MAIN Home Life House & Home Moving New Jersey

Bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania, the "Garden State" gets its name from the fact that nearly half of the state remains wooded or forested areas, despite its reputation as an industrial and commercial transportation center.

Located in the heavily populated Northeast, New Jersey boasts easy access to two of the regions biggest metropolitan areas, New York City in the northeast and Philadelphia in the southwest.

In between, Central suburban New Jersey provides a major bedroom community for metro area employees. Meanwhile, along the Atlantic lies one of the state's most famous tourist attractions - colloquially known as "The Shore"- where beach resorts beckon millions of visitors a year from around the region.

For those in other parts of the nation, New Jersey real estate and home ownership may come as a bit of a shock — as the state also boasts the highest property taxes and one of the highest cost of living rankings in the U.S.

• Demographics : (New Jersey Census Data)
  Major cities: Trenton (capital), Newark, Jersey City, Patterson, Elizabeth
  Population : 8,724,560
  White : 76.6%
  Black, African American : 14.5%
  Hispanic : 2.2%
  High school graduates : 82.2%
  Bachelor's degree or higher : 29.8%
  Average household income: $57,338
  
  
• Crime : see New Jersey Crime Rates - 1960 -2005
  
  
• Cost of Living: Sperling's Best Places - New Jersey - Compared to the rest of the country, New Jersey's cost of living is 22.50% higher than the national average.
  
  
• Property Taxes : New Jersey Tax Climate - At the state level, New Jersey collected $3,660,000 in property taxes during FY 2004, making its combined state/local property taxes $18,229,254,000. At $2,099, New Jersey's combined per capita collections were the highest in the nation.
  
  
• Housing & Real Estate Overview : also see Zillow - New Jersey Real Estate
  Home ownership rate : 65.6%
  Average home price : $322,700
  Average travel time to work : 30 minutes
  
  
• Schools : see New Jersey Department of Education
  
  
• Weather : While summer is fairly hot and humid in summer, changes in climate are most felt during the winter with milder weather along the shore, and in the south. Colder weather is experienced most often in the north and inland New Jersey.

More about relocating to New Jersey around the Web:

New Jersey City Data Forums - Busy message boards with an exchange of information on schools, commuting, cost of living, housing, apartments & real estate costs, with general tips on moving to Princeton, Morris County, Trenton, Jersey City, and other towns & cities across the state.

NJ.com - Everything New Jersey - One-stop browsing for news headlines & videos, events, blogs, online forums.

Relocating to Morristown - Photos, information and links to more on local property taxes, schools, hospitals & healthcare and annual events in Madison, Chatham, Mendham, Randolph, Chester, Long Valley, Lake Hopatcong and other Morris County communities.

New Jersey Shore - One-stop browsing for information, real estate listings, entertainment, activities & resorts in towns along the Atlantic coast including Cape May, Monmouth, Ocean & Altantic counties.

Berkeley Parents Network - Moving to New Jersey - Archived forum posts with tips, advice & information on relocating to Princeton, Hoboken, Morris County and other areas around the state.

New Jersey Real Estate, Apartments & Job Classifieds:

• Trenton : Times | Trentonian
• Princeton : Packet
• Jersey City : Jersey City Online
• Hackensack : Bergen Record
• Edison / Metuchen : Sentinel

New Jersey Real Estate Map:

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also see -> New Jersey Beaches | New Jersey Eviction Laws

New Jersey Fall Foliage | New Jersey Taxes | New Jersey Tourism

New Jersey Wine Tours | Christmas in New Jersey

New Jersey Kids Party Locations