Facts About New Jersey: Learning About US States in Special Ed

Welcome to New Jersey

If you are teaching about the US states, here are some facts about New Jersey you may want to know.

New Jersey is located in the northeastern part of the United States. It borders Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and the Atlantic Ocean. New Jersey is also part of the Mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. Trenton is the capital.

Let’s learn a little more about this great state.

And be sure to scroll to the end to get a free fact sheet about New Jersey.

A brief history of New Jersey

New Jersey became a state in 1787 and was the 3rd to join the United States.

New Jersey was named after the British Island of Jersey in the English Channel off Normandy.

In 1664, it was controlled by England and became one of the original 13 colonies.

The Revolutionary War, which occurred from 1775 to 1783, was a ferocious battle to gain freedom from British rule. More battles were fought on New Jersey soil than anywhere else in the country.

On the night of Christmas in 1776, George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River into Trenton, where he defeated the British forces. This was a major turning point in the war and the colonial troops’ first major victory.

Finally, New Jersey was also among the first states to ratify the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

The geography of New Jersey

New Jersey is made up of four main geographical regions: the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, the Highlands, and the Appalachian Valley and Ridge.

The Atlantic Coastal Plain covers the southern third of the state. It features low hills, pine forests, and salt marshes. The plain also includes several barrier islands along the Atlantic Ocean coastline.

Next is a 20-mile-wide stretch of land just northeast of the Coastal Plain, known as the Piedmont region. It has rolling hills and is where most of New Jersey’s major cities are located. Four major rivers also cross here.

Further north is the Highlands region. Here, you will find flat-topped rocks and many lakes.

Finally, the Appalachian Valley and Ridge region is in the most northern part of the state. This is a more mountainous terrain where the Appalachian mountain range crosses the state.

New Jersey's resources and industries

Although once known as the country’s main crop producer, much of New Jersey has become industrialized. We still get some important crops and other natural resources from this state.

New Jersey’s farms are some of the smallest in the US, but they are also some of the most valuable per acre.

New Jersey is the second-biggest producer of blueberries and the third-biggest producer of cranberries in the US.

New Jersey also grows a lot of the country’s potatoes and peaches.

Thanks to its location on the coast, fishing is an essential natural resource and industry in this state.

The Atlantic coast also makes New Jersey one of the busiest ports on the East Coast. Shipping is an integral part of this state’s economy.

Lastly, science and technology are key industries in this state. New Jersey has more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else in the world!

Fun places to visit in New Jersey

If you plan to visit New Jersey, there are some things you will want to know and make sure you get to see. This state has a rich history and fun sites to see.

You can visit the museum in Trenton, New Jersey, where Washington crossed the Delaware at Washington Crossing State Park.

Visit Thomas Edison’s home and laboratory on Main Street in West Orange, New Jersey. See where America’s greatest inventor lived and created inventions that changed our lives forever.

If you visit Jersey City, you will want to visit the Liberty Science Center.

This is a 300,000-square-foot learning center located in Liberty State Park. It has 12 exhibition halls with live animals and an aquarium. Over 750,000 people visit this science center every year.

You can visit the Cape May Lighthouse in the southern tip of the state. It was built in 1859 and has been replaced several times due to erosion. It is still in operation, and you can climb the 199 steps to the top.

New Jersey is home to many famous boardwalks. In Atlantic City, the world’s first boardwalk was built in 1870.

It is a 4-mile stretch filled with exhibits, rides, games, restaurants, and more.

The boardwalk was first built to allow people to get from the beach to the town without having to walk through the sand. It was also initially dismantled each year and stored during the off-season.

Portions of the boardwalk have been replaced over the years due to storm damage. Over 27 million visitors come to the boardwalk in Atlantic City every year!

Finally, One last stop to consider is the USS New Jersey, located in Camden. This battleship has an impressive history, having been used during World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and several Middle East conflicts.

The USS New Jersey has steamed more miles, fought in more battles, and fired more shells in combat than any other battleship. You can now visit and tour this amazing living museum and memorial.

Fun facts about New Jersey

Here are a few fun facts you might not know about New Jersey. The violet is the state flower, and the Eastern Goldfinch is the state bird.

New Jersey is known as the Garden State. It got this name in the late 1800s when much of the country’s food was grown here. Abraham Browning named it.

This is the state flag of New Jersey, adopted in 1896. It depicts two women who represent liberty and agriculture. The flag’s color matches the color of the uniforms of George Washington’s troops during the Revolutionary War.