Posted on 03/09/2006 6:48:25 AM PST by Huck
Who's laughing now?
New Jersey, the state that spawned a thousand wise-guy bumper stickers and became the butt of a million late-night jokes, is actually a nice place to live.
The research group Morgan Quitno crunched the numbers this year and yesterday ranked New Jersey the fifth-most-livable state.
As for its neighbors?
Pennsylvania finished 30th, New York 32d.
"The people we talk to say they wouldn't live anywhere else, and I have to go along with that," said Mark Moran, a Bloomfield resident and one of the editors of Weird New Jersey magazine. "Whether it grows on you or people just don't know any better, I don't know."
New Jersey has long had a tragically poor reputation, earned by corrupt politicians, homicidal mobsters (real and fictional), surreal traffic patterns (who invented the jughandle, anyway?), toxic waste, and big hair.
The state's image has been so bad that even then-acting Gov. Richard Codey took the time last year to rollick in some of the more humorous entries in his public slogan contest.
Among the favorites: "New Jersey: You got a problem with that?" and "New Jersey: Most of our elected officials have not been indicted."
Morgan Quitno, a Kansas-based publisher of statistical data, based its rankings on 44 factors, and New Jersey shined in many.
The state moved up from eighth place a year ago. New Hampshire was judged the most livable state for the third year in a row.
The study determined that New Jersey has excellent schools; an educated, wealthy population; and relatively low rates of crime and poverty.
"We don't claim to be finding the most exciting place or the best place to take a vacation," said Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno. "It's just looking at very basic things. Other people can choose to look at other factors."
In other words, the things that make Jersey so Jersey didn't count against it. (Except for the toxic waste: Morgan found New Jersey had the most "hazardous waste sites on the National Priority List per 10,000 square miles.")
Moran also noted that if auto insurance and property tax rates had been considered, New Jersey's ranking would have sunk like a stone.
But in Morgan Quitno's world, livability is measured by factors such as student-teacher ratios and per-capita spending on the arts, and New Jersey excelled in both.
For Moran, there is no conflict in a state's combining livability with a tradition for the weird and absurd.
"You've got to take the good with the bad," he said. "The fact that it's such an odd and unique place... certainly makes it more livable for me."
Morgan visited the state last year and made a swing through Camden, the city his publishing company has famously labeled the most dangerous the last two years.
"We didn't advertise who we were," he said.
Pennsylvania is not a fun place at all.
I can't take FLA. It's probably one of my least favorite states. Hate the weather. NJ summers are June-Sept. I like having 4 seasons.
Dear lord, what was their standards?
You live in Jersey? What exit?
Fiction=not real. You know that, right?
New Jersey rocks BUMP from down the shore.
Interesting. I really don't feel any less free in NJ than in most other states that have at least a million people. The peopleless states like Montana or Wyoming are another story, but what do you expect from states with more land than people? You have to be realistic.
Livability, let me see:
I'm on the GSP, its Friday rush hour, I am going past the "boneyard" on my way to the "hole in the wall."
And why should I like this????
(to all Freeper, you have to know north jersey traffic to understand this one.)
Then why do you have to pay the bridge toll to LEAVE NJ?
He is?
If you are heading north, maybe you are headed up to the Catskills or the Adirondacks for a weekend getaway, or perhaps you're going to the city for some entertainment.
Or maybe you're just a big baby whining about traffic and cemetaries. Oh the horror. Sad so many people have such negative attitudes about life.
Memo to Troy Graham:
The past tense of "shine" is "shone".
Ask New York or Pennsylvania. You're blaming NJ for NOT charging? I guess you just can't win with some people.
Sorry - should have qualified my statement... when shine is used in the intransitive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.