South Jersey


South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, and Central Jersey or North Jersey to its north, depending on the definition of North Jersey.
South Jersey is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as the Delaware Valley, the seventh-largest metropolitan region in the nation with 6.288 million residents in the core metropolitan statistical area and 7.366 million residents in the combined statistical area of Camden, Philadelphia and Wilmington, as of 2020. South Jersey is known for containing the unique ecoregion known as the Pine Barrens, which remains largely undisturbed despite its location within the Northeastern megalopolis. The South Jersey Pine Barrens are the largest remaining example of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecosystem.
Benjamin Franklin is said to have called New Jersey "a barrel tapped at both ends", referencing the Philadelphia influence on South Jersey and the New York City influence on North Jersey. South Jersey is generally defined geographically as the area below I-195 that includes the state's lower seven counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem, and occasionally an eighth, Ocean.
South Jersey and the wider Philadelphia metropolitan area are situated near the center of the Northeast megalopolis and have become a U.S. East Coast epicenter for logistics and warehouse construction; Salem County, the lower portion of Gloucester County, and the upper portion of Cumberland County additionally serve as residential communities for the petrochemical industry of New Castle County, Delaware. South Jersey shore communities, including Atlantic City and others in Atlantic and Cape May counties, have a distinct economy centered around the tourism industry. Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties have several older streetcar towns, and many residents from these three counties commute to Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-most populous city, which is located immediately west of South Jersey across the Delaware River, accessible by the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Betsy Ross Bridge, Tacony Palmyra Bridge and Walt Whitman Bridge.
The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative definition and reflects geographical and perceived cultural and other differences between South Jersey and the northern part of the state.

Geography

Topography

South Jersey is a peninsula bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to its southeast, the Delaware Bay to its southwest, and the Delaware River to its northwest. All of South Jersey is part of the Atlantic Plain, a landform of broad plains and gently sloping hills that extends southward from the New York Bight to Florida. Much of the Atlantic Plain is covered by pine and oak-pine forests and salt marshes and is underlain by poorly consolidated sedimentary formations from the Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary ages that dip seaward. The Atlantic Coastal Plain can be divided into three physiographic subprovinces: the Inner Lowlands, Outer Lowlands, and Central Uplands.
The Inner Lowlands region encompasses the low valley along the Delaware River, with an elevation ranging from to, and the Outer Lowlands encompasses the area near the Atlantic Ocean with an elevation that rarely exceeds. The Inner Lowlands are fertile due to the deposition of sediment in the region, which makes it an ideal region for agriculture. The Outer Lowlands is dominated by coastal estuaries, swamplands, and barrier islands near the Atlantic Ocean and is generally infertile. The Central Uplands varies slightly from the Lowlands in altitude and is covered by the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The Uplands has rolling hills at an elevation over 50 feet, rarely exceeding 200 feet in elevation, along with sandy, acidic soil that is unsuitable for agriculture. Commercial farming in the Pine Barrens is limited to plants that thrive in its nutrient-poor soil, generally restricted to acidic fruits. In the Pine Barrens, cranberries and blueberries are cultivated in lowland bogs that have accumulated depths of organic matter.

Climate

South Jersey has a humid subtropical climate. Compared to northern parts of New Jersey, South Jersey has slightly higher temperatures and receives less annual precipitation. Along the Jersey Shore, temperatures are moderated by sea breezes.

Counties

The following seven counties are completely included in South Jersey:
Some definitions of South Jersey include the southern portion of Ocean County.
In April 2015, an NJ.com poll with 90,000 respondents asked readers to identify the communities in North, Central, and South Jersey. Barnegat, Eagleswood, Lacey Township, Little Egg Harbor, Long Beach Island, Ocean Township, Stafford Township, and Tuckerton were all voted as part of South Jersey. The Ocean County communities north of Lacey Township were considered to be part of Central Jersey. The northernmost communities of Burlington County was also voted part of Central Jersey.

Cities

Principal cities

, located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, has historically been considered the economic hub of South Jersey. Much of Camden's growth resulted from its location near Philadelphia and its role as a regional transportation hub. For decades following World War II, Camden suffered a prolonged economic decline and high crime rate due to the loss of its manufacturing base and the outflow of middle-class residents to the suburbs. Campbell's Soup headquarters and the new corporate headquarters of Susquehanna Bank. Rutgers University–Camden, Rutgers Law School, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Cooper University Hospital, and the Camden campus of Camden County College operate in Camden, and the Camden Waterfront is one of the city's main attractions. Nearby, Cherry Hill, the second largest municipality in South Jersey and the 12th largest in New Jersey by population, is an edge city that also serves as a regional economic center. Pureland Industrial Complex, the nation's largest industrial park, is located 12 miles from the port of Camden in Logan Township.
Atlantic City is a major tourist destination that is famous for its beaches, boardwalk, and casino gambling. Atlantic City is located in the Jersey Shore region on Absecon Island, along with Ventnor City, Margate City, and Longport. Atlantic City became a resort town in 1854, when train service to the city allowed beachgoers from Philadelphia to vacation in the city. The first boardwalk in the world opened in the city in 1870, and large hotels were built in the early 20th century to accommodate visitors. In the mid-20th century, Atlantic City declined as a tourist destination due to competition from other resorts made accessible by automobile and aircraft. After New Jersey voters approved casino gambling in Atlantic City in a 1976 referendum, it became the first legalized casino gambling destination in the Eastern United States. Recent growth in the city has been fueled by the casino industry, and Atlantic City is the second-largest casino gaming market in the United States behind Las Vegas.

Metropolitan areas

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties are part of the Camden metropolitan division with an estimated population of 1,250,569 as of 2008. Salem County is part of the Wilmington metropolitan division. The Camden and Wilmington metropolitan divisions are part of the larger Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington metropolitan statistical area, the eighth largest MSA in the U.S. Cumberland County is part of the Vineland–Millville–Bridgeton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Atlantic City and its surrounding region in Atlantic County are part of the Atlantic City metropolitan area, which had an estimated 2008 population of 270,681. Cape May County is part of the Ocean City metropolitan area with an estimated 2008 population of 95,838. Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland counties are all part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland combined statistical area.
Ocean County, with a 2020 population of 637,229, is considered part of the New York–North Jersey–Long Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of North Jersey and Central Jersey with the exception of Warren County. However, much of Ocean County lies in both New York City and Philadelphia media markets.

Population

RankCountyPopulationCounty SeatArea
1Camden523,485Camden222 sq mi
2Burlington461,860Mount Holly805 sq mi
3Gloucester302,294Woodbury325 sq mi
4Atlantic274,534Mays Landing561 sq mi
5Cumberland154,152Bridgeton489 sq mi
6Cape May95,263Cape May Court House255 sq mi
7Salem64,837Salem338 sq mi

History

Native Americans

Present-day South Jersey was first inhabited by the Lenape and was the site of the first Indian reservation. The tribe spoke Unami dialects, part of the Algonquian language family. Because the Lenape were concentrated around the Delaware River and its tributaries, Europeans later named them the Delaware Indians. After the arrival of the Europeans, the Lenape population dwindled quickly due to disease and conflict. Those who were left migrated north or west, or became integrated into local settler communities.