Linda Miller sends in this reminder of why we brag about the Garden State. Thanks, Linda.
New Jersey is a peninsula.
Highlands, New Jersey has the highest elevation along the entire eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida.
New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified as >metropolitan areas.
New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky.
New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mi.) than Havana, Cuba .
New Jersey has the densest system of highways and railroads in the US .
New Jersey has the highest cost of living.
New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance.
New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation.
New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the "Diner Capital of the World."
New Jersey is home to the original Mystery Pork Parts Club (no,not Spam): Taylor Ham or Pork Roll.
Home to the less mysterious but the best Italian hot dogs and Italian sausage w/peppers and onions.
North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25 square mile radius.
New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island .
The Passaic River was the site of the first submarine ride by inventor John P. Holland.
New Jersey has 50+ resort cities & towns; some of the nation's most famous: Asbury Park, Wildwood, Atlantic City, Seaside Heights, Long Branch, Cape May.
New Jersey has the most stringent testing along our coastline for water quality control than any other seaboard state in the entire country.
New Jersey is a leading technology & industrial state and is the largest chemical producing state in the nation when you include pharmaceuticals.
Jersey tomatoes are known the world over as being the best you can buy.
New Jersey is also the world leader in blueberry and cranberry production (and here you thought Massachusetts ?)
Here's to New Jersey - the toast of the country! In 1642, the first brewery in America opened in Hoboken .
New Jersey rocks! The famous Les Paul invented the first solid body electric guitar in Mahwah, in 1940.
New Jersey is a major seaport state with the largest seaport in the US , located in Elizabeth . Nearly 80 percent of what our nation imports comes through Elizabeth Seaport first.
New Jersey is home to one of the nation's busiest airports: Newark Liberty International.
George Washington slept here. Several important Revolutionary War battles were fought on New Jersey soil, led by Washington.
The light bulb, phonograph and motion picture projector were invented by Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park laboratory.
We also boast the first town ever lit by incandescent bulbs.
The first phonograph records (RCA) were made in Camden.
The first seaplane was built in Keyport, and the first airmail (to Chicago) was started from there.
New Jersey was home to the Miss America Pageant held in Atlantic City. The game Monopoly, played all over the world, named the streets on its playing board after the actual streets in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world, not to mention salt water taffy.
New Jersey has the largest petroleum containment area outside of the Middle East countries. Maybe that explains our gas prices.
The first Indian reservation was in NJ, in the Watchung Mountains.
New Jersey has the tallest water-tower in the world. (Union,NJ!!)
New Jersey had the first medical center, in Jersey City
The Pulaski SkyWay, from Jersey City to Newark, was the first skyway highway.
NJ built the first tunnel under a river, the Hudson (Holland Tunnel).
The first baseball game was played in Hoboken, NJ , which is also the birthplace of Frank Sinatra.
The first intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick in 1889 (Rutgers College played Princeton).
The first drive-in movie theater was opened in Camden, NJ (but they're all gone now!).
New Jersey is home to both of "NEW YORK's" pro football teams!
The first radio station and broadcast was in Paterson, NJ .
The first FM radio broadcast was made from Alpine, NJ, by Maj. Thomas Armstrong.
All New Jersey natives: Sal Martorano, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Jason Alexander, Queen Latifah, Susan Sarandon, Connie Francis, Shaq, Judy Blume, Aaron Burr, Joan Robertson, Ken Kross, Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughn, Budd Abbott, Lou Costello, Alan Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Marilynn McCoo, Flip Wilson, Alexander Hamilton, Whitney Houston, Eddie Money, Linda McElroy, Eileen Donnelly, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Walt Whitman, Jerry Lewis, Tom Cruise, Joyce Kilmer, Bruce Willis, Caesar Romero, Lauryn Hill, Ice-T, Nick Adams, Nathan Lane, Sandra Dee, Danny DeVito, Richard Conti, Joe Pesci, Joe Piscopo, Joe DePasquale, Robert Blake, John Forsythe, Meryl Streep, Loretta Swit, Norm an Lloyd, Paul Simon, Jerry Herman, Gorden McCrae, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Phyllis Newman, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Eva Marie Saint, Elisabeth Shue, Zebulon Pike, James Fennimore Cooper, Admiral Wm.Halsey,Jr., Dave Thomas (Wendy's), William Carlos Williams, Ray Liotta, Robert Wuhl, Bob Reyers, Paul Robeson, Ernie Kovacs, Joseph Macchia, "Uncle Floyd" Vivino, Kelly Ripa, and, of course, Francis Albert Sinatra.
A great list about the unique quality of New Jersey.
One little glitch... your list of natives failed to include Francis Stephen Castelluccio, also known as Frankie Valli. Two of the other three "Seasons" were also born in NJ.
Bassist Nick Massi was born in Newark and Tommy DeVito was born in Belleville.
And by the way, if any of you have not seen "Jersey Boys", you're missing out on an amazingly fun time. They make mention of the fact that Fankie Valli and Tommy DeVito were introduced to each other by none other than Joe Pesci, also a son of Newark.
Bob Gaudio was born in the Bronx, and Charles Callelo (Nick's 1965 replacement) was also born in New York, but both grew up in New Jersey.
Mayor Ed Koch, Jackie Gleason, Senator Al D'Amato, Rocket Ishmael, Marvin Hagler, Shaquelle O'Neal, and Daisey Fuentes. Antonio Fargas (Huggy Bear) used to walk his dogs on Orange Street in the early 60's.
Today is the birthday of Thomas Edison. I remember being out sick from school and watched two Edison movies on television. The first was "Edison, the boy" starring Mickey Rooney. The second "edison, the man" with Spenser Tracey. His museum is right here in West Orange. It is currently under renovation, but you can still visit his former home in llewelyn Park. US Parks rangers give tours on weekends. The museum used to be a standard trip for NJ public school 4th graders.
Just heard on the tv, that NJ has between 350-400 diners in the Garden State. Check out Feb.issue of New Jersey Monthly if interested. Featured the Tick Tock diner on tv and also The Summit diner.
Thomas Edison's son Charles, who ran his father's business and dabbled in song writing, was governor of New Jersey from 1941-1944. In September 1940 Frank Hague of Hudson County fame held the largest political rally in New Jersey history, estimated at 150,000 to 200,000 people, in Sea Girt. Once elected, Edison turned on Hague, but "duh Mare" retained the support of FDR in Washington. You can read all about it in my forthcoming history of Sea Girt. :-)
RUTT'S HUT, CLIFTON
THE CLAIRMONT, VERONA
LLEWELLYN LANES, ORANGE
HARRIS DINER, EAST ORANGE
STAR TAVERN, ORANGE
WALLACES (ACROSS THE STREET)
BRANCH BROOK ICE CENTER
SOUTH MOUNTAIN ARENA
THE TURTLE BROOK INN
THE LANDMARK TAVERN, LIVINGSTON
STASH'S (ONE IN IRONBOUND,ONE IN ORANGE)
THE SMOKESTACK, NO. ARLINGTON
EPPES EPPSOM, EAST ORANGE
MORRIS LONG BAR, BERGEN STREET
D G'S 322 CLUB, NEWARK
LOUIE BUCCA'S GROCERY, 3RD AND DICKERSON
The Food Network has a show called Diners, Dives ..and something...anyway last week he visited Diners in NJ including Tick Tock. Check out the Food Network. I'm sure they will show it again.
Edison's family was originally from NJ, and was very prosperous.
They were Tories during the Revolutionary War. When the British lost, they forfeited all of their property and went to Canada.
After some time had passed, and being disenchanted with the Great White North, they migrated back down into the Ohio Valley, where young Thomas Alva Edison grew up.
This history minute was brought to by you Uncle Dan, everyones favorite internet uncle, filled with odd facts and memories...
Jim, Eppes Essen is now located in Livingston on Rte. 10. Started in Newark in the Fifties, then relocated to Orange in 1960. I believe it's German for "DGEAT, NO DJU" LOL
Eddie - how the hell are you? Follow up question, why is our class so under represented on this board? Speaking of being snowed in, do you remember the basketball games, both at St. Rose's and at the Oval in East Orange when our hands were so cold that dribbling and shooting were out of the question? Bringing our own shovel (and broom) to clear the courts of snow? Do you remember why we didn't have a basketball team in the eighth grade? I was in charge of procuring a coach and failed to do so because I was being punished and when I couldn't play I was not nearly as motivated to get a coach as I would have if I could play.
Dennis, I'm feeling great. Nice to hear from a good friend. It's 45 years since we graduated from St. Rose of Lima School. I trust your doing well. Yes, I remember playing basketball at the Oval with you and your brother Jerry. We also played at Sussex Ave. playground. And I remember the great games at the Newark PAL. I never knew why we did not have a team in the eighth grade. We should have asked Mr. C (Crowley) to coach us. He taught us baseball in the summer and Hockey in the winter. What a great guy! He made a good Hockey player out of my brother Jim. I could write for hours about the St. Rose "family". I've been viewing this site for about a year and a half. Only a few from our class "63 write in. Terry Curran, Joe Culligan, Cris Carlin and Kathy Grimm to name a few. Where are the rest of our classmates? It would be nice to hear from them. Keep in touch.
