[saxphile]

I've always wonder why. All the TV shows and cartoons bash NJ whenever they can, and as a foreigner, I really can't understand why.

I have a few friends living in NJ, and I've lived there for a while myself (Franklin Lakes). I don't think it's more unpleasant than any other states I've stayed in (PA, CA, MA...hmm.. anyone noticed a trend here?).

Could some American stand out and explain this?

[edited: typos]

 

[KR...]

no

hahahahaha

Some parts of Jersey are freaking awesome, but most people can't afford to live there

Some parts are the worst in all of the USA.

The rest lie somewhere inbetween, but you can say that about every and any state.

 

[aphex944]

And New Jersey smells.. I've been in NJ twice, and it smelled both times.

 

[MD1032]

Quote:

Originally posted by aphex944 And New Jersey smells.. I've been in NJ twice, and it smelled both times.

Doesn't smell where I live. I live in a pretty nice area, between Howell and Freehold. It's suburban, but very crowded!

NJ really is a pretty bad place in terms of the people living here. They're really jerks on the road (what do you mean ON THE ROAD?!

), mostly because half of NJ has moved in from the NYC area.

I was actually born in PA where my parents lived for a while, but we moved here because of my dad's job. Supposedly it was a better place.

 

[minya]

Think of the United States of America as a corpus.

Got that?

OK.

New Jersey is the armpit.

- Chris

 

[Welly Wu]

Man, New Jersey ain't that bad. You just got to be able to deal with suburban lifestyle, have money, and send your kids off to the right school. I've lived here for 23 years. It ain't that bad. You just got to get used to the malls, NJ Turnpike, NJ Garden State Parkway, and suburbs. Otherwise, I'm staying here for better or for worse.

 

[markl]

You can't make a simple frickin' left turn.

Used to have to travel to NJ (Parsippany) several times a year for work. Left turn lanes seemed to have been outlawed there.

 

[RickG]

I always thought New Jersey was just a turnpike...

Naahh, just kiddin'. It's Copland!

(Anyone see that movie? I thought it was Sly's best. Hell, he even developed a beer-gut just for the part...)

 

[Canman]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl You can't make a simple frickin' left turn. Used to have to travel to NJ (Parsippany) several times a year for work. Left turn lanes seemed to have been outlawed there.

markl you hit it on the nose. would it be so wrong if we were allowed to make a stinkin' left turn?

Also as a resident of South Jersey, I have to say that its only North Jersey that smells bad. South Jersey is actually pretty nice. Unless, that is if you travel too far south then it's like the middle of Kansas.

 

[Zuerst]

New Jersey stinks like my football jersey right after practice...

J/K, I don't have a problem with Jersey. I didn't even get the impression that Jersey get pick on a lot until this thread.

EDIT: I can't spell...

 

[wallijonn]

A lot of NJ is beautiful. But,

Red River (Tom's River?) - where the water kills the kids.

Near Paterson (?) - where W. R. Grace supposedly buried radioactive equipment by digging a ditch in the back, then paying $1 to the US ZGovernment so that they could never be sued. The last I read the radioactivity has leached 40 miles in diameter.

All the EPA violation sites.

The woodlands in the left part of the state where supposedly millions of barrels of toxic chemicals are dumped.

The oil storage tamks. Every now and then one blows up.

The smell of oil and chemicals in the air as you near the Newark Airport.

A Nuclear Plant that is a little too close to heavily populated areas. It used to be that one felt safe if they were 100 miles away, now they seem to be all within 50 miles of a big city.

Restrictive firearm laws. Confiscation of property without reimbursement.

Police racial profiling. Gastapo type of officers.

Farmers that can't water their crops while golf courses across the street can use all the water they want 24 hours a day.

Politicians. Like NYC, if you are rich enough you can buy an election.

NJ tried to sue NYC for the Statue of Liberty.

More highway miles than any other state in the Union.

High insurance rates.

They got rid of Palisades Park.

Go near Port Jarvis for a nice ride. Nothing like a nice hot summer's day drive on a Saturday.

 

[hempcamp]

I just finished a half a year living in central New Jersey. I didn't enjoy it one bit. The people (in general) are just so different than the kinds of people I'm used to down my way -- less friendly, more pushy, loud, uptight. (Apologies to New Jerseyites.)

Other annoyances include not being able to pump your own gas, the lack of convenience stores as a result (very few Wawa or Royal Farms type stores), tolls tolls and more tolls, lots of traffic, roads going every which way, malls every half mile, general filth, high prices (groceries, etc), few available jobs, lots of regulations on everything...

Of course, high-density central Jersey is probably quite different than the more bucolic South and the ritzier North of the state. I moved to NJ to escape high-priced Manhattan, but now I'm definitely glad to be back in the good Old Line State.

--Chris

 

[KR...]

Poor Jersey....

But, seriously, every State has both good and bad.

 

[bootman]

Quote:

Originally posted by hempcamp The people (in general) are just so different than the kinds of people I'm used to down my way -- less friendly, more pushy, loud, uptight. (Apologies to New Jerseyites.)

No apologies needed.
Unless you are raised here (NE-NJ) most people south of us feel the same way.
It seems we have a chip on our shoulders because we are so close to the city. (NYC)
The southern and north western part of the state is not like this.
The central part of the state just recently (last 10 years) became this way since most are transplants from the NE part.

Quote:

Originally posted by aphex944 And New Jersey smells.. I've been in NJ twice, and it smelled both times.

The northern part of the turnpike just past Newark does smell.
It's all old landfill.

Quote:

Originally posted by MD1032 They're really jerks on the road (what do you mean ON THE ROAD?! ),

Yes we drive too damm fast and most of us can't drive at all.
But at least we are not as bad as the folks in Massachusetts.

For some strange reason they don't believe in turn signals.

 

[dohminator]

Quote:

Originally posted by Canman markl you hit it on the nose. would it be so wrong if we were allowed to make a stinkin' left turn? Also as a resident of South Jersey, I have to say that its only North Jersey that smells bad. South Jersey is actually pretty nice. Unless, that is if you travel too far south then it's like the middle of Kansas.

Hey, quit making fun of Kansas.

Kansas isn't bad. You just have to grow up here to appreciate it. And half the people that grow up here can't wait to escape, the other half couldn't think of a better place to settle down.