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My Uncle moved to New Jersey from New York many years ago. He describes himself to this day as a died in the wool New Yorker. He also talks of the rivalries and disputes that sometimes spilled over into scuffles in diners/bars in West Side/Midtown Manhattan when he was younger.
Does this rivalry still exist today? Or has New Jersey been consumed by New York overspill? Are there subtle/big variations in the accents of the traditional New Yorker and the traditional New Jersey resident? Or is that a thing of the past as New Yorkers move out/ex-New Jersey dwellers move into New York etc... Occasionally he'll take the mick out of his own neighbourhood by saying stuff like "Dose is Joyzey hamburgers alright" yet I can hardly tell the difference between the New York/New Jersey accents.
The only comparison I can make as a Londoner is that of my home City and areas like Hertfordshire and Essex on the peripherary where alot of London areas became transformed as immigrant communities moved in and traditional London communities moved out. I grew up in a London/Irish/Carribean community called Kilburn and that area has a distinctive accent and character traits that would differ wildly from someone living outside of London in an area like Essex.
Essex is a kind of a working class made good enclave of lavish lifestyles and exaggeratedly brash character traits. Least that's the caricature it enjoys playing up to. Though an outsider would probably assume someone from Essex was a Londoner there are subtle differences that I could spot a mile away. Is it a similar thing between New York/New Jersey?
For the most part Jersey is a suburb and small satellite cities for NYC, other than a few Jersey jokes some NYers make from what Ive experienced there is no real rivalry.
I remember having friends (most who had moved from another state) adopting the term "bridge and tunnel" all the time, specifically toward people who came in from NJ, even though every borough is somehow connected by bridge and/or tunnel...
For the most part Jersey is a suburb and small satellite cities for NYC, other than a few Jersey jokes some NYers make from what Ive experienced there is no real rivalry.
Most of New Jerseyites live in Urban areas about 2.8 Million , the rest live in outer dense suburbs and a small population lives in auto suburbs...
They have a much better arena the Prudential Center which is stunning. MSG is outdated. Usually I'm not an advocate for new construction but I think we need a new modern multi-functional indoor arena with a seating capacity for about 20.000-22.000.
He thought Hazlet, New Jersey was a nicer place to raise to raise a family so sold up his Manhattan apartment when that particular part of Manhattan was becoming a popular destination for property developers/gentrification etc... He left in 1996 when his carpentry/construction business was doing well and he could also afford to upgrade the property he bought himself at minimal cost by doing most of the work himself.
The truth is he loves the area but also likes to think of himself as more of a genuine New Yorker living in New Jersey rather than someone who now considers himself New Jersey through and through. If anyone asks, he says "I'm from New York but now live in Jersey".
It appears from the posts so far that any rivalry is jovial at best. Apart from a few light hearted jokes obviously it isn't something that ever spills over into fierce rivalty. When you consider that both New York teams play in New Jersey it perhaps suggests that New Jersey has become absorbed by New York and is considered more of an extended suburb than somewhere that has a distinctive lifestyle or personality of its own.
Was there ever a rivalry in the past? Or would the rivalry that existed (if it ever did to any great extent) just be the same as say a college from Manhattan playing a college from Queens at football? Or just the same as two groups from different parts of town squabbling outside a bar/nightclub? How far away from New York and into New Jersey would you have to travel before encountering people and a lifestyle that most New Yorkers would consider unrecognisable?
Last edited by Fear&Whiskey; 01-09-2012 at 12:29 PM..
Its kind of like a big brother - little brother relationship. Most of my family - on both sides - has migrated to NJ. My wife is from Jersey, only having moved here since we met. There are many times when I drive to NJ to eat at restaurants, shop at particular stores, etc. The two states are very closely linked in many ways. We even share some semi-governmental agencies such as the Port Authority.
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