North Jersey
This is about a region in the United States. For the island of Jersey, see Jersey.North Jersey is an informal and indefinite name for the northern or northeastern part of
New Jersey, which is sandwiched between two important cities:
New York, New York (which North Jersey locals refer to as "The City") and
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (which South Jersey locals refer to as "The City").
Benjamin Franklin described New Jersey as "a barrel tapped at both ends," and things haven't changed much since.
North Jersey is theoretically the area within the New York City sphere of influence.
Some people define North Jersey as all points in New Jersey north of a line extending from
Interstate 195. Although recently the region has shifted below I-195, down along the
Jersey Shore, due to the large numbers of people from
New York City and
North Jersey that have moved down there trying to find affordable housing. A more accurate approximation for North Jersey is now sometimes considered to be anything north of a straight line connecting the cities of
Trenton and
Toms River.
Just a couple decades ago, Ocean County, along with Monmouth, Hunterdon, Sussex, Warren, Morris, and Mercer counties contained only a fraction of the population and sprawl that they currently have. Traditionally, these counties were vacation areas and farmland. The western counties included woods and mountains that the urban population used for activities such as camping and skiing. Ocean and Monmouth counties were generally open land, beach, and shore area that northerners used only as places for summer homes. Presently, however, more and more people are choosing to permanently live in these once-rural counties in order to escape the even more urban New York City border counties, such as Essex and Bergen, which has led to their rapid urbanization in recent decades.
Before the migration of people from New Jersey's most urban counties to the more rural ones, only the most urban counties, nearest to New York City, were considered "North Jersey": Hudson, Essex, Union, Bergen, and Passaic, although geographically this was really only "northeastern New Jersey".
The historic province of
East Jersey in roughly the same area as the contemporary North Jersey.
See also: Jersey*
Bergen County*
Essex County*
Hudson County*
Morris County*
Passaic County*
Sussex County*
Union County*
Warren County*
Hunterdon County*
Somerset County*
Middlesex County*
Mercer County*
Monmouth County*
New Jersey*
Central Jersey*
South Jersey*
Harriman Hikers- A North New Jersey Singles Hiking Club. Since 1974.*
Highlands Natural Pool, Ringwood. Since 1935.
