Why Is South/Central Jersey So Relatively Undeveloped? (Jersey City, Paterson: rail, housing)

[Hudlander]

Yes, I know, Camden/Trenton/Cherry Hill/Vorhees/Moorestown all are developed extenstions of greater Philly.

However, as a frequent NJTP and Northeast driver, I am always amazed at how once one crosses into NJ from DE, until maybe mile 20ish, it is very rural and low density. Even beyond there, you don't get much until around exit 4, and even that is still very very low density. After that, by the time you are at mile 40 it looks pretty exurban again before downright rural at exit 6.

Coming over from PA on I-95, one is struck by how you can see the Philly skyline, it is under 30 miles away, and yet, crossing the Delaware you go from instantly being in the middle of metro Philly to feeling like you are on the peripheal even though you are under 30 miles away.

I just can't get over why beyond a very narrow strip of land immediately adjacent to the Philly border, South and Central Jersey are pretty much exurban if that.

I understand Philly isn't NY, but it's still a top 5 market.
I understand the rail lines headed west not east, but this was the case in Long Island too.
Hence I can see why South and Central Jersey did not develop major urban areas, but why didn't they become Phillys version of Long Island?

My guesses would be:

1) Pre WWII, Long Island and South Jersey were both rural hinterlands. However post WWII the housing boom happened, metro NY having much more water in its radius than Philly swallowed up whatever there was in Long Island.
-Philly had plenty of land west, but furter east the land is basically like East Carolina and not suitable for much development?

or

2) Philly never sprawled like NY/BOS/DC, Philly is basically an expanded Baltimore/Pittsburgh, not rust belt, but definitely not booming like those metro areas.

That's all I can think of.
It just makes no sense that you can be under 30 miles from center city and feel hours away.

[Gerania]

Flat and wet keeps some areas from being developed. The undeveloped land around waterways is a buffer zone. There are also farms, preserved farmland, open space and Nature Conservancy tracts. Some it is privately owned. State parks and wildlife management areas account for a notable portion. The Pine Barrens National Reserve is quite large.

[Hudlander]

So it is because of the physical geographic limitiations that SJ didn't become like Long Island; same reason why between Jersey City and Patterson North Jersey is not developed due to wetlands?

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by Hudlander

So it is because of the physical geographic limitiations that SJ didn't become like Long Island; same reason why between Jersey City and Patterson North Jersey is not developed due to wetlands?

That simply isn't true. What an odd thing to say.

[Hudlander]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

That simply isn't true. What an odd thing to say.

There are a lot of wetlands west of Jersey City that have no development.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Hudlander

There are a lot of wetlands west of Jersey City that have no development.

Yes, the type of marshy land that is just east of North Arlington and around the Meadowlands.

[Leps12]

Bro, this is like the fifth time you started this same topic. What is your deal? What’s so hard to understand? NYC has almost 8.4M people...Philly is around 1.6M. NYC is 5.25 x’s larger. Why would you think SJ could be as heavily developed as Long Island?

[NYtoNJtoPA]

Originally Posted by Hudlander

So it is because of the physical geographic limitiations that SJ didn't become like Long Island; same reason why between Jersey City and Patterson North Jersey is not developed due to wetlands?

Philly's Long Island type suburbs are north of the city in PA, not Jersey. OK there is no oceanside, but in terms of the era and time of places being developed (e.g. Levittown) this is what I would equate to Long Island, though as whole counties I would probably equate Montgomery more to Nassau and Bucks to Suffolk even though the Levittowns are in opposite places.

And North Jersey is very developed between Jersey City and Paterson. I don't know what "wetlands" you are referring to up in that area. It's all a big flood zone up there. That's all. North Jersey gets less developed as you get further up into that northwestern "corner" into the mountains, like Sussex, Warren some of Passaic and a lot of Morris Counties.

And I am sure extreme southern portions of New Jersey are wetlands.

And also like New York's wealthiest suburbs being in NY - however much anyone in NJ wants to deny - Philly's wealthiest suburbs are in PA. The limits of both metros extend far beyond the limits of NJ.

A city that is rougly 1/4 the size of the other, its metro will also be that much smaller too.

[Hudlander]

There's a gap in North Jersey west of Jersey City, the 'meadowlands' that is relatively undeveloped due to this.

I would expect South Jersey, unless it really is pourous wetlands, to be like LI for Philly commuters since it is so close.
Yeh Philly is smaller but it's still a top 10 major citythat youd expect to sprawl out 30 miles east.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by Hudlander

There are a lot of wetlands west of Jersey City that have no development.

Originally Posted by Gerania

Yes, the type of marshy land that is just east of North Arlington and around the Meadowlands.

Yeah, I'm aware. But he said between Paterson and Jersey City as if there's no development between those two cities, which is just untrue and frankly a bizarre thing to say.

The Meadowlands IS the marshlands, the end of the Hackensack River. Way too much of it has been filled in and developed, destroying wildlife. Giant's Stadium/Meadowlands Sports Complex, hello? Secaucus/Harmon Cove? Some has been preserved, though it was almost too late before that was done.

I guess being from northern New Jersey, the misperception is a little shocking to me. Oh well. I suppose I don't know as much as I should about the wetlands in South Jersey, either.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_Meadowlands