New Jersey

The USS New Jersey, one of the most decorated vessels in the United States Navy, was named in honor of this state and is now a tourist attraction in Camden, New Jersey. Basketball Hall of Fame Members:. Institution Name, Location. Reserves. In addition to the above institutions, there are 19 community colleges, serving the 21 counties in the state. Starters. Institution Name, Location. Eastern on ABC.

[5] (http://measuringup.highereducation.org/2002/compare.htm). Game 5 is scheduled for Sunday, June 19th at The Palace of Auburn Hills at 9 P.M. New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers than any other state. The Spurs have won the first two games, and Detroit the second to, all by margins of 15 to 31 points. New Jersey also has the highest average scores for advanced placement testing in public schools in the nation. Games 3 and 4 and 5 will be played at The Palace of Auburn Hills, and games 6 and (if necessary) 7 will be in San Antonio. In addition, 54% of high school graduates continue on to college or university, tied with Massachusetts for the second highest rate in the nation (North Dakota holds first place at 59%. The Pistons are currently facing the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, the first two games of which were played at the SBC Center in San Antonio.

Although some problems exist in certain inner city neighborhoods, New Jersey overall is considered to have one of the best public education systems in the United States. Lakers did so at the Sacramento Kings in 2002. see also: New Jersey locations by per capita income. In the process, the Pistons became the first team to win a game 7 on the road since the L.A. Wealth of cities by per capita income:. In the conference finals, the Pistons again fell behind, three games to two, but then won the final two games to defeat the Miami Heat and become Eastern Conference Champions. Small Cities (60,000-99,999 pop.). Seeded second in the Eastern Conference in the playoffs, they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 and then rallied from a 2-1 deficit to finish off the Indiana Pacers 4-2.

Large Cities (+ 100,000 pop.). Presently, the Pistons are considered a strong contender to win a second consecutive title in 2005. see also: List of Municipalities in New Jersey (by population). See also: The Malice at The Palace. Major cities (and their populations):. A month later, five Pacers and seven fans were charged after being involved in the "basketbrawl.". See also: List of New Jersey State Highways. Other Pacers such as Jermaine O'Neal fought with fans who had walked onto the court.

The airport has its own ralroad station on New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line which is also served by Amtrak. This caused Artest to rush into the stands and attack some fans. United Airlines and FedEx operate cargo hubs. On November 19, 2004, the Detroit Pistons were involved in a massive brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills during a losing home game against the Indiana Pacers. After fouling Pistons' Ben Wallace, Pacer Ron Artest was hit by a cup while lying down on the scorer's table. Continental Airlines is Newark's largest tenant, operating an entire terminal at Newark which they use as a hub. Coached by Hall of Fame inductee Larry Brown, the Pistons returned to prominence, winning the 2004 NBA championship. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, it is one of the main airports serving the New York City area. Under Dumars's leadership, the Pistons have since surrounded Wallace with rising stars Chauncey Billups, Richard "Rip" Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince.

Run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who runs the other two major airports in the New York City region: John F. One of them, Ben Wallace, would prove to be a cornerstone for the franchise's revamped roster. Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States. In the summer of 2000, Hill indicated his intentions to leave to Orlando, and Dumars – appointed the franchise's president of basketball operations that year – dealt Hill to the Magic in return for a pair of largely unheralded players. The Scudders Falls bridge on I-95 near Trenton is still free as of this writing. Though Grant Hill emerged as a gifted player, the team was unable to win a playoff series, losing to the Orlando Magic in 1996, the Atlanta Hawks in 1997 and 1999, and the Miami Heat in 2000. Tolls for the bridges are charged in one direction - it's free to get into New Jersey, but you have to pay to get out. The franchise went through a lengthy transitional period as its key players either retired or left.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, 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. The team moved into the lavish Palace of Auburn Hills in 1988 and remains there today. New Jersey has interstate compacts with all three neighboring states. With their physical style of play, and intensity with opponents, the Pistons gained the nickname "Bad Boys." Coach Chuck Daly took the team to the NBA Finals three consecutive years (1988-90) and won NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. In 1989, NJ Transit began service between Atlantic City and Lindenwold, extending it to Philadelphia in the 1990s. The three, along with later aquisitions Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, and Dennis Rodman, formed the core of a team that would rise to the top of the league. 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. In early 1982, it acquired center Bill Laimbeer and guard Vinnie Johnson.

NJ Transit is a state-run corporation that began with the consolidation of several private bus companies in North Jersey. The franchise's fortunes finally began to turn in 1981, when it drafted point guard Isiah Thomas out of Indiana University. The New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) operates extensive rail and bus service throughout the state. (The Silverdome was the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions at the time.). Other expressways in New Jersey include the Atlantic City Expressway, Palisades Interstate Parkway, Interstate 76, Interstate 78, and Interstate 80. Displeased with the team's location in downtown Detroit, Davidson moved it to the suburb of Pontiac in 1978, where it played in the mammoth Silverdome, a structure built for professional football. It also acts as the trunk that connects the New York metropolitan area to Atlantic City. In 1974, Zollner sold the team to Bill Davidson, who remains the team's owner.

It is true that some New Jersey residents who live near the Parkway or the Turnpike (a majority of the state population) locate their hometowns according to their respective highway exits, though very few New Jerseyans living anywhere else in the state will do so. The franchise was a consistent disappointment, struggling on both the court and the box office. The Garden State Parkway, or just "the Parkway," carries more in-state traffic, and runs from the town of Montvale along New Jersey's northern border with New York to the southernmost tip of the state at Cape May. The new Detroit Pistons played in Olympia Stadium for their first four seasons, then moved to Cobo Arena. President Grover Cleveland; writers James Fenimore Cooper, Joyce Kilmer, and Walt Whitman; patriot Molly Pitcher; Red Cross advocate Clara Barton, and football coach Vince Lombardi. In 1957, Zollner moved the team to Detroit, a much larger city that did not have an NBA franchise; the Detroit Gems had folded after one season of existence. This toll road carries interstate traffic between Delaware and New York. Commonly referred to as simply "the Turnpike," it is also known for its numerous rest-areas named after prominent New Jerseyans as varied as inventor Thomas Edison; United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton; U.S. Led by star forward George Yardley, the Fort Wayne Pistons were a popular franchise and appeared in the NBA Finals in 1954 and 1955, losing both times.

The New Jersey Turnpike is one of the best-known and most-trafficked roadways in the USA. It is the oldest existing franchise in the NBA. The properties in the United States version of the board game Monopoly are named after the streets of Atlantic City. The franchise was founded in 1941 in Fort Wayne, Indiana by Fred Zollner, owner of a General Motors subsidiary that manufactored pistons. Such horror stories were the inspiration behind the now nationally-famous Weird NJ magazine and website.
. Camp NoBeBoSco in Blairstown was also the setting of the original Friday the 13th movie, which was partially based on real murders that have occurred near the campground, in the state's very rural northwest. The Detroit Pistons are a National Basketball Association team based in the Detroit, Michigan metropolitan area.

New Jersey is also home to several other urban legends, such as the ghost of Annie's Road in Totowa, Midgetville in Edgewater, Albino Village in Clifton, the haunted and demon-possessed Clinton Road in West Milford, and the Witch of Igoe Road in Marlboro. Gregory Johnson. It is also known sometimes as the Leeds Devil. Earl Lloyd (inducted as a contributor, not as a player or coach). Many believe in a creature called the Jersey Devil, an evil demon born to a human mother who terrorizes the population of the Pine Barrens. Chuck Daly. Although supposedly set in New York, the 2003 movie School Of Rock was filmed primarily in Edison and Mahwah, perhaps due to the significance these towns have on rock music, also, the actor who played Lawrence in school of rock is from New Jersey. Larry Brown.

Several locations seen in the movie include Princeton University, Newark, New Brunswick, and a fictional White Castle in Cherry Hill. 40 Bill Laimbeer. The 2004 stoner film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle took place in New Jersey. 21 Dave Bing. It took place in the same locations as the movie. 16 Bob Lanier. Clerks also had a short-lived animated series spin-off with the same name. 15 Vinnie Johnson.

Director Kevin Smith sets many of his films in New Jersey, particularly his "New Jersey Trilogy" of Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy. The 2004 movie, Jersey Girl, is also based in New Jersey. 11 Isiah Thomas. Also, the popular animated series Megas XLR and Aqua Teen Hunger Force take place primarily in New Jersey. 4 Joe Dumars. The 2004 Sundance Film Festival favorite Garden State (starring Zach Braff and Natalie Portman) was shot on location in Morris Township. 2 Chuck Daly (never played in the NBA; represents the two NBA championship teams he coached). The popular television drama The Sopranos depicts the life of a New Jersey organized crime family and is filmed on location at various places throughout the state. Jerry Stackhouse.

Motion pictures and televisions shows also have been set in New Jersey. John Salley. New Jersey has long been an important area for both rock and rap music, with many artists coming from the state, they include the musicans listed at the bottom. Dennis Rodman. The largest Protestant denominations in New Jersey are: Baptist (10% of the total state population), Methodist (7%), and Presbyterian and Lutheran (tied 3%). Rick Mahorn. The religious affiliations of the citizens of New Jersey are:. Grant Hill.

Females made up approximately 51.5% of the population. Adrian Dantley. 6.7% of its population were reported as under 5, 24.8% under 18, and 13.2% were 65 or older. Chuck Daly (Inducted as Coach). New Jersey is also the most densely populated state in the nation, and the first and only state that has had every one of its 21 counties deemed "urban", as opposed to rural. Isiah Thomas. This is largely due to the fact that so much of New Jersey is comprised of suburbs, most of them affluent, of New York City and Philadelphia. Earl Lloyd (inducted as a contributor, not as a player or coach).

Newark and Camden are two of the poorest cities in America, but New Jersey as a whole has the highest median household income in the nation, as well as the second highest per capita income, after Connecticut. Bob Lanier. The five largest ancestry groups in New Jersey are Italian (17.8%), Irish (15.9%), African American (13.6%), German (12.6%), Polish (6.9%). Dave Bing. The racial makeup of the state is:. C - #31 Darko Miličić (Serbia). It is the most Italian-American state in the nation, having passed New York state for that title in the 2000 Census, and has one of the largest percentages of African-Americans, Hispanics, Arabs, and Asians in the country. F-C - #24 Antonio McDyess (Alabama).

It also has the second largest percentage of Jews, the second largest percentage of Muslims (trailing only New York in both), and one of the largest percentages of immigrants in the country (trailing only California and New York and just ahead of Illinois, Texas, and Florida). G - #5 Horace Jenkins (William Paterson) - restricted free agent. It has a larger percentage and a greater mix of non-whites as well as a greater mix of Caucasian backgrounds than any other state. G - #10 Lindsey Hunter (Jackson State). New Jersey is also the most racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse state in the union. F - #8 Darvin Ham (Texas Tech) - free agent. state. F - #12 Ronald Dupree (LSU).

According to the Census Bureau, as of 2003, the estimated population of New Jersey was 8,638,396, making the state slightly more populated than Georgia, which was ahead of New Jersey in 2002; New Jersey is again, as it had been before, the ninth most-populous U.S. G-F - #20 Carlos Delfino (Argentina). New Jersey's economy has a large base of industry and chemical manufacturing. Although the state is certainly not defined by these activities, their existence and visibility to those passing through the state along some of its major highways does contribute to many jokes about pollution and ironic plays on the state's nickname, the "Garden State.". C - #41 Elden Campbell (Clemson) - free agent. Its industrial outputs are pharmaceutical and chemical products, food processing, electric equipment, printing and publishing, and tourism. G - #30 Carlos Arroyo (Florida Int'l). In particular, cranberries and eggplants are two of the state's largest crops. PG - #1 Chauncey Billups (Colorado).

Its agricultural outputs are nursery stock, horses, vegetables, fruits and nuts, seafood, and dairy products. SG - #32 Richard "Rip" Hamilton (UConn). Per capital personal income in 2003 was $39,577, 3^rd in the United States of America. C - #3 Ben Wallace (Virginia Union). The Bureau of Economic Analysis (http://www.bea.gov/) estimates that New Jersey's total state product in 2003 was $397 billion. PF - #36 Rasheed Wallace (North Carolina). New Jersey is bordered on the north and northeast by New York, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania (the latter two across the Delaware River.) Prominent geographic features include:. SF - #22 Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky).

High Point Sussex County is the highest elevation in the state. Such geographic definitions are broad, however, and there is often dispute over where one region begins and another ends. Central Jersey is a largely suburban area, while South Jersey is within Philadelphia's general sphere of influence. North Jersey is within New York City's general sphere of influence, with many of its residents commuting into the city for work.

See: List of New Jersey counties.
New Jersey is broadly divided into three geographic regions: they are North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey. Justices serve an initial seven-year term, after which they can be reappointed to serve until age 70. All are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of a majority of the membership of the state senate. The New Jersey Supreme Court [1] (http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/supreme/index.htm) consists of a chief justice and six associate justices.

Assembly members are elected by the people for a two year term in all odd-numbered years; Senators are elected in the years ending in 1, 3, and 7 and thus serve either four or two year terms. Each of the 40 legislative districts elects one Senator and two Assembly members. It provides for a bicameral Legislature consisting of a Senate of 40 members and an Assembly of 80 members. The constitution (http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/lawsconstitution/constitution.asp) was adopted in 1947.

For an example, Bergen County, which is very Republican in the northern half of the county, is mostly liberal in the more populated parts, causing it to usually vote mostly Democratic (same with Passaic County, with a highly populated liberal south and a rural, conservative north), other "swing" counties like Cape May tend to go Republican, as they also have population in conservative areas. Most of the counties in New Jersey, however, are considered swing counties, but some go more one way than others. Somerset and Hunterdon counties, more suburban counties in the region, are also more Republican, but recently, with new immigration coming to these counties from Northern New Jersey and New York, they are beginning to become more close. The more suburban northwestern and southeastern counties of the state are bastions of the Republican party: Republicans have strong backing along the coast in Ocean County and in the mountainous northwestern part of the state, especially Sussex County and Morris County and Warren County.

More suburban New York bordering counties such as Union and Middlesex counties are also largely democratic, as well as Atlantic City and the area around it. The state's Democratic strongholds include Mercer County around the cities of Trenton and Princeton; Essex County and Hudson County, the state's two most urban counties, around the state's two largest cities, Newark and Jersey City; as well as in Camden County and most of the other urban communities just outside of Philadelphia and New York City. Brady served eight months.). Senator by Governor Thomas Kean in 1982 after Harrison A. Williams resigned the Senate seat following the Abscam investigations.

(Nicholas Brady was appointed a U.S. Case in 1979. The last elected Republican to hold a Senate seat from New Jersey was Clifford P. Since the early 1980s, however, the state has given large victories to Democrats in the 1990's, while in the 2004 presidential election it was a little more close, but still an easy victory (with Kerry defeating Bush by about 6%).

It was named as a possible swing again in the 2004 election, following the September 11 terrorist attacks on nearby New York City and President Bush's policies after those attacks. It was, however, a Republican stronghold for years in the past, having given comfortable margins of victory to the Republican candidate in the close elections of 1948, 1968, and 1976. The state was a crucial swing state in the elections of 1960, 1968, and 1992. Politically, New Jersey, like the rest of the northeastern United States, leans toward the Democratic Party. New Jersey has 13 Congressional Districts.

Lautenberg (Democrat) and Jon Corzine (Democrat). Senators are Frank R. The state's two U.S. McGreevey's resignation on November 15, 2004.

The governor of New Jersey is Richard Codey (Democrat), who took over as acting governor based on his role as State Senate President upon James E. The capital of New Jersey is Trenton. See: List of Governors of New Jersey; New Jersey Legislature. This meant the state lost more people in the attacks than any other state except New York.

Of the 3,000 people who died in September 11, 2001, over 650 were commuters and air travelers from New Jersey (United Airlines Flight 93 took off from Newark Airport in New Jersey). New Jersey suffered heavy casualties in the September 11 Terrorist Attacks. However, by the close of the Civil War, several African-Americans in New Jersey were still in bondage and New Jersey initially refused to ratify the Constitutional Amendments banning Slavery and granting rights to America's black population. Ironically, on February 15, 1804 New Jersey became the last northern state to abolish slavery by enacting legislation that slowly phased out slavery.

On November 20, 1789 the state became the first in the newly-formed Union to ratify the Bill of Rights. It was there that the Continental Congress learned of the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the war. In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall at Princeton University, making Princeton the country's capital for four months. Slightly more than a week after victory at Trenton, on January 3, 1777, the American forces scored an important victory over the British under Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton.

This image was also chosen to represent the State of New Jersey on the reverse side of the 1999 New Jersey State Quarter released by the United States Mint. The river crossing has become an iconic moment in the early history of the United States of America, having been immortalized in Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze's painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. In December, 1776, the Continental Army under George Washington crossed the Delaware River and engaged Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton. During the War for Independence, British and American armies crossed New Jersey several times.

New Jersey was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. In 1702 the two provinces were united under a royal, rather than a proprietary, governor. New Jersey was governed as two distinct provinces, West Jersey and East Jersey, for the 28 years between 1674 and 1702. On March 18, 1673 Berkeley sold his half of New Jersey to Quakers in England (with William Penn acting as trustee for a time) who settled the Delaware Valley region as a Quaker colony.

The first permanent English settlement was Elizabethtown, now Elizabeth. Settlement for the first ten years of English rule was in the Hudson River region and came primarily from New England. In 1663 in recognition of his loyalty to the English Crown Sir George Carteret, Jersey's Royalist Governor, was gifted a large tract of land in North America henceforth known as New Jersey. Helier that Charles II of England was first proclaimed King of England in 1649, following the execution of his father, Charles I of England.

It was from the Royal Square in St. During the English Civil War the Island of Jersey remained loyal to The English Crown and gave sanctuary to the King. 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 been loyal through the English Civil War: Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton. The newly taken lands were divided by King Charles II of England, 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).

They met minimal resistance, perhaps because of the unpopularity of the Dutch colonial governor, Peter Stuyvesant. The entire region became a territory of Britain in 1664 when a British fleet under the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed into what is today New York Harbor and took over the colony. These territories were taken by the Dutch in 1654 and incorporated into New Netherland. Some of southwestern New Jersey was also settled by the Swedes in the mid-1600's as part of the Swedish colony of New Sweden, which included parts of Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania.

At the time, much of what is now New Jersey was claimed as part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which also included parts of present-day New York State and had its capital at New Amsterdam, now known as New York City. Once inhabited by the tribes of the Lenape, the first Europeans to settle the region were the Dutch in the early 1630's, who formed a settlement at present-day Jersey City. The state is named after the island of Jersey in the English Channel. It is also the fifth smallest state.

postal abbreviation of NJ. New Jersey is the most densely populated state of the United States of America and has the U.S. List of people from New Jersey. List of New Jersey-related topics.

State license plate slogan: Garden State. State motto: Liberty and prosperity. State dance: The Square Dance. State fish: Brook Trout.

State tree: Red Oak
. State flower: Common Violet
. State animal: Horse
. State bird: Eastern Goldfinch
.

Warren County Community College, Washington. Union County College, Cranford and Elizabeth. Sussex County Community College, Newton. Salem Community College, Carneys Point.

Raritan Valley Community College, North Branch. Passaic County Community College, Paterson-Wanaque-Wayne. Ocean County College, Toms River. Middlesex County College, Edison.

Mercer County Community College, Trenton. Hudson County Community College, Jersey City. Gloucester County College, Sewell. Essex County College, Newark & West Caldwell campuses.

Cumberland County College, Vineland. County College of Morris, Randolph. Camden County College, Blackwood. Burlington County College, Pemberton.

Brookdale Community College, Lincroft. Bergen Community College, Paramus. Atlantic Cape Community College, Mays Landing. Lakewood 60352.

Old Bridge 60456. Irvington: 60695. Bayonne: 61842. Glouchester: 64350.

Middletown: 66327. Union City: 67088. Passaic: 67861. East Orange: 69824.

Cherry Hill: 69965. Brick: 76119. Clifton: 78672. Camden: 79904.

Trenton: 85403. Toms River: 86327. Hamilton: 87109. Dover: (Census Estimate 2003: 93,000).

Woodbridge: 97203 (Census Estimate 2003: 108,000). Edison 97687 (Census Estimate 2003: 101,000). Elizabeth: 120568 (Census Estimate 2003: 124,000). Paterson: 149222 (Census Estimate 2003: 152,000).

Jersey City: 240055 (Census Estimate 2003: 242,000). Newark: 273546 (Census Estimate 2003: 278,000). Finally, in the future, New Jersey's garage bands have become more based in 00's alternative rock and classic rock revival, two styles to expect to hear more coming out of New Jersey. He sang with a neighborhood vocal group, the Hoboken Four, and appeared in neighborhood theater amateur shows.

in Hoboken. Frank Sinatra was born December 12, 1915, the only child of working-class Italian-American immigrants, in a tenement at 415 Monroe St. In the 1960s, he colaborated on several albums with fellow New Jersey native Frank Sinatra. Legendary jazz pianist and bandleader Count Basie was born in Red Bank in 1904.

He has two albums out: musicforthemorningafter (2001) and Day I Forgot (2003). Pete Yorn is another New Jersey artist. The Bloodhound Gang produced a song called "The 10 Coolest Things About New Jersey," which consists of 10 seconds of complete silence. The brothers, Dean and Robert, are the guitarist and bassist for the band.

The DeLeo brothers of Stone Temple Pilots are both from New Jersey. Punk music is also an important alternative style in New Jersey, perhaps starting with the band that essentially invented hardcore, The Misfits from Lodi, in the 90's, The Bouncing Souls and Catch 22 were also prominent figures in New Jersey punk. Such bands that fit into this category include My Chemical Romance, Midtown, Senses Fail, Saves The Day, Thursday, Hidden In Plain View, The Early November, Armor For Sleep, Outmarting Simon, Denver In Dallas, and many more. Emo lately has found its home in New Jersey, particularly near New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Another emerging New Jersey band is Seven and the Sun [4] (http://launch.yahoo.com/ar-292720---Seven--The-Sun). Musical artists Fountains of Wayne [2] (http://www.fountainsofwayne.com/home/)are a group of New Jerseyians who took the name of a semi-famous lawn and garden store [3] (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/NJWAYfountains.html) on Route 46 in Wayne, New Jersey (also featured on an episode of The Sopranos). Redman, an influential underground figure and Newark native, has recently found commercial success through collaborations with Eminem and the Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man. Other rap artists include Irvington's Queen Latifah, the first female rapper to succeed in music, film and TV, and the Grammy-winning Naughty By Nature of East Orange, who cut 1992's smash hit "O.P.P.".

Hip-hop's longest running radio show was founded by two Jerseyans, Special K (Kevin Bonners) and Teddy Ted (Ted Whiting) of Hackensack, who began on New York's WHBI in 1982 and now appear on WPAT-AM. Her 1998 debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, sold 10 million copies internationally. Former Fugee Lauryn Hill, a South Orange resident, is hip-hop's best-selling solo female artist. Wylde is famous for his signature "Bulls-eye" Gibson Les Paul guitar.

Another popular Jerseyan in rock music today is Zakk Wylde of Jersey City, who is currently the guitarist with Ozzy Osbourne and is with another popular rock band, Black Label Society. Songs included "There She Goes Again" and "Heroin". The Velvet Underground had their first performance as a band at Summit High School in Summit, New Jersey. Asbury Park, home of The Stone Pony, where Springsteen and Bon Jovi frequented early in their careers, is still considered by many to be a mecca for up-and-coming musicians.

Fellow musician Jon Bon Jovi has also written many songs about New Jersey and even named one of his albums after it. Musician Bruce Springsteen has sung of New Jersey life on his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and in many of his most popular songs, including "Atlantic City", "Born to Run", "Darlington County", "Freehold", "Jersey Girl" (written by Tom Waits), "Jungleland", "Spirit in the Night", and others. Non-Religious – 6%. Other Religions – 5%.

Other Christian – 4%. Protestant – 37%. Roman Catholic – 46%. 2.5% mixed race.

0.2% American Indian. 5.7% Asian. 13.3% Hispanic. 13.6% Black/African American.

66.0% White/Caucasian. South Mountain. Sandy Hook. Raritan River.

Rancocas River. Pine Barrens. Passaic River. The Palisades.

New Jersey Meadowlands. Delaware Water Gap.