Fun Facts About New Jersey

Monopolizing Our Childhoods

The property names in Monopoly are all based on streets in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Informal versions of the game used local street names in each city, but the version we know was devised by Atlantic City realtor Jesse Railford. The prices reflect the IRL hierarchy of real estate prices in the 1930s.

Bonus fact: The Atlantic City Boardwalk is the longest boardwalk in the world at 5.75 miles.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Major League Baseball (MLB) doesn’t use brand-new balls off the factory floor. They’re too glossy and smooth, making it harder for pitchers to handle. Since 1938, umpires and clubhouse attendants rub a special mud on the baseball before it enters play. That mud comes from a secret location in New Jersey that has the perfect blend of natural clay and sand.

Bonus fact: Hoboken is where the first baseball game was played between the New York Nine and the Knickerbockers on June 19, 1846.

Birthplace of Sports

It’s not just baseball. The first professional basketball game was held in Trenton on November 7, 1896 between the Brooklyn YMCA and Trenton YMCA. And the first College Football game between Rutgers and Princeton was held in New Brunswick on November 6, 1869.

Bonus Fact: Cheerleading was also invented by a Princeton graduate in the 1880s, and cheerleaders were male until World War II.

Like an Animal

Ranching and farming is more popular in New Jersey than you’d think. Pilesgrove is home to the longest-running weekly rodeo in America. Cowtown Rodeo in Pilesgrove was established in 1929 and is approaching its 100-year anniversary.

Bonus Fact: Prehistoric animals also loved New Jersey. In fact, the first mostly-complete dinosaur skeleton fossil in North America was discovered in Haddonfield.

Dark Knight Rises

The exact location of Gotham City in DC Comics often changes, and it’s technically not a real-world city. However, on rare occasions, it’s shown on a map of the United States, Batman’s stomping grounds are always marked in New Jersey.

Bonus Fact: Although Batman isn’t fighting IRL crime, New Jersey ranks as the 5th safest state in the country.

Standing Room Only

It’s not the largest nor most populated state. But New Jersey has the highest population density of any state. There are 1,263 people per square mile living here, and 90% of New Jersey residents live in an urban area.

Bonus fact: Despite its urban population, New Jersey has over 700,000 acres of farmland and is the number one grower of eggplants in the country.

Inventing All the Things

Thomas Edison invented the motion picture projector, phonograph, and more while improving the light bulb in Menlo Park. In total, over 500 of his patents came from NJ, and he’s not the only inventor here. The Band-Aid was invented by Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick. Campbells invented condensed soup in Campden. And Hoboken is home to the first American brewery built in the 1640s.

Bonus fact: The first drive-in movie theater was opened in 1933 in Camden.

Revolutionary Americans

As one of the original 13 colonies, New Jersey played a pivotal role in the American Revolution. Over 90 battles took place within its borders, including the Battle of Fort Lee and Battle of Princeton. General George Washington also crossed the Delaware River from Trenton during a crucial battle that turned the tide of the war.

Bonus fact: Vice President Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel in Weehawken.

More Historical

Although the land is claimed by New York, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are both technically located in New Jersey waters. However, the original colonial land grant in 1664 placed the border at the water’s edge. This led to centuries of fighting over which state rightfully claimed these landmarks. Ultimately, it is federal land and belongs to all Americans.

Bonus fact: The first dinosaur fossil (a Hadrosaurus foulkii) in North America was found in Haddonfield in 1858.

Unique Jersey Laws

As of 2025, New Jersey is the only state that bans self-service gas.

NJMVC bans vanity license plates for 10 years for anyone convicted of a DUI.

In Trenton, it is illegal to eat pickles on Sunday and throw spoiled pickles on the streets.

Famous New Jersey Residents

• US President Grover Cleveland
• Astronaut Buzz Aldrin
• Author Judy Blume
• Jazz Musician Count Basie
• Rapper Queen Latifah
• Poet Alan Ginsberg
• Entertainer Frank Sinatra
• Magician David Copperfield
• Actress Meryl Streep
• Rock Star Bruce Springsteen
• Singer Whitney Houston
• Basketball Player Shaquille O’Neal
• Comedian Jon Stewart
• Actor Danny DeVito