Central Jersey

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Central Jersey
Driscoll-Viesser-Edison Bridges - August 30, 2020.jpg
With 15 travel lanes and six shoulder lanes, Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway in Central Jersey is one of the world's widest and busiest motor vehicle bridges; the bridge crosses Raritan River near Raritan Bay. [2]
Country United States
State New Jersey
Largest municipalities by population Elizabeth
Lakewood
Woodbridge Township
Edison
Hamilton
Trenton
Middletown Township
Old Bridge Township
Franklin Township
Union
Piscataway
New Brunswick
Perth Amboy
Howell Township
Plainfield
Population
 (2020)
3,580,999

Central Jersey, or Central New Jersey, is the middle region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation Central Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym. [3] [4] While New Jersey is often divided into North Jersey and South Jersey, many residents recognize Central Jersey as a distinct third entity. [5] As of the 2020 census, Central Jersey has a population of 3,580,999.

Contents

Many descriptions of Central Jersey include Middlesex County, the population center of New Jersey, and tend to include much of nearby Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties. The inclusion of adjacent areas of Union and Ocean are a source of debate. [6] [7] [8] In 2015, New Jersey Business magazine defined Central Jersey more narrowly as the five counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Somerset. [9]

In 2022, legislation was proposed in the New Jersey Legislature to establish distinct geographic areas for tourism in the state. Bill A4711 was sponsored by Assemblymembers Roy Freiman, Sadaf Jaffer, and Anthony Verrelli in the New Jersey General Assembly. [10] This included an official designation of the region of Central Jersey, which the legislation defines more broadly as the seven counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, and Union. [11] [12] The New Jersey Senate version of this legislation passed by a vote of 36-1 on June 20, 2023. [13] On August 24, 2023, Gov. Murphy signed legislation officially designating Central Jersey including, at a minimum, the counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset. [14]

The intersection of the two busiest highways in New Jersey, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, are located in Woodbridge in Central Jersey. [15]

Trenton, the seat of Mercer County and the state capital of New Jersey, is located in the region. New Jersey's geographic center is in Hamilton Township in Mercer County. In 2011, the population center of the state was in the western portion of East Brunswick. [16]

Geographic area

The counties of Central Jersey highlighted in green: Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset, and Hunterdon; Union and Ocean counties are sometimes also included within the region's geographic parameters. Central Jersey Counties.svg
The counties of Central Jersey highlighted in green: Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset, and Hunterdon; Union and Ocean counties are sometimes also included within the region's geographic parameters.
The Delaware and Raritan Canal in Lambertville, connects the Delaware and Raritan rivers in Central Jersey. Canal in Lambertville.JPG
The Delaware and Raritan Canal in Lambertville, connects the Delaware and Raritan rivers in Central Jersey.

The region lies roughly at the geographic heart of the Northeast megalopolis and is wholly in the New York metropolitan area, the nation's largest metropolitan area.

The Delaware Valley is another area that is associated with some parts of Central Jersey, specifically Mercer County. Yet despite the County’s close geographic proximity to Philadelphia's combined statistical area, Mercer County is considered part of the New York Combined Metropolitan Statistical Area as defined by the United States Census Bureau. [17] [18] [19] Some but not all regions of Hunterdon County associate themselves with the Delaware Valley and the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

The Raritan Valley is the region along the middle reaches of the Raritan River and its North Branch and South Branch. The Raritan Valley includes the communities of Branchburg, Bridgewater, Somerville, Raritan, Hillsborough, Franklin, Green Brook, North Plainfield, Bound Brook, and South Bound Brook, all in Somerset County; Dunellen, Middlesex, Piscataway, South Plainfield, Highland Park, New Brunswick, East Brunswick, Edison, and Metuchen, all in the northern and central portions of Middlesex County; and Plainfield in southwestern Union County. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]

The Raritan Bayshore is used to describe the region in Middlesex and Monmouth Counties, located along the coastline of the Raritan Bay, from the mouth of the Raritan River in the west to the barrier island of Sandy Hook bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the east. [25] The Raritan Bayshore includes the communities of Sayreville, Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy, and Old Bridge, all in northeastern Middlesex County; Aberdeen, Matawan, Keyport, Union Beach, Hazlet, Keansburg, Holmdel, Middletown, Atlantic Highlands, and Highlands, all in northern Monmouth County. [26] [27]

The telephone area codes 732 and 848 includes Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset, Union, and northern Ocean counties. While area codes 609 and 640 includes southern Ocean, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties, as well as Mercer County. [28]

Colonial era

The since discarded regions of West New Jersey (in yellow) and East New Jersey (in green) that existed from 1674 to 1702 during the colonial era of New Jersey; the map also indicates location of the Keith Line (in red) and the Coxe and Barclay Line (in orange). Wpdms east west new jersey.png
The since discarded regions of West New Jersey (in yellow) and East New Jersey (in green) that existed from 1674 to 1702 during the colonial era of New Jersey; the map also indicates location of the Keith Line (in red) and the Coxe and Barclay Line (in orange).

Between 1674 and 1702, in the early part of New Jersey's colonial period, the border between West Jersey and East Jersey ran diagonally across the middle part of the state. The Keith Line, as the demarcation is known, ran through the center of what is now Mercer County. [29] This border remained important in determining ownership and political boundaries until 1745. Remnants of that division are seen today, notably as the Hunterdon-Somerset, Ocean-Burlington, and Monmouth-Burlington county lines. [30] The division of the two provinces was cultural as well as geographical. [31]

New Jersey's position between the major cities of New York and Philadelphia led Benjamin Franklin to call the state "a barrel tapped at both ends". [32] [33] Travel between the two cities originally included a ferry crossing.

Due to the obstacles created by the Meadowlands and the Hudson Palisades, passengers from New York would cross the North River and the Upper New York Bay by boat and then transfer to stagecoaches to travel overland through what is now Central Jersey. One route from Elizabethtown to Lambertville was known as Old York Road. Another route, from Perth Amboy through Kingston to Burlington, ran along a portion of the Kings Highway, These roads followed Lenape paths known respectively as the Naritcong Trail and the Assunpink Trail.

Raritan Landing, across from New Brunswick in today's Piscataway, became an important inland port and commercial hub for the region. [34] Two of the nine Colonial Colleges, founded before the American Revolution, were the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and Queens College (now Rutgers University).

Population

Municipalities with over 30,000 population
2017 RankMunicipalityCountyPopulation in

2017

Population in

2010

Municipal

Type

1 Elizabeth Union 130,215124,969City
2 Lakewood Township Ocean 102,68292,843Township
3 Edison Middlesex 102,45099,967Township
4 Woodbridge Township Middlesex101,96599,585Township
5 Toms River Ocean93,01791,239Township
6 Hamilton Township Mercer 89,07888,464Township
7 Trenton Mercer84,96484,913City
8 Brick Township Ocean75,51675,072Township
9 Old Bridge Township Middlesex67,03265,375Township
10 Franklin Township Somerset 66,73462,300Township
11 Middletown Township Monmouth 65,60366,522Township
12 Union Township Union59,32756,642Township
13 Piscataway Middlesex57,88756,044Township
14 New Brunswick Middlesex57,07355,181City
15 Jackson Township Ocean57,07354,856Township
16 Perth Amboy Middlesex52,82350,814City
17 Howell Township Monmouth52,47651,075Township
18 Plainfield Union51,32749,908City
19 East Brunswick Middlesex48,84047,512Township
20 South Brunswick Middlesex46,56143,417Township
21 Bridgewater Township Somerset45,41444,464Township
22 Monroe Township Middlesex45,33239,132Township
23 Sayreville Middlesex45,32542,704Borough
24 Manchester Township Ocean43,49543,070Township
25 Linden Union43,05640,499City
26 North Brunswick Middlesex42,64140,742Township
27 Berkeley Township Ocean41,74741,255Township
28 Marlboro Township Monmouth40,30640,191Township
29 Manalapan Township Monmouth40,01338,872Township
30 Hillsborough Township Somerset40,00338,303Township
31 Ewing Township Mercer36,54935,790Township
32 Freehold Township Monmouth35,05336,184Township
33 Lawrence Township Mercer33,16133,472Township
34 Long Branch Monmouth30,76230,719City
35 Westfield Union30,43330,316Town
36 Lacey Township Ocean30,13127,346Township
County Population
RankCountyPopulationCounty SeatArea
1 Middlesex 829,685 New Brunswick 311 sq mi

(805 km2)

2 Monmouth 621,354 Freehold Borough 472 sq mi

(1,222 km2)

3 Ocean 601,651 Toms River 636 sq mi

(1,647 km2)

4 Union 558,067 Elizabeth 103 sq mi

(267 km2)

5 Mercer 369,811 Trenton 226 sq mi

(585 km2)

6 Somerset 331,164 Somerville 305 sq mi

(790 km2)

7 Hunterdon 124,714 Flemington 430 sq mi

(1,114 km2)

Economy

The Bell Labs water tower in Holmdel was designed to resemble a transistor. Telecommunications remains an important industry in Central Jersey. AT&T Homdel and water tower.jpg
The Bell Labs water tower in Holmdel was designed to resemble a transistor. Telecommunications remains an important industry in Central Jersey.

All of the region's counties are ranked among the highest income counties in the United States, as measured by median household income. [35] It has been called the state's "wealth belt". [36] [37]

Manufacturing

For decades, Central Jersey was a hub for manufacturing in the eastern United States. Many industrial companies had major production facilities in and around the area, including Edison Assembly, Ford Motor Company's production plant for Rangers, Mustangs, Pintos, Mercurys, and Lincolns. Other notable companies include General Motors in Linden, Frigidaire's air-conditioner plant in Edison, Hess Corporation in Woodbridge, Siemens in Edison, and ExxonMobil Chemical.

Starting in the 2000s, manufacturing began to leave Central Jersey, and many facilities had closed and moved overseas. [38] [39] [40] [41]

Telecommunications and high technology

The Bell Labs Holmdel Complex has been the site of many innovations in telecommunications and is experiencing a renaissance as a business incubator for high-tech startup companies. [42] Today Verizon Wireless, AT&T Communications, Vonage, Avaya, and Bell Labs are located in the region.

Healthcare and pharmaceuticals

Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold Township, with a gross leasable area of 1,671,000 sq ft (155,200 m), is the third largest shopping mall in the state. Freehold Raceway Mall Center Court.png
Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold Township, with a gross leasable area of 1,671,000 sq ft (155,200 m), is the third largest shopping mall in the state.

Central New Jersey is a global leader in the pharmaceuticals industry. New Brunswick is known as "the Healthcare City", [44] [45] due to the concentration of medical facilities in Central Jersey, including Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Saint Peter's University Hospital, as well as the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. University Medical Center of Princeton is located in Plainsboro. The campuses of the major pharmaceutical corporations Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Sanofi-Aventis are located in the region, as are major operations of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and Aurobindo Pharma. Princeton University's Frist Campus Center [a] is used for the aerial views of Princeton‑Plainsboro Teaching Hospital seen in the television series House . [46] [47]

Shopping malls

Nassau Hall, the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, was the largest academic building in the American colonies when it was built in 1756 and briefly served as the U.S. Capitol in 1783. Cannon Green and Nassau Hall, Princeton University.jpg
Nassau Hall, the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, was the largest academic building in the American colonies when it was built in 1756 and briefly served as the U.S. Capitol in 1783.

Major shopping centers include the Freehold Raceway Mall, Woodbridge Center, Menlo Park Mall, Bridgewater Commons, The Grove at Shrewsbury, Monmouth Mall, Brunswick Square Mall, Forrestal Village, Quaker Bridge Mall, Princeton Market Fair, Ocean County Mall, Jackson Premium Outlets, and Jersey Shore Premium Outlets.

Academia

Princeton University in Princeton is one of eight Ivy League universities and the nation, one of the world's most prominent research universities, and consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world; in the 2023-24 issue of U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking, Princeton University is ranked the best university in the nation. [50] Rutgers-New Brunswick is the flagship university campus of the state New Jersey. Monmouth University, Rider University, and The College of New Jersey are located in Central Jersey as well. Each county maintains its own county college, with the exception of Hunterdon County - whose residents may attend either Raritan Valley Community College (located in Somerset County) or Mercer County Community College (located in Mercer County) at no additional cost. Monmouth County's residents have the choice of attending Brookdale Community College which was recently listed as one of the top three community colleges in the state. Thomas Edison State College in Trenton provides extensive on-line and adult education. Kean University is in Union County.

Tourism and cultural attractions

New Brunswick, home to Rutgers University in Central Jersey Downtown New Brunswick (2022).jpg
New Brunswick, home to Rutgers University in Central Jersey

Popular tourist attractions in Central New Jersey include Six Flags Great Adventure, Gateway National Recreation Area, Monmouth Park Racetrack, Freehold Raceway, and the many boardwalks along the northern Jersey Shore, in Monmouth County and northern Ocean County.

Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson is the second-largest theme park in the world after Disney's Animal Kingdom in Central Florida. It is home to many famous rollercoasters, most notably being the Kingda Ka which, as of 2023, is the tallest roller coaster in the world. Great Adventure May 6, 2007.jpg
Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson is the second-largest theme park in the world after Disney's Animal Kingdom in Central Florida. It is home to many famous rollercoasters, most notably being the Kingda Ka which, as of 2023, is the tallest roller coaster in the world.

The New Brunswick music scene has produced many successful indie bands. The city also is home to the New Jersey Folk Festival. In an early era, the Stone Pony and Asbury Park Convention Hall were important venues on the rock scene. Major music and theater venues in the region include PNC Bank Arts Center, the Trenton War Memorial, CURE Insurance Arena, the McCarter Theater, the Count Basie Theater, the George Street Playhouse and the Starland Ballroom.

East Jersey Olde Towne Village, the Road Up Raritan Historic District as well as those in Trenton, Lawrence, and Princeton recall the colonial era. The region saw a lot of action during the American Revolution due to the region's strategic importance between Philadelphia and New York City. [53] As such, many important battles took place here. These battle sites have been converted into state parks, offering historic preservation of the important structures contingent to their respected battles. State parks include Washington Crossing State Park, Princeton Battlefield State Park, and Monmouth Battlefield State Park. [54] The Middlebrook encampment in Bridgewater was where the first official flag of the United States was unfurled, after a law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777. [55] Ocean Grove is one of the largest national historic sites in the United States.

Media markets and national sports

Depending on the location, different parts of Central Jersey fall into overlapping spheres of influence from New York media market and Philadelphia media market. Mercer County is located in the Philadelphia television market, while the rest of the region belongs wholly to the New York City market.

The Star-Ledger , based in Newark, is the largest circulated newspaper in New Jersey. Four Central Jersey newspapers, Asbury Park Press , Home News Tribune , and two Trenton dailies, The Trentonian and The Times and several local papers are published in Central Jersey. New Jersey On-Line, MyCentralJersey.com and CentralJersey.com [56] are online news services. During statewide political events like Gubernatorial or Senatorial election debates often held in Trenton, partner stations from both the New York and Philadelphia markets pool resources together to co-host the events and bring them to New Jersey homes.

Identification with sports teams is also affected by the region's location, and it is not uncommon to find fans of major sports teams of either city. For example, while residents of northern New Jersey root for New York teams, those in the southern part of the state root for Philadelphia teams. [57] [58] [59] The distinction is less clear in Central Jersey. [60] Central Jersey Riptide was a short-lived professional soccer club. [61]

Transportation

Interstate 195, which travels from the state capital of Trenton to the Jersey Shore, is sometimes referred to as the Central Jersey Expressway. I-195 (NJ) map.svg
Interstate 195, which travels from the state capital of Trenton to the Jersey Shore, is sometimes referred to as the Central Jersey Expressway.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) operates three divisions in the state: North, South, and Central, which encompasses Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Somerset counties and portions of Warren County. (Routes 22, 122, 173, 78 and including south of Route 57). [62] Apart from Mercer County, which comes under the auspices of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, all counties in the region are part of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, a government partner which approves transportation projects for the state.

The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company traversed the region in 1830, eventually becoming the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). NJT's Northeast Corridor Line and the North Jersey Coast were once part of the PRR, as was Amtrak which serves the commuter hub at Metropark, New Brunswick, and the Trenton Transit Center. The Central Railroad of New Jersey once connected Jersey City (with connecting ferries to Manhattan) and many Central Jersey towns. Much of that system is now included in New Jersey Transit rail operations to the Raritan Valley. New Brunswick is known as the Hub City, and at one time was a regional transportation hub for streetcars which converged in the city. [63] The Monmouth Ocean Middlesex Line has been proposed for the region.

The Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95), Interstate 287, U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 9, New Jersey Route 18, and New Jersey Route 35 are major automobile routes through Central Jersey that pass over the Raritan River at Perth Amboy and New Brunswick. Interstate 195 travels through Central Jersey (hence the name "Central Jersey Expressway") from the Trenton area towards Belmar.

From the Raritan Bayshore, SeaStreak catamarans travel to Pier 11 at Wall Street and East 34th Street Ferry Landing. NY Waterway ferries travel to Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal in Jersey City, Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, and West Midtown Ferry Terminal. As of 2018, there are plans to create ferry service from Carteret in Middlesex County. [64]

Trenton-Mercer Airport is the only airport in Central New Jersey providing long-distance commercial service. Monmouth Executive Airport, formerly known as Allaire Airport, is a public-use airport located near Allaire State Park. Central Jersey Regional Airport is a privately owned, public airport in Somerset County. Linden Airport is a small general aviation airport located along U.S. Route 1&9 in Union County.

The Route 9 BBS, the New Brunswick BRT, and the Central Jersey Route 1 Corridor are projects in the region intended to expand the use of bus rapid transit in New Jersey.

Asian American population

Asian Indian population

Central New Jersey, particularly Edison and surrounding Middlesex County, is prominently known for its significant concentration of Asian Indians. The world's largest Hindu temple was inaugurated in Robbinsville in 2014, a BAPS temple. [65] The growing Little India is a South Asian-focused commercial strip in Middlesex County, the U.S. county with the highest concentration of Asian Indians, at nearly 20% as of 2020. [66] [67] [68] The Oak Tree Road strip runs for about one-and-a-half miles through Edison and neighboring Iselin in Woodbridge Township, near the area's sprawling Chinatown and Koreatown, running along New Jersey Route 27. [69] It is the largest and most diverse South Asian cultural hub in the United States. [70] [71] Monroe Township (nicknamed Edison South), 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, [72] which was 23 times the 256 (0.9%) counted as of the 2000 Census; and Diwali is celebrated by the township as a Hindu holiday. Carteret's Punjabi Sikh community, variously estimated at upwards of 3,000, constitutes the largest concentration of Sikhs in the state. [73] In Middlesex County, election ballots are printed in English, Spanish, Gujarati, Hindi, and Punjabi. [74]

Indian pharmaceutical and technology companies are coming to Central New Jersey to gain a foothold in the United States. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, based in Hyderabad, set up its U.S. headquarters in Princeton, Mercer County. [75] Pharmaceutical company Aurobindo, also headquartered in Hyderabad, has established its U.S. headquarters in the Dayton section of South Brunswick, Middlesex County, and has implemented a multimillion-dollar expansion of these Central New Jersey operations. [76] In March 2023, Bengaluru-based technology services and consulting company Wipro opened its American international headquarters in East Brunswick, Middlesex, County. [77]

New Punjab Club food spread.jpg
Indian cuisine is popular in Central Jersey
'Tapomurti Shri Nilkanth Varni'.jpg
Swaminarayan Akshardham (Devanagari: स्वामिनारायण अक्षरधाम), center, in Robbinsville, Mercer County, the world's largest Hindu temple outside Asia
The old Beis Madrash Building of BMG.jpg
Beth Medrash Govoha (Hebrew: בית מדרש גבוה), in Lakewood Township, Ocean County, is the world's largest yeshiva outside the State of Israel, right. Asian Indians and Orthodox Jews constitute the fastest-growing segments of New Jersey's population and are both highly represented in central New Jersey. [78] [79]

Taiwanese population

Starting in the 2000s, highly educated suburbs in northern and central New Jersey, have received a large influx of Taiwanese immigrants. Many Taiwanese American families send their children to Mandarin language schools in Edison. Some of these private schools include Edison Chinese School, located at John Adams Middle School, or Tzu Chi, located at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, both of which teach in Traditional Chinese. The Taiwanese airline China Airlines provides private bus service to John F. Kennedy International Airport from the Kam Man Food location in Edison to feed its flight to Taipei, Taiwan. [80]

See also

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References

  1. "Garden State Parkway opens world's widest bridge - 15 lanes". TOLLROADSnews, Peter Samuel. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Garden State Parkway opens world's widest bridge - 15 lanes". TOLLROADSnews, Peter Samuel. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  3. ↑ Stirling, Steven (April 17, 2015). "Help us figure out the boundaries of North, Central and South Jersey once and for all (Interactive Map)". NJ Advance Media. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  4. ↑ Stirling, Steven (April 24, 2015). "Here are the North, Central and South Jersey borders as determined by you (Interactive)". NJ Advance Media. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Gov. Phil Murphy declares Central Jersey exists.", Courier News, December 10, 2019
  6. ↑ Jean Mikle (March 31, 2008). "An invisible boundary divides N.J." Home News Tribune . Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2010.("Of course, part of the problem with understanding New Jersey's enduring regional tension is that few residents can agree on where the northern half of the state ends and the southern half begins.")
  7. ↑ North Versus South, Jersey Style; A shared sense of place hard to find in the Garden State (PDF), Monmouth University Polling Institute, March 8, 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2013, retrieved February 15, 2012
  8. ↑ Hiembuch, Jeff (May 19, 2009), "North Vs South Vs Central - Where Do YOU Live?", nj.com, retrieved February 5, 2012
  9. ↑ Saliba, George N. "Central New Jersey’s Success The low-down on economic developments within this five-county region.", New Jersey Business, March 16, 2015. Accessed December 4, 2019. "While New Jersey’s onerous tax structure and an uncertain economic climate have often been headline news, perhaps unsung is the fact that portions of the Garden State are steadily thriving, including much of Central New Jersey, which is comprised of: Somerset County, Monmouth County, Mercer County, Hunterdon County and Middlesex County."
  10. ↑ New Jersey Legislature. Bill A4711 Session 2022 - 2023], New Jersey Legislature, introduced October 11, 2022. Accessed February 18, 2023. "The Division of Travel and Tourism shall re-draw the State tourism map to create a 'Central Jersey' region comprised, at a minimum of the counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset, and to incorporate the 'Central Jersey' region in all regional marketing activities, including in publications and on the VisitNJ.org website."
  11. ↑ Mitman, Hayden."New Bill Looks to Establish ‘Central Jersey': In support of tourism, a New Jersey lawmaker has proposed an official 'central' region that would include Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties", NBC 10: Philadelphia, Published February 17, 2023. Accessed February 18, 2023.
  12. ↑ Sobko, Katie."Central Jersey exists, and NJ lawmakers have defined it in a bill that just advanced", mycentraljersey.com, Trenton Bureau, Published February 17, 2023. Accessed February 18, 2023.
  13. ↑ Redmond, Kimberly (June 21, 2023). "Senate advances bill to officially put Central Jersey on the map". NJBIZ. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ "The Official Website of Governor Phil Murphy". nj.gov. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  15. ↑ Peter Genovese (November 14, 2016). "11 reasons why Central Jersey is better than North or South Jersey (slide 4)". New Jersey On-Line LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  16. ↑ Stirling, Stephen (March 31, 2011). "U.S. Census shows East Brunswick as statistical center of N.J." The Star-Ledger. Retrieved November 7, 2012. if all 8.8 million residents of the state were to stand on a giant table supported by a single leg, Nenninger Lane would be the fulcrum point keeping it balanced
  17. ↑ 1999 State-based Metropolitan Areas Maps, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 2, 2022.
  18. ↑ New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 2, 2022.
  19. ↑ Combined Statistical Areas of the United States and Puerto Rico – March 2020, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 2, 2022.
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  24. ↑ "Raritan Valley Conference". raritanvalleyconference.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
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  26. ↑ Bowes, Karen E. (August 30, 2006). "Blueprint complete for improved Rt. 36: County to vote on Bayshore Regional Strategic Plan". Holmdel Independent. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
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  28. ↑ Newman, Andy. "New Area Codes Introduced", The New York Times , June 2, 1997. Accessed January 23, 2008.
  29. ↑ "Historic Preservation in Princeton Township. A Brief History of Princeton". Office of Historic Preservation. Princeton Township. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Where was the West Jersey/East Jersey line?". westjersey.org.
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  32. ↑ Fairall, Herbert (1885). The World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans, 1884-1885. p. 225. Google Book Search. Retrieved on December 4, 2009. "Dr. Benjamin Franklin once perpetrated the witticism 'that New Jersey was like a beer barrel tapped at both ends, with all the live beer running into Philadelphia and New York.'"
  33. ↑ Soderlund, Jean R. (October 15, 1996). Wacker, Peter O.; Clemens, Paul G. E. (eds.). ""A Barrel Tapped at Both Ends": New Jersey and Economic Development". Reviews in American History. 24 (4): 574–578. doi:10.1353/rah.1996.0107. JSTOR   30030707. S2CID   143847945.
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  35. ↑ 250 Highest Per Capita Personal Incomes of the 3111 Counties in the United States, 2006, Bureau of Economic Analysis. Accessed May 2, 2008. Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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  37. ↑ "'Wealth-belt' of state shows big population gains". USA Today. March 9, 2001.
  38. ↑ Attrino, Anthony (October 5, 2012). "Edison's ExxonMobil to close Middlesex County plant in 2014". NJ.com.
  39. ↑ Fisher, Janon (February 27, 2004). "With Last 50 Pickups, Ford Ends 56 Years of Work in Edison". The New York Times.
  40. ↑ Siwolop, Sana (January 26, 2005). "Edison Hopes to Transform Old Factory Sites, Smartly". The New York Times.
  41. ↑ Coyne, Kevin (December 5, 2008). "Fear in the Land of Vanished Auto Plants". The New York Times.
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  43. ↑ "Macerich | Properties | Freehold Raceway Mall". www.macerich.com. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
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  45. ↑ A wet day in the Hub City, Home News Tribune , September 23, 1999. "A few days short of 60 years, on Wednesday, Sept. 16, a dreary, drizzly day just ahead of the deluge of Hurricane Floyd, the Home News Tribune sent 24 reporters, 9 photographers and one artist into the Hub City, as it is known, to take a peek into life in New Brunswick as it is in 1999."
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  55. ↑ Staff. "Patriotic Reading Again Saves Site", The New York Times , July 4, 1970. "Middlebrook Heights, N. J., July 3 (UPI) A reading of the Declaration of Independence tomorrow will preserve for another year the historic campsite here where George Washington is believed to have first flown the 13-star flag officially before his troops."
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