New Jersey’s location has placed it squarely in the middle of Atlantic coast action for four centuries. By the nineteenth century, the state was in the middle of the industrial revolution. There were still farming, but factories produced textiles, shoes, bricks, and more.

New Jersey’s economy has turned increasingly to a wide range of service and trade businesses. The state has long been a top research centre. Manufacturing has not died, though; New Jersey still has 10,000 firms producing a vast array of products.

New Jersey boasts a wide range of landscapes. Its northern third is hilly, rocky and spotted with lakes and wetlands. The Jersey Shore sports some of the Atlantic coast’s best beaches. Most of southern New Jersey is low coastal plain that supports a people-light, wildlife-heavy region called the Pine Barrens. Its forests, bogs, and swamps are home to more than a thousand plant and animal species. The State ranks in the top five states in output of blueberries, cranberries, peaches, head lettuce and bell peppers.