New Jersey

New Jersey ([njuːˈdʒɜːzi] ^BE / [nuːˈdʒɝzi] ^AE, German older also Neujersey) is (after Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticut) the fourth smallest state in the United States and at the same time the one with the highest population density. New Jersey was named after the Channel Island of Jersey. The state is nicknamed The Garden State and is one of the Mid-Atlantic states.

Geography

Area, location and overview information

New Jersey has a total area of 22,588 km², of which 3377 km² is water. The state borders New York to the north and northeast, where the Hudson River partially forms a natural border. To the west, New Jersey is completely separated from the states of Pennsylvania and Delaware by the Delaware River. In the south, in the Delaware Bay, and in the east, New Jersey finally has shares of the Atlantic Ocean.

The state has roughly the shape of the head and torso of a human being, whose head is slightly bent forward. From this image, the head, or northern part of the state, is the region with the larger elevations in an otherwise flat country. Here in the Great Appalachian Valley (also known as the Kittatinny Valley), which stretches from the U.S. state of Alabama to the Hudson River, on the border with the state of New York is High Point, New Jersey's highest mountain, which at 550 meters exceeds the average height of the country by more than seven times.

The eastern part of the country, the catchment area of the Hudson and New York City, the largest US city with over a million inhabitants, is densely populated. The metropolitan area west of the Hudson already includes all four of the country's major cities: Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Elizabeth.

South of it begins the Atlantic coastal plain, which is a popular holiday destination with its numerous seaside resorts over a length of more than 200 km. The coastal strip is relatively densely populated, especially in the northern and then again in the southern part, with their numerous middle towns lined up next to each other. The largest cities along the coast are Long Branch in the north and Atlantic City in the south, which is important for tourism.

In the interior to the southern part, dense forests characterize the image of the state. A well-known and popular destination in this region are the Pine Barrens, which are under nature protection and to which the myth of the Jersey Devil adheres.

Structure

• List of counties in New Jersey

View of the Atlantic Ocean. Sea Bright, New Jersey

Population

Population development
Census	Inhabitants		± in %
1790	184.139		- —
1800	211.149		14,7 %
1810	245.562		16,3 %
1820	277.575		13 %
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 %
2000	8.414.347		8,9 %
2010	8.791.894		4,5 %
Before 1900 1900–1990 2000 2010

New Jersey residents are colloquially called "New Jerseyans" or "New Jerseyites."

New Jersey has a population of 8,682,661 (2008 estimate), of which 69.6% are white, 15.6% Latino, 13.6% African American, 7.5% Asian, and 0.2% Hawaiian or from other Pacific Islands.

In 2005, 1.9 million, or 19.2% of all residents, were born outside the United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, New Jersey is the second wealthiest state after Maryland.

Age and gender structure

The age distribution of New Jersey is as follows:

• up to 18 years: 2,089,653 (24.0 %)
• 18-64 years: 5,509,302 (63.1 %)
• 65 years and older: 1,125,605 (12.9 %)

The median age is 38.2 years. 48.8% of the population is male and 51.2% is female.

Ancestry

18.1% of the inhabitants are of Italian descent and thus represent the largest fraction. This is followed by the groups of Irish (16.1%), German (15.7%), Polish (6.7%) and English (6.0%) origin.

Largest cities

• List of cities in New Jersey

New Jersey Population Density Map


Newark