Central Jersey

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A map of Central Jersey. The Raritan Valley consists of Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and the Northern portion of Middlesex County. The shore and inland communities consist of the Raritan Bayshore and inland communities. Divided areas where another term(s) is used consistently include the Trenton-Ewing MSA and the Southern Monmouth/Northern Ocean region of the Jersey Shore.

Central Jersey is a region in New Jersey. The region has no set boundaries, as perceptions about the region vary throughout the state. The first region in Central Jersey is the Raritan Valley, which consists of Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and the northern portion of Middlesex County. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]} The second region is the shore and inland communities of Monmouth and the southern portion of Middlesex counties. ^{[6] [7] [8]} Central Jersey's counties include: Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset and Union County. ^[9] All of Central Jersey is in the New York City Metropolitan Area.

Most of Central Jersey is actually not in the geographic center of the state. Rather, most of Central Jersey is located north of the geographic center of the state. The region's name may stem instead from New Jersey's center of population, which is currently located in East Brunswick in Middlesex County. ^[10] Interestingly, East Brunswick also appears to be the geographic center of Central Jersey.

[edit] Raritan Valley

[edit] Geography

The Raritan Valley consists of Somerset County, Union County, Hunterdon County and the Northern portion of Middlesex County. ^{[11] [12] [13] [14] [15]}

Union County is also considered part of North Jersey. ^[16] The Raritan River does not run through Union County, but perhaps because much of the county's numerous commuters to New York City are served by New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line, Union is sometimes included as part of the Raritan Valley and Central Jersey.

[edit] Economy

The Raritan Valley serves as a bedroom community for New York City. However, the Raritan Valley has a robust local economy. In particular, the Raritan Valley is home to many pharmaceutical and telecommunications companies. Pharmaceutical firms in the Raritan Valley include Johnson and Johnson, Merck and Sanofi-Aventis. Telecommunications firms in Raritan Valley include Verizon Wireless, AT&T Communications and Avaya. The existence of these strong local industries is a key distinguishing feature between the Raritan Valley and North Jersey.

Perhaps as a result of this strong local economy and its existence as a bedroom community for New York City, all five Raritan Valley counties are ranked as one of the highest income counties in the United States, as measured by per-capita income. Their ranks include.

Somerset County: 7th

Hunterdon County: 13th

Union County: 93rd

Middlesex County (part, Northern section): 100th

[edit] Raritan Valley as North-Central Jersey

Until recently, most of the Raritan Valley except Union County was a relatively undeveloped area consisting mostly of farming that just happened to be close to New York City. That started to change in the 1970s, when residents of nearby cities such as Plainfield and Newark increasingly migrated into the Raritan Valley after the 1967 Plainfield Riots and 1967 Newark riots. ^{[17] [18]} Subsequently, the Raritan Valley developed further with the emergence of strong pharmaceutical, telecommunications and financial services industries in the Raritan Valley. More recently, the Raritan Valley is receiving New York City commuters who commute to New York City through the Raritan Valley Line, Gladstone Branch or Interstate 78. This has occurred because of the New York Metropolitan Area's explosive growth. Also, the Raritan Valley's wealth has made the area a desirable place to live. Today, the Raritan Valley is comprised almost exclusively of suburban communities. The rapid transformation of the region is manifest in the persistent deer problem throughout much of the Raritan Valley, presumably the result of the deer not yet adapting to the sudden change to their habitat. ^[19]

Therefore, since in the past three decades many Northern New Jerseyans and New York City residents have migrated to the Raritan Valley, the corresponding demographic shift has meant that sometimes the Raritan Valley is referred to as "North-Central Jersey",^[20][21][22] an area that is part of both North and Central Jersey. The inclusion of a Northern element seems to suggest that the Raritan Valley is starting to more closely identify with New York City.

[edit] Central Jersey counties of Raritan Valley

The following counties are often considered to be part of the area:^[23]

• Somerset County
• Union County (Also considered part of North Jersey)
• Middlesex County (North)
• Hunterdon County

[edit] Raritan Bayshore and and Inland Communities

[edit] Geography

Residents of the Raritan Bayshore, northern Jersey Shore, and inland communities of Middlesex and Monmouth counties consider themselves to be residents of Central Jersey. ^[24] Residents along the Jersey Shore often use the terms Central Jersey and Jersey Shore interchangeably. ^{[25] [26]}

[edit] Economy

The region serves as a bedroom community for New York City commuters. This is especially true in the Raritan Bayshore region of Northeast Monmouth and Southern Middlesex adjacent to Staten Island, New York and the inland towns in Northern Monmouth close to New York City. Unlike the rest of the shoreline areas further south, the Raritan Bayshore is often unfit for beach tourism, as it is often contaminated by sewage runoffs and pollutants from New York City and the surrounding area. ^[27]

In addition, the region is home to federal facilities like Fort Monmouth, regional attractions like Gateway National Recreation Area, Monmouth Park Racetrack and Asbury Park's boardwalk; local businesses like marinas, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, and beaches. There are 48 fishable lakes in Monmouth County alone. ^[28]

Monmouth County is ranked 42nd in the nation in terms of per-capita income, while Middlesex County is 100th.

[edit] Mercer County

Others may include Mercer County within Central Jersey. The main distinction between Mercer County and Central Jersey is the fact that Mercer County consists of both New York and Philadelphia influences whereas the Central Jersey counties are all affiliated with New York. Mercer County is officially part of the New York Metropolitan Region.

In Mercer County, local newspapers generally cover sports teams from both New York and Philadelphia, along with the two New Jersey teams. Additionally, residents get both New York and Philadelphia channels on television.^[29] Mercer County serves as a bedroom community for both New York and Philadelphia, though there has been an influx of New York commuters in recent years. The two main towns in Mercer County are Princeton in the north and Trenton in the south.

Trenton, in the south of Mercer County, is fittingly the capital of New Jersey, a state divided between the New York and Philadelphia Metropolitan Regions. Trenton is its own metropolitan region, called the Trenton-Ewing MSA. The Trenton-Ewing MSA is considered by many as the meeting point between the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan regions, and a dividing point in New Jersey, perhaps since commuting times by train to both cities is roughly the same. The Trenton Train Station is the terminus for both the Northeast Corridor Line operated by New Jersey Transit and the R7 line operated by SEPTA.

Princeton, in the north of Mercer County, is home to the prestigious Princeton University. Princeton is roughly equidistant between New York and Philadelphia, though the commute to New York by train via New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line is much shorter than the train commute to Philadelphia. Also, the New York Metropolitan Region is ranked 1st in population, whereas the Philadelphia Metropolitan Region is ranked 5th, so the meeting point between the two cities is further down in the Trenton-Ewing MSA. Princeton has a very robust local economy. In addition to Princeton University, Princeton is the home of the Institute for Advanced Study, Educational Testing Service (ETS), Opinion Research Corporation, Siemens Corporate Research, Sarnoff Corporation, FMC Corporation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton Theological Seminary, Westminster Choir College, Church and Dwight and Dow Jones & Company.

[edit] Southern Monmouth/Northern Ocean

Another area where Central Jersey is not universally used or understood is the Southern Monmouth/Northern Ocean region of New Jersey. Most of the area is considered a main artery of the Jersey Shore. However, Central Jersey and South Jersey are also used. All of Ocean County is considered part of South Jersey. ^{[30] [31]} Like Mercer County, Southern Monmouth/Northern Ocean get television from both New York and Philadelphia.^[32] Additionally, local newspapers cover both New York and Philadelphia teams, along with the two New Jersey teams. ^[33] However, this area generally does not serve as a bedroom community for either city, but rather serves as a popular tourist destination for New York and Philadelphia area residents. This is especially true in Northern Ocean, which is nearly 70 miles away from both New York and Philadelphia. As a point of reference, even Trenton, on the very southern edge of Mercer County next to the Delaware River, is closer to New York than Lakewood, a town on the very northern tip of Ocean County. Rather, the myriad of beaches such as Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Heights and Long Beach Island, along with attractions like Six Flags Great Adventure and Island Beach State Park, define the region's economy. This region is also a working class area in New Jersey. ^{[34] [35] [36] [37] [38]} For example, local and New Jersey legend Bruce Springsteen often uses blue-collar themes in his music.

[edit] Famous Central Jerseyans

• Bam Bam Bigelow
• Jon Bon Jovi
• Danny DeVito
• Ray Evernham
• Tammy Lynn Sytch
• Ethan Hawke
• David DeJesus
• Dan Klecko
• Doug Lawrence
• Brittany Murphy
• Jim Nantz
• Jack Nicholson
• Jim Norton
• Mark L. Polansky
• David Pollack
• Paul Robeson
• Susan Sarandon
• Norman Schwarzkopf
• Kevin Smith
• Bruce Springsteen
• Jon Stewart
• Joe Theismann
• Ashley Tisdale
• Joe Anna Haelig

[edit] References

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