New Jersey is sandwiched between two large cities: New York City in the northeast and Philadelphia in the southwest; Benjamin Franklin called her "a barrel tapped at both ends". South Jersey is theoretically the area within the Philadelphia sphere of influence, whereas North Jersey is the area within New York City's influence.
Geography
South Jersey is the area that grew and expanded with Philadelphia, as part of its metropolitan area, as opposed to with New York. Traditionally, the term was used to separate only the most urban and industrial, northeastern New Jersey's counties from the rural rest of the state, as West Jersey separated East Jersey historically. While West Jersey encompassed the areas that now make up approximately 14 of New Jersey's 21 counties in the center, south, and northwest, "South Jersey" today comprises only 8 counties, with the other 13 now being considered "North Jersey" as they have grown and industrialized due to the outward growth of New York more so than of Philadelphia.
There is no longer a division between the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. They meet in Central Jersey, the counties directly north of South Jersey: Somerset County, Middlesex County, Mercer County, Monmouth County and Ocean County .
In the eastern part of the state, the apparent border between north and south is Interstate 195.
Standard of living
The more suburban areas of South Jersey are known nationwide for their high standards of living. In 2005, Money magazine named Moorestown the "best place to live" in the United States, although they stated that a number of adjacent municipalities (particularly Mount Laurel, Haddonfield, Medford, and Cherry Hill) could have just as easily been given the distinction. New Jersey's population density, as well as the geographic limitations of such a populous state, make disparity between adjoining or neighboring towns readily evident. Such as Maple Shade, which abuts Moorestown, is a township comprised of working class and mid to median income families.
By contrast, nearby Camden is known as a pocket of extreme poverty and crime. Lindenwold, Clementon, Mt. Holly and Pemberton contain large segments of working class citizens. Generally, people who live in this area must commute long distances to hold a job which pays more than minimum wage. Crime and drug use is also a growing problem in these communities.
Commercial centers and resorts
South Jersey's regional commercial centers include: Cherry Hill Township, in suburban Philadelphia, and Atlantic City with its resort casinos, boardwalk, shopping, and beaches.
Other South Jersey beach resorts include:
- Cape May
- Margate
- Ocean City
- Sea Isle City
- Stone Harbor
- Wildwood
- Wildwood Crest
- Ventnor
South Jersey counties
- Atlantic County
- Burlington County
- Camden County
- Cape May County
- Cumberland County
- Gloucester County
- Salem County
Famous South Jerseyans
- Danny DeVito, actor
- Vernon Hill, businessman
- Carl Lewis, track and field athlete, 9-time Olympic gold medalist
- Michelle Malkin, political commentator
- Joe Monzo, musician
- George Norcross III, political activist
- Piper Perabo, actress
- Kelly Ripa, actress/talk show host
- Michael Schoeffling, actor/wrestler
- Steven Spielberg, director/producer
- Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve
- Bruce Willis, actor
