents. Many urban areas extend far beyond the limits of a single large city, as New Jersey municipalities tend to be geographically small; three of the four largest cities in New Jersey by population have under 20 square miles (52 km2) of land area, and eight of the top ten, including all the top five, have a land area under 30 square miles (78 km2). As of the 2010 United States census, only four municipalities had over 100,000 residents, although Edison and Woodbridge came very close. Largest municipalities in New Jersey by area  Rank Name Area (sq.mi.) Area (km2) County 1 Galloway Township 115.2 298 Atlantic County 2 Hamilton Township 113.0 293 Atlantic County 3 Washington Township 102.9 267 Burlington County 4 Jackson Township 100.1 259 Ocean County 5 Lacey Township 98.5 255 Ocean County 6 Woodland Township 96.4 250 Burlington County 7 Maurice River Township 95.7 248 Cumberland County 8 Middle Township 83.1 215 Cape May County 9 Manchester Township 82.9 215 Ocean County 10 West Milford 80.4 208 Passaic County 11 Bass River Township 78.2 203 Burlington County 12 Egg Harbor Township 75.0 194 Atlantic County 13 Little Egg Harbor Township 73.2 190 Ocean County 14 Lower Alloways Creek Township 72.6 188 Salem County 15 Vernon Township 70.5 183 Sussex County 16 Upper Township 68.5 177 Cape May County 17 Wantage Township 67.5 175 Sussex County 18 Dennis Township 64.3 167 Cape May County 19 Pemberton Township 62.5 162 Burlington County 20 Howell Township 61.0 158 Monmouth County 21 Middletown Township 59.3 154 Monmouth County 22 Hopewell Township 58.7 152 Mercer County 23 Winslow Township 58.1 150 Camden County 24 Mullica Township 56.9 147 Atlantic County 25 Berkeley Township 55.8 145 Ocean County 26 Hillsborough Township 54.8 142 Somerset County 26 Stafford Township 54.8 142 Ocean County    Largest cities or towns in New Jersey Source:[72] Rank Name County Pop. Newark Newark Jersey City Jersey City 1 Newark Essex 311,549 Paterson Paterson Elizabeth Elizabeth 2 Jersey City Hudson 292,449 3 Paterson Passaic 159,732 4 Elizabeth Union 137,298 5 Lakewood Township Ocean 135,158 6 Edison Middlesex 107,588 7 Woodbridge Township Middlesex 103,639 8 Toms River Ocean 95,438 9 Hamilton Township (Mercer) Mercer 92,297 10 Clifton Passaic 90,296 Demographics Population New Jersey population density as of 2020 Historical population Census Pop. Note %± 1790 184,139 — 1800 211,149 14.7% 1810 245,562 16.3% 1820 277,575 13.0% 1830 320,823 15.6% 1840 373,306 16.4% 1850 489,555 31.1% 1860 672,035 37.3% 1870 906,096 34.8% 1880 1,131,116 24.8% 1890 1,444,933 27.7% 1900 1,883,669 30.4% 1910 2,537,167 34.7% 1920 3,155,900 24.4% 1930 4,041,334 28.1% 1940 4,160,165 2.9% 1950 4,835,329 16.2% 1960 6,066,782 25.5% 1970 7,168,164 18.2% 1980 7,364,823 2.7% 1990 7,730,188 5.0% 2000 8,414,350 8.9% 2010 8,791,894 4.5% 2020 9,288,994 5.7% 2022 (est.) 9,261,699 [73] −0.3% Source: [5][74] Residents of New Jersey are most commonly referred to as New Jerseyans or, less commonly, as New Jerseyites. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the state had a population of 9,288,994, a 5.7% increase since the 2010 U.S. census, which counted 8,791,894 residents.[6] The state ranked eleventh in the country by total population and first in population density, with 1,185 residents per square mile (458 per km2). Historically, New Jersey has experienced one of the fastest growth rates in the country, with its population increasing by double digits almost every decade until 1980; growth has since slowed but remained relatively robust until recently. In 2022, the Census Bureau estimated there were 6,262 fewer residents than in 2020, a decline of 0.3% from 2020, related to the Covid pandemic.[75] New Jersey is the only state where every county is deemed urban as defined by the Census Bureau.[76] Most residents live in the counties surrounding New York City, the nation's largest city, Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-largest city, or along the eastern Jersey Shore; the extreme southern and northwestern counties are relatively less dense overall. New Jersey's center of population is the borough of Milltown in Middlesex County, just east of the New Jersey Turnpike,[77] which is part of the New York metropolitan area and located in the middle of the Northeast megalopolis, with over 50 million residents. As of 2019, New Jersey was the third wealthiest U.S. state by median household income, behind Maryland and Massachusetts;[78] the state's median household income was over $85,000 compared to the national average of roughly $65,000.[79] Conversely, New Jersey's poverty rate of 9.4% was slightly lower than the national average of 11.4%,[79] and the sixth lowest of the fifty states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. This is attributed to several factors, including the state's proximity to the major economic centers of New York City and Philadelphia, its hosting the highest number of millionaires both per capita and per square mile in the U.S., and the fact that it has the most scientists and engineers per square mile in the world.[80][81][82] According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 8,752 homeless people in New Jersey.[83][84] Race and ethnicity Ethnic origins in New Jersey New Jersey is one of the most ethnically diverse states in the nation: as of 2022, over one-fifth of its residents are Hispanic (21.5%) of its residents are Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% are Black, and one-tenth are Asian. One in four New Jerseyans were born abroad and more than one million (12.1%) are not fully fluent in English. Compared to the U.S. as a whole, the state is more racially and ethnically diverse and has a higher proportion of immigrants.[85] Ethnic composition as of the 2020 census  Race and Ethnicity[86] Alone Total White (non-Hispanic) 51.9%   54.5%   Hispanic or Latino[b] — 21.6%   African American (non-Hispanic) 12.4%   13.6%   Asian 10.2%   11.0%   Native American 0.1%   0.7%   Pacific Islander 0.02%   0.1%   Other 0.8%   1.8%   Map of counties in New Jersey by racial plurality, per the 2020 census Legend Historical racial demographics Racial composition 1970[87] 1990[87] 2000[88] 2010[89] White 88.6% 79.3% 72.5% 68.6% Black 10.7% 13.4% 13.6% 13.7% Asian 0.3% 3.5% 5.7% 8.3% Native 0.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander – – – – Other race 0.3% 3.6% 5.4% 6.4% Two or more races – – 2.5% 2.7% Koreatown, Bergen County, across the George Washington Bridge from New York City Metropolitan statistical areas and divisions of New Jersey; those shaded in blue are part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, including Mercer and Warren counties. Counties shaded in green, including Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland counties, belong to the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. New Jersey is home to roughly half a million unauthorized immigrants,[90][91] comprising an estimated 6.2% of the population, which in 2018 was the fifth-highest percentage of any U.S. state.[92] The municipalities of Camden, Jersey City, and Newark are considered sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants.[93] For further information on various ethnoracial groups and neighborhoods prominently featured within New Jersey, see the following articles: History of the Jews in New Jersey Hispanics and Latinos in New Jersey Indians in the New York City metropolitan region Chinese in the New York City metropolitan region List of U.S. cities with significant Korean American populations Filipinos in the New York City metropolitan region Filipinos in New Jersey Russians in the New York City metropolitan region Bergen County Jersey City India Square in Jersey City, home to the highest concentration of Asian Indians in the Western Hemisphere Ironbound, a Portuguese and Brazilian enclave in Newark Five Corners, a Filipino enclave in Jersey City Havana on the Hudson, a Cuban enclave in Hudson County Koreatown, Fort Lee, a Korean enclave in southeast Bergen County Koreatown, Palisades Park, also a Korean enclave in southeast Bergen County Little Bangladesh, a Bangladeshi enclave in Paterson Little India (Edison/Iselin), the largest and most diverse South Asian hub in the United States Little Istanbul, also known as Little Ramallah, a Middle Eastern enclave in Paterson Little Lima, a Peruvian enclave in Paterson New Jersey is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse states in the United States. Nearly one-fourth of New Jerseyans (22.7%) were foreign born, compared to the national average of 13.5%.[79] As of 2011, 56.4% of New Jersey's children under the age of one belonged to racial or ethnic minority groups, meaning that they had at least one parent who was not non-Hispanic white.[94] The 2019 Vintage Year Census estimated that the state's ethnic makeup was as follows: 71.9% White alone, 15.1% Black or African American alone, 10.0% Asian alone, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, and 2.3% Two or more races. Hispanic or Latino accounted for 20.9%, while White alone (non-Hispanic or Latino) accounted for 54.6% of the population.[95] New Jersey hosts some of the nation's largest communities of religious and ethnic minorities in proportional or absolute terms. It has the second-largest Jewish population by percentage (after New York);[96] the largest Muslim population by percentage;[97] the largest population of Peruvians in the U.S.; the largest population of Cubans outside Florida; the third-highest Asian population by percentage; and the second highest Italian population,[17] according to the 2000 Census. African Americans, Hispanics (Puerto Ricans and Dominicans), West Indians, Arabs, and Brazilian and Portuguese Americans are also high in number. Overall, New Jersey has the third-largest Korean population, with Bergen County home to the highest Korean concentration per capita of any U.S. county[98] (6.9% in 2011). New Jersey also has the fourth-largest Filipino population, and fourth-largest Chinese population, per the 2010 U.S. Census. New Jersey has the-third highest Indian population of any state by absolute numbers and the highest by percentage,[99][100][101][102] with India Square in Jersey City, Hudson County[71] hosting the highest concentration of Asian Indians in the Western Hemisphere.[103] A study by the Pew Research Center found that in 2013, New Jersey was the only U.S. state in which immigrants born in India constituted the largest foreign-born nationality, representing roughly 10% of all foreign-born residents in the state.[104] Central New Jersey, particularly Edison and surrounding Middlesex County, has the highest concentration of Indians, at nearly 20% in 2020; Little India is the largest and most diverse South Asian cultural hub in the United States.[105][106][107][108][109] The area includes a sprawling Chinatown and Koreatown running along New Jersey Route 27.[110] Monroe Township in Middlesex County has experienced a particularly rapid growth rate in its Indian American population with an estimated 5,943 (13.6%) as of 2017,[111] which was 23 times the 256 (0.9%) counted at the 2000 Census; Diwali is celebrated by the township as a Hindu holiday. In Middlesex County, election ballots are printed in English, Spanish, Gujarati, Hindi, and Punjabi.[112] Robbinsville, in neighboring Mercer County, hosts the world's largest Hindu temple outside India.[113] Carteret's Punjabi Sikh community, variously estimated at upwards of 3,000, is the largest concentration of Sikhs in the state.[114] Bergen County is home to America's largest Malayali community.[115] from New York City (뉴욕), is a growing hub and home to all of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population,[116] led (above) by Palisades Park (벼랑 공원),[117] the municipality with the highest density of ethnic Koreans in the Western Hemisphere. Displaying ubiquitous Hangul (한글) signage and known as the Korean village,[118] Palisades Park uniquely comprises a Korean majority (52% in 2010) of its population,[119][120] with both the highest Korean-American density and percentage of any municipality in the United States. Birth data Live births by single race/ethnicity of mother  Languages Most common non-English languages spoken in New Jersey Language Percentage of population (as of 2010)[129] Spanish 14.59% Chinese (including Cantonese and Mandarin) 1.23% Italian 1.06% Portuguese 1.06% Filipino 0.96% Korean 0.89% Gujarati 0.83% Polish 0.79% Hindi 0.71% Arabic 0.62% Russian 0.56% As of 2010, 71.31% (5,830,812) of New Jersey residents age 5 and older spoke English at home as a primary language, while 14.59% (1,193,261) spoke Spanish, 1.23% (100,217) Chinese (which includes Cantonese and Mandarin), 1.06% (86,849) Italian, 1.06% (86,486) Portuguese, 0.96% (78,627) Tagalog, and Korean was spoken as a main language by 0.89% (73,057) of the population over the age of five. In total, 28.69% (2,345,644) of New Jersey's population age 5 and older spoke a mother language other than English.[129] A diverse collection of languages has since evolved amongst the state's population, given that New Jersey has become cosmopolitan and is home to ethnic enclaves of non-English-speaking communities:[130][131][132][133] Albanian – Paterson, Garfield Arabic – Paterson, Jersey City Armenian – Bergen County Bengali – Paterson Cantonese Greek Gujarati and Hindi – Jersey City, all of Middlesex County, Cherry Hill, Parsippany, Princeton Hebrew Indonesian – Gloucester City, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties Italian – widespread across the state Japanese – Edgewater and Fort Lee boroughs in Bergen County Kannada Korean – Bergen County (numerous municipalities); Edison; and Cherry Hill Macedonian – Bergen County Malayalam – Bergen County Mandarin Marathi Persian Polish – Bergen County (Garfield, Wallington); Mercer County (Top Road, Lawrence Township, Hopewell); Linden Portuguese – Ironbound section of Newark; Elizabeth Punjabi Russian – Fair Lawn borough of Bergen County, Princeton area and Mercer County Spanish – widespread across the state Tagalog Tamil and Telugu – Edison, Monroe Township (Edison-South), and all of Middlesex County; Fair Lawn, Parsippany Turkish – Little Istanbul section of Paterson, Mount Ephraim (which has a large, vibrant and growing Turkish Community), Delran, Cherry Hill Ukrainian Urdu – Mount Ephraim has a significant number of residents of Pakistani origin. Vietnamese – Atlantic City,[134] Camden/Cherry Hill, Edison Township, Jersey City, Wooodlynne[135] Yiddish – Lakewood Township, Ocean County High-rise residential complexes in the borough of Fort Lee High-rise residential complexes in the borough of Fort Lee   Paterson, sometimes known as Silk City,[136] has become a prime destination for an internationally diverse pool of immigrants,[137][138] with at least 52 distinct ethnic groups.[139] Paterson, sometimes known as Silk City,[136] has become a prime destination for an internationally diverse pool of immigrants,[137][138] with at least 52 distinct ethnic groups.[139]   Skyscrapers in Jersey City, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world[140][141] Skyscrapers in Jersey City, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world[140][141]   Federal Courthouse in Camden, which is connected to Philadelphia via the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the background Federal Courthouse in Camden, which is connected to Philadelphia via the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the background Sexual orientation and gender identity Further information: LGBT culture in New York City and LGBT culture in Philadelphia New Jersey is an LGBTQ+ friendly state, and is now home to more gay villages per square mile than any other U.S. state. Same-sex marriage in New Jersey has been legally recognized since October 21, 2013, the effective date of a trial court ruling invalidating New Jersey's restriction then of marriage to persons of different sexes. In September 2013, Mary C. Jacobson, Assignment Judge of the Mercer Vicinage of the Superior Court, ruled that as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2013 decision in United States v. Windsor, the Constitution of New Jersey requires the state to recognize same-sex marriages.[142] Numerous gayborhoods have emerged in New Jersey, most prominently in Jersey City,[143] Asbury Park, Maplewood,[144] Montclair, and Lambertville. Trenton, the state capital of New Jersey, elected Reed Gusciora, its first openly gay mayor, in 2018,[145] and Jennifer Williams, New Jersey's first openly transgender city councilmember, in 2022.[146] In June 2018, Maplewood, Essex County unveiled permanent rainbow-colored crosswalks to celebrate LGBTQ pride, a feature displayed by only a few other towns in the world,[147] including Rahway, Union County, which unveiled its own rainbow-colored crosswalks in June 2019.[148] In January 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation mandating LGBTQ+ inclusive educational curriculum in schools.[149] In February 2019, New Jersey began allowing a neutral or non-binary gender choice on birth certificates.[150] Religion Religion in New Jersey (2014)[151] Religion Percent Catholic   34% Protestant   31% Unaffiliated   18% Jewish   6% Hindu   3% Muslim   3% Mormon   1% Eastern Orthodox   1% Jehovah's Witness   1% Buddhist or other faith   2% Don't know   1% See also: Category:Religion in New Jersey By number of adherents, the largest religious traditions in New Jersey, according to the 2010 Association of Religion Data Archives, were the Roman Catholic Church with 3,235,290; Islam with 160,666; and the United Methodist Church with 138,052.[152] The world's largest Hindu temple is in Robbinsville, Mercer County.[113] In September 2021, the State of New Jersey aligned with the World Hindu Council to declare October Hindu Heritage Month. In January 2018, Gurbir Grewal became the first Sikh American and Indian American and serve as state attorney general in the United States.[153] In January 2019, Sadaf Jaffer of Montgomery became the first female Muslim American mayor, first female South Asian mayor, and first female Pakistani-American mayor in the U.S.[154] Large numbers of Orthodox Jews are now migrating to New Jersey from New York, due to the latter's higher cost of living.[155] Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, the fifth-largest cathedral in North America, is the seat of the city's Roman Catholic Archdiocese. Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, the fifth-largest cathedral in North America, is the seat of the city's Roman Catholic Archdiocese.   Beth Medrash Govoha (Hebrew:בית מדרש גבוה), in Lakewood, Ocean County, the world's largest Jewish yeshiva outside Israel. New Jersey is home to the second-highest Jewish American population per capita, after New York, and the fastest-growing Orthodox Jewish population.[156][157] Beth Medrash Govoha (Hebrew:בית מדרש גבוה), in Lakewood, Ocean County, the world's largest Jewish yeshiva outside Israel. New Jersey is home to the second-highest Jewish American population per capita, after New York, and the fastest-growing Orthodox Jewish population.[156][157]   Swaminarayan Akshardham (Devnagari) in Robbinsville, Mercer County, inaugurated in 2014 as the world's largest Hindu temple.[158] New Jersey is home to the highest concentration of Hindus (3%) in the U.S. Swaminarayan Akshardham (Devnagari) in Robbinsville, Mercer County, inaugurated in 2014 as the world's largest Hindu temple.[158] New Jersey is home to the highest concentration of Hindus (3%) in the U.S.   Islamic Center of Passaic County, Paterson, Passaic County, was founded in 1990. New Jersey is home to one of the highest Muslim population concentrations in the Western hemisphere (3.5%), and Paterson, which houses the Islamic Center of Passaic County, is the epicenter of New Jersey's Muslim community, leading South Paterson to be nicknamed Little Istanbul and Little Ramallah.[159] Islamic Center of Passaic County, Paterson, Passaic County, was founded in 1990. New Jersey is home to one of the highest Muslim population concentrations in the Western hemisphere (3.5%), and Paterson, which houses the Islamic Center of Passaic County, is the epicenter of New Jersey's Muslim community, leading South Paterson to be nicknamed Little Istanbul and Little Ramallah.[159]   So Shim Sa Zen Center in Middlesex County, serving New Jersey's growing Buddhist community So Shim Sa Zen Center in Middlesex County, serving New Jersey's growing Buddhist community Economy See also: New Jersey locations by per capita income Employment by industries in New Jersey The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Jersey's gross state product in the third quarter of 2022 was $753 billion.[160] Affluence A heat map showing median income distribution in New Jersey by county New Jersey's per capita gross state product routinely ranks as one of the highest in the United States. In 2020, New Jersey had the highest number of millionaires both per capita and per square mile in the United States, approximately 9.76% of households.[19] The state is ranked second in the nation by the number of places with per capita incomes above national average with 76.4%. Nine of New Jersey's counties are among the 100 wealthiest U.S. counties. Fiscal policy New Jersey has seven tax brackets that determine state income tax rates, which range from 1.4% (for income below $20,000) to 8.97% (for income above $500,000).[161] The standard sales tax rate as of January 1, 2018, is 6.625%, applicable to all retail sales unless specifically exempt by law. This rate, which is comparably lower than that of New York City, often attracts numerous shoppers from New York City, often to suburban Paramus, New Jersey, which has five malls, one of which (the Garden State Plaza) has over 2 million square feet (200,000 m2) of retail space. Tax exemptions include most food items for at-home preparation, medications, most clothing, footwear and disposable paper products for use in the home.[162] There are 27 Urban Enterprise Zone statewide, including sections of Paterson, Elizabeth, and Jersey City. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate (half the rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants.[163][164][165] New Jersey has the highest cumulative tax rate of all 50 states with residents paying a total of $68 billion in state and local taxes annually with a per capita burden of $7,816 at a rate of 12.9% of income.[166] All real property located in the state is subject to property tax unless specifically exempted by statute. New Jersey does not assess an intangible personal property tax or an estate tax, but it does impose an inheritance tax (which is levied only on heirs who are not direct descendants).[167] In 2023, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law a new tax-relief program known as StayNJ that will provide for an annual property-tax cut of 50% for those aged 65 and over with incomes below $500,000; the cut will go into effect in January 2026 and be capped at $6,500, but with this cap rising as indexed to the increase in New Jersey's overall property taxes.[168][169] Federal taxation disparity New Jersey consistently ranks as having one of the highest proportional levels of disparity of any state in the United States, based upon what it receives from the federal government relative to what it gives. In 2015, WalletHub ranked New Jersey the state least dependent upon federal government aid overall and having the fourth lowest return on taxpayer investment from the federal government, at 48 cents per dollar.[170] New Jersey has one of the highest tax burdens in the nation.[171] Factors for this include the large federal tax liability which is not adjusted for New Jersey's higher cost of living and Medicaid funding formulas. Industries Further information: Biotech and pharmaceutical companies in New Jersey Cranberry harvest New Jersey’s economy is multifaceted, featuring high levels of both productivity and retail consumption; the Garden State’s economy comprises the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, information technology, the financial industry, tourism, filmmaking, telecommunications, gambling, food processing, electrical equipment manufacturing, printing, and publishing. New Jersey's agricultural outputs are nursery stock, horses, vegetables, fruits and nuts, seafood, and dairy products.[172] New Jersey ranks second among states in blueberry production, third in cranberries and spinach, and fourth in bell peppers, peaches, and head lettuce.[173] The state harvests the fourth-largest number of acres planted with asparagus.[174] South Jersey has become an East Coast epicenter for logistics and warehouse construction.[175] Scientific economy New Jersey has a strong scientific economy and is home to major pharmaceutical and telecommunications firms, drawing on the state's large and well-educated labor pool, including one of the highest concentrations of engineers and other scientists in the world. There is also a robust service economy in retail sales, education, and real estate, serving residents who work in New York City or Philadelphia. Thomas Edison invented the first electric light bulb at his home in Menlo Park, Edison in 1879. New Jersey is also a key participant in the renewable wind industry. New Jersey has more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere in the world,[176] and is a global leader in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, life sciences, and technology.[177][178] Corporate and retail New Jersey hosts numerous business headquarters, including twenty-four Fortune 500 companies.[179] Paramus in Bergen County has become the top retail ZIP code (07652) in the United States, with the municipality generating over US$6 billion in annual retail sales.[180] Several New Jersey counties, including Somerset (7), Morris (10), Hunterdon (13), Bergen (21), and Monmouth (42), have been ranked among the highest-income counties in the United States. Shipping, manufacturing, and logistics Shipping is a key industry in New Jersey because of the state's strategic geographic location, the Port of New York and New Jersey being the busiest port on the East Coast. The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal was the world's first container port and today is one of the world's largest. New Jersey's location at the center of the Eastern North American population belt has made the state a prime hub for the logistics, warehousing, and supply chain management industries. The manufacturing economy in New Jersey had declined for several decades in the post-Industrial Revolution era but has since resumed growth. Tourism Atlantic City is an oceanfront resort and the nexus of New Jersey's gambling industry. New Jersey's location at the center of the Northeast megalopolis and its extensive transportation system have put over one-third of all United States residents and many Canadian residents within overnight distance by land. This accessibility to consumer revenue has enabled seaside resorts such as Atlantic City and the remainder of the Jersey Shore, as well as the state's other natural and cultural attractions, to contribute significantly to the record 111 million tourist visits to New Jersey in 2018, providing US$44.7 billion in tourism revenue, directly supporting 333,860 jobs, sustaining more than 531,000 jobs overall including peripheral impacts, and generating US$5 billion in state and local tax revenue.[181] Gambling Main article: Gambling in New Jersey In 1976, a referendum by Jersey voters approved casino gambling in Atlantic City, where the first legalized casino opened in 1978.[182] At that time, Las Vegas was the only other casino resort in the country.[183] Today, several casinos lie along the Atlantic City Boardwalk, the oldest and longest boardwalk in the world, at 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) in length.[184] Atlantic City experienced a dramatic contraction in its stature as a gambling destination after 2010, including the closure of multiple casinos since 2014, spurred by competition from the advent of legalized gambling in other northeastern U.S. states.[185][186] On February 26, 2013, Governor Chris Christie signed online gambling into law.[187] Sports betting has become a growing source of gambling revenue in New Jersey since being legalized across the nation by the U.S. Supreme Court on May 14, 2018.[188] As of May 2022, New Jersey posted the second-highest sports-betting handle wagered of all U.S. states, after New York.[189] In September 2022, the lifetime revenue from online casinos operating in New Jersey for the nine years since the industry’s launch had surpassed $5 billion.[190] Media New Jersey's telephone area codes Television and film production Main article: Television and film of New Jersey New Jersey is a growing center for filmmaking and television production,[191] with media companies, enticed by its proximity to Manhattan, in conjunction with tax incentives, collectively spending billions of dollars to develop large new studio facilities and sound stage complexes.[192] Motion picture technology was developed by Thomas Edison, with much of his early work done at his West Orange laboratory. Edison's Black Maria was the first motion picture studio. America's first motion picture industry started in 1907 in Fort Lee and the first studio was constructed there in 1909.[193] DuMont Laboratories in Passaic developed early sets and made the first broadcast to the private home. A number of television shows and films have been filmed in New Jersey. Since 1978, the state has maintained a Motion Picture and Television Commission to encourage filming in-state.[194] New Jersey has long offered tax credits to television producers. Governor Chris Christie suspended the credits in 2010, but the New Jersey State Legislature in 2011 approved the restoration and expansion of the tax credit program. Under bills passed by both the state Senate and Assembly, the program offers 20 percent tax credits (22% in urban enterprise zones) to television and film productions that shoot in the state and meet set standards for hiring and local spending.[195] When Governor Phil Murphy took office, he instated the New Jersey Film & Digital Media Tax Credit Program in 2018 and expanded it in 2020. The benefits include a 30% tax credit on film projects and a 40% subsidy for studio developments.[196] Newspapers Asbury Park Press Burlington County Times Courier News Courier-Post Daily Record (Morristown)[197] The Express-Times Gloucester County Times Herald News Home News Tribune Hunterdon County Democrat Jersey Journal New Jersey Herald[198] The News of Cumberland County The Press of Atlantic City The Record[199] South Jersey Times The Star-Ledger The Times (Trenton) Today's Sunbeam Trentonian (Mercer) Radio stations Main article: List of radio stations in New Jersey Television stations New Jersey has several PBS affiliates: WNET (13) in Newark, WNJN (50) in Montclair, WNJB (58) in New Brunswick, WNJS (23) in Camden and WNJT (52) in Trenton. There are no standard commercial network affiliates in the state. WMGM-TV (Wildwood) lost its affiliation with NBC in 2014. Viewers in northern New Jersey receive New York City market stations over cable or over the air; southern New Jersey viewers receive Philadelphia market stations over cable or over the air. WMGM now affiliates with the True Crime Network. WJLP (Middletown) affiliates with the retro network MeTV. There are Telemundo affiliates in Fort Lee, Linden and Mount Laurel, and Univision affiliates in Paterson and Vineland. Finance as Wall Street West The Downtown Jersey City waterfront skyline is dubbed Wall Street West.[200] Jersey City's Hudson River waterfront, from Exchange Place to Newport, is known as Wall Street West[200] and has over 13 million square feet of Class A office space. One third of the private sector jobs in the city are in the financial services sector: more than 60% are in the securities industry, 20% are in banking and 8% in insurance.[201] Jersey City is home to the headquarters of Verisk Analytics and Lord Abbett,[202] a privately held money management firm.[203] Companies such as Computershare, ADP, IPC Systems, and Fidelity Investments also conduct operations in the city.[204] In 2014, Forbes magazine moved its headquarters to the district, having been awarded a $27 million tax grant in exchange for bringing 350 jobs to the city over a ten-year period.[205] By the early 2020s, the construction of residential skyscrapers Downtown made median rental rates in Jersey City amongst the highest of any city in the United States.[206] Natural resources and energy See also: List of power stations in New Jersey Limited mining activity of zinc, iron, and manganese still takes place in the area in and around the Franklin Furnace in Sussex County. Although New Jersey is home to many energy-intensive industries, its energy consumption is only 2.7% of the U.S. total, and its carbon dioxide emissions are 0.8% of the U.S. total. New Jersey's electricity comes primarily from natural gas and nuclear power.[207] New Jersey is seventh in the nation in solar power installations,[208] enabled by one of the country's most favorable net metering policies and renewable portfolio standard. The state has more than 140,000 solar installations.[209] Education See also: New Jersey Department of Education, Post-secondary education in New Jersey, Primary education in the United States, Secondary education in the United States, Higher education in the United States, and Education in the United States Old Queens at Rutgers University, the largest state university system in New Jersey Nassau Hall at Princeton University, an Ivy League university and one of the world's most prominent research institutions,[210] served briefly as the U.S. Capitol in the 18th century. As of the 2020-2021 school year, there were 686 operating districts in the state. Of these, 599 were traditional public school districts and 87 were charter school districts.[211][212] The NJDOE reported a total district enrollment of 1,362,400 students, the lowest total enrollment since the early 2000s, though these figures don't consider homeschooled students or those attending out-of-state schools.[213] New Jersey public schools emphasize STEM subjects, and New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else in the world.[80][214] Secretary of Education Rick Rosenberg, appointed by Governor Jon Corzine, created the Education Advancement Initiative (EAI) to increase college admission rates by 10% for New Jersey's high school students, decrease dropout rates by 15%, and increase the amount of money devoted to schools by 10%. Rosenberg retracted this plan when criticized for taking the money out of healthcare to fund this initiative. Educational standards New Jersey is known for the quality of its education. In 2015, the state spent more per each public school student than any other U.S. state except New York, Alaska, and Connecticut, amounting to $18,235 spent per pupil; over 50% of the expenditure was allocated to student instruction.[215] According to 2011 Newsweek statistics, students of High Technology High School in Lincroft, Monmouth County and Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, Bergen County registered average SAT scores of 2145 and 2100, respectively,[216] representing the second- and fourth-highest scores, respectively, of all listed U.S. high schools.[216] Princeton University in Princeton, Mercer County, one of the world's most prominent research universities, is often featured at or near the top of various national and global university rankings, topping the 2023 list, alongside those of several previous consecutive years, from U.S. News & World Report.[217] In 2013, Rutgers University, headquartered in New Brunswick, Middlesex County as the flagship institution of higher education in New Jersey, regained medical and dental schools,[218] augmenting its profile as a national research university as well.[219] In 2014, New Jersey's school systems were ranked at the top of all fifty U.S. states by financial website Wallethub.com.[220] In 2018, New Jersey's overall educational system was ranked second among all states to Massachusetts by U.S. News & World Report.[23] In both 2019 and 2020, Education Week also ranked New Jersey public schools the best of all U.S. states.[20][21] Nine New Jersey high schools were ranked among the top 25 in the U.S. on the Newsweek "America's Top High Schools 2016" list, more than from any other state.[221] A 2017 UCLA Civil Rights project found that New Jersey has the sixth-most segregated classrooms in the United States.[222] Transportation Main article: Transportation in New Jersey New Jersey's population density and location at the geographic center of the Northeast Megalopolis have rendered it a vital transportation for hub for both passengers and industry. Roadways See also: List of New Jersey State Highways Map of New Jersey's major transportation networks and cities George Washington Bridge, connecting Fort Lee (foreground) in Bergen County across the Hudson River to New York City, is the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge.[223][224] The New Jersey Turnpike is one of the most prominent and heavily trafficked roadways in the United States. This toll road, which overlaps with Interstate 95 for much of its length, carries traffic between Delaware and New York, and up and down the East Coast in general. Commonly referred to as simply "the Turnpike", it is known for its numerous rest areas named after prominent New Jerseyans. The Garden State Parkway, or simply "the Parkway", carries relatively more in-state traffic than interstate traffic and runs from New Jersey's northern border to its southernmost tip at Cape May. It is the main route that connects the New York metropolitan area to the Jersey Shore. With a total of fifteen travel and six shoulder lanes, the Driscoll Bridge on the Parkway, spanning the Raritan River in Middlesex County, is the widest motor vehicle bridge in the world by number of lanes as well as one of the busiest.[225] New Jersey is connected to New York City via various key bridges and tunnels. The double-decked George Washington Bridge carries the heaviest load of motor vehicle traffic of any bridge in the world, at 102 million vehicles per year, across fourteen lanes.[223][224] It connects Fort Lee, New Jersey to the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, and carries Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 across the Hudson River. The Lincoln Tunnel connects to Midtown Manhattan carrying New Jersey Route 495, and the Holland Tunnel connects to Lower Manhattan carrying Interstate 78. New Jersey is also connected to Staten Island by three bridges—from north to south, the Bayonne Bridge, the Goethals Bridge, and the Outerbridge Crossing. New Jersey has interstate compacts with all three of its neighboring states. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Delaware River Port Authority (with Pennsylvania), the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (with Pennsylvania), and the Delaware River and Bay Authority (with Delaware) operate most of the major transportation routes in and out of the state. Bridge tolls are collected only from traffic exiting the state, with the exception of the private Dingman's Ferry Bridge over the Delaware River, which charges a toll in both directions. It is unlawful for a customer to serve themselves gasoline in New Jersey. It became the last remaining U.S. state where all gas stations are required to sell full-service gasoline to customers at all times in 2016, after Oregon's introduction of restricted self-service gasoline availability took effect.[226] Airports A NJ Transit train on the Northeast Corridor in Rahway Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is one of the busiest airports in the United States. Operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, it is one of the three main airports serving the New York metropolitan area, along with John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, which are both in Queens, New York. United Airlines is the airport's largest tenant, operating an entire terminal (Terminal C) there, which it uses as one of its primary hubs. FedEx Express operates a large cargo terminal at EWR as well. The adjacent Newark Airport railroad station provides access to Amtrak and NJ Transit trains along the Northeast Corridor Line. Two smaller commercial airports, Atlantic City International Airport and rapidly growing Trenton-Mercer Airport, also operate in other parts of the state. Teterboro Airport in Bergen County and Millville Municipal Airport in Cumberland County are general aviation airports popular with private and corporate aircraft due to their proximity to New York City and the Jersey Shore, respectively. Rail and bus Main article: NJ Transit Further information: New Jersey Transit Bus Operations, New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, Port Authority Trans-Hudson, PATCO Speedline, and List of New Jersey railroads Two Hudson–Bergen Light Rail trains in Jersey City Cape May–Lewes Ferry connects New Jersey and Delaware across Delaware Bay. NJ Transit operates extensive rail and bus service throughout the state. A state-run corporation, it began with the consolidation of several private bus companies in North Jersey in 1979. In the early 1980s, it acquired Conrail's commuter train operations that connected suburban towns to New York City. NJ Transit has eleven commuter rail lines that run through different parts of the state. Most of the lines end at either Penn Station in New York City or Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, although some lines serve service to both terminal stations. One line provides service between Atlantic City and Philadelphia. NJ Transit also operates three light rail systems in the state. The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail connects Bayonne to North Bergen, through Hoboken and Jersey City. The Newark Light Rail is partially underground, and connects downtown Newark with other parts of the city and its suburbs, Belleville and Bloomfield. The River Line connects Trenton, and Camden. The PATH is a rapid transit system consisting of four lines operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It links Hoboken, Jersey City, Harrison, and Newark with New York City. The PATCO Speedline is a rapid transit system that links Camden County to Philadelphia. Both the PATCO and the PATH are two of only five rapid transit systems in the United States to operate 24 hours a day. Amtrak operates numerous long-distance passenger trains in New Jersey, both to and from neighboring states and around the country. In addition to the Newark Airport connection, other major Amtrak railway stations include Trenton Transit Center, Metropark, and the historic Newark Penn Station. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA, has two commuter rail lines that operate into New Jersey. The Trenton Line terminates at the Trenton Transit Center, and the West Trenton Line terminates at the West Trenton Rail Station in Ewing. AirTrain Newark is a monorail connecting the Amtrak/NJ Transit station on the Northeast Corridor to the airport's terminals and parking lots. Some private bus carriers still remain in New Jersey. Most of these carriers operate with state funding to offset losses and state owned buses are provided to these carriers, of which Coach USA companies make up the bulk. Other carriers include private charter and tour bus operators that take gamblers from other parts of New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia, and Delaware to the casino resorts of Atlantic City. Ferries New York Waterway has ferry terminals at Belford, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, and Edgewater, with service to different parts of Manhattan. Liberty Water Taxi in Jersey City has ferries from Paulus Hook and Liberty State Park to Battery Park City in Manhattan. Statue Cruises offers service from Liberty State Park to the Statue of Liberty National Monument, including Ellis Island. SeaStreak offers services from the Raritan Bayshore to Manhattan, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. The Delaware River and Bay Authority operates the Cape May–Lewes Ferry on Delaware Bay, carrying both passengers and vehicles between New Jersey and Delaware as part of US 9. The agency also operates the Forts Ferry Crossing for passengers across the Delaware River. The Delaware River Port Authority operates the RiverLink Ferry between the Camden waterfront and Penn's Landing in Philadelphia. Culture New Brunswick, nicknamed the Hub city and the Healthcare City, is a focus city for academia, healthcare, and culture in New Jersey. A 1950s-style diner in Orange General New Jersey has continued to play a prominent role as a U.S. cultural nexus. Like every state, New Jersey has its own cuisine, religious communities, museums, and halls of fame. New Jersey is the birthplace of many modern inventions, including FM radio, the motion picture camera, the lithium battery, the light bulb, transistors, and the electric train. Other New Jersey creations include: the drive-in movie, the cultivated blueberry, cranberry sauce, the postcard, the boardwalk, the zipper, the phonograph, saltwater taffy, the dirigible, the seedless watermelon,[227] the first use of a submarine in warfare, and the ice cream cone.[228] Diners are iconic to New Jersey. The state is home to many diner manufacturers and has over 600 diners, more than any other place in the world.[229] New Jersey is the only state without a state song.[230] I'm From New Jersey is incorrectly listed on many websites as being the New Jersey state song, but it was not even a contender when the New Jersey Arts Council submitted their suggestions to the New Jersey Legislature in 1996.[231] New Jersey is frequently the target of jokes in American culture,[232] especially from New York City-based television shows, such as Saturday Night Live.[233] Academic Michael Aaron Rockland attributes this to New Yorkers' view that New Jersey is the beginning of Middle America. The New Jersey Turnpike, which runs between two major East Coast cities, New York City and Philadelphia, is also cited as a reason, as people who traverse through the state may only see its industrial zones.[234] Reality television shows like Jersey Shore and The Real Housewives of New Jersey have reinforced stereotypical views of New Jersey culture,[235] but Rockland cited The Sopranos and the music of Bruce Springsteen as exporting a more positive image.[234] Cuisine Main article: Cuisine of New Jersey New Jersey is known for several foods developed within the region, including Taylor Ham (also known as pork roll), sloppy joe sandwiches, tomato pies, salt water taffy, and Texas wieners. New York City cuisine has an influence on North Jersey's cuisine, and in Philadelphia cuisine influences South Jersey. New Jersey third-largest industry is food and agriculture just behind pharmaceuticals and tourism. New Jersey is one of the top 10 producers of blueberries, cranberries, peaches, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, apples, spinach, squash, and asparagus in the United States. Many restaurants in the state get locally grown ingredients because of this.[236] Campbell's Soup Company has been headquartered in Camden since 1869.[237] Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, operates a corporate headquarters in Jersey City.[238] Mars Wrigley Confectionery's US headquarters is based in Hackettstown and Newark since 2007.[239] Several states with substantial Italian American populations take credit for the development of submarine sandwiches, including New Jersey.[240] Music Main article: Music of New Jersey New Jersey has long been an important origin for both rock and rap music. Prominent musicians from or with significant connections to New Jersey include: Singer Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken. He sang with a neighborhood vocal group, the Hoboken Four, and appeared in neighborhood theater amateur shows before he became an Academy Award-winning actor. Bruce Springsteen, who has sung of New Jersey life on most of his albums, is from Freehold. Some of his songs that represent New Jersey life are "Born to Run", "Spirit in the Night", "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", "Thunder Road", "Atlantic City", and "Jungleland". Irvington's Queen Latifah was one of the first female rappers to succeed in music, film, and television.[241] Southside Johnny, eponymous leader of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes was raised in Ocean Grove. He is considered the "Grandfather of the New Jersey Sound"[242] and is cited by Jersey-born Jon Bon Jovi as his reason for singing.[243] Jon Bon Jovi, from Sayreville, reached fame in the 1980s with hard rock outfit Bon Jovi. The band has also written many songs about life in New Jersey, including "Livin' On A Prayer",[244] and named one of their albums after the state. In 1964, the Isley Brothers founded the record label T-Neck Records, named after Teaneck, their home at the time.[245] The Broadway musical Jersey Boys is based on the lives of the members of the Four Seasons, three of whose members were born in New Jersey (Tommy DeVito, Frankie Valli, and Nick Massi) while a fourth, Bob Gaudio, was born out of state but raised in Bergenfield.[246] Sports Main article: Sports in New Jersey MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, one of only two NFL stadiums shared by two teams, is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets. New Jersey currently has six teams from major professional sports leagues playing in the state, although one Major League Soccer team and two National Football League teams identify themselves as being from the New York metropolitan area. Professional sports Prudential Center in Newark, home of the NHL's New Jersey Devils The National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils, based in Newark at the Prudential Center, is the only major league sports franchise to bear the state's name. Founded in 1974 in Kansas City, Missouri, as the Kansas City Scouts, the team played in Denver, Colorado, as the Colorado Rockies from 1976 until the spring of 1982 when naval architect, businessman, and Jersey City native John J. McMullen purchased, renamed, and moved the franchise to Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford's Meadowlands Sports Complex. While the team was poor to mediocre in Kansas City, Denver, and its first years in New Jersey, qualifying for the playoffs once in the 13 seasons from 1974 to 1987, the Devils ultimately established themselves in late 1980s and early 1990s during the tenure of Hall of Fame president and general manager Lou Lamoriello. As of 2023, the Devils have appeared in 23 postseasons in 40 seasons in New Jersey, reaching five Stanley Cup Finals (most recently in 2012) and winning it in 1995, 2000, and 2003. The organization is the youngest of the nine “Big Four” major league teams based in New York metropolitan area, ultimately establishing a following throughout the northern and central portions of the state and carving a place in a media market once dominated by the New York Rangers and Islanders which has the distinction of being the only metropolitan area in the country with three major league professional sports teams participating in the same sport. In 2018, the Philadelphia Flyers renovated and expanded their training facility, the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone, in Voorhees Township in the southern portion of the state.[247] The New York metropolitan area’s two National Football League teams, the New York Giants and the New York Jets, play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford's Meadowlands Sports Complex.[248] Built for about $1.6 billion,[249] the venue is the most expensive stadium ever built.[250] On February 2, 2014, MetLife Stadium hosted Super Bowl XLVIII. The New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer play in Red Bull Arena, a soccer-specific stadium in Harrison across the Passaic River from downtown Newark. On July 27, 2011, Red Bull Arena hosted the 2011 MLS All-Star Game.[251] New Jersey hosted matches during the 1994 FIFA World Cup at Giants Stadium and will be one of 16 cities to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, at MetLife Stadium.[252] From 1977 to 2012, New Jersey had a National Basketball Association team, the New Jersey Nets. WNBA's New York Liberty played in New Jersey from 2011 to 2013 while their primary home arena, Madison Square Garden was undergoing renovations.[253] In 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA opened their new headquarters and training facility, the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex, in Camden.[254] The Meadowlands Sports Complex is home to the Meadowlands Racetrack, one of three major harness racing tracks in the state. The Meadowlands Racetrack and Freehold Raceway in Freehold are two of the major harness racing tracks in North America. Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport is a popular spot for thoroughbred racing in New Jersey and the northeast. It hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2007, and its turf course was renovated in preparation. Major league sports Club Sport League Stadium (capacity) Established Titles New Jersey Devils Ice hockey NHL Prudential Center (16,514) 1974 3 Metropolitan Riveters NWHL American Dream Meadowlands Ice Rink (1,000) 2015 1 NJ/NY Gotham FC Soccer NWSL Red Bull Arena (25,000) 2007 1 New York Giants Football NFL MetLife Stadium (82,500) 1925 8 New York Jets 1959 1 New York Red Bulls Soccer MLS Red Bull Arena (25,000) 1994 0 Minor league sports Club Sport League Stadium (capacity) Established Titles Somerset Patriots Baseball MiLB (Eastern League) TD Bank Ballpark (6,100) 1997 7 Jersey Shore BlueClaws MiLB (South Atlantic League) ShoreTown Ballpark (6,588 ) 1987 3 Trenton Thunder MLB Draft League Trenton Thunder Ballpark (6,440) 1980 5 New Jersey Jackals Frontier League Hinchliffe Stadium (10,000) 1998 6 Sussex County Miners Skylands Stadium (4,200) 2015 1 New York Red Bulls II Soccer USL Championship MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field (5,000) 2015 1 College sports See also: List of college athletic programs in New Jersey Major schools New Jerseyans' collegiate allegiances are predominantly split among the three major NCAA Division I programs in the state: the Rutgers University (New Jersey's flagship state university) Scarlet Knights, members of the Big Ten Conference; the Seton Hall University (the state's largest Catholic university) Pirates, members of the Big East Conference; and the Princeton University (the state's Ivy League university) Tigers. The intense rivalry between Rutgers and Princeton athletics began with the first intercollegiate football game in 1869. The schools have not met on the football field since 1980, but they continue to play each other annually in all other sports offered by the two universities. Rutgers, which fields 24 teams in various sports, is nationally known for its football program, with a 6–4 all-time bowl record; and its women's basketball programs, which appeared in a National Final in 2007. In 2008 and 2009, Rutgers expanded their football home, Rutgers Stadium, now called SHI Stadium, on the Busch Campus. The basketball teams play at the Rutgers Athletic Center on Livingston Campus. Both venues and campuses are in Piscataway, across the Raritan River from New Brunswick. The university also fields men's basketball and baseball programs. Rutgers' fans live mostly in the western parts of the state and Middlesex County; its alumni base is the largest in the state. Rutgers' satellite campuses in Camden and Newark each field their own athletic programs—the Rutgers–Camden Scarlet Raptors and the Rutgers–Newark Scarlet Raiders—which both compete in NCAA Division III. Seton Hall fields no football team, but its men's basketball team is one of the Big East's storied programs. No New Jersey team has won more games in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, and it is the state's only men's basketball program to reach a modern National Final. The Pirates play their home games at Prudential Center in downtown Newark, about 4 miles (6 km) from the university's South Orange campus. Their fans hail largely from the predominantly Roman Catholic areas of the northern part of the state and the Jersey Shore. The annual inter-conference rivalry game between Seton Hall and Rutgers, whose venue alternates between Newark and Piscataway, the Garden State Hardwood Classic, is planned through 2026.[255] Other schools The state's other Division I schools include the Monmouth University Hawks (West Long Branch), the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Highlanders (Newark), the Rider University Broncs (Lawrenceville), and the Saint Peter's University Peacocks and Peahens (Jersey City). Fairleigh Dickinson University competes in both Division I and Division III. It has two campuses, each with its own sports teams. The teams at the Metropolitan Campus are known as the FDU Knights, and compete in the Northeast Conference and NCAA Division I. The college at Florham (FDU-Florham) teams are known as the FDU-Florham Devils and compete in the Middle Atlantic Conferences' Freedom Conference and NCAA Division III. Among the various Division III schools in the state, the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks have fielded the longest continuously running collegiate men's lacrosse program in the country. 2009 marked the 125th season. High school New Jersey high schools are divided into divisions under the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[256]'[257] Stadiums and arenas Venue City Capacity Type Tenants Opened SHI Stadium Piscataway 52,454 Stadium Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1994 Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton 6,854 Arena Princeton Tigers 1969 Rutgers Athletic Center Piscataway 8,000 Arena Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1977 MetLife Stadium East Rutherford 82,500 Stadium New York Giants, New York Jets 2010 Princeton Stadium Princeton 27,800 Stadium Princeton Tigers 1998 Prudential Center Newark 18,711 Arena New Jersey Devils, Seton Hall Pirates 2007 Red Bull Arena Harrison 25,189 Stadium New York Red Bulls 2010 Other notable sports venues Old Bridge Township Raceway Park Trenton Speedway Atlantic City Race Course Freehold Raceway Garden State Park Racetrack Monmouth Park Racetrack Meadowlands Sports Complex Meadowlands Arena Meadowlands Racetrack Meadowlands Grand Prix Government and politics Main article: Government of New Jersey Executive Further information: Governor of New Jersey and Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy (D) 56th Governor since January 16, 2018 The position of Governor of New Jersey is one of the most powerful in the nation. The governor is elected on a ticket with their lieutenant governor as the only statewide elected executive officials in the state; the governor appoints the entire executive cabinet and judges of the Supreme and Superior Courts. Phil Murphy (D) is the governor. The governor's mansion is Drumthwacket, located in Princeton. Before 2010, New Jersey was one of the few states without a lieutenant governor. Republican Kim Guadagno was elected the first lieutenant governor of New Jersey on the Republican ticket with Governor Chris Christie and took office on January 19, 2010. The position was created as the result of a Constitutional amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution passed by the voters in 2005. Previously a gubernatorial vacancy would be filled by the president of the New Jersey State Senate as acting governor, thus directing half of the legislative and all of the executive process. Legislative Main article: New Jersey Legislature The design of the dome-capped New Jersey State House in Trenton differs from most other U.S. state houses in not resembling the U.S. Capitol. The current version of the New Jersey State Constitution was adopted in 1947. It provides for a bicameral New Jersey Legislature, consisting of an upper house Senate of 40 members and a lower house General Assembly of 80 members. Each of the 40 legislative districts elects one state senator and two Assembly members. Assembly members are elected for a two-year term in all odd-numbered years; state senators are elected in years ending in 1, 3, and 7 and thus serve either four- or two-year terms. New Jersey is one of only five states that elects its state officials in odd-numbered years (the others are Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia). New Jersey holds elections for these offices every four years, in the year following each federal Presidential election year. Judicial Main article: Judiciary of New Jersey The New Jersey Supreme Court[258] consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. All are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of a majority of the membership of the state senate. Justices serve an initial seven-year term, after which they can be reappointed to serve until age 70. Most of the day-to-day work in the New Jersey courts is carried out in the Municipal Court, where simple traffic tickets, minor criminal offenses, and small civil matters are heard. More serious criminal and civil cases are handled by the Superior Court for each county. All Superior Court judges are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of a majority of the membership of the state senate. Each judge serves an initial seven-year term and can be reappointed to serve until age 70. New Jersey's judiciary is unusual in that it still has separate courts of law and equity, like its neighbor Delaware but unlike most other U.S. states. The New Jersey Superior Court is divided into Law and Chancery Divisions at the trial level; the Law Division hears both criminal cases and civil lawsuits where the plaintiff's primary remedy is damages, while the Chancery Division hears family cases, civil suits where the plaintiff's primary remedy is equitable relief, and probate trials. The Superior Court also has an Appellate Division, which functions as the state's intermediate appellate court. Superior Court judges are assigned to the Appellate Division by the Chief Justice. There is also a Tax Court, which is a court of limited jurisdiction. Tax Court judges hear appeals of tax decisions made by County Boards of Taxation. They also hear appeals on decisions made by the director of the Division of Taxation on such matters as state income, sales and business taxes, and homestead rebates. Appeals from Tax Court decisions are heard in the Appellate Division of Superior Court. Tax Court judges are appointed by the governor for initial terms of seven years, and upon reappointment are granted tenure until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 70. There are 12 Tax Court judgeships. Counties Further information: List of New Jersey counties New Jersey is divided into 21 counties; 13 date from the colonial era. New Jersey was completely divided into counties by 1692; the present counties were created by dividing the existing ones; most recently Union County in 1857.[259] New Jersey was formerly the only state in the nation where elected county officials were called "freeholders". Elected county officials are now called county commissioners as of bill S855 signed by Governor Murphy on August 8, 2020. The county commissioners govern each county as part of its own Board of Chosen County Commissioners[260] The number of county commissioners in each county is determined by referendum, and must consist of three, five, seven or nine members. Depending on the county, the executive and legislative functions may be performed by the Board of County Commissioners or split into separate branches of government. In 16 counties, the County Commissioners perform both legislative and executive functions on a commission basis, with each commissioner assigned responsibility for a department or group of departments. In the other five counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Mercer), there is a directly elected County Executive who performs the executive functions while the commissioners retain a legislative and oversight role. In counties without an Executive, a County Administrator (or County Manager) may be hired to perform day-to-day administration of county functions.[261] Municipalities Further information: List of municipalities in New Jersey New Jersey currently has 564 municipalities; the most recent dissolution of a municipality was when Pine Valley merged into Pine Hill on January 1, 2022. Unlike other states, all New Jersey land is part of a municipality. In 2008, Governor Jon Corzine proposed cutting state aid to all towns under 10,000 people, to encourage mergers to reduce administrative costs.[262] In May 2009, the Local Unit Alignment Reorganization and Consolidation Commission began a study of about 40 small communities in South Jersey to decide which ones might be good candidates for consolidation.[263] Forms of municipal government New Jersey municipal government Flag of New Jersey Traditional types Borough Township City Town Village Modern forms Walsh Act commission 1923 municipal manager Faulkner Act forms Mayor–council Council–manager Small municipality Mayor–council–administrator Nonstandard forms Special charter Changing form of municipal government Charter Study Commission vte Starting in the 20th century, largely driven by reform-minded goals, a series of six modern forms of government was implemented. This began with the Walsh Act, enacted in 1911 by the New Jersey Legislature, which provided for a three- or five-member commission elected on a non-partisan basis. This was followed by the 1923 Municipal Manager Law, which offered a non-partisan council, provided for a weak mayor elected by and from the members of the council, and introduced a Council-manager government structure with an appointed manager responsible for the day-to-day administration of municipal affairs. The Faulkner Act, originally enacted in 1950 and substantially amended in 1981, offers four basic plans: Mayor-Council, Council-Manager, Small Municipality, and Mayor-Council-Administrator. The act provides many choices for communities with a preference for a strong executive and professional management of municipal affairs and offers great flexibility in allowing municipalities to select the characteristics of its government: the number of seats on the council; seats selected at-large, by wards, or through a combination of both; staggered or concurrent terms of office; and a mayor chosen by the council or elected directly by voters. Most large municipalities and a majority of New Jersey's residents are governed by municipalities with Faulkner Act charters. Municipalities can also formulate their own unique form of government and operate under a Special Charter with the approval of the New Jersey Legislature.[264] While municipalities retain their names derived from types of government, they may have changed to one of the modern forms of government, or further in the past to one of the other traditional forms, leading to municipalities with formal names quite baffling to the general public. For example, though there are four municipalities that are officially of the village type, none use the village form of government. Loch Arbour and Ridgefield Park (now with a Walsh Act form), Ridgewood (now with a Faulkner Act Council-Manager charter) and South Orange (now operates under a Special Charter) all migrated to other non-village forms.[265][266] Politics Main article: Politics of New Jersey Social attitudes and issues See also: LGBT rights in New Jersey Socially, New Jersey is considered one of the more liberal states in the nation. Polls indicate that 60% of the population are self-described as pro-choice, although a majority are opposed to late trimester and intact dilation and extraction and public funding of abortion.[267][268] In a 2009 Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll, a plurality supported same-sex marriage 49% to 43% opposed.[269] On October 18, 2013, the New Jersey Supreme Court rendered a provisional, unanimous (7–0) order authorizing same-sex marriage in the state, pending a legal appeal by Governor Chris Christie,[270] who then withdrew this appeal hours after the inaugural same-sex marriages took place on October 21, 2013.[271] New Jersey also has some of the most stringent gun control laws in the U.S. These include bans on "assault firearms", hollow-nose bullets and slingshots. No gun offense in New Jersey is graded less than a felony. BB guns and black-powder guns are all treated as modern firearms. New Jersey does not recognize out-of-state gun licenses and aggressively enforces its own gun laws.[272] Elections Main article: Elections in New Jersey See also: Political party strength in New Jersey Robert Menendez (D) Senior U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D) Junior U.S. Senator New Jersey is a Democratic stronghold. New Jersey Democrats have majority control of both houses of the New Jersey Legislature (Senate, 24–16, and Assembly, 46-34), 9–3 split of the state's twelve seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and both U.S. Senate seats. There have been recent Republican governors, however: Christine Todd Whitman won election in 1993 and 1997 and Chris Christie in 2009 and 2013. In federal elections, the state leans heavily towards the Democratic Party, having last voted for a Republican for president in 1988. New Jersey was a crucial swing state in the elections of 1960, 1968, and 1992. The last elected Republican to hold a Senate seat from New Jersey was Clifford P. Case in 1979. Newark Mayor Cory Booker was elected in October 2013 to join Robert Menendez to make New Jersey the first state with concurrently serving black and Latino U.S. senators.[273] The state's Democratic strongholds include Camden County, Essex County (the state's most Democratic county—it includes Newark, the state's largest city), Hudson County (the second-strongest Democratic county, including Jersey City, the state's second-largest city); Mercer County (especially around Trenton and Princeton), Middlesex County, and Union County (including Elizabeth, the state's fourth-largest city).[274] Other suburban counties, especially Bergen County and Burlington County, had the majority of votes go to the Democratic Party. The northwestern and southeastern counties of the state are reliably Republican: Republicans have support along the coast in Ocean County and Cape May County, as well as in the mountainous northwestern part of the state, especially Hunterdon County, Sussex County, and Warren County. To be eligible to vote in a U.S. election, all New Jerseyans are required to start their residency in the state 30 days prior to an election and register 21 days prior to election day.[275] Capital punishment Main article: Capital punishment in New Jersey On December 17, 2007, Governor Jon Corzine signed into law a bill that would eliminate the death penalty in New Jersey. New Jersey was the first state to pass such legislation since Iowa and West Virginia eliminated executions in 1965.[276] Corzine also signed a bill that would downgrade the Death Row prisoners' sentences from "Death" to "Life in Prison with No Parole".[277] Points of interest Boardwalks People walking along a wide pathway near the ocean on a sunny day The Atlantic City boardwalk, as seen from Caesars Atlantic City, opened in 1870, as the world's first boardwalk.[278] At 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) long, it is also the world's longest and busiest boardwalk.[279] New Jersey is home to the world’s highest concentration of boardwalks. New Jersey is home to the world's highest concentration of boardwalks.[citation needed] Many communities along the Jersey Shore having a boardwalk with various attractions, entertainment, shopping, dining, arcades, water parks, and amusement parks. The Atlantic City boardwalk, opened in 1870, as the world's first boardwalk.[278] At 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) long, it is also the world's longest and busiest boardwalk.[184][280] Venue Amusement Park Location Year opened Asbury Park Boardwalk Asbury Splash Park Asbury Park 1871 Atlantic City Boardwalk Steel Pier Atlantic City 1870 Jenkinson's Boardwalk None Point Pleasant Beach 1928 Ocean City Boardwalk Gillian's Wonderland Pier Ocean City 1929 Pier Village None Long Branch 2005 Seaside Heights Boardwalk Casino Pier Seaside Heights 1932 Wildwood Boardwalk Morey's Piers The Wildwoods 1969 Museums See also: List of museums in New Jersey Museum Location Year opened Type New Jersey State Museum Trenton 1895 General education Franklin Mineral Museum Franklin, Sussex County 1964 Mineral museum Liberty Science Center Liberty State Park, Jersey City 1993 Science museum Maywood Station Museum Maywood 2004 Railroad museum Montclair Art Museum Montclair 1914 Art museum Newark Museum Newark 1909 Natural science and art museum Princeton University Art Museum Princeton 1884 Art museum Thomas Edison Center Menlo Park 1938 Thomas Edison museum National Park Service areas See also: List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey and List of New Jersey state parks Appalachian National Scenic Trail Crossroads of the American Revolution Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Gateway National Recreation Area Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River Morristown National Historical Park New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve Patterson Great Falls National Historical Park Statue of Liberty National Monument (with Ellis Island) Thomas Edison National Historical Park Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route[281] Entertainment and concert venues Visitors and residents take advantage of and contribute to performances at the numerous music, theater, and dance companies and venues located throughout the state, including: Venue Type Location Year opened Prudential Center Arena Newark 2007 New Brunswick Performing Arts Center Regional Theater New Brunswick 2019 PNC Bank Arts Center Amphitheater Holmdel 1977 New Jersey Performing Arts Center Concert Hall Newark 1997 Paper Mill Playhouse Regional Theater Millburn 1968 State Theater Regional Theater New Brunswick 1921 Boardwalk Hall Arena Atlantic City 1926 Susquehanna Bank Center Amphitheater Camden 1995 CURE Insurance Arena Arena Trenton 1999 Theme parks Skyline of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, Ocean County, the world's largest theme park as of 2013[282] To the far left is Kingda Ka, the world's tallest roller coaster.[283] Main park Other parks Location Year opened Clementon Amusement Park Splash World Clementon 1907 Diggerland West Berlin 2014 DreamWorks Waterpark East Rutherford 2020[284] Fantasy Island Thundering Surf Water Park Beach Haven 1985 The Funplex (Mount Laurel) The Funplex (East Hanover) Mount Laurel iPlay America Freehold 2011 Keansburg Amusement Park Runaway Rapids Keansburg 1904 Land of Make Believe Pirate's Cove Hope 1954 Mountain Creek Waterpark Vernon 1998 Nickelodeon Universe East Rutherford 2019[285] Six Flags Great Adventure Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Jackson 1974 Storybook Land Egg Harbor Township 1955 Wild West City Stanhope 1957 See also flag New Jersey portal flag United States portal Index of New Jersey-related articles List of people from New Jersey Outline of New Jersey COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey Notes  Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.  Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry. References
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