Our zip code is 08205, but many New Jerseyans refer to our location by the Parkway’s exit number or area code. Our is exit 41, off the Garden State Parkway, and the area code (609). These numbers are just numbers to most people, but for us it means home.
We use this way to talk to other New Jerseyans once we find out they’re from our county. But if we are talking to another New Jerseyan and they’re not from our county we’ll leave it at that. But, the most important thing you ask someone from NJ is this: are you from North or South?
Yes, New Jersey is one state, but we’re also the most densely populated state. There’s a lot of people who live in NJ, and the state is tall and thin, which makes the people in the North very different than the people from the south. We’re like peanut butter and jelly. We get along (for the most part) and compliment each other, but we are literally as different as can be.
South Jersey, or, “SoJo,” is where I am from. And I can say, though I admit I’m pretty biased, that SoJo is way better than NoJo. South Jersey is beautiful. Most of our part of the state is made up of farms, suburbs and shopping plazas. But mainly suburbs, which is where I live. If you refer to the map, we are the yellow part labeled “ghetto in the woods,” which isn’t true but still funny. We are really the suburbs in the woods. The streets are quiet, your yard is filled with trees, and there’s actually space in between the houses. Most of Galloway is divided up into avenues with even numbers two through ten. When you’re in public school and you tell your friend you live off of 8th, they say they live off of 2nd or 4th. The schools here are great too. They’re very diverse and there’s a low crime and bullying rate. SoJos are very chill people who tend to have long friendships. I am still friends with my best friend Katie from the first grade. I’ve also been friends with a group of people since the 8th grade. Most people who live in Galloway tend to stay in Galloway, or at least never leave New Jersey. I don’t blame them, I love Sojo, but when I had the opportunity to go to college out of state, I took it. Now I’m here in Florida and the rest is history.
Speaking of history, we have two local legends. The Jersey Devil and Wawa.
Wawa didn’t start in Sojo, but it’s very popular here. We spend our summers at the Shore, eating Wawa hoagies1, having day trips to Philly2 and having bonfires.
The Jersey Devil is an herban legend that has gone on since 1735, which is supposedly when the creature was born. It’s well-known enough to have a wikipedia article about it. It roams the Pine Barrens3 of Sojo.
Okay, I could go on and on about Sojo, but it would be unfair if I didn’t discuss North Jersey. North Jersey is pretty cool. If you ever meet someone from our state, you’ll most likely meet a NoJo. The north is VERY densely populated and it’s disgusting. It’s basically the suburb of New York City, which can be cool at times, but New York traffic gets old for a chill South Jerseyan.
During my college years I’ve gotten to know the North better. During my second year of college in Florida I met and started dating someone who is from the North! He lives just a train ride from the big city. I started visiting him up in NoJo during summer and winter breaks. It’s….quaint in many parts. But it could do without all the traffic. He lives in a town just above Paterson, NJ.
Now, few of you readers from my class may recognize the name of that town from the novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I can relate to this single, trifling fact of the book because I have actually been to modern-day Paterson. Sure I didn’t fully experience all of Paterson that Oscar did in his youth, but for the short amount of time I was there, I knew it was not a very pleasant place. Even today, if you ask any Nojo who isn’t from Paterson about Paterson, their response will be: don’t go to Paterson.
I can see why Oscar had dreams of becoming the next Tolkien and his interest in nerdy things. It was his escape from Paterson. Video games and books were his escape from the real world. I find it admirable that Oscar had big dreams of becoming a writer. It is similar to the way I felt when I wanted to leave New Jersey and “escape” to Florida. I know that for me at least, I wanted out of my world for a while and into a new world. In my world after high school, many students went to Rutgers University, the same school Oscar went to. I have many friends who go there, including my closest and dearest best friend. Rutgers isn’t all that fun either. The campus has grown so much that on some days, there will be over 70 students waiting at the bus stop to catch a bus to class, to go to a different part of the campus. That world is so different from Ringling. Personally, I am fortunate to be a part of the “world” that Ringling is, and my other world will always be the place I call home, South Jersey. - (AKA. subs/sandwiches)
- (AKA. Philadelphia, PA.) While the South has Philly as the closest biggest city, the North has New York City.
- (AKA. woods)
When reading your blog post right away I realized how I myself am connected to the world. When you described all the features of your world it was like I was listening to one of my friends who described all of the same aspects of the world in which you have described. It is interesting to read that you both have the same views and everyone in your world who also shares the same world expresses those same features.
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