Most of the people in NJ live in the northern part of the state.
It's a different world here in the southern part - just as you said, South Jersey is more rural. North Jerseyans even refer to South Jerseyans as "pineys" (i.e. NJ's version of rednecks). lol
I've lived here for two decades. Last year, I had to drive my sons up around Newark to look at colleges. None of us had been to that area before. As we got further north, traffic became more congested, and the drivers continuously honked their horns at each other. My sons couldn't understand it. I wasn't raised in NJ, but my sons were, in South Jersey. That must make them pineys. lol We all couldn't wait to get away from the traffic and go back home in the woods.
New Jersey gets a very bad reputation largely because most visitors sole experience with it is travelling through the RT 1/ RT 95 corridor (New York City to Philadelphia - Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Mercer, Burlington and Camden counties)). That corridor is the most congested, built up, dirty and liberal part of the state. Once you get a few miles away from that, north or south, most of the state is quite different,
Northern NJ as you travel west becomes much less crowded, more rural and with beautiful scenery. Politically it becomes very conservative (e.g. Scott Garret) (Morris, Warren, Sussex, Hunterdon, Somerset).
South Jersey also is much, much less crowded as you move further south. Large portions of the Pinelands have population densities of less than 10 people per square mile and in some areas you can drive for miles without seeing another person or hitting a paved road (very unusual for the mid-Atlantic region). The landscape isn’t nearly as pretty as northwest New Jersey because it is mostly flat. Politically South Jersey is fairly republican along the shore (Monmouth, Ocean, Cape May) but trends Democrat inland (Salem, Cumberland, Gloucester, Camden, Burlington).
It is one of the richest states in the nation and three of it’s counties are consistently in the wealthiest Top 10-20 counties of the United States. Gas is cheap.....cheaper than many surrounding states where you have to pump it yourself. The weather is usually nice (except the past 2 years. It typically doesn’t get too hot, too cold, too rainy or too snowy.
The whole state is full of American history, especially Revolutionary War stuff. On my commute to work (which is pretty long) I drive past 3 of George Washington’s headquarters houses, 3 major Revolutionary War battle sites, Albert Einstein’s house and dozens more places important to the American experience...personally I think that is really cool.
A good chunk of what people believe about NJ simply isn’t true. It isn’t all built up. You can own guns (I live within 6 miles of three gun stores). It’s not covered by pollution. Everything is not unionized. The mob doesn’t control everything. People don’t talk like “dis” or say “forgettaboudit”. Most people do not live near either a turnpike or parkway “exit”.
What is true about NJ is that the politics stink. The crowded liberal areas overwhelm the more conservative rural areas in almost any statewide election. That’s how we get/got Menendez, Booker, Lautenberg, Corzine, Florio etc. Taxes are very high but also pretty high in several surrounding states and the gun laws are way too restrictive. Liberals ruined a good state and are intent on continuing the downward trend.
NJ is far from perfect...it has a lot of problems, most of which were caused by politicians and lazy people who just want something for nothing. However it isn’t that bad a place...depending on where you live.
“North Jerseyans even refer to South Jerseyans as “pineys” (i.e. NJ’s version of rednecks). lol”
The only real Piney’s are the ones who actually live in the Pinelands. They have their own culture and have had it for 100 years or more. There are very few true Piney’s left although they never were very numerous. 99% of south Jerseyan’s are not pineys.
North Jerseyan’s refer to south Jerseyan’s as %&*^%*^%*%###^# Eagle’s fans.