Южный Нью-Джерси: География, экономика и особенности региона

Geographic region of the U. S. state of New Jersey
a region in the United States

South 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 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 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 may be 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. 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.

[[File: Warehouse in New Jersey where trucks deliver granite slabs. jpg|thumb|300px|A warehouse in South Jersey, a U. S. East Coast epicenter for logistics and warehouse construction 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 50 feet (15 m) to 100 feet (30 m), In the Pine Barrens, cranberries and blueberries are cultivated in lowland bogs that have accumulated depths of organic matter.

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.

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. In contemporary culture, the border signifies a functional boundary between the New York City and Philadelphia spheres of influence. By 1700, nearly 70% of the population of West Jersey were Quakers of English or Irish origin. The Quakers, who believed in peace, equality, and integrity, influenced early New Jersey. In contrast, East Jersey had high proportions of Scottish and Dutch settlers. In 1702, East Jersey and West Jersey were reunited under the reign of Queen Anne.

Resistance to the British was widespread during the American Revolution among South Jersey Presbyterians, who aided the colonists during the Revolutionary War. Several Presbyterian preachers, including John Brainerd, accepted military positions and urged Presbyterians to enlist in the army. During the war, the Delaware River was strategic for its commercial importance and its role in defending Philadelphia. General Howe captured Philadelphia in September 1777, occupying the city for 10 months. The Quakers as a whole were opposed to the Revolution on their principles of nonviolence. Members of the Religious Society of Friends were forbidden to support the local militias, or faced disownment by the Quakers.

thumb|An extensive passenger and freight network, now part of Conrail Shared Assets Operations, once served South Jersey. For many years, South Jersey has been mistakenly perceived solely as an agricultural society. In the 18th century, South Jersey, including Alloway in Salem County, was home to Wistarburg, the first successful glass factory in the colonies, operating for close to 50 years prior to the Revolutionary War. When that factory closed, the workers spread throughout the region to South Jersey towns, including Millville, Vineland Bridgeton, Hammonton, and Glassboro where they established new companies. Recent research has uncovered evidence that, in addition to the glassmaking industry, South Jersey was also a major contributor to the iron, coal making, ship building and, later, textile industries. Other businesses that later operated in the region included shoe manufacturers, button makers, barrel makers, and rug companies. While most industries eventually declined, farming still made up the larger portion of the region's economy. South Jersey's interior, consisting of the New Jersey Pine Barrens and marshland, remained unpopulated because its acidic, nutrient poor soil that was unsuited for farming. Most of the cities were concentrated along the Delaware River except for a few settlements and seaside resorts along the Jersey Shore. Slavery was less extensive in South Jersey than it was in other parts of the state because of the Quakers' religious opposition to it, and a lower demand for labor in the region. By 1810, the population of slaves dwindled to 328 total, compared to 10,532 total slaves in the rest of New Jersey. Although discriminatory policies still targeted blacks, South Jersey became a haven for ex slaves. William Still, a notable African American abolitionist, was born in Burlington County, and is nicknamed the "father of the Underground Railroad" for his role in helping slaves escape to freedom. Railroads came into operation in South Jersey by the mid 19th century. The advent of the railroad was one of the reasons Charles K. Landis was inspired to found Vineland in 1861. The rail system expanded dramatically during that period, helping a number of towns to grow and thrive. Many of the railroads were later consolidated into the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad (WJ&S). By 1925, it operated 379 miles of road on 717 miles of track. In 1933, it became part of Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines, a Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary. Much of the system is part of the South Jersey/Philadelphia Shared Assets Area. The Glassboro–Camden Line, a light rail system, is currently under construction.

Albert Freeman, a Mount Holly newspaper publisher and editor, wrote an editorial calling for secession. Freeman originally meant the proposal as a joke, but the idea gained momentum. On April 23, 1980, the town council of Egg Harbor voted to support the creation of a new state of South Jersey. The statehood movement was an attempt to gain the attention of state lawmakers, centering on issues such as the construction of the Meadowlands Sports Complex in the north while the state refused to support the Garden State Park Racetrack in the south. A non binding referendum was presented to six counties in 1980 (with the exclusion of Camden and Gloucester counties), and 51 percent of voters declared that they wanted to secede and establish a new state; Ocean County was the only southern county of six that voted to defeat the referendum.

In 2005, Money magazine named Moorestown the "best place to live" in the United States, although they stated that a number of nearby municipalities could have just as easily been given the distinction. Conversely, Morgan Quitno has rated nearby Camden the "most dangerous city" in the United States three times within the same decade and Camden had a median household income of $18,007 in 2006, making it the poorest U. S. city with over 65,000 residents. Moorestown and Camden share a central highway, NJ County Road 537.

The average income for a household in South Jersey was $63,834.54, and the population was 65.3% non Hispanic White, 15.9% non Hispanic Black, 11.6% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 4.2% non Hispanic Asian, and 3.0% non Hispanic other or mixed race. South Jersey had a total population of 1,854,453 in 2010 (up from 693,402 in 1940) if the counties of Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland are included.

Many South Jerseyans root for Philadelphia professional sports teams including the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, 76ers, and Union. In southern Ocean County, there is a strong mix of Philadelphia and New York sports fans since the county's media markets overlap. While there are no major league teams in South Jersey, in recent seasons the 76ers have held training camp at Stockton University in Galloway Township. In 2016, the 76ers opened a practice facility on the Camden waterfront. The Flyers practice in Voorhees. South Jersey has been home to a number of minor league teams. The Jersey Shore BlueClaws play in Lakewood and are an affiliate of the Phillies. Minor league soccer is also played in South Jersey, as the Ocean City Nor'easters of the Premier Development League are based in Ocean City. The Nor'easters play their home games at Carey Stadium. In 2007, the WNBA was considering expansion in Atlantic City. The Atlantic City ownership group competed with other groups from Philadelphia, Atlanta, Kansas City, Albuquerque, Colorado, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In the end, the expansion franchise was awarded to Atlanta. South Jersey was home to the now defunct independent league baseball teams the Atlantic City Surf and Camden Riversharks. Outside of baseball, South Jersey was also home to the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies, a minor league ice hockey team affiliated with the East Coast Hockey League. The Jersey Knights of the World Hockey Association played at the Cherry Hill Arena in Cherry Hill from 1973 to 1974. Previously, the minor league Jersey Devils of the Eastern Hockey League played at Cherry Hill Arena from 1964 to 1973.

South Jersey is part of the Philadelphia television and radio market. Newspapers in the region include the Courier Post, which refers to itself as "South Jersey's Newspaper" and is based in Camden County. It covers all of South Jersey but focuses primarily on these three counties. The South Jersey Times, based in Mullica Hill, also covers South Jersey but spotlights Gloucester, Cumberland, and Salem counties.