New Jersey
[Wikipedia]

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 western border of New Jersey is largely defined by the Delaware River. New Jersey is at the center of the BosWash megalopolis.

New Jersey is broadly divided into three geographic regions: North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey. North Jersey lies within New York City's general sphere of influence largely within the New York metropolitan area, in which reside many residents commuting to the city to work. Central Jersey is a largely suburban area. South Jersey is within Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's general sphere of influence, and most of it is included in the Delaware Valley. Such geographic definitions are broad, however, and there is often dispute over where one region begins and another ends. Some people do not consider Central Jersey to exist at all, but most believe it is a separate geographic and cultural area from the North and South.

Through both World Wars, New Jersey was a center for war production, especially in naval construction. Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers were all made in this state. In addition, Camp Kilmer, Fort Dix, and Camp Merritt were all constructed to help American soldiers through both World Wars. New Jersey also became a principal location for defense in the Cold War. Fourteen Nike Missile stations were constructed, especially for the defense of New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

New Jersey became a prosperous state through the Roaring Twenties but fell in prosperity under the Great Depression. Begging licenses were even offered to the unemployed by the state government in order to provide money for those who could not be helped by the exhausted state funds. During this time period, the zeppelin Hindenburg went up in flames over Lakehurst.

In the 1960s, several race riots sprang up in New Jersey, the first of which occurred in Jersey City on August 2, 1964. Several other riots ensued in 1967, in the cities of Newark and Plainfield. Camden also dealt with race riots in 1971. The 1960s race riots in Freehold are mentioned in the Bruce Springsteen song "My Hometown."

Residents of New Jersey are most commonly referred to as "New Jerseyans" or "New Jerseyites". The United States Census Bureau, as of 2005, estimated New Jersey's population at 8,717,925, which represents an increase of 32,759, or 0.4%, from the prior year and an increase of 303,578, or 3.6%, since the last census in 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 220,220 people (that is 604,110 births minus 383,890 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 95,293 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 290,194 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 194,901 people. There are 1.6 million foreign-born living in the state (accounting for 19.2% of the population).

New Jersey is the tenth-most-populous state, but the most densely populated, at 1,134.4 residents per square mile (438.0 per kmē), although the density varies widely across the state. It is also the wealthiest state in the United States as per the United States Census Bureau.

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. 54% of high school graduates continue on to college or university, which is tied with Massachusetts for the second highest rate in the nation (North Dakota holds first place at 59%). New Jersey also has the highest average scores for advanced placement testing in public schools in the nation. Secretary of Education Rick Rosenberg, appointed by Governor Jon Corzine, has created the Education Advancement Initiative to increase College admission rates by 10% for New Jersey's High School students, decrease drop out rates by 15%, and increase the amount of money devoted to schools by 10%. Rosenberg was since forced to retract this plan when publicly criticized for taking the money out of healthcare to fund this initiative.