Getting to Know New Jersey

The Mini Page has been learning about America’s states. We’re taking a look at another northeastern state this week: New Jersey! It was the third state to join the Union, after Delaware and Pennsylvania. Location

New Jersey’s location has always been important. Because it is located between New York City and Philadelphia, many people live in the state but commute to those cities to work.

Manufacturing is a big part of New Jersey’s economy, especially for chemical and medicinal products. Printed materials and food products are also important.

The first European to explore the area was Giovanni da Verrazano, who explored it for France in 1524. It was also claimed by the Netherlands, Sweden and Britain.

More than 100 Revolutionary War battles were fought there. It joined the Union in 1787.

New Jersey is the fifth-smallest state in area, at 165 miles long

Next Week: Book Awards

Mini Fact: Atlantic City was the site of the first boardwalk in the world.

New Jersey at a glance

There are 127 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline in New Jersey. There are also about 4,100 lakes, rivers and streams, as well as the Hudson and Delaware rivers

The first boardwalk in the world was built in Atlantic City in 1870 so tourists wouldn’t track sand from the beaches into the hotels and railroad cars.

President Grover Cleveland’s birthplace in Caldwell is largely as it was in 1837, when he was born.

The first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton discovered in the world was found in 1858 in Haddonfield.

Thomas Edison invented the first incandescent lightbulb in 1879 in Menlo Park. He invented the first phonograph there in 1877. He developed the first motion picture studio in West Orange.

Fishing is important. There are more than 1,400 miles of trout streams, and fishing for clams, lobsters and oysters is a big business.

Fast Facts

• The eastern goldfinch is the state bird.

• Granite, trap rock, sand and gravel are important minerals.

• Hiking, camping and canoeing are big attractions in the more than 1 million acres of wilderness in the Pine Barrens Reserve near the Delaware River.

• The red oak is the state tree.

• The Isle of Jersey is an island in the English Channel. The British named New Jersey after it.

• The game of Monopoly® is modeled after actual places in Atlantic City, such as Boardwalk and Park Place.

• The state’s nickname is the Garden State because it is one of the top growers of fresh produce in the U.S.

• It is second in blueberry and eggplant production, and third in the raising of cranberries, peaches, spinach and bell peppers. Flowers, tomatoes and dairy products are also important.

• The purple violet is the state flower. The

New Jersey is the most densely populated state. That means it has more people per square mile than any other state!

Try ’n’ Find

his first guitar when he was 13 years old. He has sold 65.5 million albums in the United States.

Words that remind us of New Jersey are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:

BATTLES, BOARDWALK, CITY, COASTLINE, DINOSAUR, EDISON, FISHING, FOOD, LAKES, MANUFACTURING, NEW JERSEY, RIVER, SPRINGSTEEN, STATE, STREAM, VERRAZANO.

Cook’s Corner

Pumped-Up Peanut Butter Snack

You’ll need:

• 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 medium banana, mashed

• 1 tablespoon salted sunflower seed kernels

• Whole-wheat bread or crackers

What to do:

1. Combine peanut butter and honey in a small bowl; microwave on high for 20 seconds.

2. Stir in mashed banana and sunflower seeds.

3. Spread on whole-wheat bread or crackers. Serves 1.

Mini Jokes

Nick: What is the fruitiest subject at school? Niecy: History, because it’s full of dates!

Eco Note

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the first-ever vaccine to prevent a deadly bacterial disease that can destroy honeybee colonies. The new vaccine for American foulbrood in honeybees will stop the microbe from infecting the pollinators. The disease is currently battled by incinerating bees and infected hives or by treating them with a mixture of antibiotics in their food. The new product is mixed into “queen feed,” which worker bees consume to create royal jelly that they feed to the queen bee. Her larvae will then be born immune to the disease.

For later:

Look in the newspaper for articles about New Jersey.

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BY DAN THOMPSON