New Jersey: Things You Need to Know from One Who Lives There

Jersey. People only have to hear it once to know. And, after hearing those two dreaded syllables, what's the usual image or thought that pops up into the cranium? Toxic waste? Pissed off people? The "accent"? Or, if you're into certain music, Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi? Overall, how many of these things are actually true about the "Garden State" and how much of it's exaggeration? Well, to answer some of that question, yes, Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi are from NJ and, yes, they're not exaggerations. Okay, that wasn't so funny, but putting all weak humor aside, Jersey's more than just the American "armpit" that people think. There's some good, there's some bad, and everything in between. As a person who was born and raised in NJ, it's about time to clear a few things up about it and let you, the reader, decide for yourself. So, without further ado, here's what I know.

1.) Yes, we have lots of diners.
Personally, I never understood the reason why. You just always seem to pass one on the highway almost every minute when you're here (sometimes with one diner being just across or right next to another). Though this may not apply to South Jersey, because of all the farmland, anyone who visits NJ would definitely see the reason why the diner "thing" has easily become a Jersey "thing" and vice-versa. A word of advice from me-if you love diners, go ahead and try them out. Jersey diners, for the most part, can have a whole spectrum of quality when it comes to finding good food; foods that can "hit" or "miss" or cover everything in between. Sometimes the quality can even vary between shifts. And if you happen to hate diners, then just pass them by and move on with life. It won't kill you. It never killed me.

2.) No, not everyone from Jersey has the "Jersey" accent.
In fact, nearly everyone I know in NJ doesn't even have it. In my entire lifetime I have only met a few people with a touch of the accent - usually extending only to certain words like "gone" and "on" and so forth. Either way, take it from one who knows, the Jersey accent isn't as prevalent as people think. In fact, I would even be so bold as to say that a majority of people in NJ doesn't even have it at all.

3.) Driving here does suck.
Yes, New Jersey drivers do seem to be ruder than drivers from other states, but honestly, from my experience, Jersey drivers aren't as bad as some people would have you believe (there's always Connecticut). Overall, it's not really dealing with Jersey drivers that make things bad, but dealing with the fact that most of the major highways in NJ (at least the northern part) are always under construction and that there are more people living in the state than the state can hold. So, in America's armpit, just don't expect anyone to be polite to you on the road and if you run into backup because of road construction and congestion, don't be surprised.

4.) Yes, pollution is a problem in Jersey, but it's not as bad as people think.
There are still many scenic places in Jersey, especially in the south where farmlands still exist without a problem. There are also significant portions of Jersey covered by vast forests, some of which are state parks and preservations. Oh yeah and did I mention that NJ also has quite a good shoreline? NJ, in many areas, isn't bad at all. But as a counterpoint, the air quality here isn't exactly pristine and if you want to go stargazing, you might be better off going to rural Pennsylvania rather than NJ. In addition to that, NJ continues to suffer from some major pollution factories, two of which go by the name of Newark and Camden.

5.) We seem to have a lot of malls.
Almost anywhere you go in New Jersey, you're never too far from a mall, especially a strip mall that somehow popped-up out of nowhere and everywhere at once. Growing up I found this to be both a good thing and bad thing for certain people and occasions. If you're into shopping, you would hardly ever have to travel far to get what you want. If, however, you see every mall as a cancerous growth of American commercialism drowning out the voice of individuality or something like that, then Jersey is your nightmare. Personally, for me, a mall's just a mall, whether for better or worse, because you're eventually going to buy something from it somewhere along the line.

6.) Besides Atlantic City, not many landmarks, but enough freaky stuff to make up for it.
Go to California and you have Hollywood and the Golden Gate Bridge. You go to South Dakota and you have Mount Rushmore. You go to Florida and you have Disney World. You go to Jersey and you have...Atlantic City. Yeah, it's not exactly Vegas and pretty much lives in Vegas' shadow a lot, but people still like it. Well, anyway, Jersey might not be a giant in globally known landmarks, compared to some states, but it's far from being empty handed when it comes to uniqueness. There are plenty of weird sites and strange things to take a gander at if you're in the area, including the supposed birthplace of the infamous "Jersey Devil" for all you crypto-zoologists out there. In fact so many curiosities and urban legends exist in NJ that they devoted an entire magazine to them called (guess what?) "Weird NJ". From abandoned asylums, to haunted roads, they have it all. So do you want something old, something weird, and something freaky? Then go to NJ.

7.) Yes, it's true, hospitality isn't our strong point.
From both my own experience and the testimony of others, there's no doubt that there's something different about the Jersey temperament than the temperament of other states. Before going to grad school, I once interned at a waste site that had a large staff of people mainly from either California or the Midwest. Out of the twenty plus years I've lived in NJ, they were the nicest people I've ever met before in my life. And the one thing, each day, that a lot of them would complain about was how different everyone was in NJ-how much colder, ruder, and more irritable "Jerseyans" were compared to what they were all use to. Now, believe me, I understand that my co-workers could've just been very nice people to begin with. I also understand that not everyone in Jersey is rude or nasty. But with all the people that I've met in my life from outside the state and from all the times I've dealt with people from the inside, it's becoming harder and harder for me to ignore this trend that, yes, Jerseyans tend to be different and not in a good way.

8.) We're close to Philly, we're close to NYC, and not too far from Boston.
From where I live, which is North Jersey, driving to New York City is only a 45 minute trip. If I wanted to go to Philly, a one and a half to two hour trip. If I wanted to go to Boston it would take a little longer-about three hours (which would be much less if I lived in South Jersey). These days, the one thing that makes a house valuable, other than its size, is its location. And if Jersey was a house location is definitely what it has going for it.

If you don't mind Jersey, fine. If you really like it, sweet. But if you live in Jersey and hate it, then, please, leave. For me, living in NJ has always been a give and take kind of relationship. Yes, it's far from perfect, but it's not horrendous either. Rather, it's on a weird awkward level that, when averaged out, makes it a state that you'll either love to hate or hate loving. At times, even I have the habit of cracking jokes about it and writing the occasional humor piece regarding the place I call home. But home is home and sometimes I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. And if something goes wrong, I try my best to forgetta 'bout it!