Opinion of New Jersey

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

As a native New Jerseyan, I can't appreciate the bad rap we've gotten from the orange beasts (the Shore is admittedly an awful place and always has been). However, the rest of New Jersey is  no worse than New York or Pennsylvania.

[© tweed]

don't get me started, it's been my everything for far too long.

[politicallefty]

I'm pretty neutral. It's not really a place I'd like to live, but it does have its positives. I'd give it a more favorable review than not, probably in the top 20 among states. To be honest, I don't have any strong feelings about NJ one way or the other.

[Franzl]

I'm pretty neutral. It's not really a place I'd like to live, but it does have its positives. I'd give it a more favorable review than not, probably in the top 20 among states. To be honest, I don't have any strong feelings about NJ one way or the other.

My thoughts precisely.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Neutral, lean Freeeom State.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Total Freedom State, horribly underrated.

[opebo]

don't get me started, it's been my everything for far too long.

You at Princeton now?

[© tweed]

don't get me started, it's been my everything for far too long.

You at Princeton now?

no sir, languishing in addiction and leisure on Long Island.

[fezzyfestoon]

Wonderous in so many ways

[opebo]

don't get me started, it's been my everything for far too long.

You at Princeton now?

no sir, languishing in addiction and leisure on Long Island.

Ok, is it 'hip' to consider Long Island part of New Jersey now?

[Simfan34]

That would be great, opebo. Tell us more, Tweed.

Eh, it's better than it's worse, sure, the shore is an abomination, but we have Princeton. Yet again we have Rutgers. We have Jersey City, then Newark.

Mixed.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Freedom state.

South Jersey > North Jersey though

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Freedom state.

South Jersey > North Jersey though

Incorrect, though both are better than the cursed Shore.

[dead0man]

The prohibition against pumping your own gas and the strange defense NJers give this fact is kind of sad.  Yes, you are paying for it.  Yes, I understand your gas is cheaper than in NY but that still doesn't mean you're not paying the guys pumping your gas, you are.

[freefair]

FS, full of working class heroes. the Essex of America.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Everytime I go there the weather blows......HS

[Simfan34]

The best area of the state is a triangle encompassing the area from Asbury Park to Morristown to Princeton.

[traininthedistance]

New Jersey is the fourth best state in the nation.  Its main problem is that it's surrounded by the second-best (NY) and third-best (PA).

First place, of course, is Taxachusetts, home to the only tolerable rural areas in the country.

(Ed:  I am open to the idea of Washington or Oregon making it up near the top, if I ever get around to visiting and finding they meet my fairly high expectations.)

...

Also worth noting about NJ: there's a lot more to the Shore than Seaside Heights.  Cape May, in particular, is very nice.  In general, the rural areas are better in the South and the (sub)urban areas are better in the North.  The south has the Pine Barrens, the cranberry bogs, the better (quieter) beaches, and more agriculture than you'd expect.  The north, OTOH, is more notable for a ring of old towns in Bergen/Passaic/Essex that call themselves "suburban" but are way more livable than anything calling itself suburban nearly anywhere else seems to be.  I'm thinking of places like Rutherford, Montclair, Maplewood, etc.

[traininthedistance]

don't get me started, it's been my everything for far too long.

You at Princeton now?

no sir, languishing in addiction and leisure on Long Island.

Ok, is it 'hip' to consider Long Island part of New Jersey now?

Long Island is basically a pale, soulless imitation of New Jersey.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Bergen is unusually nice for an affluent suburban county for sure. My favorite part of the state, though, would have to be the cities along the Hudson.

[traininthedistance]

Bergen is unusually nice for an affluent suburban county for sure. My favorite part of the state, though, would have to be the cities along the Hudson.

Yeah, that's a big plus for the state too.

Not all of Bergen is affluent, actually.  My grandparents lived in Wallington, a tiny little working-class town that was a major magnet for Polish immigrants, and even today still has shops where they mostly speak the old tongue.  Not a lot of money there, but it's still pleasant (of course, a lot of that is childhood memories, but still).

[Grumpier Than Thou]

[1] South Jersey
[2] Shore/South Jersey Coast (during non-tourist months)
[3] Sussex County
[4] Bergen County
[...]
[32940324892304] John Boehner assuming the office of President
[32940324892305] Essex County

A little bit of a stretch, but basically every time I've gone to Essex County, I've had some bad experiences. Be it typical Jersey cops or obnoxious drivers/people, I just don't like Essex County.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Wonderful in oh so many ways.  Best state in the country . 

[fezzyfestoon]

[1] South Jersey
[2] Shore/South Jersey Coast (during non-tourist months)
[3] Sussex County
[4] Bergen County
[...]
[32940324892304] John Boehner assuming the office of President
[32940324892305] Essex County

A little bit of a stretch, but basically every time I've gone to Essex County, I've had some bad experiences. Be it typical Jersey cops or obnoxious drivers/people, I just don't like Essex County.

Just wrong. Factually incorrect.