Coordinates	53°14′″N22°4′″N
Official name	City of Newark
Settlement type	City
Nickname	The Brick City, The Gateway City
Image seal	Newark NJ Seal.svg
Map caption	Map of Newark in Essex County. Inset: Location of Essex County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Image map1	Census Bureau map of Newark, New Jersey.gif
Mapsize1	250x200px
Map caption1	Census Bureau map of Newark, New Jersey
Coordinates region	US-NJ
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision name1	New Jersey
Subdivision type2	County
Subdivision name2	Essex
Government type	Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Cory Booker, term of office 2010–2014
Established title	Founded/Incorporated
Established date	1666/1836
Unit pref	Imperial
Area footnotes
Area total sq mi	26.0
Area total km2	67.3
Area land sq mi	23.8
Area land km2	61.6
Area water sq mi	2.2
Area water km2	5.7
Population as of	2010
Population blank2 title	Demonym
Population blank2	Newarker
Population total	277,140 (68th)
Population metro	18,818,536
Population density km2	5034.8
Population density sq mi	13301
Timezone	Eastern (EST)
Utc offset	-5
Timezone dst	EDT
Utc offset dst	-4
Postal code type	ZIP codes
Postal code	07101-07108, 07112, 07114
Area code	862, 973
Coordinates display	displayinline,title
Elevation m	9
Elevation ft	30
Website	http://www.ci.newark.nj.us/
Blank name	FIPS code
Blank info	34-51000
Blank1 name	GNIS feature ID
Blank1 info	0878762
Footnotes	}}

Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, United States, and the county seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S. and one of the nation's major air, shipping, and rail hubs.

Newark is located in the heart of New Jersey's Gateway Region, approximately west of Manhattan. Its location near the Atlantic Ocean on Newark Bay has helped make its port facility, Port Newark, the key container shipping facility for the New York metropolitan area, and the largest on the East Coast. It is the home of Newark Liberty International Airport, the first municipal commercial airport in the United States, and one of the busiest today. Newark is headquarters to numerous corporations such as Prudential Financial and PSEG, universities campuses of UMDNJ, Rutgers University and New Jersey Institute of Technology, as well as numerous cultural and sports venues.

This ethnically diverse city is divided into five wards, and contains a variety of neighborhoods ranging in character from bustling urban districts to quiet suburban enclaves.

History

Newark was originally founded in 1666 by Connecticut Puritans led by Robert Treat from the New Haven Colony. The city saw tremendous industrial and population growth during the 19th century and early 20th century, and experienced racial tension and urban decline in the second half of the 20th century, culminated by the 1967 Newark riots. The city has experienced some revitalization during the 1990s and early 21st century.

Newark was originally formed as a township on October 31, 1693, based on the Newark Tract, which was first purchased on July 11, 1667. Newark was granted a Royal Charter on April 27, 1713, and was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. During its time as a township, portions were taken to form Springfield Township (April 14, 1794), Caldwell Township (February 16, 1798, now known as Fairfield Township), Orange Township (November 27, 1806), Bloomfield Township (March 23, 1812) and Clinton Township (April 14, 1834, remainder reabsorbed by Newark on March 5, 1902). Newark was reincorporated as a city on April 11, 1836, replacing Newark Township, based on the results of a referendum passed on March 18, 1836. The previously independent Vailsburg borough was annexed by Newark on January 1, 1905. In 1926, South Orange Township, changed its name to Maplewood. As a result of this, a portion of Maplewood known as Ivy Hill was reannexed to Newark's Vailsburg.

Geography and climate

Geography

Located at 40° 44' 14" north and 74° 10' 55" west, Newark is in area. It has the second smallest land area among 100 most populous cities in the U.S, after neighboring Jersey City. The city's altitude ranges from 0 to above sea level, with the average being . Newark is essentially a large basin sloping towards the Passaic River, with a few valleys formed by meandering streams. Historically, Newark's high places have been its wealthier neighborhoods. In the 19th century and early 20th century, the wealthy congregated on the ridges of Forest Hill, High Street, and Weequahic.

Until the 20th century, the marshes on Newark Bay were difficult to develop. The marshes were essentially wilderness, with a few dumps, warehouses, and cemeteries on their edges. In the 19th century, Newarkers mourned that a fifth of their city could not be used for development. However, in the 20th century, the Port Authority was able to reclaim much of the marshland for the further expansion of Newark Airport, as well as the growth of the port lands.

Newark is surrounded by residential suburbs to the west (on the slope of the Watchung Mountains), the Passaic River and Newark Bay to the east, dense urban areas to the south and southwest, and middle-class residential suburbs and industrial areas to the north. The city is the center of New Jersey's Gateway Region.

Neighborhoods

Newark is New Jersey's largest and second-most diverse city, after neighboring Jersey City.

The city is divided into five political wards, which are often used by residents to identify their place of habitation. In recent years, residents have begun to identify with specific neighborhood names instead of the larger ward appellations. Nevertheless, the wards remain relatively distinct. Industrial uses, coupled with the airport and seaport lands, are concentrated in the East and South Wards, while residential neighborhoods exist primarily in the North, Central, and West Wards.

The geography of the city is such that only the predominantly poor Central Ward shares an unbroken border with the downtown area (the North Ward is separated from the downtown by Interstate 280 and the East Ward is separated by railroad tracks; the South and West Wards do not share a border with the downtown area).

Newark's North Ward is the ridge to the east of Branch Brook Park, and is home to approximately 55,000 residents. Its neighborhoods include Broadway, Mount Pleasant, and the affluent Forest Hill section.

The Central Ward also used to be known as the old Third Ward contains much of the city's original history including the Lincoln Park, Military Park and the James Street Commons Historic Districts. The Ward contains the University Heights, The Coast/Lincoln Park, Government Center, Springfield/Belmont and Seventh Avenue Neighborhoods. Of these neighborhood designations only University Heights, a newer designation for the area that was the subject of the 1968 novel Howard Street by Nathan Heard, is still in common usage. This primarily because of the massive demolition and replacement of old structures and neighborhoods with new.

In the 19th century the Central Ward was inhabited by Germans. The German inhabitants were later replaced by Jews, who were then replaced by Blacks. The increased academic footprint in the University Heights Neighborhood has produced a gentrification, with landmark buildings seeing new life. Located in the Central Ward is the largest health sciences university in the nation, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. It is also home to three other universities – New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Rutgers University - Newark, and Essex County College. The Central Ward forms the present-day heart of Newark. It has 26 public schools, two police precincts, including headquarters, four firehouses, and one branch library.

The West Ward comprises the neighborhoods of Vailsburg, Ivy Hill, West Side, Fairmount and once affluentRoseville sections. Roseville is mainly Latino and Italian American.. The West Ward, once a predominately Irish-American neighborhood, is now home to neighborhoods composed primarily of African-Americans, Guyanese and Haitians.

The South Ward comprises the Weequahic, Clinton Hill, Dayton, and South Broad Valley neighborhoods. The South Ward, once home to residents of predominately Jewish descent, now has ethnic neighborhoods made up primarily of African-Americans, Dominicans and Puerto Ricans. The South Ward is represented by Council Member Ras Baraka. The city’s second-largest hospital, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, can be found in the South Ward, as can 17 public schools, five daycare centers, three branch libraries, one police precinct, a mini precinct, and three fire houses.

Finally, the East Ward consists of Newark's downtown commercial district, as well as the heavily Portuguese Ironbound neighborhood, where much of Newark's industry was located in the 19th century. Today, due to the enterprise of its immigrant population, the Ironbound (also known as "Down Neck") is a very successful part of Newark.

Climate

Newark has a humid subtropical climate that borders on humid continental (Köppen Cfa / Dfa), with cold winters and very warm to hot, humid summers. Its proximity to the ocean has a moderating effect. Also, being near to the Atlantic Ocean means Newark tends to have warmer winters than cities at a similar latitude or even somewhat further south, such as Chicago, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. The January average is , and temperatures down to the range are not uncommon, though they rarely fall to or below. With a seasonal total of , snow cover does not usually remain for long. Spring in the area is of reasonable length and relatively devoid of temperature extremes. Summers are particularly hot and humid, with a July average of , and highs exceeding on an average 25 days per year. Heat advisories are not uncommon during the summer months, particularly July and August, when temperatures can reach with high humidity. The city cools off at a moderate pace during autumn.

The city receives precipitation ranging from monthly, usually falling on 8 to 12 days monthly. Measurable snowfall occurs each winter, but in lesser amounts than cities in the Midwest at a similar latitude. The highest recorded temperature was 108 °F (42 °C) on July 22, 2011.

Surrounding municipalities

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 273,546 people, 91,382 households, and 61,956 families residing in Newark. The population density was 11,400/mile² (4,400/km²), or 21,000/mile² (8,100 km²) once airport, railroad, and seaport lands are excluded, Newark has the eighth highest density in the nation of any city with over 250,000 residents.

The racial makeup of the city was 41.46% Non-Hispanic Black or African American, 27.52% Non-Hispanic White, 1.19% Asian, 0.37% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 14.05% from other races, and 4.36% from two or more races. 28.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the 2000 Census, 49.2% of the city's 80,622 residents who identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino were from Puerto Rico, while 9.4% were from Ecuador and 7.8% from the Dominican Republic. There is a significant Portuguese-speaking community concentrated in the Ironbound district. 2000 Census data showed that Newark had 15,801 residents of Portuguese ancestry (5.8% of the population), while an additional 5,805 (2.1% of the total) were of Brazilian ancestry.

There were 91,382 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.0% were married couples living together, 29.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.43.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females of age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

Poverty and lack of investment

Poverty remains a consistent problem in Newark, despite its revitalization in recent years. The 1967 riots resulted in a significant population loss of both white and black middle classes which continued from the 1970s through to the 1990s. The city lost over 100,000 residents between 1960 and 1990.

According to numbers from 2003, the median income for a household in the city is $26,913, and the median income for a family is $30,781. Males have a median income of $29,748 versus $25,734 for females. The per capita income for the city is $13,009. 28.4% of the population and 25.5% of families are below the poverty line. 36.6% of those under the age of 18 and 24.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. The city's unemployment rate is 12%.

Government

Local government

Effective as of July 1, 1954, the voters of the city of Newark, by a referendum held on November 3, 1953 and under the Optional Municipal Charter Law (commonly known as the Faulkner Act), adopted the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) Plan C as the form of local government.

There are nine council members are elected on a nonpartisan basis at the regular municipal election or at the general election for terms of four years: one council member from each of five wards and four council members on an at-large basis. The mayor is also elected for a term of four years.

The Municipal Council is the legislative branch of city government. It enacts by ordinance, resolution or motion the local laws which govern the people of the city, and is responsible for approval of the municipal budget, establishment of financial controls, and setting of salaries of elected officials and top appointed administrators. It may reduce or increase appropriations requested by the Mayor. By these methods the Council decides "what" the city will do about any particular matter, and then the Mayor and cabinet members decide "how" to do it. It also renders advice and consent on the Mayor's appointments and policy programs, and may investigate, when necessary, any branch of municipal government. The Council also authorizes a continuing audit by an outside firm, of all city financial transactions.

As established by ordinance, regular public meetings of the Municipal Council are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m., and the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Council Chamber in City Hall. Exceptions are made for national or religious holidays. During July and August only one meeting is held each month. A special meeting of the Municipal Council may be called by the President or a majority of its members or by the Mayor whenever an emergency requires immediate action.

As of 2010, Newark's Municipal Council include the following members:

Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Council President/Council Member-at-Large) Who is also a Freeholder-at-Large

Augusto Amador (Council Member, East Ward)

Ras J. Baraka (Council Member, South Ward, also Principal, Central High School)

Mildred C. Crump (Council Member-at-Large)

Carlos M. Gonzalez (Council Member-at-Large)

Luis A. Quintana (Council Member-at-Large)

Anibal Ramos, Jr. (Council Vice President/Council Member, North Ward)

Ronald C. Rice (Council Member, West Ward)

Darrin S. Sharif (Council Member, Central Ward)

Federal, state and county representation

Newark is split between the 10th and 13th Congressional districts.

Part of Newark is in the Another part is in the The remainder is in the

Politics

On the national level, Newark leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama received 91% of the vote.

Political corruption

Newark has been marred with episodes of political corruption throughout the years. Five of the last seven Mayors of Newark have been indicted on criminal charges, including the last three Mayors: Hugh Addonizio, Kenneth Gibson, and Sharpe James. As reported by Newsweek:

Addonizio was mayor of Newark from 1962 to 1970. A son of Italian immigrants, a tailor and WWII veteran, he ran on a reform platform, defeating the incumbent, Leo Carlin, who, ironically, he characterized as corrupt and a part of the political machine of the era. During the 1967 riots, it was found that Addonizio and other city officials were taking kickbacks from city contractors. He was convicted of extortion and conspiracy in 1970, and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison.

His successor was Kenneth Gibson, the city's first African American mayor, elected in 1970. He pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion in 2002 as part of a plea agreement on fraud and bribery charges. During his tenure as Mayor in 1980, he was tried and acquitted of giving out no-show jobs by an Essex County jury.

Sharpe James, who defeated Gibson in 1986 and declined to run for a sixth term in 2006, was indicted on 33 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud by a federal grand jury sitting in Newark. The grand jury charged that James illegally used city-owned credit cards for personal gain, illegally spending $58,000, and that James orchestrated a scheme to sell city-owned land at below-market prices to his companion, who immediately re-sold the land to developers and gained profit of over $500,000. James had an initial appearance on July 12, 2007 and entered a plea of not guilty to the 25 counts facing him. However, James was eventually found guilty on fraud charges by a federal jury on April 17, 2008 for his role in the conspiring to rig land sales at nine city-owned properties. The former mayor was sentenced to serve up to 27 months in prison.

Crime

In 1996, TIME Magazine ranked Newark "The Most Dangerous City in the Nation." By 2007, however, the city recorded a total of 99 homicides for the year, representing a significant drop from the record of 161 murders set in 1981. The number of murders in 2008 dropped to 65, a decline of 30% from the previous year and the lowest in the city since 2002 when there were also 65 murders.

In the 2006 Morgan Quitno survey, Newark was ranked as the 22nd most dangerous city in the United States out of 371 municipalities. In the 2007 rankings, now performed by CQ Press, Newark was the 20th most dangerous city in America of 378 cities surveyed. In 2008, Newark was ranked as the 24th most dangerous city, and as of 2010, stands at 23rd. In March, 2010, Newark enjoyed its first month without a homicide since 1966.

Economy

Newark has over 300 types of business. These include 1,800 retail, 540 wholesale establishments, eight major bank headquarters (including those of New Jersey's three largest banks), and twelve savings and loan association headquarters. Deposits in Newark-based banks are over $20 billion.

Newark is the third-largest insurance center in United States, after New York City and Hartford. The Prudential Financial and Mutual Benefit Life companies originated in Newark. The former, one of the largest insurance companies in the world, is still headquartered in Newark. Many other companies are headquartered in the city, including International Discount Telecommunications, New Jersey Transit, Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), and Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Though Newark is not the industrial colossus of the past, the city does have a considerable amount of industry. The southern portion of the Ironbound, also known as the Industrial Meadowlands, has seen many factories built since World War II, including a large Anheuser-Busch brewery. The service industry is also growing rapidly, replacing those in the manufacturing industry, which was once Newark's primary economy. In addition, transportation has become a growing business in Newark, accounting for 24,000 jobs in 1996.

Newark based companies:

Prudential Financial

Panasonic (starting in 2013)

IDT Corporation

Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey

Net2Phone

PSEG

McCarter & English, LLP

NJ Transit

The Consulate-General of Ecuador in New Jersey is located on the 4th Floor at 400 Market Street. The Consulate-General of Portugal is located at the main floor of the Legal Center at One Riverfront Plaza. The Vice Consulate of Italy is located in Suite 100 at 1 Gateway Center. The Mission of the Central African Republic to the United Nations is located in Suite 2008 at 51 Clifton Avenue in Newark.

Panasonic will move its North American headquarters to Newark in 2013. At that time, they will leave their longtime headquarters in nearby Secaucus, New Jersey.

Port Newark

Port Newark is the part of Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal and the largest cargo facility in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Located on Newark Bay, it is run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and serves as the principal container ship facility for goods entering and leaving the New York metropolitan region and the northeastern quadrant of North America. The Port is the fifteenth busiest in the world today, but was number one as recently as 1985. In 2003 the Port moved over $100 billion in goods. Plans are underway for billions of dollars of improvements - larger cranes, bigger railyard facilities, deeper channels, and expanded wharves.

Urban Enterprise Zone

Portions of Newark are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3½% sales tax rate (versus the 7% rate charged statewide).

Education

Colleges and universities

Newark is the home of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Rutgers University in Newark, Seton Hall University School of Law, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (Newark Campus), Essex County College, and a Berkeley College campus. Most of Newark's academic institutions are located in the city's University Heights district. Rutgers-Newark and NJIT are in the midst of major expansion programs, including plans to purchase, and sometimes raze, surrounding buildings, as well as revitalize current campuses. With more students requesting to live on campus, the universities have plans to build and expand several dormitories. Such overcrowding is contributing to the revitalization of nearby apartments. Nearby restaurants primarily serve college students. Well-lit, frequently policed walks have been organized by the colleges to encourage students to venture downtown.

Public schools

The Newark Public Schools, a state-operated school district, is the largest school system in New Jersey. The district is one of 31 Abbott Districts statewide. As of the 2009-10 school year, the district's 75 schools had an enrollment of 39,443 students and 2,685 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.69.

The city's public schools are among the lowest-performing in the state, even after the state government decided to take over management of the city's schools in 1995, which was done under the presumption that improvement would follow. The school district continues to struggle with low high school graduation rates and low standardized test scores. A notable exception to this was Science Park High School, which was the 69th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 50th in 2008 out of 316 schools, while Newark high schools in the bottom 10% of the magazine's 2010 rankings included Central (274th), East Side (293rd), Newark Vocational (304th), Weequahic (310th), Barringer (311th), Malcolm X Shabazz (314th) and West Side (319th).

The total school enrollment in Newark city was 75,000 in 2003. Pre-primary school enrollment was 12,000 and elementary or high school enrollment was 46,000 children. College enrollment was 16,000.

As of 2003, 64% of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 11% had a bachelor's degree or higher. Among people 16 to 19 years old, 10% were dropouts; they were not enrolled in school and had not graduated from high school.

Facebook's creator Mark Zuckerberg donated $100 million to the district on September 24, 2010. Zuckerberg said he chose Newark because he believes in them.

Private schools

Link Community School is a non-denominational coeducational day school located serving approximately 128 students in seventh and eighth grades. Saint Benedict's Preparatory School is an all boys Roman Catholic high school founded in 1868 and conducted by the Benedictine monks of Newark Abbey. Its campus has grown to encompass both sides of MLK Jr. Blvd. near Market Street and includes a dormitory for boarding students. Saint Vincent Academy , is an all girls Roman Catholic high school founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth and operated continuously since 1869. Christ The King Prep, founded in 2007, is part of the Cristo Rey Community. The Newark Boys Chorus School was founded in the 1960s.

Culture

Architecture and sculptures

There are several notable Beaux-Arts buildings, such as the Veterans' Administration building, the Newark Museum, the Newark Public Library, and the Cass Gilbert-designed Essex County Courthouse. Notable Art Deco buildings include several 1920s era skyscrapers, such as the National Newark Building (Newark's tallest building), the restored Newark Penn Station, and Arts High School. Gothic architecture can be found at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart by Branch Brook Park, which is one of the largest gothic cathedrals in the United States. It is rumored to have as much stained glass as the Cathedral of Chartres. Newark also has two public sculpture works by Gutzon Borglum — Wars of America in Military Park and Seated Lincoln in front of the Essex County Courthouse. Moorish Revival buildings include Newark Symphony Hall and the Prince Street Synagogue, one of the oldest synagogue buildings in New Jersey.

Performing arts

Newark is home to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, located near Military Park, which since its opening in 1997 has become one the most visited in the United States. NJPAC is involved in the construction of One Theater Square, a mixed-use skyscraper in the heart of the cultural district. The center's programs world renowned national and international music, dance, and theater.

Prior to the opening of the performing arts center, Newark Symphony Hall was home to the New Jersey Symphony, the New Jersey State Opera, and the Garden State Ballet, which stills maintains an academy there. The 1925 neo-classic building, originally built by the Shriners, has three performance spaces, including the main concert named in honor of famous Newarker Sarah Vaughn. The venue programs rhythm and blues, rap, hip-hop, and gospel music concerts, and is part of the modern day Chitlin circuit.

The Newark Boys Chorus founded in 1966, has gained a world-wide reputation, performs regularly in the city. The Arican Globe Theater Works presents a new works seasonally. The biennal Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival took place in Newark for the first time in 2010. Venues at the universities in the city are also used to present professional and semi-professional theater, dance, and music.

Since its opening the Prudential Center in 2007 has presented Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, The Eagles, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, Spice Girls, Jonas Brothers, Metro Station, Metallica, Alicia Keys, Demi Lovato, David Archuleta, Taylor Swift & American Idol Live!, among others.

Museums, libraries, and galleries

The Newark Museum is the largest in New Jersey. It has a first-class American art collection and its Tibetan collection is considered one of the best in the world. The museum also contains science galleries, a planetarium, a gallery for children's exhibits, a fire museum, a sculpture garden and an 18th century schoolhouse. Also part of the museum is the historic John Ballantine House, a restored Victorian mansion which is a National Historic Landmark. The museum co-sponsors the Newark Black Film Festival, which has premiered numerous films since its founding in 1974.

The city is also home to the New Jersey Historical Society, which has rotating exhibits on New Jersey and Newark. The Newark Public Library, the state's largest system with 11 locations, also produces a series of historical exhibits. The library houses more than a million volumes and has frequent exhibits on a variety of topics, many featuring items from its Fine Print and Special Collections.

In February 2004, plans were announced for a new Smithsonian-affiliated Museum of African American Music to be built in the city's Coast/Lincoln Park neighborhood. The museum will be dedicated to black musical styles, from gospel to rap. The new museum will incorporate the facade of the old South Park Presbyterian Church, where Abraham Lincoln once spoke.

On December 9, 2007 the Jewish Museum of New Jersey, located at 145 Broadway in the Broadway neighborhood held its grand opening. The museum is dedicated to the rich cultural heritage of New Jersey’s Jewish people. The museum is housed at Ahavas Sholom, the last continually operating synagogue in Newark. At one time there were fifty synagogues in Newark serving a Jewish population of 70,000, once the sixth largest Jewish community in the United States.

Newark is also home to numerous art galleries including Aljira, City Without Walls, Gallery Aferro, Rupert Ravens Contemporary, Sumei Arts Center, and the Paul Robeson Galleries at Rutgers-Newark.

In April 2010 it was announced that a new Children's Museum of New Jersey may be created across from Newark Penn Station.

Professional sports

!Club	!Sport	!Founded	!League	!Venue
New Jersey Devils	Ice Hockey	1974 (Moved to Newark in 2007.)		Prudential Center
New Jersey Nets	Basketball	1967 (Moved to Newark in 2010.)		Prudential Center
	Soccer	1995 (Moved to Harrison, a suburb adjacent to Newark, in 2010.)
Newark Bears	Baseball	1998
New York Liberty	Basketball	1997 (Will play in Newark from 2011-2013 while Madison Square Garden undergoes summer renovations.)		Prudential Center

There have been many sports teams in Newark, but the city has spent much of its history without an NBA, NHL, or NFL team. Although the city has never had an MLB team, they were home to a Federal League team. Newark has a rich history in baseball as it was one of the first cities with professional baseball teams. Newark had eight National Association of Baseball Players (NABBP) teams, including the Newark Eurekas and the Newark Adriatics. Newark was then home to the Newark Indians of the International League and then to the Newark Peppers of the Federal League, sometimes nicknamed the Newfeds. Newark was also home to the Negro League team the Newark Dodgers and the Newark Eagles for which the Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium is partially named. Although Newark has had a rich history in baseball and currently has a minor league team, it has never had an MLB team. The current Newark minor league team, the revived Newark Bears, play at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium, a stop on the Newark Light Rail. The Bears are part of the independent Atlantic League, which also has teams in Bridgewater Township and Camden. Newark had a short-lived NFL franchise named the Newark Tornadoes, which folded in 1930. Newark was without a National Hockey League team until Fall of 2007, when the New Jersey Devils took to the ice for the first time in the Prudential Center. The indoor soccer team New Jersey Ironmen plays in the Prudential Center. Newark will gain an NBA tenant for the first time when the New Jersey Nets will move to Newark in 2010, though the move is expected to be temporary until the team completes construction of its own arena (Barclays Center) in Brooklyn, NY. A professional basketball team in the American Basketball Association, the Newark Express was introduced to the city in 2005. The team formerly played their home at Essex County College and Drew University in Madison and now play at East Orange Campus High School. In Harrison, across from the Ironbound neighborhood, Red Bull Arena serves as the home stadium for the New York Red Bulls soccer team. In the next couple of months, Newark will begin planning a pedestrian bridge that will link the two cities at Minish Park.

Newark will be the host for the 2011 NBA draft, which was previously held for many years at Madison Square Garden.

Local media

Newark does not have any major television network affiliates due to its proximity to New York City. However, WNET, a flagship station of the Public Broadcasting Service, and Spanish-language WFUT-TV, a TeleFutura owned-and-operated station, are licensed to Newark. The state's leading newspaper, The Star-Ledger, owned by Advance Publications, is based out of Newark. Radio Station WJZ (now WABC (AM)) made its first broadcast in 1921 from the Westinghouse plant near Lackawanna Station. It moved to New York City in the 1920s. Pioneer radio station WOR AM was originally licensed to and broadcast from the Bamberger's Department Store in Newark. Radio Station WNEW-AM (now WBBR) was founded in Newark in 1934. It later moved to New York City. In addition, WBGO, a National Public Radio affiliate that reaches New York City with a format of standard and contemporary jazz, is located in downtown Newark. WNSW AM-1430 (formerly WNJR) and WQXR (which was formerly WHBI and later WCAA) 105.9 FM are also licensed to Newark. A news website, www.localtalknews.com, was launched in early 2010.

Documentary

In 2009, the Sundance Channel aired Brick City, a 5-part documentary about Newark, focusing on the community's attempt to become a better and safer place to live, against a history of nearly a half century of violence, poverty and official corruption. The second season of Brick City premiered on January 30, 2011 on the Sundance Channel.

Transportation

Early history

Innovation and improvements to methods of transportation in Newark could arguably be traced back to the completion of the Morris Canal within Newark. With the canal in place, a greater number of goods and resources were brought in and shipped out at a much greater rate on a regular basis. This ultimately led to increased settlement in Newark, vastly increasing the population for years to come. As the city came to be more and more congested, further means of transportation were sought; eventually leading to horse drawn trolleys which eventually became electric trolleys that ran down the main streets of downtown Newark including Broad Street and up Market Street near the courthouse. The trolley cars did not last long as the personal motor vehicle quickly gained popularity and slowly made the trolley system seem like a burden. The Morris Canal also saw its days come to an end, only to be more recently used by the Newark City Subway, now known as the Newark Light Rail. Even today, many of the subway stations still portray the Canal in its original state in the form of mosaic works.

Present day

Newark is a hub of air, road, rail, and ship traffic, making it a significant gateway into the New York metropolitan area and the northeastern United States. Newark Liberty International Airport, the second-busiest airport in the New York region and the fourteenth-busiest in the United States (in terms of passenger traffic), saw nearly 32 million travelers in 2004 and processed nearly 1,000,000 metric tons of freight and mail. Just east of the airport lies Port Newark, the fifteenth-busiest port in the world and the largest container port on the eastern seaboard. In 2003, the port moved over $100 billion in goods.

Newark is served by numerous highways including the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95), Interstate 280, Interstate 78, the Garden State Parkway, U.S. Route 1/9, U.S. Route 22, and Route 21. Newark is connected to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan by the Pulaski Skyway, spanning both the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers.

Local streets in Newark conform to a quasi-grid form, with major streets radiating outward (like spokes on a wheel) from the downtown area. Some major roads in the city are named after the towns to which they lead, including South Orange Avenue, Springfield Avenue, and Bloomfield Avenue. These are some of the oldest roads in the city.

Newark is second in the U.S. to New York City in the proportion of households without an automobile, and is extensively served by mass transit. Newark Penn Station, situated just east of downtown, is a major train station, connecting the interurban PATH system (which links Newark to Manhattan) with three New Jersey Transit commuter rail lines and Amtrak service to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Only one mile north, the Newark Broad Street Station is served by two commuter rail lines. The two train stations are linked by the Newark Light Rail system, which also provides services from Newark Penn Station to Newarks's northern communities and into the neighboring towns of Belleville and Bloomfield. Built in the bed of the Morris Canal, the light rail cars run underground in Newark's downtown area. The city's third train station, Newark Liberty International Airport, connects the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line to the airport via AirTrain Newark. Bus service in Newark is provided by New Jersey Transit, CoachUSA contract operators, and DeCamp in North Newark.

Newark is served by New Jersey Transit bus routes 1, 5, 11, 13, 21, 25, 27, 28, 29, 34, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 59, 62, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 90, 92, 93, 94, 96, 99, 107, and 108. Bus route 308 is an express bus route to Six Flags Great Adventure from Newark Penn Station while 319 is an express service to Atlantic City.

Health and safety

Hospitals and medical care

Newark is home to four hospitals. The University Hospital is the principal teaching hospital of the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School and is the busiest Level I trauma center in the state. UMDNJ also provides 24/7 emergency medical services to the city. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is the largest hospital in the city and is a part of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, the state's largest system of hospital and health care facilities. Beth Israel is also one of the oldest hospitals in the city, dating back to 1901. This 669-bed regional facility is also home to the Children's Hospital of New Jersey. Cathedral Health East operates St. Michael's Medical Center. Hospitals that have been closed over the past years include the St. James Hospital, Columbus Hospital, Mount Carmel Guild Hospital, and United Hospitals Medical Center.

Fire department

The City of Newark is protected by the 700 professional firefighters of the City of Newark Fire Department(NFD). Founded in 1863, the NFD operates out of 17 Fire Stations, located throughout the city in 4 Battalions. The NFD also operates a front line fire apparatus fleet of 17 Engines, 9 Trucks, 1 Rescue, 2 Haz-Mat. Units, 1 Fire Boat, and numerous other special, support, and reserve units.

As of 0800hrs. on October 1, 2010, the NFD removed Battalion 1 from service and distributed the command of its fire stations over the remaining three Battalions. {| class=wikitable |- valign=bottom ! Engine Company ! Truck Company ! Rescue Company ! Command Unit ! Address ! Neighborhood |- | || Truck 1 || Rescue 1 || Battalion 6 || 191 Orange St. || Downtown |- | Engine 5 || || || Battalion 5 || 65 Congress St. || N. Ironbound |- | Engine 6 || || || Deputy 1 || 344 Springfield Ave. || Springfield/Belmont |- | Engine 7 || || || || 129 Sigourney St. || University Heights |- | Engine 9 || || || Battalion 3 || 197 Summer Ave. || Mt. Pleasant/Lower Broadway |- | Engine 10, Engine 12 || Truck 5 || || || 360 Clinton Ave. || S. Broad St. |- | Engine 11 || Truck 11 || || || 345 S. 9th St. || Fairmount |- | Engine 13 || Truck 6 || || || 718 Mt. Prospect Ave. || Forest Hill |- | Engine 14 || || || || 71 Vesey St. || S. Ironbound |- | Engine 15 || Truck 7 || || || 271 Park Ave. || Lower Roseville |- | Engine 16 || Truck 8 || || || 473 Ferry St. || N. Ironbound |- | Engine 18 || Truck 10 || || Battalion 4 || 395 Avon Ave. || West Side |- | Engine 19 || || || || 528 Frelinghuysen Ave. || Newark/Liberty International Airport |- | Engine 26 || Truck 12 || || || 420 Sanford Ave. || Lower Valisburg |- | Engine 27 || Truck 4 || || |Battalion 5|| 89 Elm Rd. || S. Ironbound |- | Engine 28 || || || || 691 N. 6th St. || Upper Roseville |- | Engine 29 || || || || 86 Clinton Pl. || Weequahic |}

Fire Station # 1 is also the headquarters of the department's Special Operations Division and houses Haz-Mat. 1, Haz-Mat. 2, the Decon. Unit, the Foam Unit, the Mobile Command Unit, and the many other Special Operations Units. Fire Station # 1 also, like many other stations in the city, houses a fleet of reserve/spare fire apparatus.

International relations

Twin towns - sister cities

Newark has eleven sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International: Freeport, Bahamas Douala, Cameroon Xuzhou, People's Republic of China Aveiro, Portugal Belo Horizonte, Brazil Banjul, Gambia Kumasi, Ghana Porto Alegre, Brazil Monrovia, Liberia Ganja, Azerbaijan Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Governador Valadares, Brazil Reserva - Parana, Brazil

Elected officials, past and present

See also

List of Mayors of Newark, New Jersey

Notable resident of Newark, New Jersey

References

;Notes

;Further reading

Ezra Shales. Made in Newark: Cultivating Industrial Arts and Civic Identity in the Progressive Era (Rivergate Books/Rutgers University Press; 2010) 302 pages

2005-Newark's land use plan including historical data

External links

The City of Newark, New Jersey

A guide to downtown buildings in Newark produced by The Star-Ledger

1911 Britannica article

Go Newark - Guide to news, culture, history, and leisure activities in and around Newark.

Map of Newark

"The Once and Future Newark" film

Revolution '67 - Documentary about the Newark, New Jersey race riots of 1967

"Newark: A Brief History" on PBS website

"A Walk Through Newark"

Newarkology Website

Old Newark

US Census Bureau - Newark - QuickFacts

The Daily Newarker blog

Brazilian Community in New Jersey

Unified Vailsburg Service Organization www.uvso.org UVSO is a community development non-profit serving the Vailsburg section of Newark (West Ward)

Newark New Jersey Guide

Category:Cities in New Jersey Category:County seats in New Jersey Category:Early American industrial centers Category:Faulkner Act Mayor-Council Category:Former townships in New Jersey Category:New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zones Category:Populated places established in 1666 Category:Populated places in New Jersey with African American majority populations Newark, New Jersey Category:Populated places in Essex County, New Jersey

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Coordinates

53°14′″N22°4′″N

{{infobox u.s. state |name

New Jersey |Fullname State of New Jersey |Flag Flag of New Jersey.svg |Flaglink Flag |Seal Seal_of_New_Jersey.svg |Map Map of USA NJ.svg |Nickname The Garden State |Motto Liberty and prosperity |Former Province of New Jersey |Capital Trenton |LargestCity Newark |Demonym New Jerseyan, New Jerseyite |Governor Chris Christie (R) |Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno (R) |Legislature New Jersey Legislature |Upperhouse Senate |Lowerhouse General Assembly |Senators Frank Lautenberg (D)Bob Menendez (D) |Representative7 Democrats, 6 Republicans |PostalAbbreviation NJ |TradAbbreviation N.J. |OfficialLang None |AreaRank 47th |TotalAreaUS 8,721 |TotalArea 22,608 |LandAreaUS 7,425 |LandArea 19,231 |WaterAreaUS 1,304 |WaterArea 3,378 |PCWater 14.9 |2000Pop 8,791,894 (2010 Census) |PopRank 11th |DensityRank 1st |2000DensityUS 1,185 |2000Density 458 |MedianHouseholdIncome $70,378 |IncomeRank 2nd |AdmittanceOrder 3rd |AdmittanceDate December 18, 1787 |TimeZone Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |Latitude 38° 56′ N to 41° 21′ N |Longitude 73° 54′ W to 75° 34′ W |WidthUS 70 |Width 112 |LengthUS 170 |Length 273 |HighestPoint High Point |HighestElevUS 1,803 |HighestElev 550 |MeanElevUS 246 |MeanElev 75.2 |LowestPoint Atlantic Ocean |LowestElevUS 0 |LowestElev 0 |ISOCode US-NJ |ElectoralVotes 15 |Website www.nj.gov }}

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flag	Flag of New Jersey.svg
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nickname	The Garden State
motto	Liberty and prosperity
capital	Trenton
animal	Horse
marine mammal	None
beverage	None
bird	Eastern Goldfinch
colors	Buff and Blue
dance	Square Dance
fish	Brook trout
flower	Viola sororia
folkdance	None
fossil	duck-billed dinosaur
rock	None
gemstone	None
grass	None
insect	European honey bee
marine fish	None
mineral	None
quarter	1999 NJ Proof.png
quarterreleasedate	1999
reptile	None
tree	Quercus rubra
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New Jersey (, ) is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware. New Jersey lies mostly within the sprawling metropolitan areas of New York City and Philadelphia and is the most densely populated state in the United States. It is also the second wealthiest by 2009 median household income.

The area was inhabited by Native Americans for more than 2,800 years, with historical tribes such as the Lenape along the coast. In the early 17th century, the Dutch and the Swedes made the first European settlements. The British later seized control of the region, naming it the Province of New Jersey. It was granted as a colony to Sir George Carteret and John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton. At this time, it was named after the largest of the British Channel Islands, Jersey, where Carteret had been born. New Jersey was the site of several decisive battles during the American Revolutionary War.

In the 19th century, factories in cities such as Elizabeth, Paterson, and Trenton helped to drive the Industrial Revolution. New Jersey's position at the center of the Northeast megalopolis, between Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., fueled its rapid growth through the suburban boom of the 1950s and beyond.

The Governor of New Jersey is Republican Chris Christie, who assumed office in 2010.

Geography

New Jersey 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.

New Jersey can be thought of as five regions, based on natural geography and population. Northeastern New Jersey, the Gateway Region, lies within the New York metropolitan area, and some residents commute into the city to work. Northwestern New Jersey, or the "Skylands", is, compared to the northeast, more wooded, rural, and mountainous. The "Shore", along the Atlantic Coast in the central-east and southeast, has its own natural, residential, and lifestyle characteristics owing to its location by the ocean. The central-west and southwest are within metropolitan Philadelphia, and are included in the Delaware Valley. The fifth region is the Pine Barrens in the interior of the southern part. Covered rather extensively by mixed pine and oak forest, it has a much lower population density than much of the rest of the state.

New Jersey also can be broadly divided into three geographic regions: North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey. Some New Jersey residents do not consider Central Jersey a region in its own right, but others believe it is a separate geographic and cultural area from the North and South.

The federal Office of Management and Budget divides New Jersey's counties into seven Metropolitan Statistical Areas, including sixteen counties in the New York City or Philadelphia metro areas. Four counties have independent metro areas, and Warren County joins another Pennsylvania-based metro area. (See Metropolitan Statistical Areas of New Jersey for details.)

It is also at the center of the Northeast megalopolis.

Additionally, the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth, & Tourism Commission divides the state into six distinct regions to facilitate the state's tourism industry. The regions are:

Gateway Region, encompassing Middlesex County, Union County, Essex County, Hudson County, Bergen County, and Passaic County.

Skylands Region, encompassing Sussex County, Morris County, Warren County, Hunterdon County, and Somerset County.

Shore Region, encompassing Monmouth County and Ocean County.

Delaware River Region, encompassing Mercer County, Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, and Salem County.

Greater Atlantic City Region, encompassing Atlantic County.

Southern Shore Region, encompassing Cumberland County and Cape May County.

High Point, in Montague Township, Sussex County, is the highest elevation, at . The Palisades are a line of steep cliffs on the lower west side of the Hudson River.

Major rivers include the Hudson, Delaware, Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, Musconetcong, Mullica, Rancocas, Manasquan, Maurice, and Toms rivers.

Sandy Hook, along the eastern coast, is a popular recreational beach. It is a barrier spit and an extension of the Barnegat Peninsula along the state's Atlantic Ocean coast.

Long Beach Island ("LBI"), a barrier island along the eastern coast, has popular recreational beaches. The primary access point to the island is by a single bridge connection to the mainland. Barnegat Lighthouse is on the northern tip.

Areas managed by the National Park Service include:

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Delaware National Scenic River

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Ellis Island National Monument

Gateway National Recreation Area in Monmouth County

Great Egg Harbor River

Morristown National Historical Park in Morristown

New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route

New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve

Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange

Prominent geographic features include:

Delaware Water Gap

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

The Highlands

New Jersey Meadowlands

Pine Barrens

South Mountain

Climate

As with many other geographic features, New Jersey's climate divides into regions. The south, central, and northeast parts of the state have a humid mesothermal climate, while the northwest has a humid continental climate (microthermal), with slightly cooler temperatures due to higher elevation. New Jersey receives between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually.

Summers are typically hot and humid, with statewide average high temperatures of and lows of ; however, temperatures exceed on average −25 days each summer, though rarely exceed . Winters are usually cold, with average high temperatures of and lows of for most of the state, but temperatures could, for brief interludes, be as low as and sometimes rise to . Northwestern parts of the state have slightly colder winters with average temperatures just below freezing. Spring and autumn may feature wide temperature variations, with lower humidity than summer.

Average annual precipitation ranges from , uniformly spread through the year. Average snowfall per winter season range from in the south and near the seacoast, in the northeast and central part of the state, to about in the northwestern highlands, but this varies 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 in some years experience "nor'easters", which are capable of causing blizzards or flooding throughout the northeastern United States. Hurricanes and tropical storms (such as Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999), tornadoes, and earthquakes are rare.

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History

Around 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period, New Jersey bordered North Africa. The pressure of the 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 the glaciers retreated, they left behind Lake Passaic, as well as many rivers, swamps, and gorges.

New Jersey was originally settled by Native Americans, with the Lenni-Lenape being dominant at the time Europeans arrived. The Lenape were loosely organized groups that practiced small-scale agriculture (mainly based on corn) in order to increase their largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region surrounding the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. The Lenape society was divided into matrilinear clans that were based upon common female ancestors. These 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 Europeans was through fur trade.

Colonial era

New Jersey was first claimed by the Dutch. The Dutch colony of New Netherland consisted of parts of modern Middle Atlantic states. Although the European principle of land ownership was not recognized by the Lenape, Dutch West India Company policy required their colonists to purchase land which they settled. The first to do so was Michiel Pauw who established a patronship named Pavonia along the North River which eventually became the Bergen. Peter Minuit's purchase of lands along the Delaware River establish the colony of New Sweden. The entire region became a territory of England in 1664, when an English fleet under the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed into what is today New York Harbor, and took control of Fort Amsterdam and annexed the entire province.

During the English Civil War the Channel Island of Jersey remained loyal to the Crown and gave sanctuary to the King. It was from the Royal Square in St. Helier that Charles II of England was first proclaimed King in 1649, following the execution of his father, Charles I. The 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 the 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. The area was named the Province of New Jersey. Since the state's 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 , 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 only developed sporadically. Some townships, such as Burlington on the Delaware River and Perth Amboy, emerged as important ports for shipping to New York and Philadelphia. The colony's fertile lands and tolerant religious policy drew more settlers, and New Jersey boasted a population of 120,000 by 1775.

Settlement for the first 10 years of English rule was along Hackensack River and Arthur Kill and settlers came primarily from New England. Unlike other colonies that were settled by immigrants from Europe, New Jersey was populated by a secondary wave of settlement from communities already established on the North American continent. March 18, 1673, Berkeley sold his half of the colony to Quakers in England, who settled the Delaware Valley region as a Quaker colony. (William Penn acted 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, rather than a proprietary, governor. Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury, became the first governor of the colony as a royal colony. Lord Cornbury was an ineffective and corrupt ruler, taking bribes and speculating on land, so 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 those 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.

Revolutionary War era

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 void if New Jersey reached reconciliation with Great Britain. New Jersey representatives Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, and Abraham Clark were among those who signed the United States Declaration of Independence.

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 often referred to as "The Crossroads of the Revolution." The winter quarters of the revolutionary army were established there twice by General George Washington in Morristown, which was called the military capital of the revolution.

On December 25, 1776, the Continental Army under George Washington crossed the Delaware River. After the crossing, he surprised and defeated the unprepared Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton. Slightly more than a week after victory at Trenton, on January 3, 1777, American forces gained an important victory by stopping General Cornwallis's charges at the Second Battle of Trenton. By evading Cornwallis's army, Washington made a surprise attack on Princeton, and successfully defeated the British forces there. Emanuel Leutze's painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware became an icon of the Revolution.

American forces under Washington met the forces under General Henry Clinton at the Battle of Monmouth in an indecisive engagement in June 1778. Washington attempted to take the British column by surprise; when the British army attempted to flank the Americans, the Americans retreated in disorder. The ranks were later reorganized and withstood the British charges.

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 (1783), 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, as it prevented New York and Pennsylvania from charging and keeping tariffs on goods imported from Europe. On November 20, 1789, the state became the first in the newly formed Union to ratify the Bill of Rights.

The 1776 New Jersey State Constitution gave the vote to "all inhabitants" who had a certain level of wealth. This included women and blacks, but not married women, because they could not 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" (entitled to vote or not); on the other hand, both parties passed Voting Rights Acts. In 1807, the legislature passed a bill interpreting the constitution to mean universal white male suffrage, excluding paupers. (This was less revolutionary than it sounds: the "constitution" was itself only an act of the legislature.)

19th century

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 scale-down of the slave population. By the close of the Civil War about a dozen African Americans in New Jersey were still apprenticed freedmen. New Jersey voters initially refused to ratify the constitutional amendments' banning slavery and granting rights to the United States' black population.

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.

Unlike the Revolutionary War, no Civil War battles took place within the state. However, throughout the course of the Civil War, over 80,000 from New Jersey enlisted in the Northern army to defeat the Southern Confederacy.

New Jersey was one of the few states to reject President Abraham Lincoln twice in national elections, and sided with Stephen Douglas (1860) and George B. McClellan (1864) during their campaigns. McClellan later became governor (1878–81). During the Civil War, the state was led first by Republican Governor Charles Smith Olden, then by Democrat Joel Parker.

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, NJ and then in West Orange, NJ, are considered perhaps the first research centers in the U.S. 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 Southern New Jersey Pinelands were among the first sources of iron for the new nation. 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

Through both World Wars, New Jersey was a center for war production, especially in naval construction. Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers were all made in this state. In addition, Fort Dix (1917) (originally called "Camp Dix"), Camp Merritt (1917) and Camp Kilmer (1941) 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, especially for the defense of New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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. In 1962, the world's first nuclear-powered cargo ship, the NS Savannah, was launched at Camden.

New Jersey prospered through the Roaring Twenties. The first Miss America Pageant was held in 1921 in Atlantic City, the first drive-in movie was shown in 1933 in Camden, and the Holland Tunnel opened in 1927. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the state offered begging licenses to unemployed residents, 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.

In 1951, the New Jersey Turnpike opened, permitting fast travel by car and truck between North Jersey (and metropolitan New York) and South Jersey (and metropolitan Philadelphia).

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 Dr. 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 reluctantly passed an income tax bill in 1976. Prior to this bill, the state had no income tax.

Demographics

State population

Residents of New Jersey are most commonly referred to as "New Jerseyans" or "New Jerseyites". As of the census of 2010, there were 8,791,894 people residing in the state. The racial makeup of the state was 68.6% White, 13.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 8.3% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 6.4% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 17.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

The United States Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2009, estimated New Jersey's population at 8,707,739, which represents an increase of 268,301, or 3.2%, since the last census in 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 343,965 people (that is, 933,185 births minus 589,220 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 53,930 people out of the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 384,687 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 438,617 people. As of 2005, there were 1.6 million foreign-born living in the state (accounting for 19.2% of the population).

As of 2006, New Jersey is the eleventh-most populous state in the United States, and the most densely populated, at 1,174 residents per square mile (453 per km²), with most of the population residing in the counties surrounding New York City, Philadelphia, and along the eastern Jersey Shore, while the extreme southern and northwestern counties are relatively less dense overall. It is also the second wealthiest state according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The center of population for New Jersey is located in Middlesex County, in the town of Milltown, just east of the New Jersey Turnpike.

New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else in the world.

New Jersey is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse states in the country. It has the second largest Jewish population by percentage (after New York); the second largest Muslim population by percentage (after Michigan); the largest population of people from Costa Rica in the United States; the largest population of Cubans outside of Florida; the third highest Asian population by percentage; and the third highest Italian population by percentage according to the 2000 Census. African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, and Arabs are also high in number. It has the third highest Indian population of any state by absolute numbers. It has the third largest Korean population, fourth largest Filipino population, and fourth largest Chinese population, per the 2000 U.S. Census. The five largest ethnic groups are: Italian (17.9%), Irish (15.9%), African (13.6%), German (12.6%), Polish (6.9%).

Newark is the fourth poorest city in America, but New Jersey as a whole has the second highest median household income. This is largely because so much of New Jersey consists of suburbs, most of them affluent, of New York City and Philadelphia. New Jersey is also the most densely populated state, and the only state that has had every one of its counties deemed "urban" as defined by the Census Bureau's Combined Statistical Area. The state has very sizable enclaves of different non-English-speaking communities. Some of these languages include:

Spanish – spoken throughout the state.

Italian – spoken throughout the state.

Polish – spoken throughout the state.

Gujarati – spoken throughout the state.

Hindi – spoken throughout the state.

Tagalog – spoken throughout the state.

Mandarin Chinese – spoken throughout the state, most prominently in the northern and central counties.

Korean – spoken prominently in Bergen County.

Telugu – spoken prominently in Middlesex County.

Tamil – spoken prominently in Middlesex County.

Creole – spoken prominently in Essex County.

Portuguese – spoken prominently in the Ironbound section of Newark.

Each county's largest ethnic group, according to the 2000 Census, is: Italian — Passaic, Bergen, Union, Hudson, Morris, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Cumberland Irish — Sussex, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Cape May German — Warren, Hunterdon, Salem

6.7% of its population was reported as under age 5, 24.8% under 18, and 13.2% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.5% of the population.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 12.31% of the population aged 5 and over speak Spanish at home, while 1.12% speak Italian, 1.03% speak Portuguese, and 1.02% speak Tagalog (Filipino).

In 2010, illegal immigrants constituted an estimated 6.4% of the population. This was the fourth highest percentage of any state in the country.

Religion

+Distributions of religions in New Jersey (2001)
! Religious group	%
Catholic
None
Baptist
Methodist
Refused to identify
Christian(no denomination stated)
Jewish(by religion only)
Other
Presbyterian
Lutheran
Episcopalian/Anglican
Protestant
Jehovah's Witness
Mormon/LDS
Muslim/Islamic
Non-denominational
Pentecostal
Assemblies of God
Buddhist
Church of Christ
Church of God
Congregational/UCC
Evangelical
Seventh Day Adventist

 *Less than 0.5%

Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Jersey's total state product in 2006 was $434 billion. As of January 2010, the states unemployment rate is 9.9%.

Affluence

Its Per Capita personal income in 2008 was $54,699, 2nd in the U.S. and above the national average of $46,588. Its per-capita income is the third highest in the nation with $51,358. The state also has the highest percentage of millionaire households. It is ranked 2nd 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 in the wealthiest 100 of the country.

Fiscal policy

New Jersey has seven tax brackets for determining income tax rates. The rates range from 1.4 to 8.97%. The standard sales tax rate is 7%, applicable to all retail sales unless specifically exempt by law. Exemptions include most food items for at-home preparation, medicines, clothing (except fur items), footwear, and disposable paper products for use in the home. Approximately 30 New Jersey municipalities are designated as Urban Enterprise Zones and shoppers are charged a 3½% tax rate, half of the rate charged outside the UEZs. Sections of Elizabeth and Jersey City are examples of communities that are subject to the lower sales tax rate. New Jersey has the highest 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. 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, but it does impose an inheritance tax.

Federal taxation disparity

New Jersey has the highest disparity of any state in the United States between what it gives to the federal government and what it receives. In fiscal year 2005, New Jersey taxpayers gave the federal government $77 billion, while only receiving $55 billion. This difference is higher than any other state and means that for every $1 New Jersey taxpayers send to Washington, the state only receives $0.61 in return. This calculation is applied correctly after making the federal government deficit neutral, as sometimes the federal government spends more than it receives. As of 2005, New Jersey has never been above 48th in rank for per capita federal spending (with a rank of 50th for the majority of that time) since 1982, while being second or third in per capita federal taxes paid to Washington.

New Jersey runs into deficits frequently and has one of the highest tax burdens in the nation. 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. As shown by the study, incomes tend to be higher in New Jersey, which puts those in higher tax brackets especially vulnerable to the alternative minimum tax.

Industries

New Jersey's economy is centered on the pharmaceutical industry, chemical development, telecommunications, food processing, electric equipment, printing and publishing, and tourism. New Jersey's agricultural outputs are nursery stock, horses, vegetables, fruits and nuts, seafood, and dairy products. New Jersey ranks second among states in blueberry production, third in cranberries and spinach and fourth in bell peppers, peaches and head lettuce.

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 only 0.8% of the U.S. total. Its comparatively low greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to nuclear power. According to the Energy Information Administration, nuclear power dominates New Jersey’s electricity market, typically supplying more than one-half of State generation. New Jersey has three nuclear power plants, including the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, which came online in 1969 and is the oldest operating nuclear plant in the country.

New Jersey has a strong scientific economy. New Jersey is home to major pharmaceutical firms such as Johnson and Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis, Pfizer, Merck, Wyeth, Hoffman-LaRoche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Schering-Plough. New Jersey is home to major telecommunications firms such as Verizon Wireless, Avaya, Alcatel-Lucent and AT&T; Communications. Furthermore, New Jersey draws upon its large and well-educated labor pool which also supports the myriad of industries that exist today.

New Jersey is the ultimate bedroom community since the state is right next to New York City and Philadelphia. Thus, there is a strong service economy in New Jersey serving residents who work in New York City or Philadelphia. Some of these industries include retail sales, education and real estate. Newark Liberty International Airport is ranked seventh among the nation's busiest airports and among the top 20 busiest airports in the world.

Shipping is a strong industry in New Jersey because of the state's strategic location, the Port of New York and New Jersey the busiest on the East Coast. The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal was the world's first container port and is one of the world's largest container ports. New Jersey also has a strong presence in chemical development, refining, and food processing operations.

New Jersey hosts several business headquarters, including twenty-four Fortune 500 companies. Paramus is noted for having one of the highest retail sales per person ratios in the nation. Several New Jersey counties such as Somerset (7), Morris (10), Hunterdon (13), Bergen (21), Monmouth (42) counties are ranked among the highest-income counties in the United States. Four others are also in the top 100.

Natural resources

New Jersey's greatest natural resource is its location, which has made the state a crossroads of commerce. Other commercial advantages include its extensive transportation system, which puts one quarter of all United States consumers within overnight delivery range. Lake and seaside resorts such as Atlantic City have contributed to New Jersey's rank of fifth among the states in revenues from tourism.

Almost half of New Jersey is wooded. The chief tree of the northern forests is the oak. A large part of the southern section is in pine. Jersey oak has been used extensively in shipbuilding.

The mineral resources in New Jersey are small. The state, however, does rank high in smelting and refining minerals from other states. Some mining activity does still take place in the area in and around the Franklin Furnace, which was long a center of zinc production (see New Jersey Zinc Company).

Education

In 2010, there were 605 school districts in the state.

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.

In 2010 the state government paid all of the teachers' premiums for health insurance.

Census data reveal that New Jersey spent more per each public school student than any other state except New York in 2009, amounting to $16,271 spent per pupil, with 41% of the revenue derived from state sources.

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, representing the highest and second-highest scores, respectively, of all listed U.S. high schools.

Princeton University in Princeton, Mercer County, is ranked the #2 U.S. national university in 2011 as per U.S. News & World Report.

Transportation

Roadways

The New Jersey Turnpike is one of the best-known and most-trafficked roadways in the United States. This toll road carries interstate traffic between Delaware and New York, and 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 as diverse as inventor Thomas Edison; United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton; United States Presidents Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson; writers James Fenimore Cooper, Joyce Kilmer, and Walt Whitman; patriot Molly Pitcher; Red Cross advocate Clara Barton; and football coach Vince Lombardi.

The Garden State Parkway, or simply "the Parkway," carries more in-state traffic and runs from the town of Montvale along New Jersey's northern border to its southernmost tip at Cape May for . It is the trunk that connects the New York metropolitan area to Atlantic City and is consistently one of the safest roads in the nation. With a total of 15 travel lanes and 6 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.

New Jersey is connected to New York City via various bridges and tunnels. The George Washington Bridge at 300,000 vehicles per day carries the heaviest load of motor vehicle traffic of any bridge in the world from Fort Lee, New Jersey in Bergen County to the Washington Heights neighborhood in Upper Manhattan in New York City on the Trans-Manhattan Expressway carrying I-95, US 1, and US 9. The Lincoln Tunnel connects to Midtown Manhattan carrying New Jersey State Route 495 and the Holland Tunnel connects to Lower Manhattan carrying I-78. These are the three major Hudson River crossings that see heavy vehicular traffic. New Jersey is also connected to Staten Island by three bridges. From the southernmost to northernmost; the Outerbridge Crossing, Goethals Bridge, and Bayonne Bridge.

Other expressways in New Jersey include the Atlantic City Expressway, the Palisades Interstate Parkway, Interstate 76, Interstate 78, Interstate 80, Interstate 95, Interstate 195, Interstate 278, Interstate 280, Interstate 287, Interstate 295 and Interstate 676. Other major roadways include U.S. 1, U.S. 9 and U.S. Route 46.

New Jersey has interstate compacts with all three neighboring states. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Delaware River Port Authority (with Pennsylvania), and the Delaware River and Bay Authority (with Delaware) operate most of the major transportation routes into and out of New Jersey. Bridge tolls are collected in one direction only — it is free to cross into New Jersey, but motorists must pay when exiting the state. Exceptions to this are the Dingman's Ferry Bridge and the Delaware River – Turnpike Toll Bridge where tolls are charged both ways. The Washington Crossing and Scudders Falls (on I-95) bridges near Trenton, as well as Trenton's Calhoun Street and Bridge Street ("Trenton Makes") bridges, are toll-free. In addition, * Riverton-Belvidere Bridge, Northampton Street Bridge, Riegelsville Bridge, and Upper Black Eddy-Milford Bridge are free Delaware River bridges into and out of NJ.

Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Bridge – (NJ 12)

Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge – (pedestrian)

Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge – (PA 263 / CR 523)

New Jersey is one of only two states (along with Oregon) where all fuel dispensing stations are required to sell gasoline full-service to customers. It is unlawful for a customer to serve him/herself.

New Jersey's Highway Maintenance Program was rated "Extremely Poor" by Reason Foundation's "17th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems."

Airports

Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States. Operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the other two major airports in the New York metropolitan area (John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport), it is one of the main airports serving the New York City area. Continental Airlines is the facility's largest tenant, operating an entire terminal at Newark, which it uses as one of its primary hubs. FedEx Express operates a large cargo hub. The adjacent Newark Airport railroad station provides access to the trains of Amtrak and New Jersey Transit along the Northeast Corridor Line.

Two smaller commercial airports, Atlantic City International Airport and Trenton-Mercer Airport, also operate in other parts of New Jersey. Teterboro Airport, in Bergen County, is a general aviation airport popular with private and corporate aircraft, due to its proximity to New York City. Millville Municipal Airport, in Cumberland County, is a general aviation airport popular with private and corporate aircraft, due to its proximity to the shore.

Rail and bus

The New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) operates extensive rail and bus service throughout the state. NJ Transit is a state-run corporation that began with the consolidation of several private bus companies in North Jersey. In the early 1980s, it acquired the commuter train operations of Conrail that connect towns in northern and central New Jersey to New York City. NJ Transit has eleven lines that run throughout different parts of the state. Most of the trains start at various points in the state and most end at either Pennsylvania Station, in New York City, or Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken. NJ Transit began service between Atlantic City and Lindenwold in 1989 and extended it to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the 1990s.

NJ Transit also operates three light rail systems in the state. The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail connects Bayonne to North Bergen, with planned expansion into Bergen County communities. The Newark Light Rail is the only subway system entirely in the state, but it is only partially underground. Its Main Line connects Newark Penn Station in Downtown Newark with outer parts of the city, ending at Grove Street station in Bloomfield. The Broad Street Line of the subway, the first component of the Newark-Elizabeth Rail Link, connects Newark Broad Street Station to Newark Penn Station. The last of the three light rail lines is the River Line which connects Trenton and Camden.

The PATH is a subway and above-ground railway which links Hoboken, Jersey City, Harrison and Newark with New York City. The PATH operates four lines that connect various points in North Jersey and New York. The lines all terminate in Hudson County, Essex County or Manhattan in New York City.

The PATCO High Speedline links Camden County and Philadelphia. PATCO operates a single elevated and subway line that runs from Lindenwold to Center City Philadelphia. PATCO operates stations in Lindenwold, Voorhees, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Haddon Township, Collingswood, and Camden, along with four stations in Philadelphia.

Amtrak also operates numerous long-distance passenger trains in New Jersey to and from neighboring states and around the country. In addition to the Newark Airport connection, other major Amtrak railway stations include Trenton Rail Station, Metropark, and the grand historic Newark Penn Station.

SEPTA also has two 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

On the Delaware Bay, the Delaware River and Bay Authority operates the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. The agency also operates ferries between Fort Mott (New Jersey) and Fort Delaware and Fort DuPont in Delaware. The Delaware River Port Authority operates the RiverLink Ferry between the Camden waterfront and Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In the Port of New York and New Jersey, New York Waterway has ferry terminals at Belford Harbor, Jersey City, Hoboken and Weehawken, and Edgewater Landing. There are slips are at Port Liberte, Liberty Harbor, Exchange Place in Jersey City, Port Imperial and Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken, Hoboken Terminal and 14th Street in Hoboken. Manhattan terminals are located at Wall Street/Pier 11, Battery Park City (BPC) or West Midtown Ferry Terminal. Liberty Water Taxi in Jersey City has ferries from Paulus Hook and Liberty State Park to (BPC). Statue Cruises has service from Liberty State Park and Statue of Liberty National Monument, including Ellis Island. (Although there is a bridge from Ellis Island to the park built for renovations on the island it is not open for public use.) SeaStreak offers services from the Raritan Bayshore to Manhattan and during the Met's season to Shea Stadium. The ferries on leave from Atlantic Highlands and two terminals in Highlands. Ferry service from Keyport and Perth Amboy have been also been proposed. Service from Elizabeth at Newark Bay is proposed in conjunction with re-development plans on the shore near Jersey Gardens.

Private bus carriers

Several private bus lines provide transportation service in the state of New Jersey. Below is a list of major carriers and their areas of operation:

Academy--commuter bus service from Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties to lower and midtown Manhattan

Bergen Avenue IBOA—local bus service in Jersey City

Broadway Bus—local bus service in Bayonne

Coach USA

*Community Coach--commuter bus service from Essex and Morris counties

*ONE Bus/Olympia Trails--local bus service in Essex and Union counties, commuter bus service from the Raritan Valley to Manhattan

*Red & Tan in Hudson County--local bus service in Hudson County

*Rockland Coaches--commuter and local bus service from Bergen County to Manhattan

*Suburban Trails--commuter bus service from Middlesex County to Manhattan, local bus service in Middlesex County

DeCamp Bus Lines--commuter bus service from Essex County to Manhattan

Greyhound--interstate bus service from terminals in Newark, Atlantic City, and Mount Laurel

Lakeland Bus Lines--commuter and local bus service from Morris, Somerset, Union, and Sussex counties to Manhattan

Martz Trailways—service from Warren County to Manhattan

Montgomery & West Side IBOA--local bus service in Jersey City

Trans-Bridge Lines--service from the Skylands Region to and from Manhattan

Law and government

Executive

The position of Governor of New Jersey has been considered one of the most powerful in the nation. Until recently the governor was the only statewide elected office in the state appointed numerous government officials. Formerly, an Acting Governor was even more powerful as he simultaneously served as President of the New Jersey State Senate, thus directing half of the legislative and all of the executive process. In 2002 and 2007, President of the State Senate Richard Codey held the position of Acting Governor for a short time, and from 2004 to 2006 Codey became a long-term Acting Governor due to Jim McGreevey's resignation. A 2005 amendment to the state Constitution prevents the Senate President from becoming Acting Governor in the event of a permanent gubernatorial vacancy without giving up her or his seat in the state Senate. Chris Christie (Republican) is the Governor.

The governor's mansion is Drumthwacket, located in Princeton Township.

In recent years, New Jersey was one of the few states without a lieutenant governor. Republican Kim Guadagno was elected the first Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey and took office on January 19, 2010. She was elected on the Republican ticket with Governor-Elect Chris Christie in the November 2009 NJ gubernatorial election. The position was created as the result of a Constitutional amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution passed by the voters on November 8, 2005 and effective as of January 17, 2006.

Legislative

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 the 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. Thus, the last year when New Jersey elected a Governor was 2009; the next gubernatorial election will occur in 2013, with future gubernatorial elections to take place in 2017, 2021, 2025, etc.

Judicial

The New Jersey Supreme Court 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 Courts, 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, after which he or she 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 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

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. New Jersey is the only state in the nation where elected county officials are called "Freeholders," governing each county as part of its own Board of Chosen Freeholders. The number of freeholders 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 Chosen Freeholders or split into separate branches of government. In 16 counties, members of the Board of Chosen Freeholders perform both legislative and executive functions on a commission basis, with each Freeholder assigned responsibility for a department or group of departments. In the other 5 counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Mercer), there is a directly elected County Executive who performs the executive functions while the Board of Chosen Freeholders retains 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.

Municipalities

New Jersey has 566 municipalities; the number was 567 before Pahaquarry Township was absorbed by Hardwick Township in 1997. Unlike states in the west and south, 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. In May 2009, the Local Unit Alignment Reorganization and Consolidation Commission (LUARC) began a study of about 40 small communities in South Jersey to decide which ones might be good candidates for consolidation.

Types of government

When the types of government were devised in the 19th century, the intention was that cities would be large built-up areas, with progressively smaller boroughs, towns, and villages; the rural areas in between would be relatively large townships. This is still often true, although Shrewsbury Township has been divided over the years; today it is less than a square mile, consisting only of a single housing development. Some townships — notably Brick, Hamilton, Middletown, and Toms River — have, without changing their boundaries, become large stretches of suburbia, as populous as cities, often focused around shopping centers and highways rather than traditional downtowns and main streets.

Short Hills, Murray Hill, and many other locations in New Jersey are not municipalities but rather neighborhoods, with no exact boundaries. Often the cluster of houses, the traditional neighborhood, the postal district, and the Census designated place will differ.

Forms of government

The five types of municipality differ mostly in name. Originally, each type had its own form of government but more modern forms are available to any municipality, even though the original type is retained in its formal name. Only boroughs can (but are not required to) have the "borough form" of government.

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 3- or 5-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 Council-Manager government with an (ideally apolitical) appointed manager responsible for 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.

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, Loch Arbour is the only one remaining with the village form of government. The other three villages—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)—have all migrated to other non-village forms.

Politics

Social attitudes and issues

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 Partial Birth Abortion and public funding of Abortion. In a 2009 Quinnipiac University poll, a plurality supported same-sex marriage 49% to 43% opposed.

In April 2004, New Jersey enacted a domestic partnership law, which is available to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples aged 62 and over. During 2006, the New Jersey Supreme Court voted 4 to 3 that state lawmakers must provide the rights and benefits of marriage to gay and lesbian couples. Moreover, effective February 19, 2007, New Jersey became the third state in the U.S. (the other two being Connecticut and Vermont) to offer civil unions to same-sex couples, conferring over 850 rights, privileges and responsibilities of marriage; legislators declined, however, to use the term "marriage" for same-sex unions. Thus, three separate government-recognized relationships are now in effect in the Garden State: domestic partnerships, civil unions, and marriage.

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 even 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.

New Jersey has a severe city/urban litter reputational problem, as noted in the report, "New Jersey: America's Ugly Urban/City Litter (Trash) State." The state still has no statewide anti-litter slogan and its 1986 Clean Communities Act has been controversial in failing to help abate litter and debris on public streets, roadways and properties.

Elections

+ Presidential elections results
!Year	Republican Party (United States)>Republicans	Democratic Party (United States)>Democrats
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In past federal elections, New Jersey was a Republican bastion, but recently has become a Democratic stronghold. Currently, New Jersey Democrats have majority control of both houses of the New Jersey Legislature (Senate, 22–18, and Assembly, 48–32), both U.S. Senate seats, and 8 out of the state's 13 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The state had a Republican governor from 1994 to 2002, as Christie Todd Whitman won twice with vote percentages of 47 and 49 percent.

In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie defeated incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine. Because each candidate for lieutenant governor runs on the same ticket as the party's candidate for governor, the current Governor and Lieutenant Governor are members of the Republican Party. The governor's appointments to cabinet and non-cabinet positions may be from either party. (The 2009 Attorney General appointee is a Democrat.)

In federal elections, the state leans heavily towards the Democratic Party. For many years, however, it was a Republican stronghold, having given comfortable margins of victory to the Republican candidate in the close elections of 1948, 1968, and 1976. 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. (Nicholas F. Brady was appointed a U.S. Senator by Governor Thomas Kean in 1982 and served for eight months, after Harrison A. Williams resigned the Senate seat following the Abscam investigations.)

The state's Democratic strongholds include Camden County, Essex County (including Newark, the state's largest city), Hudson 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).

The suburban northwestern and southeastern counties of the state are reliably Republican: Republicans have support along the coast in Ocean County and in the mountainous northwestern part of the state, especially Morris County, Sussex County, and Warren County. Other suburban counties, especially Bergen County and Burlington County had the majority of votes go to the Democratic Party. In the 2008 election, President Barack Obama won New Jersey with approximately fifty-seven percent of the vote, compared to McCain's forty-one percent. Independent candidate Ralph Nader garnered less than one percent of the vote.

About one-third of the state's counties are considered "swing" counties, but some go more one way than others. For example, Salem County, the same is true with Passaic County, with a highly populated Hispanic Democratic south (including Paterson, the state's third-largest city) and a rural, Republican north. Other "swing" counties like Monmouth County, Somerset County, and Cape May County tend to go Republican, as they also have population in conservative areas.

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 29 days prior.

Capital punishment

On December 17, 2007, Governor Jon Corzine signed into law a bill that would eliminate the death penalty in New Jersey. New Jersey is the first state to pass such legislation since Iowa and West Virginia eliminated executions in 1965. Corzine also signed a bill that would downgrade the Death Row prisoners' sentences from "Death" to "Life in Prison with No Parole."

Prominent cities and towns

Large cities (100,000 or greater)

For its overall population and nation-leading population density, New Jersey has a relative paucity of classic large cities. As of the United States 2000 Census, only four municipalities had populations in excess of 100,000. With the 2004 Census estimate, Woodbridge briefly surpassed Edison in population, as both joined the 100,000 club. The 2006 Census estimate states that both Edison and Woodbridge Township have dropped below the 100,000 mark (with Edison surpassing Woodbridge). #Newark, Essex County: 273,546 (Census Estimate 2006: 281,402) #Jersey City, Hudson County: 240,055 (Census Estimate 2006: 241,791) #Paterson, Passaic County: 149,222 (Census Estimate 2006: 148,708) #Elizabeth, Union County: 120,568 (Census Estimate 2006: 126,179) #Edison, Middlesex County 97,687 (Census Estimate 2006: 99,523) #Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County: 97,203 (Census Estimate 2006: 99,208)

Towns and small cities (60,000 to 100,000)

#Toms River Township (Ocean County): 89,706 (Census Estimate 2006: 94,660) #Hamilton Township (Mercer County): 87,109 (Census Estimate 2006: 90,559) #Trenton (Mercer County): 85,403 #Camden (Camden County): 79,904 #Clifton (Passaic County): 78,672 #Brick Township (Ocean County): 76,119 #Cherry Hill Township (Camden County): 69,965 #East Orange (Essex County): 69,824 #Passaic (Passaic County): 67,861 #Union City (Hudson County): 67,088 #Middletown Township (Monmouth County): 66,327 #Gloucester Township (Camden County): 64,350 #Bayonne (Hudson County): 61,842 #Irvington (Essex County): 60,695 #Old Bridge Township (Middlesex County): 60,456 #Lakewood Township (Ocean County): 60,352

Wealth of municipalities

Points of interest

Museums

New Jersey has many museums of all kinds. A few major museums in the state are listed.

{|class="wikitable" |- !Museum !Location !Year Opened !Type |- |New Jersey State Museum |Trenton |1895 |General Education |- |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 & Art museum |- |Thomas Edison Museum |Menlo Park |1938 |Thomas Edison museum |}

Entertainment/Concert Venues

Due to the major highways and cities located in and around the state, many residents and visitors take advantage of and contribute to performances in music, theater, and dance. There are many theater and dance companies throughout the region. Major events and performance venues include: {|class="wikitable" |- !Venue !Type !Location !Year Opened |- |Prudential Center |Arena |Newark |2007 |- |Izod Center |Arena |Meadowlands Sports Complex |1977 |- |PNC Bank Arts Center |Amphitheater |Holmdel |1977 |- |NJPAC |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 |- |Sun National Bank Center |Arena |Trenton |1999 |}

Theme parks

New Jersey has a number of amusement parks, including the world's largest seasonal theme park, to the biggest drive-thru safari outside of Africa, and an amusement and water park spread across three piers above the beach. {|class="wikitable" |- |- !Main Park !Other Parks !Location !Year Opened |- |Six Flags Great Adventure |Six Flags Wild Safari, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor |Jackson |1974 |- |Clementon Amusement Park |Splash World |Clementon |1907 |- |Land of Make Believe |Pirate's Cove |Hope |1958 |- |Morey's Piers |None |Wildwood |1969 |- |Mountain Creek Waterpark |None |Vernon |1998 |}

Jersey Shore

Sports

Professional sports

New Jersey currently has five teams from major professional sports leagues playing in the state, although the Major League Soccer team and two National Football League teams identify as being from New York.

The National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils, based in Newark at the Prudential Center, is one of only two major league franchises to bear the state's name, the other one being the National Basketball Association's New Jersey Nets who are preparing to move to Brooklyn in 2012 and are also based at the Prudential Center. The New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area's two National Football League teams play in New Jersey; the New York Giants and the New York Jets both play in East Rutherford, Bergen County at MetLife Stadium, which at a construction cost of approximately $1.6 billion, is the most expensive sports stadium ever built.

The New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer play in Red Bull Arena, a soccer-specific stadium located in Harrison outside of Downtown Newark.

The Giants and Jets played in Giants Stadium before moving to adjacent MetLife Stadium in 2010 and will host Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. The Meadowlands and its sports venues were widely considered to be outdated by today's professional sports standards. This led to the Devils move away from the Meadowlands Arena to the new Prudential Center in Newark at the start of the 2007–08 season. The Nets also left the Meadowlands for the Prudential Center in 2010 and plan to relocate to Brooklyn as soon as the Barclays Center is completed for them. With both teams leaving the Meadowlands Arena its future is in doubt.

The sports complex is also home to the Meadowlands Racetrack one of three major harness racing tracks in the state. The Meadowlands Racetrack along with Freehold Raceway in Freehold are two of the major harness racing tracks in North America. Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport is also 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.

{|class="wikitable" |- !Club !Sport !League !Stadium |- |New Jersey Devils |Ice Hockey |National Hockey League |Prudential Center |- |New Jersey Nets |Basketball |National Basketball Association |Prudential Center |- |New York Giants |Football |National Football League |MetLife Stadium |- |New York Jets |Football |National Football League |MetLife Stadium |- |New York Red Bulls |Soccer |Major League Soccer |Red Bull Arena |- |New Jersey Revolution |Indoor Football |American Indoor Football League |Mennen Arena |- |Trenton Devils |Ice Hockey |East Coast Hockey League |Sun National Bank Center |- |New Jersey Ironmen |Indoor Soccer |Xtreme Soccer League |Prudential Center |- |Jersey Express |Basketball |American Basketball Association |Baldwin Gymnasium |- |Lakewood Blue Claws |Baseball |Minor League Baseball |FirstEnergy Park |- |New Jersey Jackals |Baseball |Minor League Baseball |Yogi Berra Stadium |- |Sussex Skyhawks |Baseball |Minor League Baseball |Skylands Park |- |Trenton Thunder |Baseball |Minor League Baseball |Mercer County Waterfront Park |- |Camden Riversharks |Baseball |Minor League Baseball |Campbell's Field |- |Newark Bears |Baseball |Minor League Baseball |Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium |- |Somerset Patriots |Baseball |Minor League Baseball |TD Bank Ballpark |}

Collegiate sports teams

New Jerseyans' collegiate allegiances are predominately split among the three major NCAA Division I programs in the state — the Rutgers University (New Jersey's largest state university) Scarlet Knights, the Seton Hall University (which is the state's largest Roman Catholic university) Pirates, and the Princeton University (the state's Ivy League university) Tigers. Both Rutgers and Seton Hall compete in the Big East Conference, and the rivalry between the two teams has always been an intense one. Rutgers and Princeton likewise have an intense rivalry—stemming from the first intercollegiate football game in 1869—though the two schools have not met on the football field since 1980. 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 excellent football and women's basketball programs. The university is planning a large expansion to the on-campus Rutgers Stadium—to accommodate the rising number of fans—and the teams play in Piscataway, which is adjacent to the New Brunswick campus. The university also fields rising basketball and baseball programs. Rutgers' fan base is mostly derived from the western parts of the state and Middlesex County, not to mention its alumni base, which is the largest in the state.

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, also has campuses in Camden and Newark (in addition to its main campus in New Brunswick). The Rutgers-Camden athletic teams are called the Scarlet Raptors. The Rutgers-Newark athletic teams are called the Scarlet Raiders. The Scarlet Raiders and the Scarlet Raptors both compete within NCAA Division III.

Seton Hall, unlike Rutgers, does not field a football team. Its basketball team, however, has been one of the most storied programs in the Big East, and it plays its home games at the state-of-the-art Prudential Center, located in downtown Newark. The Pirates, while lacking as large an alumni base as the state university, have a large well of support in the predominately Roman Catholic areas of the northern part of the state and the Jersey Shore.

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 College 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 sports

:See footnote

Gambling

In 1978, the New Jersey legislature approved casino gambling in Atlantic City. At that time, Las Vegas was the only mega-casino resort. By 1978, Atlantic City was in decline. It was no longer the seaside resort that it once was. With the institution of casino gambling, Atlantic City has come back as a resort city. There are numerous famous casinos, with its main contributor being Donald Trump. Many lie along the Atlantic City Boardwalk, the longest boardwalk in the world.

Media

Newspapers

There are many major New Jersey newspapers, including:

Asbury Park Press Burlington County Times Courier News Courier-Post Cranford Chronicle Daily Record (Morris) The Express-Times Gloucester County Times Herald News Home News Tribune Hunterdon County Democrat Independent Press

Jersey Journal The New Jersey Herald The News of Cumberland County The Press of Atlantic City The Record The Record-Press and Suburban News The Reporter (Somerset) The Star-Ledger Today's Sunbeam Trentonian (Mercer) The Warren Reporter The Trenton Times

On-line news

Since 2005 there have been a growing number of "hyperlocal news sites." These sites provide relevant news for their respective communities.

Radio stations

:See: List of radio stations in New Jersey

Television and film

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. 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. New Jersey has long offered tax credits to television producers. Governor Christopher 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.

Music

New Jersey has long been an important area for both rock and rap music. Some prominent musicians from or with significant connections to New Jersey are:

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 entertainment legend as an Academy Award winning actor and one of the most famous male vocalists of all time.

Bruce Springsteen, who has sung of New Jersey life on most of his albums, hails from Freehold and is the most popular rock musician to ever come out of the state. 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".

The Jonas Brothers all reside in Wyckoff, New Jersey, where the eldest brother of the group, Kevin Jonas was born, as well as the youngest Jonas, Frankie.

Irvington's Queen Latifah was the first female rapper to succeed in music, film, and television.

Lauryn Hill is from South Orange, New Jersey. Her 1998 debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, sold 10 million copies internationally. She also sold millions with The Fugees second album The Score.

Redman (Reggie Noble) was born, raised, and resides in Newark. He is the most successful African-American solo hip-hop artist out of New Jersey.

All members of The Sugarhill Gang were born in Englewood.

Roc-A-Fella Records rap producer Just Blaze hails from Paterson, New Jersey.

Jon Bon Jovi, who hails 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" and even named one of his albums after the state. (see New Jersey)

Singer Dionne Warwick was born in East Orange.

Singer Whitney Houston (who is Dionne Warwick's cousin) was born in Newark, and grew up in neighboring East Orange.

Legendary jazz pianist and bandleader Count Basie was born in Red Bank in 1904. In the 1960s, he collaborated on several albums with fellow New Jersey native Frank Sinatra. The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank is named in his honor.

Parliament-Funkadelic, the pioneering funk music collective, was formed in Plainfield by George Clinton.

Asbury Park is home of The Stone Pony, which Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi frequented early in their careers and is still considered by many to be a "Mecca" for up-and-coming Jersey Shore musicians.

Hip-hop pioneers Naughty By Nature hail from East Orange.

In 1964, the Isley Brothers founded the record label T-Neck Records, named after Teaneck, their home at the time.

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)

Jazz pianist Bill Evans was born in Plainfield in 1929.

Rock band Thursday was formed in New Brunswick, NJ. Numerous songs reference the city.

Horror punk band The Misfits hail from Lodi, as well as their founder Glenn Danzig.

Punk rock poet Patti Smith is from Mantua.

Acclaimed indie rock veterans Yo La Tengo are based in Hoboken. They also have a song called "The Night Falls on Hoboken".

New Jersey was the East Coast hub for ska music in the 90s. Some of the most popular ska bands, such as Catch 22 and Streetlight Manifesto, come from East Brunswick.

Black Label Society's and Ozzy Osbourne's famed guitarist Zakk Wylde was born in Bayonne and raised in Jackson

The Bouncing Souls original four members grew up in Basking Ridge and formed in New Brunswick in the late 1980s.

My Chemical Romance's Frank Iero, Gerard Way, Mikey Way, and Ray Toro all hail from Belleville, New Jersey.

Cobra Starship frontman Gabe Saporta is from New Jersey

Video games

Grand Theft Auto 1 (1997), takes place in New Jersey, called New Guernsey.

Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), The Lost and Damned (2009) and The Ballad of Gay Tony , which take place in New Jersey, especially in Hudson County, Bergen County, Essex County, and Union County, New Jersey. Jersey City is called Alderney City.

Culture

General

Like every state, New Jersey has its own cuisine, religious communities, museums, and halls of fame.

New Jersey is the birthplace of modern inventions such as: 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, the first use of a submarine in warfare, and the ice cream cone.

There are mineral museums in Franklin and Ogdensburg.

Diners are common in New Jersey. The state is home to many diner manufacturers and has more diners than any other state: over 600. There are more diners in the state of New Jersey than any other place in the world.

New Jersey is the only state without a state song. "I'm From New Jersey" is incorrectly listed on many websites as being the New Jersey State Song, but wasn't even a contender when in 1996 the New Jersey Arts Council submitted their suggestions to the New Jersey Legislature.

New Jersey has been rated as the "least annoying state".

Legends and ghosts

A long-circulated legend says a creature, the Jersey Devil or the Leeds Devil, terrorizes the population of the Pine Barrens. The New Jersey Devils are named for this mythical creature. New Jersey is also home to several other legends, such as the ghost of Annie's Road — a section of Riverview Drive between Totowa Road and Union Boulevard in Totowa, which is said to be haunted by a "Lady in White"; and the haunted and demon-possessed Clinton Road in West Milford. Cooper Road in Middletown is said to be haunted by strange, ghostly people who jump out from behind trees at cars traveling down the unpaved portion of the road. The unpaved section has no street lights and thus is very dangerous as it has sharp turns where the ghostly people are said to jump in front of the cars from behind trees, causing them to crash. There is also the Atco Ghost — the ghost of a little boy who runs across the street late at night in Atco. It is also rumored that Jimmy Hoffa, the late leader of the Teamsters Union, is buried beneath Giants Stadium or the New Jersey Turnpike. However, on the popular television show MythBusters, the myth of Jimmy Hoffa being buried under Giants Stadium was debunked using ground penetrating radar.

The magazine Weird NJ (the creators of which later started Weird U.S.) was started to catalog and explore the ghosts, legends, and prevalence of otherwise "weird" things in the state.

State symbols

Notable people

See also

List of National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey

List of people from New Jersey

U.S. state

References

External links

;State Government

Official New Jersey state web site

New Jersey State Databases – Annotated list of searchable databases produced by New Jersey state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.

Descriptions of NJ forms of government (e.g., township, borough, etc.) from NJ State League of Municipalities

;U.S. Government

Energy Data & Statistics for New Jersey

USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of New Jersey

US Census Bureau

New Jersey State Facts

;Other

The New Jersey Digital Highway, the statewide cultural heritage portal to digital collections from the state's archives, libraries and museums

Abandoned and Historic Mines of New Jersey

New Jersey travel guide from Wikitravel

== Related information ==

Category:Former British colonies Category:States and territories established in 1787 Category:States of the United States

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Coordinates	53°14′″N22°4′″N
{{infobox country|native name	Bailiwick of JerseyBailliage de Jersey
Common name	Jersey
Image coat	Jersey coa.svg
Map caption
National anthem	"God Save the Queen" (official)"Ma Normandie" ("My Normandy") (official for occasions when distinguishing anthem required)
Official languages	English, French
Regional languages	Jèrriais
Ethnic groups	51.1% Jersey, 34.8% Britons, 6.4% Portuguese, 2.6% Irish, 1.7% French, 2.3% other white, 1.1% other
Capital	Saint Helier
Largest city	capital
Government type	Parliamentary system, Constitutional monarchy and Crown dependency
Leader title1	Duke
Leader name1
Leader title2	Lieutenant Governor
Leader name2	Currently Vacant, pending Sir John McColl being sworn in
Leader title3	Bailiff
Leader name3	Michael Birt
Leader title4	Chief Minister
Leader name4	Senator Terry Le Sueur
Area rank	219th
Area magnitude	1 E8
Area km2	116
Area sq mi	45
Percent water	0
Population estimate	92,500
Population estimate rank	190th
Population estimate year	December 2009
Population density km2	797
Population density sq mi	2,064
Population density rank	14th²
Gdp ppp	£3.6 billion
Gdp ppp rank	167th
Gdp ppp year	2003
Gdp ppp per capita	£40,000 (2003 estimate)
Gdp ppp per capita rank	6th
Sovereignty type	Status
Sovereignty note	British Crown dependency
Established event1	Separation from mainland Normandy
Established event2	Liberation from German occupation
Established date1	1204
Established date2	9 May 1945
Hdi	n/a
Hdi rank	n/a
Hdi year	n/a
Hdi category	n/a
Currency	Pound sterling³ (However, the Euro is still accepted.)
Currency code	GBP
Time zone	GMT4
Utc offset dst	+1
Drives on	left
Cctld	.je
Calling code	+44 spec. +44-1534(landline)+44-7797, +44-7937, +44-7509(Jersey Telecom mobile)+44-7700(Sure mobile)+44-7829(Airtel-Vodafone mobile)
Patron saint	St. Helier
Footnote1	Jersey’s Resident Population 2007
Footnote2	Rank based on population density of Channel Islands including Guernsey.
Footnote3	The States of Jersey issue their own sterling notes and coins (see Jersey pound).
Footnote4	In a referendum on 16 October 2008, voters rejected a proposal to adopt Central European Time, by 72.4%. }}

The Bailiwick of Jersey (, ; Jèrriais: Jèrri) is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and other rocks and reefs.

Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey are often referred to as 'the Channel Islands' but they are not a constitutional or political unit. The three Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man each has a separate relationship to the British Crown. All are part of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is constitutionally responsible for the defence of Jersey. Jersey is not a part of the European Union but has a special relationship with it, being treated as part of the European Community for the purposes of free trade in goods.

Toponymy

Old mentions

Andium (?) 4^e C. insula Gersoi 1022/1026. insula Gerseii, var. Gersey, Gersei, Gersoii 1042. Gersus ~1070. insula de Gerzoi 1080/~1082. insula de Gersoi 1066/1083. insula Gersoi 1066/1083. l'isle de Gersui 1160/1174. in Gersoio 1223/1236. Gersuy 1339. Gersui 1339. insula de Jersey 1372. insula de Jereseye 1372. insula de Gersey 1386. insula […] de Jersey 1419. Iarsay [read Jarsay] 1585. Jarsey 1693. Jerzey 1753. Isle de Gersey 1753/1785. Ile de Jersey 1854.

Etymology

The Channel Islands are mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary as following : Sarnia, Caesarea, Barsa, Silia and Andium, but none of them corresponds to the present names. So that Jersey's first name cannot be really identified. Furthermore, later records evoke Angia (also spelled Agna ).

Andium, a Latinized version of the Gaulish (Celtic) *Andion, with and- Gaulish intensive prefix meaning "very", "much", "big". Andium will be the "big Island". It is actually the largest one among the Channel Islands. The spelling Angia could be an ultimate development of *Andia.

Some others identify it as Caesarea, a late recorded Roman name influenced by Old English suffix -ey for "island"; this is plausible if, in the regional pronunciation of Latin, Caesarea was not but .

Angia could be a misspelling for *Augia, that is the Latinized form of Germanic *aujō (> Old English ī(e)ġ > is-land).), that could have extended before the Viking Age along the coast of France, as for île d'Yeu (Augia, Insula Oya) or Oye-Plage (Ogia 7th C.) and constitutes the suffix -ey in Jersey, Guernsey (Greneroi), Alderney (Alneroi) and Chausey (Calsoi). Chausey can be compared with Cholsey (GB, Berkshire, Ċeolesiġ 891), interpreted by Eilert Ekwall as "Ċeola 's island".

These -ey names could have been reinforced by the Viking heritage, because -ey is similar, so that it is possible to interpret the first part of the toponym as an Old Norse element. The source of it is unclear. Scholars surmise it derives from jarð (Old Norse for "earth") or jarl (earl), or perhaps a personal name, Geirr ("Geirr's Island").

History

Jersey history is influenced by its strategic location between the northern coast of France and the southern coast of England; the island's recorded history extends over a thousand years.

Evidence of Bronze Age and early Iron Age settlements can be found in many locations around the island. Archaeological evidence of Roman influence has been found, in particular the coastal headland site at Le Pinacle, Les Landes, where remains of a primitive structure are attributed to Gallo-roman temple worship (fanum). Evidence for settled Roman occupation has yet to be established.

Jersey was invaded by Vikings in the ninth century. Formerly under the control of Brittany, but in the archbishopric of Rouen, the island was eventually annexed to the Duchy of Normandy by William Longsword, Duke of Normandy in 933 and it became one of the Norman Islands. When William's descendant, William the Conqueror, conquered England in 1066, the Duchy of Normandy and the kingdom of England were governed under one monarch. The Dukes of Normandy owned considerable estates on the island, and Norman families living on their estates founded many of the historical Norman-French Jersey family names. King John lost all his territories in mainland Normandy in 1204 to King Philip II Augustus, but retained possession of Jersey, along with Guernsey and the other Channel Islands. The islands have been internally self-governing since then.

Islanders travelled across the North Atlantic to participate in the Newfoundland fisheries in the late 16th century. In recognition for help given to him during his exile in Jersey in the 1640s, Charles II gave George Carteret, bailiff and governor, a large grant of land in the American colonies in between the Hudson and Delaware rivers which he promptly named New Jersey. It is now a state in the United States of America.

Trade laid the foundations of prosperity, aided by neutrality between England and France. The Jersey way of life involved agriculture, milling, fishing, shipbuilding, and production of woollen goods. 19th century improvements in transport links brought tourism to the island.

During World War II, Jersey was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1 July 1940 until 9 May 1945, when Germany surrendered.

Politics

Jersey's unicameral legislature is the Assembly of the States of Jersey. It includes fifty-three elected members: twelve senators (elected on an island-wide basis), twelve Connétables (often called 'constables', heads of parishes) and twenty-nine deputies (representing constituencies), all elected for four year terms as from the October 2011 elections. There are also five non-voting members appointed by the Crown: the Bailiff, the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and Solicitor General.

The government is a Council of Ministers, consisting of a Chief Minister and nine ministers. Each minister may appoint up to two assistant ministers. A Chief Executive is head of the civil service. Some government functions are carried out in the island's twelve parishes.

The Bailiff is President (presiding officer) of the States Assembly, head of the judiciary and as civic head of the island carries out various ceremonial roles.

As one of the Crown Dependencies, Jersey is autonomous and self-governing, with its own independent legal, administrative and fiscal systems. In 1973, the Royal Commission on the Constitution set out the duties of the Crown as including: ultimate responsibility for the 'good government' of the Crown Dependencies; ratification of island legislation by Order in Council (Royal Assent); international representation, subject to consultation with the island authorities before concluding any agreement which would apply to them; ensuring the islands meet their international obligations; and defence.

Elizabeth II's traditional title as Head of State is Duke of Normandy. "The Crown" is defined by the Law Officers of the Crown as the "Crown in right of Jersey". The Queen's representative and adviser in the island is the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey. He is a point of contact between Jersey ministers and the United Kingdom government and carries out executive functions in relation to immigration control, deportation, naturalisation and the issue of passports. Since 2006, the incumbent Lieutenant Governor has been Lieutenant General Andrew Ridgway.

Legal system

Jersey is a distinct jurisdiction for the purposes of conflict of laws, separate from the other Channel Islands, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Jersey law has been influenced by several different legal traditions, in particular Norman customary law, English common law and modern French civil law. Jersey's legal system is therefore described as 'mixed' or 'pluralistic', and sources of law are in French and English languages, although since the 1950s the main working language of the legal system is English.

The principal court is the Royal Court, with appeals to the Jersey Court of Appeal and, ultimately, to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The Bailiff is head of the judiciary; the Bailiff and the Deputy Bailiff are appointed by the Crown. Other members of the island's judiciary are appointed by the Bailiff.

Parishes

Administratively, Jersey is divided into twelve parishes. All border on the sea. They were named after the Christian saints to whom their ancient parish churches were dedicated:

Grouville (historically Saint Martin de Grouville; incorporating Les Minquiers)

Saint Brélade

Saint Clément

Saint Helier

Saint John

Saint Lawrence

Saint Martin (historically Saint Martin le Vieux; incorporating Les Écréhous)

Saint Mary

Saint Ouen

Saint Peter

Saint Saviour

Trinity

The parishes of Jersey are further divided into vingtaines (or, in St. Ouen, cueillettes), divisions that are historic. Today they are used chiefly for purposes of local administration and electoral constituency.

The Connétable is the head of each parish, elected at a public election for a four-year term to run the parish and to represent the municipality in the Assembly of the States of Jersey. The Procureur du Bien Public (two in each parish) is the legal and financial representative of the parish (elected at a public election since 2003 in accordance with the Public Elections (Amendment) (Jersey) Law 2003; formerly an Assembly of Electors of each parish elected the Procureurs in accordance with the Loi (1804) au sujet des assemblées paroissiales). A Procureur du Bien Public is elected for three years as a public trustee for the funds and property of the parish and may contract when authorised by a Parish Assembly. The Parish Assembly is the decision-making body of local government in each parish; it consists of all entitled voters of the parish.

Each parish elects its own force of Honorary Police consisting of Centeniers, Vingteniers and Constable's Officers. Centeniers are elected at a public election within each parish for a term of three years to undertake policing within the parish. The Centenier is the only officer authorised to charge and bail offenders. Formerly, the senior Centenier of each parish (entitled the Chef de Police) deputised for the Connétable in the States of Jersey when the Connétable was unable to attend a sitting of the States. This function has now been abolished.

International relations

Although diplomatic representation is reserved to the Crown, Jersey has been developing its own international identity over recent years. It negotiates directly with foreign governments on matters within the competence of the States of Jersey. Jersey maintains the Bureau de Jersey in Caen, France, a permanent non-diplomatic representation, with a branch office in Rennes. A similar office, the Maison de Normandie in St. Helier, represents the Conseil général of Manche and the Conseil régional of Basse-Normandie. It hosts the Consulate of France.

Jersey is a member of the British-Irish Council, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie. Jersey wants to become a full member of the Commonwealth in its own right.

International identity

In 2007, the Chief Minister and the UK Lord Chancellor signed an agreement that established a framework for the development of the international identity of Jersey. The agreement stated that:

the UK has no democratic accountability in and for Jersey;

the UK will not act internationally on behalf of Jersey without prior consultation;

Jersey has an international identity that is different from that of the UK;

the UK recognises that the interests of Jersey may differ from those of the UK, and the UK will seek to represent any differing interests when acting in an international capacity; and

the UK and Jersey will work together to resolve or clarify any differences that may arise between their respective interests.

In January 2011, the Chief Minister designated one of his assistant ministers as having responsibility for external relations; he is now often described as the island's 'foreign minister'.

Tax information exchange agreements (TIEAs) have been signed directly by the island with several countries, including the United States of America (2002), the Netherlands (2007), Denmark, the Faroes, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway (2008), the United Kingdom, France, Australia and New Zealand (2009).

Relationship with the European Union

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Jersey is neither a Member State nor an Associate Member of European Union. It does, however, have a relationship with the EU governed by Protocol 3 to the UK’s Treaty of Accession in 1972. Protocol 3 and other relevant treaty provisions are made part of Jersey Law by the European Communities (Jersey) Law 1973. The relationship between the Channel Islands and the EU cannot be changed without the unanimous agreement of all Member States and Island authorities.

Under Protocol 3, Jersey is part of the European Union Customs Union of the European Community. The common customs tariff, levies and other agricultural import measures apply to trade between the island and non-Member States. There is free movement of goods and trade between the island and Member States. EU rules on freedom of movement for workers do not apply in Jersey. Nor is Jersey part of the single market in financial services. It is not required to implement EU Directives on such matters as movement of capital, company law or money laundering. Jersey plans to incorporate such measures where appropriate, with particular regard to the island's commitment to meeting international standards of financial regulation and countering money laundering and terrorist financing.

British citizens who have only a connection to Jersey, and not with the United Kingdom or another Member state of the European Union, are not considered to be European Union citizens. They have 'Islander status' and their Jersey-issued British passports are endorsed with the words 'the holder is not entitled to benefit from EU provisions relating to employment or establishment'.

Jersey residents do not have a right to vote in elections for the European Parliament. Jersey and Guernsey jointly opened an office in Brussels in 2010 to promote their common interests with European Union institutions. Jersey is particularly concerned about European Union legislation and reforms that may affect its trading partners in international financial centres round the world.

Independence

The question of Jersey's independence has been discussed from time to time in the Assembly of the States of Jersey. In 2005-2008, a working group of the States of Jersey examined the options for independence, concluding that Jersey 'is equipped to face the challenges of independence' but making no recommendations. Proposals for Jersey independence continue to be discussed outside the States.

Geography

Jersey is an island measuring 118.2 square kilometres (65,569 vergée / 46 sq mi), including reclaimed land and intertidal zone. It lies in the English Channel, approximately from the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, France, and approximately south of Great Britain. It is the largest and southernmost of the Channel Islands, with a maximum land elevation of 143 m (469 ft) above sea level.

The climate is temperate with mild winters and cool summers. The average annual temperature, is similar to the South Coast of England and the mean annual total sunshine is 1912 hours. The terrain consists of a plateau sloping from long sandy bays in the south to rugged cliffs in the north. The plateau is cut by valleys running generally north-south.

Economy

Thanks to specialisation in a few high-return sectors, at purchasing power parity Jersey has high economic output per capita, substantially ahead of all of the world's large developed economies. The CIA World Factbook estimate of Jersey's GDP per capita for 2005 is US$57,000, surpassed only by two other small states with similar economic characteristics, Bermuda and Luxembourg. However, this is not indicative of each individual resident's purchasing power, and the actual standard of living in Jersey is comparable to that in the United Kingdom outside central London . Jersey's economy is based on financial services, tourism, electronic commerce and agriculture; financial services contribute approximately 60 percent of the island's economy. The island is recognised as one of the leading offshore financial centres. In June 2005 the States introduced the Competition (Jersey) Law 2005 to regulate competition and stimulate economic growth. This competition law was based on that of other jurisdictions.

Aside from its banking and finance (and the finance industries supporting industries), Jersey depends on tourism. In 2006 there were 729,000 visitors (down 3% on the previous year) but total visitor spending rose 1% to £222m. Duty-free goods are available for purchase on travel to and from the island.

Major agricultural products are potatoes and dairy produce. The source of milk is Jersey cattle, a small breed of cow that has also been acknowledged (though not widely so) for the quality of its meat. The Jersey cow has more widely been known for its rich milk and cream. It is said the first immigrants to America (who settled in Virginia) brought the Jersey Cow along with them. Nowadays, visiting the Isle of Jersey, many local businesses support and thrive on the export of "Jersey Cow" milk, cream and fudge.

Farmers and growers often sell surplus food and flowers in boxes on the roadside. The Isle of Jersey has long been an agricultural community. They rely on the honesty of customers to drop the correct change into the money box and take what they want. In the 21st century, diversification of agriculture and amendments in planning strategy have led to farm shops replacing many of the roadside stalls.

On 18 February 2005, Jersey was granted Fairtrade Island status.

Taxation

Until the 20th century, the States relied on indirect taxation to finance the administration of Jersey. The levying of impôts (duties) different from those of the United Kingdom was granted by Charles II and remained in the hands of the Assembly of Governor, Bailiff and Jurats until 1921 when that body's tax raising powers were transferred to the Assembly of the States, leaving the Assembly of Governor, Bailiff and Jurats to serve simply as licensing bench for the sale of alcohol (this fiscal reform also stripped the Lieutenant-Governor of most of his effective remaining administrative functions). The Income Tax Law of 1928 introducing income tax was the first law drafted entirely in English. Income tax has been levied at a flat rate of 20% set by the occupying Germans during World War II.

As VAT has not been levied in the island, luxury goods have often been cheaper than in the UK or in France, providing an incentive for tourism from neighbouring countries. The absence of VAT has also led to the growth of the fulfilment industry, whereby low-value luxury items, such as videos, lingerie and contact lenses are exported, avoiding VAT on arrival and thus undercutting local prices on the same products. In 2005, the States of Jersey announced limits on licences granted to non-resident companies trading in this way.

Although Jersey does not have VAT, the States of Jersey introduced a goods and services tax (GST) on 6 May 2008, at a standard rate of 3%. The rate was amended to 5% on the 1st June 2011. Some supplies are taxed at 0% and others exempt.

Jersey is not subject to European Union fiscal legislation and its Zero-Ten legislation will be compliant with the Code of Conduct in business taxation as from the removal of the deemed distribution and attribution anti-avoidance legislation as of 31 December 2011, which was apparently criticised by certain unnamed members of the Code of Conduct Group. The Code of Conduct Group, at least in theory, keeps most of its documentation and discussion confidential. The European Commission has confirmed that the Code is not a legal instrument, and therefore is not legally binding, only becoming of limited "political" authority once a unanimous report has been adopted by the Group at the end of the Presidency concerned.

Currency

Jersey issues its own Jersey banknotes and coins that circulate with UK coinage, Bank of England notes, Scottish notes and Guernsey currency within the island. Jersey currency is not legal tender outside Jersey: However, in the United Kingdom it is acceptable tender and can be surrendered at banks within that country in exchange for Bank of England-issued currency on a like-for-like basis.

Coinage

Designs on the reverse of Jersey coins: 1p Le Hocq Tower (coastal defence) 2p L'Hermitage, site where St. Helier lived 5p Seymour Tower (offshore defence)

10p La Pouquelaye de Faldouet (dolmen)

20p La Corbière Lighthouse

50p Grosnez Castle (ruins)

The main currency of Jersey is the pound, although in many places the euro is accepted because of the positioning of the island. Pound coins are issued, but are much less widely used than pound notes. Designs on the reverse of Jersey pound coins include historic ships built in Jersey and a series of the twelve parishes' crests. The motto round the milled edge of Jersey pound coins is (). Two pound coins are issued also, but in very small quantities.

Demographics

The island has numerous residents born outside Jersey; 47% of the population are not native to the island. The total population is nearly 88,000. Thirty percent of the population is concentrated in Saint Helier, the island's only town.

Censuses have been undertaken in Jersey since 1821. The most recent was the 2001 Census conducted on March 11. Of the roughly 88,000 people in Jersey, around 40 percent identify as of Jersey / Norman descent and 40 percent of British (English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish) descent. The largest minority groups in the island are Portuguese (around 7%, especially Madeiran); and Irish. The ethnic French community is also present and there is a growing community of Russian immigrants .

The people of Jersey are often called islanders or, in individual terms, Jerseyman or Jerseywoman. Some Jersey-born people identify as British and value the special relationship between the British Crown and the island.

Religion in Jersey has a complex history and much diversity. The established church is the Church of England. In the countryside, Methodism found its traditional stronghold. A minority of Roman Catholics can also be found in Jersey. There are two Catholic private secondary schools: De La Salle College in Saint Saviour is an all-boys school, and Beaulieu Convent School in Saint Helier is an all-girls school; and FCJ primary school in St. Saviour. A Catholic order of Sisters has a presence in school life.

Immigration

Jersey belongs to the Common Travel Area and the definition of "United Kingdom" in the British Nationality Act 1981 is interpreted as including the UK and the Islands together.

For immigration and nationality purposes, the United Kingdom generally treats Jersey as though it were part of the UK. Jersey is constitutionally entitled to restrict immigration by non-Jersey residents, but control of immigration at the point of entry cannot be introduced for British, certain Commonwealth and EEA nationals without change to existing international law. Immigration is therefore controlled by a mixture of restrictions on those without residential status purchasing or renting property in the island and restrictions on employment. Migration policy is to move to a registration system to integrate residential and employment status. Jersey maintains its own immigration and border controls. United Kingdom immigration legislation may be extended to Jersey by order in council (subject to exceptions and adaptations) following consultation with Jersey and with Jersey's consent. Although Jersey citizens are full British citizens, an endorsement restricting the right of establishment in European Union states other than the UK is placed in the passports of British citizens connected solely with the Channel Islands and Isle of Man. Those who have a parent or grandparent born in the United Kingdom, or who have lived in the United Kingdom for five years, are not subject to this restriction.

Historical large-scale immigration was facilitated by the introduction of steamships (from 1823). By 1840, up to 5,000 English people, mostly half-pay officers and their families, had settled in Jersey. In the aftermath of 1848, Polish, Russian, Hungarian, Italian and French political refugees came to Jersey. Following Louis Napoléon's coup of 1851, more French proscrits arrived. By the end of the 19th century, well-to-do British families, attracted by the lack of income tax, were settling in Jersey in increasing numbers, establishing St Helier as a predominantly English-speaking town.

Seasonal work in agriculture had depended mostly on Bretons and mainland Normans from the 19th century. The growth of tourism attracted staff from the United Kingdom. Following Liberation in 1945, agricultural workers were mostly recruited from the United Kingdom – the demands of reconstruction in mainland Normandy and Brittany employed domestic labour.

Until the 1960s, the population had been relatively stable for decades at around 60,000 (excluding the Occupation years). Economic growth spurred immigration and a rise in population. From the 1960s Portuguese workers arrived, mostly working initially in seasonal industries in agriculture and tourism.

A trend that has developed over the past few years is the setting up of recruitment agencies in a number of countries in the world, to employ either cheap labour (often from poor countries) or qualified/experienced labour. Amongst the countries that have been targeted for this type of recruitment are: Australia, Cyprus, Kenya, Latvia, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, and South Africa.

Culture

Until the 19th century, indigenous Jèrriais – a variety of Norman – was the language of the island, though French was used for official business. During the 20th century an intense language shift took place and Jersey today is predominantly English-speaking. Jèrriais nonetheless survives; around 2,600 islanders (three percent) are reckoned to be habitual speakers, and some 10,000 (12 percent) in all claim some knowledge of the language, particularly amongst the elderly in rural parishes. There have been efforts to revive Jèrriais in schools, and the highest number of declared Jèrriais speakers is in the capital.

The dialects of Jèrriais differ in phonology and, to a lesser extent, lexis between parishes, with the most marked differences to be heard between those of the west and east. Many place names are in Jèrriais, and French and English place names are also to be found. Anglicisation of the toponymy increased apace with the migration of English people to the island.

Some Neolithic carvings are the earliest works of artistic character to be found in Jersey. Only fragmentary wall-paintings remain from the rich mediaeval artistic heritage, after the wholesale iconoclasm of the Calvinist Reformation of the 16th century.

Printing arrived in Jersey only in the 1780s, but the island supported a multitude of regular publications in French (and Jèrriais) and English throughout the 19th century, in which poetry, most usually topical and satirical, flourished (see Jèrriais literature).

The island is particularly famous for the Battle of Flowers, a carnival held annually since 1902. Annual music festivals include Rock in the Park, Avanchi presents Jazz in July, Jersey Live, the music section of the Jersey Eisteddfod. Other festivals include La Fête dé Noué (Christmas festival), La Faîs'sie d'Cidre (cidermaking festival), the Battle of Britain air display, food festivals, and parish events. Branchage Jersey International Film Festival has recently become a major addition to Jersey's cultural calendar attracting filmmakers from all over the world.

The island's patron saint is Saint Helier.

Media

Broadcast

BBC Radio Jersey provides a radio service, and BBC Channel Islands News with headquarters in Jersey provides a joint television news service with Guernsey.

Channel Television is a regional ITV franchise shared with the Bailiwick of Guernsey but with its headquarters in Jersey.

Channel 103 is a commercial radio station.

The Frémont Point transmitting station is a facility for FM and television transmission at Frémont

Newspaper

Jersey's only newspaper, the Jersey Evening Post, claims that it has an average issue readership of 73% of adults in Jersey and that over the course of a week 93 per cent of all adults will read a copy of the newspaper, it being the main printed source of local news and official notices. The newspaper features a weekly Jèrriais column accompanied by English-language précis.

Magazines

Lifestyle magazines include Gallery Magazine (monthly), Jersey Now (quarterly) and The Jersey Life (monthly).

Les Nouvelles Chroniques du Don Balleine is a quarterly literary magazine in Jèrriais.

"20/20 magazine" is the island's only annual personal finance magazine; Global Assets the island's online quarterly international offshore finance magazine is also produced by the same company.

Grassroots Festival

Grassroots is the island's boutique summer festival which is held in July each year. This is the first music festival of the summer season and has chilled out, funky reggae, soul, funk, indie music, eco vibe. It is held in Val de la Mare Reservoir sitting directly back from St Ouen's main surfing beach and attracts over 4,500 people.

Jersey Live

Jersey Live is an indie/dance music festival held annually at The Royal Jersey Showground in the parish of Trinity. The festival has grown in popularity and size each year and has drawn interest from people outside the Channel Islands with foreign visitors making up approximately 27% of the 2006 crowd.

Cinema

In 1909, T.J. West established the first cinema in the Royal Hall in St. Helier, which became known as West's Cinema in 1923 (demolished 1977). The first talking picture, The Perfect Alibi, was shown on 30 December 1929 at the Picture House in St. Helier. The Jersey Film Society was founded on 11 December 1947 at the Café Bleu, West's Cinema. The large Art Deco Forum Cinema was opened in 1935 – during the German occupation this was used for German propaganda films.

The Odeon Cinema was opened 2 June 1952 and, was later rebranded in the early 21st century as the Forum cinema. Its owners, however, struggled to meet tough competition from the Cineworld Cinemas group, which opened a 10 screen multiplex on the waterfront centre in St. Helier on reclaimed land in December 2002 and the Forum closed its doors in late 2008.

Since 1997, Kevin Lewis (formerly of the Cine Centre and the New Forum) has arranged the Jersey Film Festival, a charity event showing the latest and also classic films outdoors in 35 mm on a big screen. The 2006 festival was held in Howard Davis Park, St Saviour, on the 12–18 August 2006. In 2008 the boutique Branchage film festival was held.

In August 2006, plans were revealed to convert the former Odeon building into a department store while retaining the landmark architecture.

Food and drink

Seafood has traditionally been important to the cuisine of Jersey: mussels (called moules locally), oysters, lobster and crabs – especially spider crabs – ormers, and conger.

Jersey milk being very rich, cream and butter have played a large part in insular cooking. (See Channel Island milk) However there is no indigenous tradition of cheese making, contrary to the custom of mainland Normandy, but some cheese is produced commercially. Jersey fudge, mostly imported and made with milk from overseas Jersey cattle herds, is a popular food product with tourists.

Jersey Royal potatoes are the local variety of new potato, and the island is famous for its early crop of Chats (small potatoes) from the south-facing côtils (steeply sloping fields). Originally grown using vraic as a natural fertiliser giving them their own individual taste, only a small portion of those grown in the island still use this method. They are eaten in a variety of ways, often simply boiled and served with butter or when not as fresh fried in butter.

Apples historically were an important crop. Bourdélots are apple dumplings, but the most typical speciality is black butter (lé nièr beurre), a dark spicy spread prepared from apples, cider and spices. Cider used to be an important export. After decline and near-disappearance in the late 20th century, apple production is being increased and promoted. Apple brandy is also produced, as is some wine.

Among other traditional dishes are cabbage loaf, Jersey wonders (les mèrvelles), fliottes, bean crock (les pais au fou), nettle (ortchie) soup, vraic buns.

Sport

In its own right Jersey participates in the Commonwealth Games and in the biennial Island Games, which it last hosted in 1997.

In sporting events in which Jersey does not have international representation, when the British Home Nations are competing separately, islanders that do have high athletic skill may choose to compete for any of the Home Nations – there are, however, restrictions on subsequent transfers to represent another Home Nation.

Jersey is an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The Jersey cricket team plays in the Inter-insular match among others. The Jersey cricket team competed in the World Division 4, held in Tanzania in October 2008, after recently finishing as runners-up and therefore being promoted from the World Division 5 held in Jersey. They also competed in the European Division 2, held in Guernsey during August 2008. The youth cricket teams have been promoted to play in the European Division 1 alongside Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Guernsey. In two tournaments at this level Jersey have finished 6th.

For horseracing, Les Landes Racecourse can be found at Les Landes in St. Ouen next to the ruins of Grosnez Castle.

The Jersey Football Association supervises football in Jersey. The Jersey Football Combination has 9 teams in its top division. The 2006/07 champions were Jersey Scottish where Ross Crick is the top scorer. The Jersey national football team plays in the annual Muratti competition among others.

Jersey has two public indoor swimming pools. Swimming in the sea, surfing, windsurfing and other marine sports are practised. Jersey Swimming Club have organised an annual swim from Elizabeth Castle to Saint Helier Harbour for over 50 years. A round-island swim is a major challenge that a select number of swimmers have achieved. The Royal Channel Island Yacht Club is based in Jersey.

There is one facility for extreme sports and some facilities for youth sports. Coastal cliffs provide opportunities for rock climbing.

In golf, two golfers from Jersey have won The Open Championship 7 times between them, Harry Vardon winning 6 times and Ted Ray winning once. Harry and Ted have also won the US Open one time each and Harry's brother Tom Vardon has had some smaller wins on European Tours.

Jersey has one un-roofed skateboarding park

Books

There are a number of Jersey-based authors including Sinclair Forrest, author of the 2007 novel, The Dragon of Angur.

Education

Schools

The States of Jersey provides education through state schools (including a fee-paying option at secondary level) and also supports private schools. The Jersey curriculum generally follows that of England.

Further and higher education

Jersey has a college of further education and university centre, Highlands College. As well as offering part-time and evening courses Highlands is the largest sixth form provider in the Island, and works collaboratively with a range of organisations including the Open University, University of Plymouth and London South Bank University. In particular students can study at Highlands for the two year Foundation Degree in Financial Services and for BSc Social Sciences, both validated by the University of Plymouth.

The Institute of Law is Jersey's law school, providing a course for students seeking to qualify as Jersey advocates and solicitors. It also provides teaching for students enrolled on the University of London LLB degree programme, via the International Programmes. The Open University supports students in Jersey (but they pay higher fees than UK students). Private sector higher education providers include the Jersey International Business School.

Environment

Three areas of land are protected for their ecological or geological interest as Sites of Special Interest (SSI): Les Landes, Les Blanches Banques and La Lande du Ouest. A large area of intertidal zone is designated as a Ramsar site.

Jersey is the home of Durrell Wildlife (formerly known as the Jersey Zoological Park) founded by the naturalist, zookeeper, and author Gerald Durrell.

Biodiversity

Four species of small mammal are considered native: the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), the Jersey bank vole (Myodes glareolus caesarius), the Lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens) and the French shrew (Sorex coronatus). Three wild mammals are well-established introductions: the rabbit (introduced in the mediaeval period), the red squirrel and the hedgehog (both introduced in the 19th century). The stoat (Mustela erminea) became extinct in Jersey between 1976 and 2000. The Green lizard (Lacerta bilineata) is a protected species of reptile; Jersey is its only habitat in the British Isles.

Trees generally considered native are the alder (Alnus glutinosa), silver birch (Betula pendula), sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), hazel (Corylus avellana), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), beech (Fagus sylvatica), ash (Fraxinus excelsior), aspen (Populus tremula), wild cherry (Prunus avium), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), holm oak (Quercus ilex), oak (Quercus robur), sallow (Salix cinerea), elder (Sambucus nigra), elm (Ulmus spp.), and medlar (Mespilus germanica). Among notable introduced species, the cabbage palm (Cordyline australis) has been planted in coastal areas and may be seen in many gardens.

Notable marine species include the ormer, conger, bass, undulate ray, grey mullet, ballan wrasse and garfish. Marine mammals include the bottlenosed dolphin and grey seal.

Emergency services

Emergency services are provided by the States of Jersey Police with the support of the Honorary Police as necessary, States of Jersey Ambulance Service, Jersey Fire and Rescue Service and the Jersey Coastguard. The Jersey Fire and Rescue Service and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution operate an inshore rescue and lifeboat service; Channel Islands Air Search provides rapid response airborne search of the surrounding waters.

The States of Jersey Fire Service was formed in 1938 when the States took over the Saint Helier Fire Brigade, which had been formed in 1901.

The first lifeboat was equipped, funded by the States, in 1830. The RNLI established a lifeboat station in 1884.

Border security and Customs controls are undertaken by the States of Jersey Customs and Immigration Service.

People

Henry Cavill, actor

Graeme Le Saux, footballer

Ted Ray, golfer (1877-1943)

Harry Vardon, golfer (1870-1937)

See also

Footnotes and references

Print

Jersey Through the Centuries, Leslie Sinel, Jersey 1984, ISBN 0-86120-003-9

Further reading

Balleine's History of Jersey, Marguerite Syvret and Joan Stevens (1998) ISBN 1-86077-065-7

A Biographical Dictionary of Jersey, G.R. Balleine

;Archaeology

The Archaeology of the Channel Islands. Vol. 2: The Bailiwick of Jersey by Jacquetta Hawkes (1939)

The Prehistoric Foundations of Europe to the Mycenean Age, 1940, C. F. C. Hawkes

Jersey in Prehistory, Mark Patton, 1987

The Archaeology and Early History of the Channel Islands, Heather Sebire, 2005.

Dolmens of Jersey: A Guide, James Hibbs (1988).

A Guide to The Dolmens of Jersey, Peter Hunt, Société Jersiaise, 1998.

Statements in Stone: Monuments and Society in Neolithic Brittany, Mark Patton, 1993

Hougue Bie, Mark Patton, Warwick Rodwell, Olga Finch, 1999

The Channel Islands, An Archaeological Guide, David Johnston, 1981

The Archaeology of the Channel Islands, Peter Johnston, 1986

;Cattle One Hundred Years of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society 1833–1933. Compiled from the Society's Records, by H.G. Shepard, Secretary Eric J. Boston. Jersey Cattle, 1954 ;Religion

The Channel Islands under Tudor Government, A.J. Eagleston

Reformation and Society in Guernsey, D.M. Ogier

International Politics and the Establishment of Presbytarianism in the Channel Islands: The Coutances Connection, C.S.L. Davies

Religion, History and G.R. Balleine: The Reformation in Jersey, by J. St John Nicolle, The Pilot Magazine

The Reformation in Jersey: The Process of Change over Two centuries, J. St John Nicolle

The Chroniques de Jersey in the light of contemporary documents, BSJ, AJ Eagleston

The Portrait of Richard Mabon, BSJ, Joan Stevens

External links

States of Jersey site

Jersey Tourism

Jersey Elections site

BBC Jersey

Isle News Jersey

Jersey in The World Factbook

Category:Island countries Category:Crown dependencies

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Coordinates	53°14′″N22°4′″N
name	Cory Booker
order	36th Mayor of Newark, New Jersey
term start	July 1, 2006
predecessor	Sharpe James
order2	Central Ward Council Member of the Newark City Council
term start2	1998
term end2	2002
birth date	April 27, 1969
birth place	Washington, D.C.
party	Democratic Party
alma mater	Yale Law School (J.D.)Oxford University (B.A.)Stanford University (M.A.)Stanford University (B.A.)
profession	Mayor, Newark, New Jersey
website	www.corybooker.com
footnotes	}}

Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Booker is a former Newark City Councilman. Booker was elected Mayor in 2006, becoming the 36th mayor of Newark and the third African-American mayor of that city.

Background

The son of African-American parents (Cary and Carolyn Booker were among the first African-American executives at IBM), Booker was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the predominantly white, affluent town of Harrington Park in Bergen County, New Jersey. He is an alumnus of Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, where he was a 1986 USA Today All-American football player. Following graduation, Booker traveled west to study at Stanford University and earned a B.A. in political science in 1991 as well as an M.A. in sociology the following year. He played varsity football — he made the All–Pacific Ten Academic team — and was elected to the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) council of (four) presidents. In addition, he ran The Bridge, a student-run crisis hotline and organized help for youth in East Palo Alto, from Stanford students. While at Stanford, Booker also became good friends with Rachel Maddow.

After Stanford, Booker earned a Rhodes Scholarship and studied at The Queen's College, Oxford, where he was awarded an honours degree in modern history in 1994. While at Oxford, he became friends with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and became President of the L'Chaim Society, the local chapter of Chabad, and brought together a diverse community there.

Booker obtained a J.D. in 1997 from Yale Law School, where he started and operated free legal clinics for low-income residents of New Haven. He was also a Big Brother, and was active in the Black Law Students Association. Booker lived in Newark during his final year at Yale and following graduation served as Staff Attorney for the Urban Justice Center in New York and Program Coordinator of the Newark Youth Project.

From 1998 to 2006, he lived in Brick Towers, a troubled housing complex in Newark's Central Ward. Booker organized tenants to fight for improved conditions. In November 2006, as one of the last remaining tenants in Brick Towers, Booker left his apartment for the top unit in a three-story rental on Hawthorne Avenue in Newark's South Ward, an area described as "a drug-and gang-plagued neighborhood of boarded-up houses and empty lots." Brick Towers has since been demolished and a new mixed-income development will be built there in 2010.

Booker received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa) degree in May 2009 from Newark-based New Jersey Institute of Technology after serving almost 3 years as mayor for 'his outstanding career in public service as mayor of the City of Newark'. He also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa) degree in December 2010 from New York-based Yeshiva University for 'his bold vision for Newark and setting a national standard for urban transformation'. Mayor Booker received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in June 2011 from Williams College for the urban transformation of New Jersey's largest city, Newark. He was also the 2011 Williams College Commencement speaker.

Central Ward Council Member

In 1998, Booker won an upset victory, beating four-term incumbent George Branch to get elected to the Newark Municipal Council, a council known for serving the Central Ward Community and for hard-fought elections.

Once on the Council, Booker proved to be an unconventional public official. In 1999, he went on a 10-day hunger strike, living in a tent in front of one of Newark's public housing projects (Garden Spires), to protest open-air drug dealing and the associated violence. While serving as Councilman, he spent five months living in a motor home, parking "near the most notorious drug corners" to draw attention to the situation. He proposed a variety of Council initiatives that impacted housing, young people, law and order and the efficiency and transparency of City Hall, but was regularly rebuffed by a resistant Municipal Council and often outvoted 8–1. While on the Council, Booker became an outspoken advocate of education reform.

2002 Mayoral run

In 2002, rather than run for re-election as Councilman, Booker decided to run for Mayor of Newark. This pitted him against longtime mayor Sharpe James. In this campaign and the next, James' supporters questioned Booker's suburban background, calling him a carpetbagger who was "not black enough" to understand the city. Booker was defeated, 53 percent to 47 percent.

After concluding his service as Central Ward Councilman, Booker in 2002 founded Newark Now, a grassroots non-profit organization that connects Newarkers to useful resources and services in order to help transform their communities. In addition, Booker also became a partner at the West Orange, law firm Booker, Rabinowitz, Trenk, Tully, Lubetkin, DiPasquale and Webster, and a senior fellow at Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Booker is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at Teachers College, Columbia University, and was formerly a member of the Executive Committee at Yale Law School and the Board of Trustees at Stanford University.

2006 Mayoral run

As expected, Cory Booker announced on February 11, 2006, that he would again run for mayor, an intention he had made clear after his loss in 2002.

On March 6, 2006, Deputy Mayor (and State Senator) Ronald Rice entered the race, adding "that Mayor James had encouraged him to run but noted that if the mayor decided to join the race, his candidacy could change." On March 27, 2006, James announced that he would not seek a sixth term, preferring to focus on his seat in the New Jersey Senate.

Rice ran a campaign attacking Booker for raising over $6 million for the race. Booker's campaign outspent Rice's 25 to 1. Booker tried to identify Rice as a "political crony" of former mayor Sharpe James, to whom Booker lost in 2002.

On Election Day, May 9, 2006, Newark's nonpartisan election took place. This time Booker won with 72 percent of the vote, soundly defeating Rice. Booker's entire slate of City Council candidates, known as the "Booker Team," swept the Council elections, giving Booker firm leadership of the city's government.

Before taking office as mayor, Booker sued Sharpe James’ administration in order to terminate cut-rate land deals favoring two redevelopment agencies. Each organization had recently been created by the Municipal Council and listed Sharpe James as a member of its advisory board. The Municipal Council claimed that these low prices were necessary to promote development in Newark's blighted neighborhoods; however, Booker argued that the state’s “pay-to-play” laws had been violated and would furthermore cost the city more than $15 million in lost revenue if these land deals were approved at the next council meeting. Specifically, Booker referenced a case on Broad and South streets – a piece of land that would generate $87,000 under the proposed land deals yet was valued at $3.7 million under current market rates. On June 20, 2006, Superior Court Judge Patricia Costello ruled in favor of Booker, stating that his attorneys had "made a persuasive argument that campaign contributors were given discounted land deals."

In late June 2006, before Booker took office, New Jersey investigators foiled a plot, led by Bloods gang leaders inside four New Jersey state prisons, to assassinate Booker. The plot was led by New Jersey Bloods gang leader Lester Alford, an inmate in East Jersey State Prison in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The plan called for prisoners in four New Jersey state prisons to riot and then for Bloods gang members on the outside to assassinate Booker simultaneously. The threats against Booker were believed to be in response to Booker's campaign promises to increase the number of police on the streets and take a harder line on crime.

2010 Election

Mayor Cory Booker defeated his opponents in a nonpartisan election on May 11, 2010. The final results were Cory A. Booker 21,397 votes; Clifford J. Minor 12,924 votes; Yvonne Garrett Moore 1,629 votes; Mirna L. White 415 votes.

Mayoral administration

Booker assumed office as mayor of Newark on July 1, 2006, and is only the third person to govern the city since 1970. After his first week in office, Booker announced a 100-day plan to implement reforms in Newark. Some of the proposed changes included: adding police officers, ending background checks for many city jobs, an effort to help former offenders find employment in the city, refurbishing police stations, improving city services, and expanding summer youth programs.

On October 16, 2006, Booker formally introduced his administration's first adopted Newark City Budget. The approved $697.1 million budget resulted in an 8.3% increase in the city's property tax, which is one of the largest property tax increases in the city's history. The budget also increased the number of city employees from 3,968 to 4,197. These increases were cited as necessary to fix the structural financial deficit and secure a solid foundation for Newark’s future. Booker pledged to not increase taxes the following year, a promise he kept – the City of Newark has not raised taxes in over two years. His administration has also since reduced the size of government with a 2009 Budget proposal containing 3935 city employees. In addition, the City of Newark has for the last two consecutive years received the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, reflective of the Booker Administration’s continued commitment to an honest, transparent budgeting process ending decades of neglect and setting a foundation to balance the city’s finances.

One of the mayor's first priorities was to reduce the city's crime rate. Booker appointed Garry McCarthy, former Deputy Commissioner of Operations of the New York City Police Department, as the director of the Newark Police Department. Public safety in Newark has been overhauled under Director McCarthy’s lead. A new Central Narcotics Division was created as well as a Fugitive Apprehension Unit, which has been responsible for the capture of 11 out of 12 Most Wanted Felons in Newark. In addition, major technological advances have been made to crime-fighting initiatives such as citywide camera and gunshot detection systems. Community-oriented and privately funded programs such as the Crime Stoppers and Gun Stoppers anonymous tip lines have made an important impact in crime prevention and apprehension of criminals in Newark. Crime reduction has been such a central concern to the Booker Administration that Booker, along with his security team, was known to personally patrol the streets of Newark until times as late as 4 a.m. early in his first term.

Crime has dropped significantly in the city of Newark, which currently leads the nation in violent crime reduction. From 2006 to 2008, crime dropped by the following percentages: murders 36%, shooting incidents 41%, rapes 30%, and auto thefts 26%. In 2008, Newark had its lowest murder rate since 1959. Despite the success indicated by these statistics, as the global economic recession set in, robberies rose 27% in 2008 and another 10% through late June 2009. As of July 26, 2009, murders are down 42% overall, rapes are down 41% overall and robberies are down 12% since 2008.

The month of March in 2010 marked Newark’s first murder-free month in over 44 years. As of April 1, 2010, the murder rate in Newark was the second best since 1941 and crime rates for aggravated assaults, robberies, carjacking, and shootings were also down for the first quarter compared to 2009.

In addition to lowering crime, Booker has both doubled the amount of affordable housing under development and quadrupled the amount under predevelopment. Booker has slashed the city budget deficit from $180 million to $73 million.

Despite criticisms, Booker has also raised the salaries of many city workers. Most recently, however, the Booker Administration and the City of Newark imposed one-day-a-month furloughs for all non-uniformed employees from July through December 2010, as well as two-percent pay cuts for managers and directors currently earning more than $100,000 a year. Citing the reason for the pay cuts, Booker noted, “In 2006, we took over a city in financial crisis. We have made significant steps to address our financial future and decided that we would not balance the budget on the backs of our residents.” Booker has reduced his own salary twice since taking office, voluntarily reducing his salary by 8% early in his first year as mayor. None of Booker’s senior managers have received pay increases since taking office.

Mayor Booker’s leadership has attracted approximately $100 million in private philanthropy to the City of Newark and a variety of nonprofits and public/private partnerships have been created and used to better the lives of Newark residents. In April 2008, the Newark Charter School Fund was established to provide grants in support of Newark’s charter schools to support a successful public school system in Newark. The City of Newark also works with GreenSpaces, which has committed $40 million toward the largest park expansion initiative in over a century with a total of twenty-one park construction and rehabilitation projects scheduled for completion in every ward by the end of 2010. To support the Newark Police Department, the Newark Police Foundation was established in 2006 and provides funding and other services to the Police Department which has had a significant impact on the NPD’s ability to pay for necessary resources that would otherwise not be readily funded through the department’s budget.

In 2009, after President Barack Obama became president of the United States, Booker was offered the chance to head the new White House Office of Urban Affairs Policy; Booker turned the offer down citing a commitment to Newark.

In an effort to make government more accessible, Booker's administration has held regular open office hours during which city residents can meet personally with the Mayor to discuss their concerns.

Booker was honored in October 2009 by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence with the Sarah Brady Visionary Award for his work in reducing gun violence.

Booker made news when on December 31, 2010, a constituent used Twitter to ask the mayor to send someone to her father's house to shovel his driveway because her father, who was 65 years old, was going to attempt to do it himself. Booker responded by tweeting; "I will do it myself; where does he live?" Other people volunteered, including one person who offered his help on Twitter and 20 minutes later the mayor and some volunteers showed up and shoveled the man's driveway. In 2010, Samepoint released a study that measured the social media influence of mayors around the country, and ranking the top 100 most social mayors. San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsom was named the Most Social Mayor in America according to the Samepoint study. Newark, New Jersey Cory Booker was the second most social mayor, according to the Samepoint study.

Booker is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston mayor Thomas Menino and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Booker delivered the commencement address at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, on May 15, 2010. In his address, he implored graduates to "just be you" and related several anecdotes about his own education and career, including one pertaining to a chance meeting on a plane with a woman and her children. At the end of the flight, he exchanged phone numbers with the woman, who contacted him during his first mayoral campaign, becoming a donor. One of her children became a campaign worker, fifteen years after the flight. His speech was enthusiastically received and he received a standing ovation.

Two days later Booker also delivered the commencement address at Columbia University's Teachers College in New York City on May 17, 2010, and at Suffolk University Law School a week later in Boston on May 23, 2010.

Mayor Booker delivered the commencement address to New York Law School graduates on May 13, 2011 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.

He was among the finalists for the 2010 World Mayor prize, ultimately placing seventh.

Booker sits on the board of advisors of the political action committee Democrats for Education Reform.

Senior Cabinet

His senior cabinet consists of the following members: Modia Butler, Chief of Staff to the Mayor;

Anthony Santiago, Deputy Chief of Staff;

Margarita Muñiz, Deputy Mayor for Neighborhood Engagement;

Anne Torres, Office of Communications Acting Director;

David Giordano, Senior Advisor to the Mayor;

Hon. Julien X. Neals, Esq., Business Administrator;

Michael E. Greene, Esq., Assistant Business Administrator;

Adam Cruz, Assistant Business Administrator;

Kecia Daniels, Personnel Director;

Keith Isaac, Emergency Management Director;

Darlene Noble, Affirmative Action Manager;

Nelida Valentin, Newark Works Newark's One-Stop Operator Director;

Michele Ralph-Rawls, Staff Operations Director

Claudia Granados, Advisor to the Mayor on Labor Relations;

Stefan Pryor, Director & Deputy Mayor for Housing Economic Development;

Conan O'Brien "feud"

On September 23, 2009, on The Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien made the following joke: "The mayor of Newark wants to set up a citywide program to improve residents' health. The health care program would consist of a bus ticket out of Newark." Booker responded in a satire YouTube video telling Conan O'Brien to apologize, and that Conan is banned from ever entering Newark Liberty International Airport by putting him on the "No fly list." The video was made in humor. Conan responded by further making fun of Newark saying the only way he could get to Newark now would be like everyone else, "through a series of poor decisions." He also called out Cory Booker to come on the show to air out their grievances. Booker subsequently banned Conan from the state of New Jersey as well as all the sister cities of Newark on another satire video. In response, Conan read a letter on air from Elizabeth, NJ, Mayor Chris Bollwage, declaring that he will temporarily rename Terminal A of Newark Liberty (which lies in Elizabeth) the Conan O'Brien Terminal. Conan did a skit in which he complimented all the cities around Newark and said he had created a "geographic toilet seat" around Newark. The mayors of Bayonne, East Orange, Kearny, Jersey City, and Elizabeth have publicly sided with Conan O'Brien. He ended this by saying, "Your move, Mayor Booker." The feud was unofficially ended when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for it to end during a prepared comedy bit, telling Booker to chalk it up to Conan's head injury suffered less than two weeks earlier. Mayor Cory Booker appeared as Conan's first guest on The Tonight Show on Friday October 16, 2009, and assured viewers that the feud was over and that he was actually a big fan of Conan O'Brien. They settled their feud with a deal that every time Conan made a joke about Newark, Conan would put $500 in the Newark jar, and the money would be donated to the City of Newark. Conan then made the following joke, "You can trust that this jar is safe because it is not in Newark," after which Conan placed the first $500 in the jar. Conan then made a $50,000 donation to the Newark Now charity, which was matched by NBC Universal, totaling $100,000.

See also

List of mayors of Newark, New Jersey

References

External links

for Speaking Engagements

The Next Wave of Urban Reform, City Journal, Fall 2010

2007 City Journal article on Booker and Newark

Official Mayor Site

Cory Booker Official Campaign Site

CityMayors profile

School Choice and Government Reform: Pillars of an Urban Renaissance by Cory Booker

The Downwardly Mobile Cory Booker at archive.org

Newark Now website

Official web site for Street Fight

PBS's series P.O.V.'s web site for Street Fight

Wall Street Journal interview

Article in Salon.com about the harsh 2002 race for Mayor

New York Metro piece on Booker entitled "The New Natural"

Interview with Cory Booker The Brian Lehrer Show WNYC February 24, 2006

Huffington Post">Cory Booker's posts at Huffington Post

"100 To Watch: Cory A. Booker" Democratic Leadership Council

"Cory Booker, Jerome Champagne, World Championship Dominos" June 20, 2006 The Conversation WNYC

"NPR Morning Edition: Newark Mayor: New Black Leaders Must Innovate 08/08/2006"

"NPR All Things Considered: Leading Newark, One of America's Deadly Cities, 2006-12-19" features an interview with Booker

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:African American lawyers Category:African American mayors Category:Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford Category:American Rhodes scholars Category:American vegetarians Category:Community organizers Category:Mayors of Newark, New Jersey Category:New Jersey city council members Category:New Jersey Democrats Category:New Jersey lawyers Category:People from Bergen County, New Jersey Category:People from Washington, D.C. Category:Stanford Cardinal football players Category:Yale Law School alumni Category:American Protestants

fr:Cory Booker it:Cory Booker

Coordinates	53°14′″N22°4′″N
name	Claudia Leitte
background	solo_singer
birth name	Cláudia Cristina Leite Inácio
birth date	July 10, 1980
origin	São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
genre	Axé, pop
years active	2001-present
label	Sony Music
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano }}

Cláudia Cristina Leite Inácio, known as Claudia Leitte (born July 10, 1980 in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian axé singer, and former vocalist of the group Babado Novo. Since she is one of the most popular axé singers in Brazil, she hosted MTV Brasil's Video Music Brasil 2007, in which she had been nominated as best singer in that award. Claudia Leitte has also won other awards.

Biography

Claudia Leitte started singing children's songs, while still young, then worked as a singer in bars. She was also the vocalist of several axé music bands. As a teenager she sang in trios elétricos. She became a professional singer when she was thirteen years old.

Leitte has been the vocalist of Salvador-based axé band Babado Novo since November 2001. Her band released five albums. The band's first album, named Sem Vergonha, released in 2003, sold more than 90,000 copies, being the band's first Gold disc, while the album named Uau! Babado Novo ao Vivo em Salvador, released in 2004, sold more than 100,000 CDs and more than 70,000 DVDs, and the fourth album, released in December 2005, named Diário de Claudinha (meaning Claudinha's Diary, Claudinha being Claudia Leitte's nickname) sold 70,000 copies in just one week.

As a member of the band, she was nominated for the 2007 MTV Video Music Brasil, promoted by MTV Brasil. Claudia Leitte has also won in 2007 the Brazilian Best Female Singer award, promoted by GloboRadio, beating Ivete Sangalo, Sandy, Ana Carolina and Maria Rita, and she and her band won the following Carnatal awards: best female singer, best band, best bloco, best music ("Exttravasa") and best artist. In January 2008, Leitte announced that she would be leaving her band, and starting a solo career, recording her first solo career DVD in February 2008 in Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro. On February 5, 2008, Claudia Leitte performed for the last time as a member of Babado Novo band. On February 17, 2008, at a show in Copacabana Beach, she performed her first live album as a solo singer, watched by 700,000 people. On July 4, 2008, her first solo CD and DVD, named Ao Vivo em Copacabana (meaning Live in Copacabana) was released at Credicard Hall, São Paulo.

Claudia Leitte was twice on the cover of Brazilian magazine VIP, published by Editora Abril, the first time being in February 2006, and the second time in February 2008. She was also on the cover of the August 2006 edition of Corpo a Corpo magazine. In 2008 she signed a three-year contract with AmBev to star Guaraná Antarctica ads, her first ad was broadcast on March 23.

On December 18, 2010, she charted on Billboard's annual Next Big Sound Music Chart at #6.

Discography

With Babado Novo (2002–2007)

Albums

! Disc name	! Year	! Sales	! Type
Babado Novo		150.000	live CD
Sem Vergonha	200.000	live CD
Uau! Babado Novo ao Vivo em Salvador	2004	CD 350.000 / DVD 120.000	live CD and DVD
O Diário de Claudinha	2005	350.000	CD
Ver-te Mar	2007	CD 400.000	CD and DVD

Singles with Babado Novo

2002: "Amor Perfeito

2002: "Cai Fora

2003: "Canudinho

2003: "D'yer Mak'er"

2003: "Eu Fico"

2004: "Safado, Cachorro, Sem Vergonha"

2004: "Lirirrixa"

2004: "Uau!"

2005: "Doce Desejo"

2005: "Carangueijo"

2005: "Me Chama de Amor"

2005: "Bola de Sabão"

2006: "Despenteia"

2006: "Piriripiti"

2006: "A Camisa e o Botão"

2007: "Insolação do Coração"

2007: "Doce Paixão"

2007: "Pensando em Você"

Solo career

Albums

! Disc name	! Year	! Sales	! Type
Ao Vivo em Copacabana	2008	CD 60.000 / DVD 170.000	live CD and DVD
As Máscaras	2010	30.000	CD

Singles solo career

2007: "Exttravasa" (feat. Gabriel o Pensador)

2008: "Pássaros"

2008: "Beijar na Boca"

2009: "Horizonte"

2009: "As Máscaras"

2010: "Famo$a " (feat. Travie McCoy)

2010: "Don Juan" (feat. Belo)

2010: "Água"

2011: "Trilhos Fortes"

References

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Brazilian female singers Category:People from Rio de Janeiro (state) Category:Portuguese-language singers

ca:Cláudia Leite es:Cláudia Leitte fr:Cláudia Leite pt:Claudia Leitte