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Ok, a mixture of things have gotten me thinking about this topic today. Obviously one of the contrasts we have in New Jersey is the rural vs. the urban vs. the suburban. We have it all and for the most part we seem to like it. We may not have isolated rural areas on the order of Appalachia or the West, but there's no question that life in places like Wantage and Hoboken (55 miles apart) is very different for a variety of reasons. We also have quite a bit of variety in our rural towns. Though Stillwater (Sussex), Chatsworth, (Burlington), and Alloway (Salem) could all be considered "the boonies" for different reasons, they're very different places in very different parts of the state. So how about the people? One common thread of all of these places is that they are all Republican strongholds, which of course is common of rural areas.
So basically, what does it mean to be "Country" Jersey? One of the reasons I've been mulling this over is because last weekend my fiancee, myself, and some friends drove down to Sewell over the weekend for a Chili cookoff and Country music concert. To be honest it was a little bizarre. We had an ok time (the weather wasn't great and it was way too crowded), but we were a little shocked at some of the people we saw. For example, I saw more Confederate flags emblazoned on shirts, hats, trucks, etc...than on a Civil War battlefield! I don't get it. New Jersey is not the South, New Jersey did not side with the South, and to top it off, the South lost!
The other thing I don't really get is cowboy hats (and boots) themselves. I love country music, I drive a truck, I hunt, I fish, but I'm a Yankee Northerner and personally would feel silly wearing a cowboy hat if I wasn't trying to stay on a bull or roping a calf at the time. The folks at Cowtown Rodeo get special dispensation because they are actual rodeo riders. Anyway I don't understand why people from the South wear cowboy hats either. I don't think Cowboys ever made it east of the Mississippi
So anyway, what is "Country" Jersey to you? To me its some of the more unique aspects of our state, such as the Pinelands. Though it's rapidly disappearing, the Pinelands has a culture that's evolved around the landscape (bog iron-making, cedar pole cutting, cranberry/blueberry growing, roots music, etc...), including the "Pineys," people who made their living off the barren sandy soil and scrubby vegetation. It's also the bay areas where the Barnegat Bay sneakbox was invented (a small, coffin-like boat built for waterfowl hunting) and baymen dug clams, trapped crabs, etc... Last but not least, I think that many of us forget our rich farming legacy that continues to this day.
I guess for me it was all a component of my childhood. I grew up in the woods behind my house and my friends' houses. We hiked, hunted, fished, and did just about everything there was to do in the woods. I learned to shoot in the Pine Barrens at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area and got my first pheasant there. In the summer we always spent more time surf fishing at Island Beach than at Point Pleasant or Long Beach Island. We also spent a lot of time on the Delaware between Bordentown and Lambertville (at least when the water was high enough), and I went on my first camping trip in Stokes State Forest.
Much of Southern NJ is satellite turf for the south. People dont place it with the south because it is not physically south of "Northeastern" cities DC, Baltimore, and Philly. But when you get out of the Philly metro in South Jersey, it feels very much like the south.
To me, the "Country" of NJ is wherever you can find more than one working, actual farm.
PS: You'll see a bunch when you move
Other than that, I would have to say any area where people keep atypical pets (ie: Goats, Cows, Horses, whatever - can't call them all livestock... I wouldn't mind a pet cow. That I can eat. Or make baby cows I can eat... yummy!).
Cowboy hats and such? Thats wannabe country to me.
I think some of that stuff in south Jersey actually stems from parts of Philly and PA. There's parts of Philly where they actually hang confederate flags etc. I call 'em 'Phillbillies',lol.
i agree w/DITC. when i was in college, i had a job with DYFS where i would travel all over central and southern jersey. when i ventured south of gloucester county, and into cumberland, salem and atlantic counties.......wow, just wow
the parts surrounding atlantic city like egg harbor and whatnot are pretty rural. same with areas surrounding vineland, millville, bridgton....i swear i was in kentucky.
I think some of that stuff in south Jersey actually stems from parts of Philly and PA. There's parts of Philly where they actually hang confederate flags etc. I call 'em 'Phillbillies',lol.
Phillbillies LOL! i've seen a toothless guy or two drop by to fix my plumbing..
I think some of that stuff in south Jersey actually stems from parts of Philly and PA. There's parts of Philly where they actually hang confederate flags etc. I call 'em 'Phillbillies',lol.
Where in Philly do they hang confederate flags? lol
Phillbillies LOL! i've seen a toothless guy or two drop by to fix my plumbing..
LOL! If you don't live in the local neighborhoods right in Philly then I doubt it was a Philly guy that fixed your plumbing(they don't go far)...heck if he even fixed it at all I'd doubt he was from Philly LOL!
Where in Philly do they hang confederate flags? lol
There's a couple areas that I know of,not sure of the rest...
There's a neighborhood called Bridesburg(kind of infamous,was on 20/20 once)that is known to be kinda racist(which honestly around here you need for your protection)I've seen some flags around there.
Upper Darby,right outside Philly is also kinda big on that too.
So - you had your first taste of south jersey???
Yes, south jersey is a VERY different place than north jersey - even the rural parts of north jersey. you really would think you're in the deep south
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