New Jersey
Capital:
Trenton
Date of Entry:
December 18, 1787
Maps:
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| Map of USA. New Jersey outlined in dark ink, shaded, and with a line pointing to it. |
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| A close-up of New Jersey & its neighbors. |
New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania
Water Borders:
Atlantic Ocean, Delaware Bay, Delaware River
Total Area:
8,723 square miles
Five Largest Cities:
Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Edison
Famous Geographical Point:
Delaware River
State Nickname:
The Garden State. Supposedly the nickname was coined by a guy named Abraham Browning in 1876 (something about farmland and a barrel, didn't make much sense to me, HERE is a link), although pretty much everyone agrees that the moniker isn't especially apt.
Famous Person:
Buzz Aldrin, astronaut & second man to walk on the moon*
Book Set In/About:
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
A young teenager grapples with moving from the city to the suburbs, with her mixed religious heritage, and with puberty. It's a classic coming-of-age tale for girls.
Movie Set In/About:
"Garden State" (2004), directed by Zach Braff
A young man struggling with depression returns home after his mother's death.
Headline of the Day:
"Troopers Alex Muro and Arnaldo Mateo Deliver Baby Roadside" in People Magazine.
*Too cute not to share: Aldrin's birth name was Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr., but when one of his sisters mispronounced "brother" as "buzzer," he earned his nickname. He made it his legal name in 1988.
8,723 square miles
Five Largest Cities:
Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Edison
Famous Geographical Point:
Delaware River
State Nickname:
The Garden State. Supposedly the nickname was coined by a guy named Abraham Browning in 1876 (something about farmland and a barrel, didn't make much sense to me, HERE is a link), although pretty much everyone agrees that the moniker isn't especially apt.
Famous Person:
Buzz Aldrin, astronaut & second man to walk on the moon*
Book Set In/About:
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
A young teenager grapples with moving from the city to the suburbs, with her mixed religious heritage, and with puberty. It's a classic coming-of-age tale for girls.
Movie Set In/About:
"Garden State" (2004), directed by Zach Braff
A young man struggling with depression returns home after his mother's death.
Headline of the Day:
"Troopers Alex Muro and Arnaldo Mateo Deliver Baby Roadside" in People Magazine.
*Too cute not to share: Aldrin's birth name was Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr., but when one of his sisters mispronounced "brother" as "buzzer," he earned his nickname. He made it his legal name in 1988.
Wow. Good job Jersey for not having any really important things happen, news-wise.
ReplyDeleteI had a "squee" moment with your book choice. That was one of the first books where New Jersey made an impression on me. There's a paragraph in there about how they ended up moving to Jersey that I didn't understand as an 11-year old (Connecticut was to expensive, such and such was too something else, etc.) but the premise intrigued me, and I remember reading it later when I was older and totally getting it.
My ultimate Jersey movie is Chasing Amy.
Also, for unknown reasons, the name Paterson, New Jersey just feels right to me. Though I would like there to be two "t's".
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