Most people have their preconceived images of what New Jersey is like, depending on their frame of reference. Some see it as a suburb of New York with highways, turnpikes, refineries and industrial parks. Some think of it as stretches of roadside stands, farmland and pinelands that you travel through to get to the shore. 
New Jersey is actually a state that is one of the more varied and can be broken into several geographic regions. However, I've found that most non-New Jersey people are confused because they don't know that to best understand New Jersey you need to view it as two main parts...
While New Jersey never had a state civil war, there are two distinct geo-political spheres and it's almost like having two separate states. New Jersey is roughly divided between North and South along county lines (Click here to see county map of NJ, southern counties are colored cyan). [Note: When convenient, such as in school sports competition, it is frequently divided into North/Central/South areas.]
In North Jersey, which has generally higher population density, more heavy industry and congestion, you will have your entertainment, news and sports oriented more towards the New York City metropolitan area. In South Jersey, with less dense areas and most of the vacation shoreline, you tend to be oriented towards the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley metropolitan area for your entertainment, news and sports. The term, "South Jersey", has it's own cultural, social, marketing and economic identity, separate from the rest of the state.
This difference also extends into how Real Estate transactions are done: in the North, all Real Estate transactions require lawyers for both sides and for contract dates "time is not of the essence"*; in the South, standard transactions involving residential homes, or multi-family dwellings with 4 units or less, rarely involve a lawyer (although there is an automatic 3-day attorney review period during which either or both sides can consult a lawyer) and for contract dates "time is of the essence"*.
Click here for more New Jersey facts on our web site.
*"Time is of the essence" - means that dates do matter and they are legally binding and will have real legal and economic consequences if not met. If time is not of the essence, then it is understood that signers of a contract will attempt to met obligations within a reasonable time, but there are usually not significant consequences if completion dates of contract are extended.
Visit my web site for additional services and support: http://www.lawrenceyerkes.com/
and visit BestHomes-NJ.com for the latest New Jersey Real Estate property listings (residential, commercial, multi-family, farm, land).
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