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UPDATED:
AUG 21, 2018
ORIGINAL:
NOV 9, 2009

New Jersey
HISTORY.COM EDITORS
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 CONTENTS

1. Interesting Facts
One of the original 13 colonies, New Jersey was an important battleground
during the American Revolution. Located in the heart of the bustling Atlantic
corridor and nestled between New York and Pennsylvania, New Jersey has
the highest population density of any U.S. state. New Jersey was named for
the island of Jersey in the English Channel. Its long and beautiful coastline
has long made New Jersey a popular vacation destination, with over 50
seaside resort towns including Asbury Park, Atlantic City and Cape May. The
state also boasts an impressive musical legacy–Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon
Jovi and Frank Sinatra all hail from New Jersey. It is known as industrial
center, but earns its “Garden State” nickname–New Jersey is a leading
producer of cranberries, blueberries and tomatoes.

Date of Statehood: December 18, 1787

Capital: Trenton

Population: 8,791,894 (2010)

Size: 8,723 square miles

Nickname(s): Garden State

Motto: Liberty and Prosperity

Tree: Red Oak

Flower: Violet
 Bird: Eastern Goldfinch

Interesting Facts
 One of the first Indian reservations in the United States was established
in Burlington County in 1758 for the Lenni-Lenape tribe. The first and only
reservation in New Jersey, the Brotherton Reserve was sold back to the state
in 1801 by the remaining members of the tribe, who moved up north to join
relatives in New Stockbridge, New York.
 The first virtually complete dinosaur skeleton discovered in North
America was unearthed in 1858 by William Parker Foulke in Haddonfield, New
Jersey. The Hadrosaurus foulkii, as it was later named, proved that the
existence of dinosaurs was real, and provided the shocking evidence that
dinosaurs could be bipedal. In 1868, it became the first dinosaur skeleton in
the world to be mounted on display.
 The world’s first boardwalk was constructed in Atlantic City in 1870
merely to reduce the amount of sand tracked into nearby hotels and railroad
cars. As hotels, shops, restaurants and casinos sprouted up along the
seaside, Atlantic City became one of the most popular tourist attractions in the
United States. As of 2012, the boardwalk remains the longest in the world—
stretching for six miles.
 During the last quarter of the 19th century, Thomas Edison generated
hundreds of inventions in his Menlo Park laboratory, including the
phonograph, which recorded and played back sound, and an electric-powered
railway. While most recognized for perfecting the incandescent light bulb
using a bamboo filament and providing a system of distributing electricity on a
mass scale, Edison was awarded more than a thousand patents during his
lifetime on inventions large and small.
 Salt water taffy, the popular bite-sized soft candy, originated on the
Atlantic City Boardwalk in the 1880s.
 Opening to traffic between New Jersey and New York on November 13,
1927, the Holland Tunnel became the first mechanically ventilated underwater
 tunnel. At its maximum depth, the tunnel lies roughly 93 feet beneath the
Hudson River.
 The “Crossroads of the Revolution,” New Jersey was the site of more
than 100 battles during the fight for American independence.
PHOTO GALLERIES
New Jersey

7
GALLERY
7 IMAGES

Citation Information
Article Title
New Jersey

Author
 History.com Editors

Website Name
HISTORY

URL
https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/new-jersey

Access Date
May 21, 2020

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
August 21, 2018

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009

BY
 HISTORY.COM EDITORS
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FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you
see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!

VIDEOS
Joe Piscopo Loves New Jersey

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