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 farmland, or 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. Several New Jersey counties such as Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Bergen, and Monmouth counties are ranked among the highest-income counties in the US - located within a state that also boasts the highest property taxes and one of the highest cost of living rankings in the nation.

Also often called "the nation's medicine chest", New Jersey is known as a magnet for healthcare, biotech and pharmaceutical companies including Johnson & Johnson and other major players who pay about 30 percent higher salaries than similar jobs in other states.

Other top New Jersey employers include Prudential, the Chubb Group (insurance) Lucent Technology (computer systems and software) and Honeywell (consumer electronics and aerospace).

New Jersey quality-of-life statistics

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

Personal Income Tax: New Jersey imposes state income taxes in six brackets ranging from 1.4% – 8.97% depending on income and filing status. Residents are required to file state income taxes using form NJ 1040 each year by April 15.

Schools : Currently under controversey for deep cuts proposed to educational funding, New Jersey has traditionally enjoyed some of the top rankings nationally for K-12 reading and math scores. Also see New Jersey School Report Card

Weather : While summer is fairly hot and humid in summer, changes in climate are most felt during the winter with colder weather experienced most often in the north and inland New Jersey, and with milder weather generally experienced in Southern NJ and along the Atlantic shore.

Crime : see New Jersey Crime Rates - 1960 -2005

also see -> NJ taxes | New Jersey eviction laws | NJ outlet malls

New Jersey fall foliage | New Jersey tourism

New Jersey wineries | Christmas in New Jersey

NJ kids party locations

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