FACTS

State Parks

Division of Parks & Forestry
P.O. Box 404
Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Phone: 609-984-0370
Toll-free: 1-800-843-6420 (nj only)

The highest point in New Jersey is High Point at 1,803 feet
The lowest point in New Jersey is the Atlantic Ocean at sea level

New Jersey is in the eastern time zone

Only four states are smaller in land area.

New Jersey produces 2/3 of the worlds eggplant

The U.S. population (2000) is 79.6 persons per square mile.
New Jersey ranks first with 1,134.5 persons per square mile which makes it a very populated state

LIGHTHOUSES

New Jersey is known for its lighthouses. Among them are:
Sandy Hook Light (1764), Twin Lights (1828), Barnegat Light (1835), Absecon Light (1857), Cape May Light (1859), and East Point Light.

HISTORY

The Lenni Lenape Indians and a few shorebirds lived here in 1524. This was the same year that Giovanni de Verrazano briefly visited the area. By 1609, Henry Hudson had claimed the area for the Dutch. It was known as New Amsterdam in 1623 with many settlements along both the Delaware and the Hudson Rivers. Control of New Amsterdam went over to England in 1664. New Jersey was part of the area deeded to the brother of King Charles II, James, Duke of York. He, in turn, granted the area between the two rivers to John Berkeley, Baron of Stratton and also to Sir George Carteret. It was Carteret who named the area New Jersey. He had been the governor and defender of the Isle of Jersey and named the new land after his previous area.

Berkeley sold out in 1676 to English Quakers. Carteret was bought out in 1682 by the same group through their business, East Jersey Board of Proprietors. They gave up the right to govern to the Crown in 1702. Before long, there was much anti-British sentiment in the area. By 1776 the last royal governor was deposed. On July 2 of that year, a new state constitution and declaration of independence was introduced.

More than 100 battles were fought on New Jersey soil during the Revolutionary War. Twice during its history, the nation's capital was claimed by New Jersey - once in 1783 in Princeton and once in 1790 in Trenton. Both occasions were when Congress convened and conducted business. The New Jersey Constitution was ratified on Dec. 18, 1787. Trenton was set as the state capital in 1790.

LINKS

New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism

20 W. State Street
Box 826
Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Phone: 609-292-2470
Toll-free: 1-800-JERSEY-7

Government Links page for New Jersey
Great links page for all levels of government in New Jersey

Jersey Shore-online

Vacation, weekend and day-trip planning.