I found this map of New Jersey on Facebook, and having visited New Jersey many, many times – I’ve got friends and relatives there – I will say that there’s some truth to the map, assuming you’re looking at the world from a New Yorker’s eyes. If you’d like a closer look at the map, just click on it.
I narrowly avoided becoming a New Jerseyite. Or is it New Jerseyan? New Jerseyoid?
Back in the early 1980s, my mom got a sweet research job offer from a drug company that would require us to move to the town of Summit, New Jersey, which in the annotated map above is located in the “Executives Living in Mansions Driving Mercedes-Benzes” zone. The deal was a hair’s breadth of going through when U.S. Immigration put the kibosh on the plan, citing some obscure restriction, and we remained in Accordion City. A few months after that happened, Mom was contacted again and told that the restriction had been lifted, but by then my parents had decided to stay in Canada.
I wonder how differently life would’ve turned out had I grown up in a place that had the 16th-highest per-capita income in the U.S. according to the 2000 census, a drive or train ride away from both Jersey Shore and Manhattan. I can’t complain about where I’ve ended up, but it’s always fun to play “What if?”
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Hey, I almost worked in Jersey too! But in Princeton. And after they sent the offer, (and I accepted and sent my resignation in to my then current employer) their lawyers called me up to tell me why it wouldn't work due to immigration. Ha!
Evidently 1 in 100 American adults are in jail. Given your history, perhaps it's better than you didn't tempt the fates.
Accordions notwithstanding, we're glad your folks stayed put.
I have lived in "Happy white families" and "Executives living in mansions driving mercedes-benzes". Spot on.
What a great map, kudos to the person who put this together. Born and raised in the Garden State, I would like to point out that this is not only the way New Yorkers view NJ, but it's a pretty accurate depication of how others in NJ see the state as well. I intend on printing this to 18x24 sheet and framing it for my game room. I love NJ! Thanks for posting!
Joey - interesting map; not entirely accurate, but certainly interesting. You may want to lay low for awhile though - "Sad Black People", "Pineys", "Philly Trash", and the "Worse Than Detroit" people might want to hire "Lawyers Driving Hybrids" to sue your ass for slander. Everyone will just yell at you for "profiling". You may want to avoid "Italian Guys in Wife Beaters" who are carrying shovels, otherwise you may find yourself buried in the "Poor Minorities" section of the state! ;-P