Why Somerset & Middlesex lean toward North Jersey

If you looked at all of the evidence in the last post, and are still unconvinced about why we included ALL of Middlesex and Somerset counties into North Jersey here is one more reason: PRINCETON.

Princeton, at the northeast part of Mercer County, was thought of as North by most state residents who we interviewed and polled.

I did see a pattern of "education bias" in the polling. Many of those interviewed (rightly or wrongly) associated North Jersey as more cultured, and thus felt it was natural to "bring Princeton along." This was common in the North-Central counties, but I was also surprised about how many South Jersey residents agreed.

I also bought into it, partly because I grew up in Mercer County.

It is uncanny how the towns in Mercer that revolve more around Trenton (Ewing, Hamilton, Robbinsville & the southern part of Lawrence) differ from those that revolve around Princeton (Hopewell, West Windsor & the northern part of Lawrence). East Windsor was the toughest to figure out.

Another amazing stat - look at the residents of MERCER COUNTY. They were uncharacteristically united in their vote. 93% of them said Princeton leaned to North Jersey.

The following is the poll of people who thought Princeton was NORTH Jersey. North or South was the only choice - no Central. Each County had 30 residents polled (630 people total), and if you don't think that is a lot, sorry. It took me a LONG time to do!

NJ Residents by county who thought Princeton was North Jersey:

Bergen - 47%

Passaic - 17%

Sussex - 27%

Hudson - 33%

Essex - 43%

Morris - 53%

Union - 53%

Warren - 77%

Somerset - 67%

Hunterdon - 70%

Middlesex - 73%

Mercer - 93% . . . very surprising

Monmouth - 90% . . . very surprising also

Ocean - 73%

Burlington - 87%

Atlantic - 80%

Camden - 77%

Gloucester - 83%

Cape May - 100%

Cumberland - 100%

Salem - 97%

Princeton's average was 69% NORTH . . . well above the required 50.01% to tip it to North, thus taking its northern neighbors in Somerset & Middlesex counties along.

But, wait - there are 3 towns in southern Middlesex that are technically south of Princeton: Cranbury, Plainsboro & Monroe Township. What about them?
Well - I had to do some even heavier groundwork there.

Monore was easier to lean North because of its area code not being 609. I also interviewed guys within the fire department there who seemed to indicate a more "North Jersey" preference, while hinting that their southern neighbors in Millstone were culturally different.

NOTE: Cops & Firefighters, though they wouldn't be filmed, were some of my best overall sources. No group had a better "pulse on the town" than them.

Cranbury students attend Princeton High School - thus linking Cranbury's destiny with Princeton.

Plainsboro, the northernmostof the 3 towns, has a new Village Center which is pretty much at the same latitude as Princeton's Train Station.

But as you can see by the last post, latitude is really a secondary thing. Plainsboro & Cranbury are culturally linked to Princeton and above all else, that's what matters here.

FINAL VERDICT: North Jersey

Finding the line: part II

We guarantee that this post will be more controversial than the last. But these are the counties that after exhausting research - pointed NORTH. These counties have more in common with North Jersey than South Jersey.

Now it must be said, that this is a debate mostly about Somerset and Middlesex counties, where most residents consider themselves as being from Central Jersey. However, if we are going by CULTURE first and geography second, then it must be understood that this is North Jersey.All of these counties have many things that bind them together.

#1 - Sports loyalties. No one can hide behind the Central label here. Someone from the south of the county, from even Cranbury or Skillman, roots for the same sports teams as someone from Mahwah, with very rare exceptions.

#2 - They watch the New York news. Even though some of the southern towns here get some Philly stations; they all get more New York channels.

#3 - It is closer to fly out of EWR than PHL in all of the above counties

#4 - The following are called a sub, Italian ice and sprinkles (not hoagie, water ice and jimmies)

#5 - All are within the New York metropolitan area and "The City" is NYC.

#6 - Somerset is north of Princeton (which is a big deal that I will talk about in my next post) and Middlesex is in the Gateway region as defined by the state of New Jersey.

#7 - The Newark Star Ledger is the biggest selling paper in all of these counties and has a special section for all.

Somerset & Middlesex Debatable:

#1 The towns of Rocky Hill, Montgomery, Plainsboro & Cranbury have a 609 area code and some of them are geographically closer to Philadelphia.

#2 It is Pork Roll (not Taylor Ham)

#3 The southern parts of these counties are below the Raritan River - which the Driscoll Bride spans.

But let's be clear on one thing. Most people in North Jersey cite the Driscoll Bridge as their biggest dividing line. Since that spans the Raritan River - we can use that as a dividing line and easily take out the northern parts of Middlesex and Somerset counties.

Now in the next post, I will explain why the southern parts of Middlesex and Somerset are still culturally North Jersey.

On NBC 40 this weekend . . . Zip Code Map

I will be taping an interview with author Jen A. Miller today in the Atlantic City Area on NBC 40.

Don't know when it will air, but they will show some of the first clips from our film on the broadcast . . . if you are in the area, check us out!

Also below is a requested "Zip Code map" . . . splitting NJ with zip codes that start with "08" and "07." It is a weird map and I don't know if it proves anything . . . especially since in Middlesex County, it cuts of the "07s" and makes most of Monmouth County "a 07 island" swimming in "08s".

Raritan River/ Driscoll Bridge Theory

A very popular dividing line theory in North Jersey (especially the immediate suburbs of New York) is that the Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway is the dividing line between North and South Jersey.

Named after former NJ governor, Alfred E. Driscoll, most Northern NJ/ New York vacationers to the Shore consider themselves, once they cross the bridge, which spans the Raritan River, to be "Down the Shore" and can "smell the ocean." Actually, as one person pointed out, they are still in Middlesex County, smelling the Raritan Bay. But it is brackish if not salty anyway, so I think their noses are justified.

Below is my line taking the end of the Raritan River and following it along its most western trajectory . . . the black is just me connecting where the river line would be if it formed at a similar parallel starting at the Delaware River. The map to the right is the Raritan River and its branches.