Global InformationSouth Jersey information
South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, and Central Jersey or North Jersey to its north, depending on the definition of North Jersey.
South Jersey is part of the Delaware Valley, the seventh-largest metropolitan region in the nation with 6.288 million residents in the core metropolitan statistical area and 7.366 million residents in the combined statistical area of Camden, Philadelphia and Wilmington, as of 2020.[2] South Jersey is known for containing the unique ecoregion known as the Pine Barrens, which remains largely undisturbed despite its location within the Northeastern megalopolis. The South Jersey Pine Barrens are the largest remaining example of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecosystem.
Benjamin Franklin called New Jersey "a barrel tapped at both ends", referencing the Philadelphia influence on South Jersey and the New York City influence on North Jersey.[3] South Jersey may be defined geographically as the area below I-195 that includes the state's lower seven counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem.[4]
South Jersey and the wider Philadelphia metropolitan area are situated near the center of the Northeast megalopolis and have become a U.S. East Coast epicenter for logistics and warehouse construction;[5] Salem County, the lower portion of Gloucester County, and the upper portion of Cumberland County additionally serve as residential communities for the petrochemical industry of New Castle County, Delaware. South Jersey shore communities, including Atlantic City and others in Atlantic and Cape May counties, have a distinct economy centered around the tourism industry. Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties have several older streetcar towns, and many residents from these three counties commute to Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-most populous city, which is located immediately west of South Jersey across the Delaware River, accessible by the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Betsy Ross Bridge, Tacony Palmyra Bridge and Walt Whitman Bridge.
The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative definition and reflects geographical and perceived cultural and other differences between South Jersey and the northern part of the state.[6]
- ^ "Atlantic City Boardwalk". State of New Jersey. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007" (CSV). 2007 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2008-03-27. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
- ^ Fairall, Herbert (1885). The World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans, 1884-1885. p. 225. Google Book Search. Retrieved on December 4, 2009. "Dr. Benjamin Franklin once perpetrated the witticism 'that New Jersey was like a beer barrel tapped at both ends, with all the live beer running into Philadelphia and New York.'"
- ^ Di Ionno, Mark. Backroads, New Jersey (p. 49), 2002. "Some say it's New Jersey's bottom eight counties-Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem."
- ^ Jon Hurdle (May 13, 2021). "Report details surge in warehouse construction…". NJ Spotlight News. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
In South Jersey, the area has become the "epicenter" of warehouse construction in the greater Philadelphia region..'Activity in the Southern New Jersey industrial market continues to amaze,' the report said.
- ^ "Drawing the line: Talking with the blogger behind "Where is the Line Between North & South Jersey?"". 2008-03-28.