Where does South Jersey begin? (Toms River, Trenton: live in, stores, train)

[snj90]

I just go with this: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic, and Cape May Counties are South Jersey. Everything else is North Jersey.

[Boompa]

At the Ocean

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by kelsie

We live in Tuckerton, raised our kids on the mainland in Barnegat in the 70's. If you spoke to the locals even today, anything past Forked River going into Toms River is considered North Jersey!

It wasn't in the 1960s.

[g555]

I don't think Bordentown or Florence are like Central NJ, let alone in it.

I used to go to the Retro Fitness in Bordentown and been through that corridor of 206. It's just like Route 130 through Burlington County, and not like Route 1 through Central NJ.

Also, I won't find didn't see Indians everywhere like from Hamilton to Edison to Iselin area, which is a key stand out of Central NJ.

[jerzdevil]

Originally Posted by naesc

This is always a fascinating topic to me. I very much enjoy the debate of whether Central Jersey exists and where it is. I live in Hamilton in Mercer County, but I’m very close to the Burlington County border on route 206.

Burlington County is commonly referred as South Jersey while Mercer is almost always considered central. With that said, I don’t get a South Jersey vibe from downtown Bordentown. While it’s in Burlington County, it feels much more like central to me. I feel the transition to South Jersey becomes more noticeable as you get south of the 295/Rt 130 interchange. I feel like anything south of that, culturally and visibly is South Jersey.

There are many different theories as to where South Jersey begins, I’ve read anything south of 195 to the Burlington County border. Does anyone have other thoughts?

Conversely, I think the 295/Rt 1 interchange in Lawrenceville heading north is where I think you start to see North Jersey influence.

While area codes become less and less relevent, I always saw 609 and 856 as south, which would make much of mercer county south, while most of east jersey north. Trenton has a direct train line into philly and south jersey as well, so its well integrated.

[jerzdevil]

I was born and raised in Burlington county from the pinelands to bordentown and if you ask any of us we will always claim Burlington county as south jersey, having nothing at all in common with nyc apart from the transplants who don't know the local history. There is no nyc news in Burlington, only Philadelphia news. And there is no direct train to north jersey either.

[jerzdevil]

Originally Posted by naesc

Thank you both for the responses. South Jersey is fascinating to me in how far south the state actually goes.

Does a town like Hammonton really have Philly influence? It is a decent amount further south than Philly. If you draw a straight line from Cape May, it is just about the equivalent of Washington DC.

It’s why NJ is such a fascinating state to me. From where I am in Mercer County, I can drive 15 minutes south on 206 and firmly be in rural, South Jersey. I can also make the same drive north hopping on route 1 and see significant northern influence.

True, there's nothing "north jersey" about the columbus flee market or chesterfield.

[jerzdevil]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

The entire South Jersey Shore (Brigantine on down) has some degree of Philly influence (albeit the outer edges) by virtue of seasonal resident and vacation patterns. I know Hammonton is a Mainland town, but it’s still part of, and meaningfully connected to, Atlantic County.

LBI has traditionally been a demilitarized zone, though I think it’s become less connected with Philly over time.

From camden county I use to drive to LBI in under an hour, lets see a north jerseyan do that.

[ocnjgirl]

Originally Posted by jerzdevil

While area codes become less and less relevent, I always saw 609 and 856 as south, which would make much of mercer county south, while most of east jersey north. Trenton has a direct train line into philly and south jersey as well, so its well integrated.

I agree with that, but also go by local news. When I turn on CBS or ABC or Fox news at 6, it's a Philly news station. So if you put on local news and it's Philly, you're in south Jersey, if it's NY, you're in north Jersey. Same with football. If Fox Sunday has the Eagles game it's south Jersey, Giants it's north Jersey. I don't know where that dividing line is, though.

[g555]

Along with the TV stations, there are sights you see while driving-

The large Wawa sites with gasoline were more prevalent in South Jersey but hadn't infiltrated Central and Northern NJ.

Chick Fil A, also served South Jersey with stand alone sites, not up northern nj until later.
Virtua = South Jersey.
AtlantiCare = South Jersey.

Chase Bank's presence ended at Mercer County but didn't expand into Burlington County until they expanded more recently in the Philly market.

Central NJ presence:
AvalonBay Luxury apartments - not in Burlington or anywhere south.
Stop & Shop ends somewhere in Central NJ.
Krauzers? convenience store
RWJ Barnabas Robert Wood Johnson = Central NJ