Lol, now that I got your attention – the above title isn’t true beyond a melodramatic interpretation of the state. It’s just another one of those titles where I use verbal trickery on readers like an older post I wrote. In a sense, this also inadvertently became my April Fool’s Day contribution lol.
The ever-talented Ms. Andrea at https://edoodless.wordpress.com was kind enough to give me her perspective living in Denmark; a country that I’ve always been curious about. I enjoyed reading it so much that I was inspired to create this post about what life is like for me here in the state of New Jersey. So thanks Andrea and I hope you and everyone will find this post parts informative and parts entertaining.
One of the first things that will strike you about the state is how dense it is population-wise – even in places that are considered remote you won’t go more than an hour between seeing another person on the road or walking around. This is in part because New Jersey is a small state and it doesn’t take more than 3 hours to leave its borders via car.
The state is an economic powerhouse because of its proximity to the beautiful city of Philadelphia, exciting Atlantic City and, of course, New York City which is too big to define with just a word.
Being an economic powerhouse requires a lot of people and that brings in the corollary of socio/family life.
What I like about this place is that, barring a few community pockets, most people here understand the need for an order. In many ways this state is a state of moderates with economic priorities often cancelling out extreme political stances. Sure, people believe what they want to believe here but they also have a sense of bipartisanship which – to a good degree – is demonstrated in state and federal political representation. I’m satisfied with the jobs our elected leaders have done.
There’s something here for almost everyone. If you’re an outdoors person, there’s the northwestern part of NJ with easy access to Easton, Pennsylvania and beautiful hilltop views. If you like a more quiet and relaxed lifestyle, there are the vast pieces of flat lands down in the southern part of the state. And of course, we have miles of oceanfront beaches. The state isn’t just for raging cosmopolitans with their center-of-the-universe-monologues and pop culture knowledge. Even neanderthals like myself can carve out existential niches lol.
You’ll need a car here for sure, but if you have even a small passable one you are guaranteed a wealth of different experiences every day if you so choose. Mass transit is possible but one may be better off utilizing modern ride services like Uber and Lyft.
New Jersey is a great place to live. But I won’t lie, it’s a little on the expensive side with taxes and all but you will get your money’s worth here for the most part in services, police and town aesthetics.
I know some of you may be wondering if there is a distinct New Jersey identity and I can honestly tell you that I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because the population is a hodge-podge of different cultural traditions and attitudes that attempting to define it wouldn’t have any universal efficacy. But like all places, there’s only one question you have to ask yourself when it comes to dealing with the locals. And here’s the question:
“Is this person being a miserable, insufferable sack of sh*t whose obnoxious personality – whether by being loud or aggressive or even passive aggressive – is grating on my otherwise saintly tranquility?”
If YES, then stay away from that person. If NO, carry on with your business but with courtesy and respect for their personal space.
And here in New Jersey, with just how many people you come across in a day, you will ask that question a lot. And in time your radar will be sharply attuned that you won’t even have to ask yourself that question anymore.
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