thumb|upright=1.1|The [[George Washington Bridge, the world's busiest vehicle bridge, connects Fort Lee in North Jersey with Upper Manhattan in New York City.]]
Northern New Jersey, commonly referred to simply as North Jersey, comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. As a distinct toponym, North Jersey is a colloquial one rather than an administrative one, reflecting geographical and perceived cultural and other differences between it and the southern part of the state.
North Jersey is characterized by its position, both geographically and culturally, within the greater New York City metropolitan area, as well as its high economic output, including its regional economic engines of Paramus in Bergen County, which had $6 billion in annual retail sales as of 2018 and Jersey City, whose financial district has been nicknamed "Wall Street West", Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, and Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal.
Bergen County is the most populous county in both North Jersey and the state and serves as the western terminus for the George Washington Bridge, the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, which connects Fort Lee, New Jersey to Upper Manhattan in New York City. Newark, located in Essex County, is New Jersey's most populous city. Jersey City and Paterson, located in Hudson and Passaic counties, in North Jersey, are the second and third most populous cities in the region and state, after Newark.
The exact definition of which counties constitute North Jersey is a subject of debate. Definitions of the North Jersey region of the state most consistently include Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren counties, though definitions of North Jersey frequently vary and may include other New Jersey counties in the New York metropolitan area that are sometimes differentiated as or considered Central Jersey, including Middlesex County, Union County, Monmouth County, Somerset County, Hunterdon County, and Mercer County.
Geography
thumb|upright=1.1|A definition of North Jersey includes [[Bergen County, New Jersey|Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Union, and Warren counties.]]
thumb|upright=1.1|The beach at [[Sea Bright, New Jersey|Sea Bright in Monmouth County]]
thumb|upright=1.1|The [[Hudson River seen below an overlook on the Palisades in Alpine]]
thumb|upright=1.1|[[Delaware Water Gap at the border of Warren County and the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania]]
Geologically, North Jersey is largely in the Piedmont Province, the Highlands Province, and the Ridge and Valley Province. Depending on definitions, some are counted as being in the Atlantic coastal plain.
North Jersey has a Humid Continental Climate (Dfb) by Köppen.
Definitions
One particular definition of North Jersey includes all points in New Jersey north of I-295 in the western part of the state and all points north of I-195 in the eastern part of the state. Another definition uses the old 1956-era 201 telephone area code, not the modern 201 area code, and all its additions, as this area code loosely included all of New Jersey north of Trenton. Some residents of the northern tier of counties use a narrower definition, counting only that area north of the mouth of the Raritan River. Conversely, people in South Jersey and within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, when using a two-portion approach that excludes Central Jersey as a separate category, may define North Jersey as consisting of Ocean County and every county north of it, essentially placing all New Jersey counties that are within the New York metropolitan area under the definition of North Jersey. The state is also sometimes described as having North Jersey and South Jersey separated from each other by Central Jersey.
Further subdivision
In 2008, the New Jersey State Department of Tourism divided the state into six tourist regions with the Gateway and Skylands regions included in North Jersey.
Counties most consistently defined as North Jersey counties
The following counties are most consistently considered North Jersey:
- Bergen County
- Essex County
- Hudson County
- Morris County
- Passaic County
- Sussex County
- Warren County
- Union County is sometimes considered as a transitional county between North Jersey and Central Jersey, or it may be grouped entirely with one of the two regions
History
North Jersey was the site of some of the earliest European settlements in what would become the United States of America. Its colonial history started after Henry Hudson sailed through Newark Bay in 1609. Although Hudson was British, he worked for the Netherlands, so he claimed the land for the Dutch as part of the provincial colony of New Netherland, with original settlements centered in Bergen in today's Hudson County. In 1664, the region became part of the Province of New Jersey.
During the American Revolutionary War, New Jersey was a strategic location between New York City, and the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Important materials necessary to the war effort were sometimes produced in North Jersey, and the Continental Army made its home in North Jersey for part of the war. George Washington, commanding general of the Continental Army, maintained his headquarters at Ford Mansion in Morristown for part of the Revolutionary War, from December 1779 to June 1780. In the northwestern part of the state, iron mines and foundries supplied raw material for the Continental Army's guns and ammunition.
The American Industrial Revolution started by the founding of the North Jersey town of Paterson. Today, the United States and the world enjoy the fruit born of seeds planted in North Jersey during the Industrial Revolution. Alexander Hamilton, Secretary for the Treasury and President of the Bank of New York during the end of the eighteenth century, selected the Great Falls area, also known as the Passaic Falls, for an ambitious experiment. He promoted the natural power of the Great Falls as an excellent location for textile mills and other manufacturers.
Paterson attracted skilled craftsmen and engineers from Europe to run the mills and produced a large concentration of creative and able people. During the mid-nineteenth century, many of the engines and materials that would be used to colonize a continent were made here. Thomas Edison installed one of the first hydroelectric power plants in the world, which still provides electricity today, using the Great Falls as an energy source.
In West Orange, Edison created the first technical research and development facility with his invention factory. Electric light, improved motion pictures, and sound recording, were among the hundreds of inventions produced here.
Demographics
The seven counties that are most commonly included in North Jersey have an estimated total population of 3,905,478 as of 2024; this rises to 4,499,638 with the inclusion of Union County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the demographics of all the seven main counties combined are 66.8% White, 18.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% African American, 6.6% Asian, 0.2% Native American, and 0.1% Pacific Islander.
Population
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Municipalities with over 30,000 population
!2017 Rank
!Municipality
!County
!Population in
2017
!Population in
2010
!Municipal
Type
|-
|1
|Newark
|Essex
|285,154
|277,140
|City
|-
|2
|Jersey City
|Hudson
|270,753
|247,597
|City
|-
|3
|Paterson
|Passaic
|148,678
|146,199
|City
|-
|4
|Clifton
|Passaic
|86,607
|84,136
|City
|-
|5
|Passaic
|Passaic
|71,247
|69,781
|City
|-
|6
|Union City
|Hudson
|70,387
|66,455
|City
|-
|7
|Bayonne
|Hudson
|67,186
|63,024
|City
|-
|8
|East Orange
|Essex
|65,378
|64,270
|City
|-
|9
|North Bergen
|Hudson
|63,659
|60,773
|Township
|-
|10
|Hoboken
|Hudson
|55,131
|50,005
|City
|-
|11
|Wayne
|Passaic
|55,072
|54,717
|Township
|-
|12
|Irvington
|Essex
|54,865
|53,926
|Township
|-
|13
|West New York
|Hudson
|54,227
|49,708
|Town
|-
|14
|Parsippany-Troy Hills
|Morris
|53,201
|53,238
|Township
|-
|15
|Bloomfield
|Essex
|50,970
|47,315
|Township
|-
|16
|West Orange
|Essex
|48,425
|46,207
|Township
|-
|17
|Hackensack
|Bergen
|45,248
|43,010
|City
|-
|18
|Kearny
|Hudson
|42,670
|40,648
|Town
|-
|19
|Teaneck
|Bergen
|41,311
|39,776
|Township
|-
|20
|Montclair
|Essex
|39,227
|37,669
|Township
|-
|21
|Fort Lee
|Bergen
|37,907
|35,345
|Borough
|-
|22
|Belleville
|Essex
|36,498
|35,926
|Township
|-
|23
|Fair Lawn
|Bergen
|33,710
|32,457
|Borough
|-
|24
|Garfield
|Bergen
|32,393
|30,487
|City
|-
|25
|City of Orange
|Essex
|30,813
|30,134
|Township
|-
|26
|Livingston
|Essex
|30,142
|29,366
|Township
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+County population
!Rank
!County
!Population in 2022
!County seat
!Area
|-
|1
|Bergen
|952,997
|Hackensack
|234 sq mi
(606 km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
|2
|Essex
|849,477
|Newark
|126 sq mi
(326 km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
|3
|Hudson
|703,366
|Jersey City
|47 sq mi
(122 km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
|4
|Passaic
|513,936
|Paterson
|185 sq mi
(479 km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
|5
|Morris
|511,151
|Morristown
|469 sq mi
(1,215 km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
|6
|Sussex
|146,084
|Newton
|521 sq mi
(1,349 km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
|7
|Warren
|110,926
|Belvidere
|358 sq mi
(927 km<sup>2</sup>)
|}
Professional sports fans
Sports allegiances are often divided between the northern and southern portions of the state.