New Jersey

State motto:

"What died?!"

There are many beautiful parts of New Jersey, the beaches are amazing and certain towns are among the wealthiest areas in the country. There are also many crappy industrial parts and ghettos, which can be avoided.

There is something for everyone in New Jersey.

Jersey hore, Wantagh mountains, farmland, horse (riding) country, urban (Newark), suburban, rural......

Can basically divide NJ up into four sections; North, South, Shore and Central. Areas along North (Hudson) River across from Manhattan looping around to Staten Island are largely (or once) industrial.

It gets a bad rap because of Newark and the stink and smog as well as the guidos but it’s a beautiful state with many wonderful towns, greenery, and the shore.

Don’t stop & remember to throw all your garbage out the window!

Are there any nice towns in New Jersey close to New York? I was taken to Jersey City and Hoboken years ago. Hoboken seemed pleasant enough with some gentrification but Jersey City seemed dreary and soulless.

Stay away from any place that Cory Booker calls "emerging". That should keep you safe.

It’s not the geography that makes it a shithole. It’s the people.

Would you go on holiday here?

The west Jersey region along the border of Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful parts of the US. Rolling hills, farms (they don’t call it the Garden State for nothing), orchards, cozy colonial-era farmhouses made from warm yellow-beige-colored stone and stucco, tall shade trees. Very rural and expensive.

[quote]Wantagh mountains

Watchung Mountains?

Wantaugh is on Long Island.

These threads come up every few weeks.

New Jersey is nothing like the stereotype that people have of it and one of the easier ways to tell people newly arrived in NYC from Flyoverstan is their attitude towards the state, though you can't blame them given Sopranos, Real Housewives and Jersey Shore.

There is a huge swath of northern NJ, just due west of Manhattan, that is Norman Rockwell upscale suburbia. Towns like Montclair, Maplewood, Millburn, Summit, Short Hills, Chatham, Westfield are mostly houses built in the 1910s and 1920s with cute downtowns centered around a train station with trains to Manhattan.

Further out, you have the horse country around Far Hills, Harding and Bernardsville with big old estates. This is where Jackie On Assistance had her country house.

Further in, you have a lot of new developments/gentrification in Hoboken and Jersey City, the latter in particular seems to have (pre-Covid) a restaurant scene. Even Newark is allegedly undergoing some sort of revival.

The Jersey Shore is beautiful and it's not all the towns the MTV shows guidos lived in--there are sections that are much more rural and undeveloped. (Manasquan) or trendy and gay (Asbury Park)

And further out west, as noted by R10, is very rural with farmland.

There are parts of the state that are tract house 1950 burbs and parts that are very guido McMansiony, and gas refineries off the highway that stink, but that's the exception.

There is also Trenton, Linden, Atlantic City, Orange, Irvington, Paterson. Lovely places to summer!

R12 is correct that there are many lovely and surprising parts of New Jersey.

However, he is incorrect and unduly defensive in claiming that a negative view of New Jersey is indicative of recent arrival to the New York region. Bashing New Jersey and its (horribly parochial) people is a timeless and quite rewarding pastime for New York residents.

R14, having moved from Iowa to Chelsea in 1993, is now an expert on all things NYC

OP it isn't the land, it is the people who live there that give it a bad reputation.

So, sommarise, New Jersey has a lovely coastline, interesting areas next to New York and beautiful rural and mountain areas?

Nj is called The Garden State for a reason.

That said, its cities are among the worst I’ve ever been in—for a number of reasons. As usual, politicians don’t like investing in areas of high black concentration because white voters get mad, and so many of NJ’s cities are so close to NYC that there’s a brain and talent drain

Chemical alley is called that for a reason

For perspective on R18, Newark, the largest city in NJ, is a 15-20 minute train ride to Manhattan and is actually close to Manhattan than almost all of the commuter suburbs

So much media is based out of NYC, so jokes New Yorkers make about NJ spread around the country.

It's true that a lot of the urban areas in New Jersey are a mess. Trenton, Camden, Newark, Paterson all have major issues. Though Newark is getting better than it used to be.

There are some gorgeous and wealthy suburban areas though.

You do have a great shoreline, though a lot of communities near the shore are Republican. Ocean County is very Trumpy.

In spite of the Italian stereotype Jersey is actually an incredibly diverse state. I live in Middlesex county which has like the highest percentage of Indians in the country.

It's a state that has that is heavily definited by being close to NYC (and to a lesser extent Philly) so it's an odd place. There is very little New Jersey media for instance given most of the state is part of the New York media market.

What are property and tax like there?

Highest property taxes in the country r22. If you make your money in New York you pay income taxes to New York, so Jersey gets around it by having super high property taxes.

There are also an insane number of municipalities in Jersey that have their own school system, police departments etc. The high property taxes make that possible.

R12 Your description of the towns was excellent. I agree with everything you've said. BTW, when describing physical distance the correct word is "farther." Easy to remember, it begins with "far." Thanks.

One benefit of high property taxes is Jersey is considered to have the best school system in the country. Either it or Massachusetts is always number 1.

What are other public services like?

New Jersey also grows the best tomatoes in the world and the reason Campbell's Soup is headquartered there

Other services all appear to be top notch R26, but largely depends on where you live.

As R23 noted, there are many, many small townships that have their own school, fire, police, sanitation, ambulance, parks etc. They charge high property taxes but also deliver top services.

Schools, as noted, are very good because towns like Chatham and Millburn, which are pretty much 100% upper middle class and above, charge high property taxes while maintaining a student body that is identical to that of most private schools. Families justify it on that basis alone, that paying $30K/year in property taxes to put two kids through the school system is still much cheaper than paying $80K/year to put both kids through private school.

Red Bank, Westfield, Hoboken, Ridgewood, Asbury Park, Montclair, and Maplewood are fine places to live. Also check out Lambertville, which is a short bridge walk to New Hope. I haven't been in years but it was a very sweet place to visit.

If you're into muscled alpha frat douchebros, Hoboken is pure heaven. The aroma of musk and testosterone wafts through the entire city.

Maplewood and South Orange are the gay suburbs in NJ, lots of gay families and an overall artsy vibe and easy commute to NYC

Plainfield has an older gay community but the surrounding areas are not as nice.

New Jersey is a state so it’s large and varied.

Most of it is dairyland and starkly beautiful pine forest. In the north and northwest are affluent suburbs. It has a long surfy coast on the ocean. But the New Jersey everyone is most familiar with is a tiny fraction of the state that is blighted by crumbling cities and polluted industrial zones.

New Jersey is like lots of places: it has shitholes (Newark, the Turnpike) and lots of beautiful towns and villages - Harrington Park, Saddle River, Mahwah - most of those towns have or are near to less lovely commercial centers, but are set apart and boast beautiful old homes, huge trees, green lawns.

You could say the same for Westchester County: Central Avenue and downmarker areas like White Plains, Thornwood - and then gorgeous suburbs like Chappaqua, Armonk, Pleasantville, Irvington . . .

Ditto Connecticut: central New Haven is a shithole - but head out to Greenwich, Wilton, New Canaan . . .

It's the same everywhere.

New Jersey is actually surprisingly small r32, 4th smallest state. I wasn't expecting it to be so small when I moved here. Yet you have about 9 million people. It easily is the most densely populated state.

“Small” is relative, r34. Rhode Island is the smallest state by far. Try walking across it.

The population is overwhelmingly clustered in about 5-10% of the space — in the cities to the northeast and in the northern suburbs. 3/4 of the state is basically empty.

R27 Is that due to their association with Rutgers?

New Jersey is the Garden State thanks to farms in the southern counties. They're the second largest blueberry growers in the United States.

A lot of South Jersey is also a shithole (and you can tell by the property values). Culturally, it couldn’t be more different from North/Centra New Jersey (and certain parts of the Shore) and while it doesn’t have the problems of the “urban” areas, it’s very redneck and what people think of as “Jersey trashy.”

Kelly Ripa’s from South Jersey. Remember those old clips of her pre AMC on some dance show? That’s South Jersey for ya.

"She's a woman. A woman, Ernest. From Newark, for God's sake..."

R10

While area is gorgeous it also one of the last areas in NJ largely republican including lots of Trump supporters.

Definitely true r38. South Jersey is a different world. Whether going to the city means New York, or whether it means Philly is a cultural dividing line in the state

Is that because of its rural nature?

Just to be clear on something, school districts in New Jersey like New York and nearly every other state or local area vary. Some are excellent, others not so good.

Also local property taxes vary throughout NJ, some places high, others low.

When it comes to public school districts in NJ, Millburn consistently ranks in top three, has done so for ages. This is one reason why people move there and pay insane house and property taxes; they get to send their kids to excellent K-12 local public schools.

Entire list...

Overlay above information with this; thirty highest property tax areas in NJ.

For those of you who prefer to crunch your own numbers....

Broadly speaking people move to or live in certain parts of New Jersey same as they do for Long Island; they pay insane property taxes compared to NYC; but in return they get good to excellent public K-12 public school systems, tons of things for kids/teens/families and other amenities for their tax dollars.

Gays, minorities and others aren't flocking to Maplewood/South Orange or other certain areas just for the homes anymore, but for same reasons as straights; they are raising children and thus look at things totally differently.

Are some areas around the north east of NJ subject to restrictions on building in the countryside, to stop urban sprawl?

Property Tax is so alien to us here in the UK. Obviously we have our Income, Sales,and other taxes and licences etc.

We pay Council Tax for our local services. Ranging from £800 pa in central London to £2000 pa in some of the rural areas, payable monthly.

UK has VAT and Stamp Land Tax, we have neither in USA. Piled onto Council taxes and a few other bits more than enough funds are raised that make property taxes like we have in many US states not necessary.

To repeat what I'd noted at R28, the top suburban public schools are on par with the best private schools and so paying the average property tax in Millburn, which at $25K/year, has the highest property taxes in the state as per R45, is quite a bargain if you have kids and can avoid paying $40-50K/year in private school tuition. It also ensures your house will hold its value even in an economic downturn.

^^That's $40-50K per child

Hmmm. R50 £25k a year still sounds a lot to pay.

[quote]I’ve only ever driven through it on the way to visit family as a kid.

That's enough to be considered Snooki.

Every state mocks its neighbors. It is unfortunate to be “across the river” from the media capital of the world. Then everyone mocks you.

Montclair, Maplewood, Llewelyn Park were shocking to me. Beautiful suburban neighborhoods rivaling Main Line or Westchester. Unfortunately surrounded by NJ strip malls, vinyl sided postwar housing and Soprano McMansions.

But In general,I see the nice neighborhoods as exceptions rather than the rule. Huge swaths of cheap looking postwar housing and strip malls. Aggressive, rude people. The Jersey Shore - while it has nice beaches - is overcrowded, densely packed, vinyl sided towns of varying wealth but pretty consistently lacking any greenery or open space. Unfortunately the horridness of the architecture, density and people completely offset the nice overcrowded beaches.

R56, I hope you have plenty of Kleenex on hand to deal with all the nosebleeds you must get.

[quote] Montclair, Maplewood, Llewelyn Park were shocking to me. Beautiful suburban neighborhoods rivaling Main Line or Westchester. Unfortunately surrounded by NJ strip malls, vinyl sided postwar housing and Soprano McMansions.

This is completely false R56

Maplewood borders on Millburn/Short Hills and South Orange, both of which are even more upscale and "Main LIne" looking -- Short Hills is one of five wealthiest towns in America. There is a section that borders on Newark, but those are no "Sopranos-style McMansions"

Montclair borders on Verona, Glen Ridge, Cedar Grove, Bloomfield and other areas that were also built in the 1920s and feature beautiful old houses.

There is, as noted, a much wider area spread through Essex, Morris and Union counties that have similar architecture to Maplewood and Montclair.

Why do DLers always feel the need to post made-up bullshit?

PS: You do know that Scarsdale and Rye border blue collar towns in Westchester and the rundown city of Yonkers, right?

And that Greenwich abuts blue collar Portchester with many "vinyl sided homes"

You also falsely claim that

[quote] The Jersey Shore - while it has nice beaches - is overcrowded, densely packed, vinyl sided towns of varying wealth but pretty consistently lacking any greenery or open space

While there are some towns that meet that description, there are towns like Manasquan and Spring Lake,

What are the people like?

I was conceived at Cape May while my father was stationed there in the Navy; I have ancestors for whom Ringoes was named, so I have visited the Lamberville/New Hope, PA, area several times; I lived in Atlantic City and worked in a gay guest house when I was young; and flew in and out of Newark airport many times when I lived in NY. Also passed through many times when I had a bf in Phila., and I lived in NY.

Also am working on a novel set partially there.

[quote]The Jersey Shore - while it has nice beaches - is overcrowded, densely packed, vinyl sided towns of varying wealth but pretty consistently lacking any greenery or open space

The Jersey Shore has some of the best beach towns in the entire US.

[quote]What are the people like?

NJ is the suburb of Philly and NYC. So the attitude reflects those cities. It sure isn't Midwest nice.

I have an interesting history with New Jersey.

As a kid in the early 70s, my father owned a store on the boardwalk in Ocean City for 2 years ('73 & '74). Those two summers were the most fun, happy summers of my entire life. My brother and I would just run free all day long (parents were too busy running a business to bother about us!!). Back in those days there was a Blue Law which meant businesses had to remain closed on Sundays, so that was the one day the family did stuff together.

Fast forward to 1985-1991'ish. After many years of being away from OC, and many weird twists of fate and life, my dad returned to OC with a different business, different boardwalk location, different business partner etc. etc. I would visit my parents during the summers once in a while and would always enjoy my time.

Fast-fast-forward to 2006 when I officially moved to New Jersey. It wasn't planned, it just sort of fell into place with a job etc. I live in one of those lovely towns R12 mentions in the third paragraph. I absolutely love living in NJ. I have met some of the most decent and nicest people here. I've lived in other cities in the USA, and I feel the most "at home" here in NJ.

I know this may shock some of you: one of my closest friends here is a Trump supporter (he voted for him both times). I'm not exaggerating when I say that if I were to ever be in a moment of need, he would be one of the first people I would call. When our little group hangs out (2 of us non-Trumpettes) we have the best time. It's an unwritten rule that we just do not talk politics. Overall, I feel that the people I have met who are born/raised and live in NJ are true salt of the earth type of people. Of course, there are the fuck ups, but those are everywhere!

I truly love living here and I hope I don't have to move. Also, my opinion may be a bit biased because of where I live. I'm fully aware of the privilege I have in living in a beautiful "leafy green" suburb.

THE END (phew)!

NJ is a fucking wasteland. Industrial waste. google is your friend. better get yourselves some cancer screenings...

R63 What's the Taffy like?

A whole state can't be all anything. The loudest are always taken to be representative of a group and NJ has some beautiful and shitty parts, just like every other place. Even Staten Island has Snug Harbor!

That looks pretty.

R56 you didn’t even name the nicest NJ suburbs and towns by a long shot, so try harder.

I have to disagree a little bit on the public school thing though, as I know a lot of people who made the move with their families as they got older to the suburbs. Some just did it for the space (reason enough if you can get a 5000 Sq ft house for the price of a 2 bedroom), others did it for the space AND the school. The people I know who switched from private to these top suburban public schools said that it really wasn’t the same. Definitely an adjustment socially, and still harder to get into the best colleges. You’ll still do somewhat better (most likely) going to Pingry Vs Millburn High School, for example. And socially there are differences, too.

[quote] You’ll still do somewhat better (most likely) going to Pingry Vs Millburn High School, for example.

No. If anything, the reverse is true.

[quote] And socially there are differences, too.

Sort of, but probably not what you're thinking.

Pingry is VERY Asian (Indian and Chinese) while Millburn is still mostly Jewish, although with a sizable Asian population as well. If you want WASPs, you'd need to go to Chatham.

Income-wise, they are on par and many families send different kids to both, generally when Millburn (or Chatham) isn't working out for them for a variety of reasons.

My husband and I live in Maplewood. To echo other posters, it's incredibly gay-friendly, and happily gay-family friendly. We plan on starting a family soon, and I can think of no better town to raise children who are part of a gay family. Yes, the housing is not on the inexpensive side, but taxes are astronomical. Luckily we both have high-paying jobs that allow us to work remotely and in an industry largely unaffected by the pandemic. And we still have enough left over to have a girl come in once a week to clean. Neighboring South Orange has some wonderful restaurants and exclusive shops that we probably patronized a bit too much of pre-pandemic.

Are there wineries out there?

Do you mean vineyards?

One thing is for sure Hoboken floods a lot...with just a little rain.

There are hordes of dogmen running with the wild dogs and coyotes in the Pine Barrens.

Be warned.

I just remember the line from Tootsie about New Jersey.

Is The Manor still there? That was Sopranos before the Sopranos.

Also how have we not mentioned yet the no sales tax?? People ship things to NJ relatives just to avoid paying it (not like I’ve ever done that or anything...)

R72, yep!

R65, personally, not a fan of taffy. But, boardwalk fudge....that’s a whole other story!

NJ does not have some of the nicest beach towns in the country. Spring Lake or Deal are nice enough - though are still dense with suburban type lots. Nowhere in NJ comes close to comparing to the Hamptons, Fire Island, nicer Cape Cod and Maine beachfront towns. Large lots, privacy, beautiful architecture and beaches that aren’t packed. And that’s just the Northeast.

[quote]Also how have we not mentioned yet the no sales tax?? People ship things to NJ relatives just to avoid paying it

There was sales tax when I was growing up, so I looked it up. It's 7% according to this:

R80 look at the exemptions. That’s why the NJ malls are mobbed and everyone from NYC goes to them.

We have the same exemptions where I live, r81. We don't call that having "no sales tax," though.

By Sales Tax do you mean what we call VAT?

R10, Agreed! I live on the Pennsy side, hard by P-burg. It's a great drive down either side of the Delaware, with picturesque Frenchtown, Stockton, and Lambertville on the Jersey side. Then a slightly farther jaunt takes one to the beautiful campus of Princeton and its Nassau Street boutiques.

The shore is okay; it's not exactly Caribbean blue ocean water, though. Heh.

Yes r83 except the rate is set by each state, there are some exceptions (again, depending on the state) AND it’s not calculated until you pay. This drove my British friends crazy, having to dig out more change at the cash register when you are paying cash. Oops, need 12 more cents.

I’ve always wanted to take a vacation to NJ but I’m sure it’s Uber expensive.

[quote]one of my closest friends here is a Trump supporter (he voted for him both times)

Why would you want to hang out with morons? Do you get a special Girl Scout badge for that?

R87, some people are able to have friends on both sides of the aisle and be tolerant of others' opinions. It's called being an adult who doesn't throw a tantrum when someone doesn't agree with them.

Trump voters ARE morons though. That is not an opinion.

R89 that is not true, but keep on generalizing. My PCP did undergrad and med school at ivy league schools and he's a conservative republican and very gay friendly. In fact, he is the one who encouraged me to come out when I was struggling with my sexual identity. He said there is nothing wrong with being gay or living a gay life. Geez, I hate when people on this board are not capable of complex thought and generalize everything to death. Listen, I get the hate for Trump and I don't like him either, but we have to acknowledge that there are intelligent people who agree with him on certain issues, and that's fine.

True conservatives don't vote for an immoral idiot who loses money faster than they have to refill the Jello tub at the Golden Corral. You can call them what they are: morons who love their money more than they love their fellow Americans.

My republican PCP is pro-restrictions and pro-lockdowns, anything to minimize infection rates. I don't know why you think every republican would choose the economy over peoples' lives, because that is patently not true.

New Jersey was one of if not last state in union to impose an income tax on residents. This only came in 1976 and was largely because state had no other choice; previously NJ had taxed railroads so heavily it didn't need many other sources of revenue. However post war decline of private railroads to their near extinction by 1970's forced fate's hand.

Residents of NJ pay some of the highest personal income taxes in nation. Pain made worse by SALT deduction limitations in recent tax overhaul.

R88, I am so over people like R87! R 88 you have the right idea of being able to see beyond all the nonsense. R 88 and their type love to bask in their perceived superiority.

Now, back to NJ, the original intent of this thread.

Greetings from Seaside Heights!

I was born and raised in Bergen County, one of the wealthiest counties in not just the state but the country. However, I never realized until I moved to New York City after graduating from high school to attend college, how lucky I was when it came to where I grew up. Unlike some of my peers who grew up in other areas of the country, I had an excellent public school education. A staggeringly high percentage of those I went to high school with went onto college, quite a few which were Ivies and elite universities. Also, we didn't have to worry about high crime rates. Granted, it may not have been hugely exciting as say, New York City or another urban hub, but we grew up in an environment that was relatively safe, comfortable and supportive.

Looks nice. Like a traditional seaside resort.

Ridgewood is a wonderful town to grow up and live in. A friend of mine likes to compare it to Montclair but I think it's nicer and less pretentious.

[quote] I don't know why you think every republican would

I didn't say every Republican. I said every Trump's-shitty-hole-lickin republican. Big difference.

My biggest gripe with NJ, all these lovely little, quaint towns have very inconvenient/expensive parking facilities.

Don't EVEN get me started about Jersey City....they're the worst, and sadly they have some really excellent restaurants, bars etc. (a bit of a moot point right now) that one would actually like to go to, but don't because "where the fuck am I going to park?" Uber, Lyft etc. have suddenly become very expensive alternatives as well.

R98, I love that it's the "Village of Ridgewood." I've never been there, adding it to my list of places to visit in my own backyard. Montclair, can be a bit uppity and pretentious, but once again, great restaurants, nightmare parking (although they do have a multi storey garage sort of in the middle of downtown which helps).

Ridgewood is indeed very charming but (a) the commute is not as good as it is in the Essex/Morris towns, and (b) it's set apart from the cluster of older upper middle class suburbs in Essex and Morris counties, which may not necessarily be a bad thing.

For those of you who like maps, the towns on the bright and light green and salmon colored lines are the upscale burbs we are discussing, starting at Mountain (on the green) and Bloomfield (on the salmon)

[and yes "salmon" is pretentious, but wanted to distinguish it from the bright red line)

Ridgewood is in Bergen County, which is a lot closer to New York City than some towns in Morris County. But it's not the easiest commute, that I grant you. The morning rush (pre-COVID) is a headache and traffic congestion going to the tunnel can be a nightmare. I think Hudson County (where Hoboken and Jersey City are) has the easiest commute.

Yes, it is closer as the crow flies, R103, but the train to NYC requires switching at Secaucus whereas the Morris and Essex trains go straight into Penn Station.

Housing values and desirability are in direct correlation to the ease of the train commute to NYC. (in all NYC burbs, not just NJ)

Or at least they were before Covid.

My husband and I live in a town in Bergen County which is basically composed of affluent, educated and cultured professionals such as ourselves. I don't think we could bear to live in any other area of the state. Our girl that comes in once a week to clean lives in one of the central counties I believe. Nothing against her, mind you, but it shows.

[quote] [italic]Our girl [/italic]that comes in once a week to clean

Are you in one of those 55+ retirement communities?

No we are much younger, thank you. One has to be over 55 to be able to afford a maid?

New Jersey's claim to fame is that it's next to NYC.

and that's all it has

Well that and the Shore r108. Those Jersey beach towns are swamped every season.

Seniors use the term "our girl"

R105, where in Bergen County do you live?

R102 The symbol for the light green Gladstone Line is a horse. Looks like a race horse to me too. Is the area known for equestrian stables?

I ask because I own a few racehorses.

Gladstone is the heart of the New Jersey horse country. Lots of stables and trails and big estates out there in towns like Harding, Bernardsville, Far Hills and Gladstone.

[quote] Is the area known for equestrian stables?

And fox hunts.

R105, your "girl" comes from a Central Jersey county to clean and you don't care enough to ask where she lives?

In the 1950s wealthy families in Bergen County's Englewood hired day help who lived in Harlem, arriving on the bus from the terminal at 168th and Broadway. How shocked they were when "the help" began buying houses at the other end of town to be near their jobs.

I went to Princeton, which is very pretty. The people in New Jersey are terrible. It is in fact a shithole full of shitty people.

Late Jackie Kennedy had a country home in Bernardsville, NJ. and kept her horses nearby at Bedminister, NJ. Yes, that Bedminister, NJ where DT has his golf course/estate and is home to tons of his followers.

Even when only way to reach NJ from NYC was to cross North River by a row boat or similar small craft people routinely did so with many wealthy New Yorkers having estates in New Jersey. Once larger steam powered ferries came along and later Pennsylvania RR's station in mid-town on west side of Manhattan, things only became easier. Of course once the George Washington bridge went up that was it; large areas of New Jersey were not only areas for New Yorkers to have country estates, but became bedroom commuter communities.

New Jersey once had a good number of railroads, Pennsylvania, New Jersey Central, Erie-Lackawanna, etc... with service that made commuting into Manhattan quite easy. So while men commuted to their offices in summer, wives and children remained at their country homes.

Bernardsville, Summit, Peapack, Millburn, Maplewood, Basking Ridge, etc.. are all served by New Jersey Transit "Gladstone" branch.

One reason among many these towns are hugely popular with New Yorkers fleeing Manhattan is the train service.

[quote] Yes, that Bedminister, NJ where DT has his golf course/estate and is home to tons of his followers.

The golf course is there.

Biden won Somerset County (where Bedminster is located) 60% to 39%

And the county is split in terms of Congress, but both districts are represented by Democrats

I've lived in NJ all of my life. My biggest complaint is the overcrowding. Everyone moves here. The NJ transit train at r119 what you can't see is probably filled with no seats. Every highway is crowded, hell every street is crowded. And I don't even want to get into the crowded malls and stores

It may be a long time, if ever, till those trains are overcrowded again R121

That's true r122. The only thing good about the quarantine is it got cars off the highways a little bit. But I haven't seen Lysol for almost a year......

R120

Am glad to hear it; but meanwhile Amy Kennedy failed to unseat Jeff Van Drew.

R120 that area is very much “never-Trumper” territory.

R124 - Van Drew is in South Jersey, about a two-hour drive from Bedminster

R125 - yes and it will remain the be seen how much suburban moderate Republicans have been permanently driven from the GOP by Trump nationwide, not just in NJ. I was, however, responding to R119, who falsely claimed that Bedminster was Trump Country.

I have an old friend who lives in Toms River. I've visited a few times and always found the area quite beautiful.

R126 yeah I think it’s more that they find Trumpsters Hillbilly trash them anything to do with policy, really.

Well, I guess they would consider people who supported socially regressive policies and Q Anon hillbilly trash as well, but economically they certainly don’t gaf (and are more than ok with the Trump 22% corporate tax, but would be ok with it going back up to the Bush/Obama rates just to get rid of those skanks).

But If the Dems go too far left they’ll lose most of them again. It’s tricky.

The sweet corn and tomatoes from south Jersey are the best I have ever eaten. Ditto the peaches. The soil is sandy loam, which may explain why.

Friends live in the rural NW part of the state. It's like something from the Sound of Music, up in those hills. They have a problem with black bears. Amazing.

All the great descriptions on here are true. New Jersey has everything...plus, it's perfectly situated between two big cities...New York City and Philadelphia. If you want some big city excitement, it's a pretty easy drive or train ride away.