89 New Jersey Facts And Weird Laws

New Jersey is the 4th smallest US state. Nicknamed the Garden State, New Jersey is worth exploring. Parks, Museums, and other beauties of nature dot this state. You may start your tour at the Atlantic Coast and enjoy many exciting activities. 

Today, we compile a list of interesting New Jersey Facts that you may not know. Did you know that New Jersey has the highest number of dinners in the US? 

Here is the complete list of the New Jersey facts. Let’s dive in.

Best Fun Facts About New Jersey

1. Hoboken, New Jersey, is home to the first professional baseball game.
2. Cape May is considered America’s first seaside resort.
3. Union is home to the world’s tallest water tower.
4. The first almost intact dinosaur skeleton was found in Haddonfield.
5. New Jersey had seven major shopping malls in a square mile. 
6. New Jersey was a battlefield to over 100 battles during the American Revolutionary War.
7. The first-ever Indian Reservation ( Shamong) was in New Jersey.
8. Violet is New Jersey’s state flower.
9. The Eastern Goldfinch is New Jersey’s state bird.
10. The New Jersey state bug is the honey bee.
11. The Square dance is the New Jersey state dance.
12. New Jersey is the only state where all counties are categorized as metropolitan areas.
13. Lambert Castle Museum, Paterson, is a spoon exhibit with more than 5,400 spoons.

New Jersey Facts—Politics And Government

1. New Jersey has 14 electoral votes in the electoral college.
2. New Jersey is a reliably Democratic Party state. The Democrats have a majority in both houses of the state’s legislative branch. Both the US Senators from this state are Democrats and 10 of the 12 members of the US House of Representatives.
3. New Jersey ranked 16 by the ease of voting in 2020.
4. New Jersey is a liberal state with pro-choice citizens.
5. New Jersey is one of the states in the nation with strict gun control laws. 
6. This state’s governor is one of the nation’s most powerful officials. New Jersey governor appoints the justices of the Supreme Court, Superior Courts, and the state’s executive cabinet. 
7. The governor and lieutenant governor of New Jersey run on the same ticket.
8. Both the governor and lieutenant governor are the only elected officials in New Jersey.
9. Drumthwacket, located in Princeton, is the mansion’s governor’s mansion. The governor of New Jersey is Phil Murphy of the Democratic Party. 
10. New Jersey didn’t have a lieutenant governor until 2010 when Kim Guadagno became the first. 
11. The New Jersey bicameral legislature has 40 Senators and 80 representatives. 
12. New Jersey voters elect their state’s senators in years ending in 1,3, or 7.
13. New Jersey is the only state other than Virginia, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Mississippi that conducts its elections in years ending in odd numbers.
14. The New Jersey Supreme Court consists of seven justices, including the Chief Justice. It has a division that acts as the state’s appellate court.
15. New Jersey has 21 counties, each governed by a board of commissioners. The state also has 565 municipalities.

---

Similar Content

1. Alaska Facts and Weird Laws
2. Texas Facts and Weird Laws
3. California Facts and Weird Laws
4. Montana Facts and Weird Laws
5. New Mexico Facts and Weird Laws

---

New Jersey Facts—History

16. New Jersey and North Africa shared a border in the Jurassic Period.
17. Native Americans were the original inhabitants of New Jersey. 
18. The region of New Jersey was called “Scheyichbi” by the Lenape Native Americans.
19. The Native American people depended on hunting, gathering, and agriculture for their food. They lived along the Hudson River, Long Island Sound, and Delaware River.
20. The Dutch became the first Europeans to lay land claims to New Jersey. 
21. The British annexed the Colony of New Netherlands in 1664.
22. St. Helier, New Jersey, is home to the Royal Square where Charles II was made king of England.
23. King James II gave the region between the Delaware River and Hudson River (Province of New Jersey) to his two friends–Lord Berkeley of Stratton and Sir. George Carteret. 
24. Settlers rushed to New Jersey because of its fertile lands.
25. The Quakers occupied the area of  Delaware Valley, forming the Quaker Colony.
26. New Jersey was a portion of the Province of New York. It was also ruled as West and East Jersey and the Dominion of New England.
27. Edward Hyde became the first governor of the royal colony in 1702.
28. New Jersey was one of the Confederate States during the American Revolutionary War.
29. Five of the people who signed the United States Declaration of Independence were from New Jersey. They included John Hart, Richard Stockton, Francis Hopkinson, Abraham Clark, and John Witherspoon.
30. New Jersey is the “Crossroads of the American Revolution” because many battles took place in this region.
31. George Washington and his troops fought key battles in New Jersey.
32. New Jersey was the third state to approve the US Constitution in 1787. 
33. New Jersey was the last to abolish slavery in the northern United States.
34. New Jersey is the only state other than Kentucky and Delaware to vote against Abraham Lincoln twice.
35. New Jersey wasn’t home to any battle during the American Civil War.

New Jersey Facts—Geography

36. New Jersey is the 4th smallest state in the nation with 8,722.58 square miles of total area. New Jersey’s land area is 7,354.22 square miles.
37. Only Rhode Island, Delaware, and Connecticut have a smaller area than New Jersey.
38. New Jersey is located in the Northeastern United States, known as the Mid-Atlantic region.
39. Also known as the Garden, New Jersey shares its borders with Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, Delaware River, Atlantic Ocean, and Delaware Bay.
40. Great New York is the state’s largest metropolitan area.
41. New Jersey had three geographical regions, including South Jersey, Central Jersey, and North Jersey.
42. Northeastern New Jersey is the closest to New York City’s Manhattan.
43. Northwestern New Jersey has woods, mountainous regions, and rural areas.
44. The southwestern counties are located in Delaware Valley.
45. At 1,803 feet above sea level, High Point in Sussex County is the highest point in New Jersey.
46. At 892 feet above sea level, Kitty Ann Mountains is New Jersey’s highest Prominence.
47. The Western region of the Hudson River is the Hudson Palisades which are cliffs.
48. The main rivers in the Garden State include the Hudson River, Delaware River, Raritan River, Passaic River, Hackensack River, and Maurice River, among others.
49. Jersey Shore, New Jersey, has the nation’s largest number of oceanside boardwalks. 
50. The central, southern, and northeastern portions of the state have a humid subtropical climate. Northwestern New Jersey has a humid continental climate. Precipitation varies across the state.
51. New Jersey is one of the nation’s most affected states by climate change.
52. New Jersey experiences bad weather —tropical storms and hurricanes. 
53. New Jersey is home to over 400 lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. Lake Hopatcong is the state’s largest lake.

New Jersey Facts—Animals And Plants Life

54. The state animal of New Jersey is the horse.
55. New Jersey is home to animals, including beavers, chipmunks, foxes, raccoons, rabbits, white-tailed deer, coyotes, black bears, hawks, and skunks.
56. The Copperhead snake and the Timber rattlesnake are the venomous snakes in the Garden State.
57. The blue-ringed octopus is a venomous animal living in the state.
58. Coyotes and black bears are two of the most dangerous animals in the Garden State.
59. The state bird of New Jersey is the American Goldfinch.
60. Timber rattlesnakes and bobcats are endangered animals in New Jersey.
61. The state fish of New Jersey is the Brook Trout.

62. New Jersey is home to trees such as the American sycamore, White Oak, River Birch, Sugar Maple, Tulip tree, Eastern Red Cedar, White Birch, Eastern White Pine, Red Maple, and Flowering dogwood.
63. The New Jersey state symbols (plants) include state flower (common meadow violet), state fruit (blueberry), and the state tree (Northern Red Oak).
64. Hamilton Township has been named “tree city USA” fifteen consecutive times by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

New Jersey Facts—Demographics

65. New Jersey ranks 11th by population in the nation–9,288,994 people (2020).
66. The major cities in New Jersey include Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth.
67. Trenton is the state capital city of New Jersey.
68. New York has a population density of about 1,195 people per square mile, making it the most densely populated state in the country.
69.  According to the Census Bureau, New Jersey is the only state in the nation with urban counties.
70. New Jersey has the world’s largest number of engineers and scientists per square mile.
71. Only New York state has a larger Jewish population than New Jersey.
72. Only Michigan has a larger Muslim population than New Jersey.
73. New Jersey has the second largest population of Cubans. Only Florida has more Cubans than the Garden State.
74. New Jersey has the nation’s largest Peruvian population.
75. The whites are the dominant race in the state, making up 67% of the state’s population.
76.  Around 68% of New Jerseyites use English as the only language for communication.

New Jersey Facts—Economy

77. New Jersey ranked 19th in long-term fiscal stability with its key attributes being education(1), healthcare(4), and Crime & Corrections(5). 
78. New Jersey’s economy depends on biotechnology, pharmaceutical, financial, information technology, chemical development, printing, telecommunications, publishing, food processing, and tourism.
79. The state produces agricultural products such as seafood, nursery stock, fruits, horses, seafood, vegetables, and dairy products.
80. New Jersey has the nation’s highest cumulative tax.
81. New Jersey produces the fourth-largest acres of asparagus in the nation.
82. This state is the second-largest producer of blueberries in the US.
83. The Garden State ranks third in Spinach and cranberry production.
84. New Jersey is the birthplace of Thomas Edison’s light bulb.
85. New Jersey is home to the first container port in the world–Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal.
86. Twenty-four Fortune 500 companies are based in New Jersey.
87. One-third of the Canadian and US residents can access New Jersey within 12 hours, thanks to the Garden State’s location in Northeast Megalopolis.

88. Gambling is key to the state’s economy since New Jersey legalized Casino Gambling.
89. New Jersey ranks 7th in solar installation in the country.

Famous Locations in New Jersey

1. Old Victorian Cape May on Delaware Bay is home to beaches, Cape May Point Lighthouse, and Emlen Physick Estate.
2. Atlantic City Boardwalk.

3. Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The park overlooks Liberty Island, Upper New York, and Ellis Island –home of the Statue of Liberty. Liberty State Park houses the Liberty Student Center.
4. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a scenic site at the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It’s home to Millbrook Village Historic Site and the Kittatinny Visitor Center.
5. Princeton Battlefield State Park & Institute for Advanced Study.
6. Battleship New Jersey is a floating museum on the Delaware River. The ship used to be USS New Jersey, the US Navy vessel.
7. Cape May County Park & Zoo.

8. Thomas Edison National Historic Park in West Orange.
9. Grounds For Sculpture Museum and Sculpture Park in Hamilton Township.
10. Morey’s Piers amusement park in Wildwood.

Famous People From New Jersey

1. Shaquille O’Neal, NBA basketball player, was born in Newark.
2. Frank Sinatra (dead), the actor & singer, was born in Hoboken, New Jersey.
3. Whitney Houston (dead), the singer & actress, was born in Newark, New Jersey.

4. Meryl Streep, the actress, was born in Summit, New Jersey.

5. Queen Latifah, the rapper, was born in Newark, New Jersey.

Common Misconceptions About New Jersey

Here are the common stereotypes about the Garden State.

Residents of New Jersey have one accent

No, the accent varies from north to south.

All New Jerseyites shop at the mall

Yes, there are malls in New Jersey, but there are small shops as well.

It’s boring to live in New Jersey

Over 1,000 people occupy a square mile in New Jersey. If it is boring, why are so many people living here?

Weird Laws In New Jersey

Here are our top 10 strange laws in New Jersey. Read the Craziest Laws in the United States, if you want more.

1. When in Manville, don’t think of offering your tobacco or alcohol to zoo animals.
2. You may need a doctor’s permission to buy ice cream after 6 pm in Newark.
3. Frowning at cops may land you in trouble.
4. You may not pass a horse-drawn carriage when driving on the street.
5. Delaying or detaining a homing pigeon may land you in trouble.
6. It’s unlawful to slurp your soup in public.
7. It’s illegal to pump your own gas.
8. Men may not knit during a fishing session.
9. It’s illegal to dance or to wear shorts on the main avenue in Caldwell.
10. All cats, in Cresskill, should wear three bells to warn birds of their location. 

Final Thoughts

New Jersey is a top state to visit despite its small size. It has more attractions than bigger states in the nation. 

From Edison’s lab, Jersey Shores, parks, Museums to its cities, New Jersey promises unparalleled adventure in the country. 

What is the most interesting fact you learned about New Jersey today?

New Jersey Stats And Facts

Capital	Trenton
Population	2020 (9,288,994)
Governor	Phil Murphy (Democratic Party)
Date Of Admission	December 18, 1787
U.S. Senators	Cory Booker(D) Bob Menendez(D)
US House of Representatives	12 (of 435 Seats)
State Nickname	The Garden State
State Motto	Liberty and Prosperity
State Shell	Knobbed Whelk
State Flower	Common Meadow Violet
State Fish	Brook Trout
State Bird	Eastern Goldfinch
State Tree	Northern Red Oak
State Mammal	Horse
State Vegetable	Jersey Tomato
State Mineral	Franklinite
State Dance	Square Dance
State Fossil	Hadrosaurus foulkii
Neighbor States	New York Pennsylvania Delaware

Frequently Asked Questions

What is New Jersey known for?

• Jersey Shores.
• Menlo Park.
• First intercollegiate football game.
• Atlantic City Boardwalk is the world’s longest boardwalk.
• Asbury Park.
• Princeton University.

What are the 10 interesting New Jersey facts?

1. New Brunswick, New Jersey is home to the first college football game.
2. New Jersey had the most shopping malls in one area–seven.
3. New Jersey is home to the first professional baseball game.
4. Atlantic City is home to the first Miss America Pageant.
5. New Jersey is the diner capital of the world. The state has the largest number of diners in the nation.
6. Cape May is the nation’s oldest seaside resort.
7. Menlo Park was home to Thomas Edison’s lab.
8. Passaic River is home to the first submarine ride.
9. Union, New Jersey, is the tallest water tower in the world.
10. New Jersey is the first state to sign the Bill of Rights.

---

Related Content: 

• New Jersey Senator Cory Booker Bio | Contact | Quotes
• New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez Bio | Contact | Quotes
• New Jersey Unemployment Insurance Benefits Guide

---

References

[1] https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/us-states/new-jersey

[2] https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/new-jersey-population

[3] https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-jersey