New Jersey Glossary: Volume 3, K to O

Kohr's: A chain of frozen custard stands at boardwalks, especially in New Jersey. In 1919, Swiss immigrant brothers Archie, Elton and Lester Kohr tried to sell ice cream on the boardwalk at Coney Island in Brooklyn, but the salt air made it melt too fast. They added eggs to the recipe, making it "frozen custard." It lasted longer, and it took off.

Their Coney Island stand is long gone, but there are now 14 locations in New Jersey alone, including 5 in Ocean City, 5 in The Wildwoods, in Point Pleasant Beach, Beach Haven, Stone Harbor and Cape May. There are 5 in Delaware: 3 in Rehoboth Beach, and 1 each in nearby Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island. There are 3 in Maryland, all in their Ocean City. And there are 6 in Virginia, 4 in Virginia Beach, and 2 far inland in Charlottesville.

Lakehurst Naval Air Station: See "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst."

Lakewood BlueClaws: A minor-league baseball team that plays at FirstEnergy Park, at the southwest corner of Cedar Bridge Road and New Hampshire Avenue in Lakewood, Ocean County. They play in the Class A South Atlantic League (a.k.a. the SAL or "Sally League"), and are a farm team of the Philadelphia Phillies, 71 miles to the southwest. Midtown Manhattan is almost the same distance, 69 miles to the northeast.
Beginning play in 2001, after having previously played in Fayetteville, North Carolina, they've won Pennants in 2006, 2009 and 2010. They've also won Division titles in 2016 and 2018. Because Lakewood and surrounding towns such as Brick, Toms River, Jackson and Howell have retirement communities nearby, a BlueClaws crowd skews older than New Jersey's other minor-league teams. You also find a lot more people singing the National Anthem. (Ironically, since some of them are elderly and in wheelchairs, you find fewer people standing for it.)

Parkway Exit 89.

LBI: See "Long Beach Island."

Ledger: Short for The Star-Ledger, the Statewide daily newspaper, published in Newark. But almost everybody calls it "The Ledger" for short. Like The Times of Trenton, the Jersey Journal of Jersey City, and the Staten Island Advance, it is owned by Advance Publications.
Liberty Science Center: See "Liberty State Park."

Liberty State Park: A park on New York Bay in Jersey City, which opened in 1976 in honor of America's Bicentennial. It stands behind the Statue of Liberty, which, while closer to New Jersey land than to New York land, and with her back turned toward New Jersey is, by law (fairly or otherwise), within the jurisdiction of the State of New York.

The park includes Liberty Walkway, which includes a bridge to Ellis Island and an overlook for the Statue. It also includes the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, which includes ferries to the Statue and Ellis Island; the Liberty Science Center, a science museum with an IMAX Dome theater;  and memorials to immigration, the 1916 Black Tom munitions depot explosion on the site, the Holocaust, and the 9/11 attacks.
Turnpike Exit 14B.

Lincoln Tunnel: See "New York, Crossings Into."

Linden: A City in Union County, home to 40,000 people, known for its Polish immigrant community and the Bayway Refinery, owned by the Phillips 66 energy company and operated by them since 1909. It looms over the Turnpike, and when people talk trash about New Jersey, the refinery is one of the things they think of.

Turnpike Exit 13, or Parkway Exit 136.

Long Beach Island: A sandbar in Ocean County, 18 miles long and half a mile wide. From north to south, the municipalities are Barnegat Light (home to the eponymous lighthouse), Long Beach (including the communities of High Bar Harbor and Loveladies), Harvey Cedars, more of Long Beach (known as North Beach), Surf City, Ship Bottom, more of Long Beach (including North Beach Haven), Beach Haven, and one more piece of Long Beach (Holgate).
You won't find Bennys or Guidos (see their entries) on LBI: You gotta be worth a few bucks to have property here. The permanent population is only about 20,000. It is easily susceptible to storms, having sustained damage in them in 1920, 1923, 1935, the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, and Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

The island is accessible from the mainland, over Manahawkin Bay, via Parkway Exit 63 to New Jersey Route 72. The Manahawkin Bay Bridge opened in 1957, and was renamed the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge in 2000. It has florescent lights, known as the String of Pearls. A new span opened in 2016, and the original span was replaced and opened for westbound traffic earlier this year, while the 2016 span serves eastbound traffic.
There is no New Jersey Transit service there, bus or rail. The 1935 storm wiped out the only railroad bridge, and it has never been replaced.

Long Island: Suburban area east of New York City, as New Jersey is to the west. As a cultural feature, Long Island includes only Nassau and Suffolk Counties. As a geographic feature, it also includes the New York City Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.

New Jersey and Long Island have many things in common. Some nice suburbs, but also some boring, nondescript commuter havens, and some nasty urban areas. Beaches and tourist-trap towns, but also nasty traffic to get there. Historic sites and malls. And a blue-collar rocker born in 1949: For us, Bruce Springsteen; for them, Billy Joel.

And a hockey team whose glories are fading further and further into memory: For us, the New Jersey Devils; for them, the New York Islanders. Still, both of us know that the Rangers suck.

Lucy the Elephant: A 65-foot-tall wooden structure designed to resemble an Indian elephant, in Margate, Atlantic County, south of Atlantic City. Built in 1881 as "Elephant Bazaar," it was nicknamed "Lucy" in 1902, even though it has tusks and female elephants do not. It had a restaurant, and the carriage on top allowed for views of Atlantic City and the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1970, it was moved 100 yards and got a badly-needed renovation. It was struck by lightning in 2006, and battered by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but survived both. Parkway Exit 37.

Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge: "Pennsylvania, Crossings Into."

Main Line: Not to be confused with communities in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, although also linked by a railroad, this is a line of New Jersey Transit commuter rail, using tracks and stations formerly part of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad and its successor, the Erie-Lackawanna Railway.

It starts in Hudson County, at the Hoboken Terminal, and also serves Secaucus Junction. It crosses into Bergen County and uses the Kingsland and Lyndhurst stations in Lyndhurst. It then crosses into Passaic County, and has stations at Delawanna in Clifton, Passaic, Clifton, Paterson and River Street in Paterson, and Hawthorne.

It then crosses back into Bergen County, and serves Glen Rock, Ridgewood, Ho-Ho-Kus, Waldwick, Allendale, Ramsey, Ramsey Route 17, and Mahway, before crossing into Rockland County, New York and terminating at Suffern.

Mall: The substitute for a downtown shopping district in some suburban New Jersey towns, including the town where I grew up, East Brunswick, which has the Brunswick Square Mall. If you live in a town with one, you say, "I'm going to the mall." If you live in a town without one, you say, "I'm going to (name of town with mall)" -- never the mall's actual name.

McGuire Air Force Base: See "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst."

Meadowlands, The: The large ecosystem of wetlands (previously known as "swamps") in Bergen and Hudson Counties, between the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers. Since 1976, the Borough of East Rutherford has been home to the Meadowlands Sports Complex, where the Turnpike and New Jersey Routes 3 and 120 come together. The Complex began with the Meadowlands Racetrack, which hosts thoroughbred horse racing during the Summer, and harness horse racing the rest of the year.
In 1976, Giants Stadium opened. It was home to the NFL's New York Giants from 1976 to 2009, the NFL's New York Jets from 1984 to 2009, the United States Football League's New Jersey Generals from 1983 to 1985, and select football games of Rutgers University from 1976 until 1995.
In soccer, it hosted the North American Soccer League's New York Cosmos from 1977 to 1984, Major League Soccer's New York/New Jersey MetroStars from 1996 to 2009 (the name was changed to the New York Red Bulls in 2006), a few U.S. national team games, and 7 games of the 1994 World Cup, including a Semifinal.

In 1981, an arena opened at the complex, known as the Brendan Byrne Arena until 1996, the Continental Airlines Arena until 2007, and the Izod Center ever since. It was home to the NBA's New Jersey Nets from 1981 to 2010, the NHL's New Jersey Devils from 1982 to 2007, and select basketball games of Seton Hall University from 1981 to 2007. It hosted the NCAA basketball Final Four in 1996.
In 2010, Giants Stadium was replaced with MetLife Stadium, built next-door. Ever since, it has been home to the Giants and the Jets, 1 Rutgers football game, and a few U.S. soccer games. It hosted Super Bowl XLVIII, won by the Seattle Seahawks over the Denver Broncos on February 2, 2014; and will almost certainly host some games of the 2026 World Cup, possibly including the Final. Turnpike Exit 16W, or Parkway Exit 153.
Meadowlands Rail Line: New Jersey Transit's newest line, it begins at Hoboken Terminal, goes to Secaucus Junction, where people can transfer after coming in from New York's Penn Station and Newark's Penn station, and then goes right to a station outside MetLife Stadium.

The biggest problem with the Sports Complex is that it was built only with cars in mind. The parking lot is huge, but badly-run, so that the Turnpike, Route 3 and the access roads get turned into virtual parking lots. Finally, on July 26, 2009, prior to the last season of Giants Stadium, and also the last season of the Nets at the Arena, the line opened.

And still, it doesn't work well. I was at the U.S.-Argentina soccer game on March 26, 2011, and while getting in was no problem, getting back was, especially trying to transfer back to the Northeast Corridor at Secaucus. Supposedly, the Line can handle 8,000 people per hour, but the stadium holds 82,000 people. Delays both inbound and outbound hurt spectators going to Super Bowl XLVIII. Just this past Spring, delays ruined things for fans of WrestleMania 35 and a concert by Korean vocal group BTS.

Menlo: Short for "Menlo Park Mall," this shopping center was built in Edison, Middlesex County, in 1959, as "Menlo Park Shopping Center." In 1967, it was fully enclosed, and renamed "Menlo Park Mall." The adjacent Menlo Park Twin Cinema was where I saw Star Wars in 1977.

In 1990-91, it was torn down and completely rebuilt, including a multiplex movie theater, a food court, and upscale stores. Turnpike Exit 10, or Parkway Exit 127.

Milford-Montague Toll Bridge: See "Pennsylvania, Crossings Into."

Monmouth Mall: See "Eatontown."

Montclair-Boonton Line: A New Jersey Transit rail line on former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western tracks, later Erie-Lackawanna tracks. It is one of the "Morris & Essex Lines."

It starts at Hoboken Terminal, and picks up transfers at Secaucus Junction. In Essex County, it stops at Broad Street in Newark, Watsessing Avenue and Bloomfield in Bloomfield, and Glen Ridge. In Montclair, Essex County, alone, it stops at Bay Street, Walnut Street, Watchung Avenue, Upper Montclair, Mountain Avenue and Montclair Heights.

In Passaic County, it stops at Montclair State University at Little Falls, Little Falls, Wayne-Route 23 and Mountain View-Wayne in Wayne, Lincoln Park, and Towaco in Montville. In Morris County, it stops at Boonton, Mountain Lakes, Denville, Dover, Mount Arlington, Lake Hopatcong in Roxbury, Netcong and Mount Olive; and terminates at Hackettstown in Warren County.

There has been talk of re-establishing the Erie-Lackawanna's Sussex Branch, dormant since 1966; and restoring the Lackawanna Cut-Off, which might restore service to Blairstown and the Delaware Water Gap, and to the Pennsylvania cities of Stroudsburg, Pocono Mountain and Scranton, service last used in 1979. So far, nothing has come of either.

Some of its trackage is shared by the...

Morristown Line: A New Jersey Transit rail line on former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western tracks, later Erie-Lackawanna tracks. It is one of the "Morris & Essex Lines."

It starts at Hoboken Terminal, and picks up transfers at Secaucus Junction. In Essex County, it stops at Broad Street in Newark, East Orange and Brick Church in East Orange, Orange and Highland Avenue in Orange, Mountain Station and South Orange in South Orange, Maplewood, Millburn and Short Hills.

In Union County, it has 1 stop, Summit. In Morris County, it stops at Chatham, Madison, Convent Station in Morris Township, Morristown, Morris Plains, Mount Tabor and Denville in Denville, Dover, Mount Arlington, Lake Hopatcong in Roxbury, Netcong and Mount Olive; and terminates at Hackettstown in Warren County.

Morven: See "Drumthwacket."

MVS: Motor Vehicle Services. Some people call it just "Motor Vehicles." Some still incorrectly use the old name, "The Division of Motor Vehicles," or the old initials, "The DMV." This is not to be confused with the Delmarva Peninsula: The State of Delaware, the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and Cape Charles in Virginia.

Newark: The State's largest city, on the Passaic River, settled by English Puritans in 1666, incorporated as a township in 1693, and re-incorporated as a city in 1836. It was named for Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the seat of Essex County, the home of the State's largest airport, the home of the NHL's New Jersey Devils, and the site of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Essex County College, and the law schools of both Rutgers and Seton Hall universities.
Its population peaked at around 475,000 in 1950, but "white flight," which really picked up after the Central Ward riot of 1967, dropped it to about 265,000 by 1990. Hispanic and Portuguese immigrants have brought it back up to about 282,000.

It is known as "Brick City" for the many brick-built housing projects. This led to a joke: "If ugliness were bricks, yo mama would be Newark!" Not to be confused with Brick Township, in Ocean County, named for its founder, Joseph Brick, and often incorrectly called "Brick Town" or "Bricktown."

Newark Airport: Officially, "Newark Metropolitan Airport" from 1928 to 1973, and "Newark International Airport" from 1973 to 2001, it was renamed "Newark Liberty International Airport" after the 9/11 attacks. Like New York City's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia International Airports, it is run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

In the 1950s, it advertised itself as "The Airport of the 1970s." In the 2010s, it could still advertise itself as such, not that it would want to.
On May 2, 1978, Match Game aired an episode with this clue: "When the airline pilot died, he ended up in Heaven, but his luggage ended up in (blank)." The contestant, and panelists Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, Arlene Francis and Richard Dawson all said "Hell" or some variation thereof. Panelist Patti Deutsch said, "Newark." I can only surmise that she'd been to Newark Airport often enough to make that answer make sense.

Newark Bears: See "Trenton Thunder."

Newark Eagles: See "Trenton Thunder."

Newark Light Rail: Formerly the Newark City Subway, and listed as NJT's Number 7 "bus," this line began in 1935 along the bed of the former Morris Canal. Regardless of how far the system is ridden, a one-zone fare of $1.60 is applied.

It starts underground at Newark's Penn Station (the station's tile signs read "PENNSYLVANIA," and continues underground to Military Park (formerly Broad Street, and the "BROAD" signs can still be seen), Washington Street and Warren Street.

It emerges into an open-cut system, stopping at Norfolk Street in the Central Ward, then comes to a street-level station at Orange Street, under Interstate 280. It then returns to open-cut, and hugs Branch Brook Park, stopping at Park Avenue, Bloomfield Avenue, Davenport Avenue, Heller Parkway and Branch Brook Park (formerly Franklin Avenue). In 2002, the Bloomfield Extension opened, with stops at Franklin Avenue, Silver Lake in Belleville and Grove Street in Bloomfield.

In 2001, the old streetcars, bought from Minneapolis in 1953, were replaced with the current version. In 2006, the Broad Street Extension opened, all within the City of Newark. Stations are Newark Penn Station, NJPAC/Center Street, Washington Park, Atlantic Street, Riverfront Stadium (although the stadium has now been demolished) and Newark Broad Street (linking with the Morris & Essex Lines).

Newark Style Hot Dog: See "Italian Hot Dog."

New Brunswick: A City of 56,000 people that serves as the seat of the following: Middlesex County, Rutgers University, and the Johnson & Johnson medical supply and pharmaceutical corporation. Through their partnerships, RU and J&J fund Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (now merged with St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston to form "RWJ-Barnabas"), the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), and the New Jersey Cancer Center.
New Brunswick is known as the Hub City, not because of the railroads that came together there, but because it was a "hub" of the Underground Railroad in the years before slavery was abolished. It became a haven for poor people, including black people thereafter, Hungarians in the early 20th Century, and Mexicans and Latin Americans in the late 20th Century and continuing as such today. The Hungarian community has been pretty much replaced by the Hispanic one -- with some irony, centered on a street named French Street.

Since 1975, the New Brunswick Development Corporation, or DEVCO, has collaborated with RU and J&J to remake an old city into a new one, tearing down much of the old construction and replacing it with office buildings and housing, for Rutgers students and commuters to New York alike. Turnpike Exit 9.

New Hope-Lambertville Bridge and New Hope-Lambertville Toll Bridge: "Pennsylvania, Crossings Into."

New Jersey 101.5: Pronounced "One-oh-one-point-five," this radio station, at 101.5 on the FM dial, is based in Ewing, adjacent to the State capital of Trenton. On March 1, 1990, the station adopted the call letters WKXW, and switched to talk radio in middays, and oldies on the weekend. They branded themselves as "Not New York! Not Philadelphia! Proud to be New Jersey! New Jersey 101.5!"
That switch came 4 months after Democratic Congressman Jim Florio was elected Governor in one of the biggest landslides in the office's history. Governor Florio soon announced that, after 8 years of Republican tax cuts, he was raising taxes.

This resulted in morning hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou, "The John and Ken Show," starting the State's "tax revolt," getting a bunch of whiny rich people to complain about having to pay for inner-city schools. Bumper stickers reading "DUMP FLORIO" and "FLORIO-FREE IN '93" began appearing all over the State, including in parts of the State far enough away that 101.5's signal didn't reach them.

Result? The Republicans won both houses of the State legislature in 1991, and Florio lost a close election in 1993, to Somerset County Freeholder Christine Todd Whitman, who ran on a promise to cut taxes 25 percent. She kept that promise, plunging the State into a budget crisis that proved just how stupid the tax revolt really was, and rendering 101.5 a joke. The revolt made it a phenomenon, but the reality of getting what they wanted made it an afterthought that no one takes seriously anymore, (John and Ken are still active, currently at KFI in Los Angeles.)

New Jersey Cardinals: See "Trenton Thunder."

New Jersey Devils: A team in the National Hockey League, playing their home games at the Prudential Center in downtown Newark. They are the only major league sports team with "New Jersey" in its name. The NFL's Giants and Jets, and MLS' Red Bulls, all play home games in New Jersey, but use "New York" as their geographic identifier. The Brooklyn Nets were the New Jersey Nets from 1977 to 2012, when they moved to Brooklyn.

The team began in 1974, as the Kansas City Scouts, but failed on the Plains. In 1976, they moved to Denver and became the Colorado Rockies (there is now a baseball team with that name), but failed in the Rocky Mountains, too. In 1982, they moved to the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands, and became the New Jersey Devils.

The team struggled badly the first few years, making the Playoffs for the 1st time in 1988, getting within 1 game of the Stanley Cup Finals, defeating the aging dynasty of the New York Islanders along the way. In 1992, they switched from their red and green uniforms to a more striking red and black, and, led by defenseman and Captain Scott Stevens and young goaltender Martin Brodeur, began a run of success.

Again in 1994, they came within 1 game of the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to their arch-rivals, the New York Rangers. (See "Rangers Suck.") In 1995, they won their 1st Stanley Cup, beating the nearby Philadelphia Flyers to get into the Finals, and then sweeping the Detroit Red Wings. They won Division titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999, then won another Cup in 2000, again beating the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Dallas Stars in the Cup Finals.

They reached the Cup Finals again in 2001, but blew a 3-2 lead and lost in Game 7 to the Colorado Avalanche. They won another Cup in 2003, defeating the Anaheim Ducks in the Finals. But a concussion ended Stevens' career the following season, and they've never been the same.

They moved into the Prudential Center in Newark (see its entry) in 2007, and beat the Rangers to reach the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Kings. Since then, however, they've made the Playoffs only once. Turnpike Exit 14, or Parkway Exit 142.

New Jersey Jackals: See "Trenton Thunder."

New Jersey Performing Arts Center: A theater built at the northern edge of downtown Newark in 1997, on the former site of the Military Park Hotel. NJPAC (pronounced "En jay pack") is New Jersey's "Lincoln Center." Turnpike Exit 14, or Parkway Exit 142.
New Jersey Transit: Founded in 1979, this State-owned company is the largest Statewide public transit system, and the 3rd-largest provider of public transit by ridership in America. Although it is much-laughed-at, and much-sworn-at, it is still one of the most extensive public transit systems.
The rail service, which began in 1983, is often problematic, especially when trying to get out of New York's Penn Station in the evening rush hour. But it's a lot better than the buses. You know you've tried to ride a NJT bus if you've called a cab because the bus is half an hour late, and you know the cab will still get there before the next bus is due -- and that's if the next bus is on time, which it won't be.
New Jersey Turnpike: See "Turnpike."

New York Black Yankees: Yes, a team with this name did play in the Negro Leagues, including from 1933 to 1945 at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey. The team folded in 1948. The 10,000-seat horseshoe, designed for Paterson's Eastside and Central (now John F. Kennedy) High Schools to play football, had a very short right field fence.

It would eventually fall into disrepair, due to the Paterson school district being perpetually broke. As one of the few remaining stadiums to host Negro League games, efforts are made to preserve it.

New York, Crossings Into: See separate entry.

New York Giants: See "Meadowlands."

New York Jets: See "Meadowlands."

Nicholson, Jack: Born John Joseph Nicholson on April 22, 1937 in Neptune, Monmouth County, Jack grew up in nearby Manasquan. He became known for playing "anti-heroes" like Jake Gittes in
Chinatown and Randle McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; and homicidal maniacs like Jack Torrance in The Shining and Charley Partanna in Prizzi's Honor, making him a natural to be chosen as the Joker in the 1989 version of Batman -- where he got top billing, over Michael Keaton, who was only playing the titular hero.

He's won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice, for Cuckoo's Nest and As Good As It Gets. His 12 nominations for the award is a record, and no Oscar ceremony is complete without a shot of him wearing a tuxedo, sunglasses (indoors), and that Joker grin.

In the 1992 film A Few Good Men, he played the villain opposite fellow New Jerseyan Tom Cruise. Which one is the Garden State's best actor? It's Jack: Tom, you can't handle the truth!

Northeast Corridor Line: The most important commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit, and also the most important line of Amtrak, running from Boston to Washington. This was formerly the Pennsylvania Railroad, and its logos can still be seen at Penn Station in Newark, carved into the concrete above the front entrance, and embossed on the benches in the main waiting room.

Amtrak delays sometimes hold NJT trains up, especially at Penn Station in New York. New Jersey-bound commuters are not happy about this.

The line begins at Pennsylvania (Penn) Station in New York, where transfers can be made to the Long Island Rail Road and the New York Subway. In Hudson County, it stops at Secaucus Junction, where transfers can be made to Hoboken Terminal and the "Morris & Essex Lines." It moves into Essex County, to the Newark version of Penn Station. Here, transfers can be made to the Raritan Valley Line. It then stops at Newark Airport.

In Union County, it stops at North Elizabeth and Elizabeth in Elizabeth, Linden, and Rahway. Until this point, it runs concurrently with the North Jersey Coast Line. Here is where they separate. In Middlesex County, it stops at Metropark, in the Iselin section of Woodbridge, right by the Township line with Edison; Metuchen; Edison; and New Brunswick and Jersey Avenue in New Brunswick. A station for North Brunswick has been approved, but construction has not yet started, and it probably won't be open until 2022 at the earliest.

In Mercer County, it stops at Princeton Junction in West Windsor, with a transfer to the Princeton Shuttle (a.k.a. "The Dinky") to Princeton; Hamilton; and the Trenton Transit Center, with transfers available to the River Line and SEPTA. Newark Penn, Newark Airport, Metropark, Princeton Junction and Trenton are also Amtrak stops. New Brunswick used to be.

Northampton Street Bridge: See "Pennsylvania, Crossings Into."

North Jersey: In terms of geography, the Counties of Sussex, Passaic, Bergen, Warren, Morris, Union, Essex and Hudson. In terms of population, Interstate 78 is a convenient divider, although that places parts of Hudson, Essex, Union and Warren in Central Jersey; and parts of Hunterdon and Somerset in North Jersey.

Other convenient, but hardly definitive, determinants are Area Codes and ZIP Codes. If your Area Code is 201 (which once covered the entire State), 551, 862, 908 or 973, and your ZIP Code begins with 07, chances are, you live in North Jersey.

People here root for the New York Tri-State Area sports teams: The Yankees more so than the Mets, the Giants more so than the Jets, the Devils more so than the Rangers, and the Red Bulls more so than New York City FC, in each case by about a 2-1 margin. In spite of the Nets' New Jersey tenure (1977-2012), the Knicks are overwhelmingly more popular, and Islanders fandom has faded tremendously since they stopped winning Stanley Cups in the mid-1980s. And, if you have to fly, chances are, you do so out of Newark Liberty International Airport.

North Jersey Coast Line: A New Jersey Transit commuter rail line, on track formerly used by the New York & Long Branch Railroad and the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Like the Northeast Corridor Line, it begins at Penn Station in New York, and stops in Hudson County at Secaucus Junction; in Essex County at the Newark version of Penn Station and Newark Airport; and in Union County at North Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Linden, and Rahway, where it separates from the NECL.

In Middlesex County, it stops at Avenel and Woodbridge in Woodbridge, and Perth Amboy, before crossing the Raritan River, and then in South Amboy. A station has been proposed for Laurence Harbor in Old Bridge, but has never gotten past the talking stage.

In Monmouth County, it stops at Aberdeen-Matawan in Aberdeen, Hazlet, Middletown, Red Bank and Little Silver, with limited service to Monmouth Park, the horse racing track in Oceanport, before continuing to Long Branch. On some weekday commuter runs, it continues on; but on others, and on weekends, passengers wishing to go further south (or north, as the case may be) must change trains there.

The line then goes to the Elberon station in Long Branch, Allenhurst, the Asbury Park Transportation Center, Bradley Beach, Belmar, Spring Lake and Manasquan. Finally, it crosses the Manasquan River into Ocean County, where it stops at Bay Head. There, a loop brings it back around, and starts the line at Bay Head and brings it back up.

As far as I can tell, this was always the line's southern limit, even in the NY & LB days. It never continued south, down the sandbar to Seaside Heights and environs.

Ocean City: Boardwalk town in Cape May County, on an island, connected to the mainland by New Jersey Route 52 (the Stainton Memorial Causeway) and Roosevelt Boulevard. A "dry" town, so not only can't you buy an alcoholic beverage there, you can't even be in possession of one.

This keeps the noise and crime levels down -- and makes it very different from Ocean City, Maryland. (OCNJ has nearly twice as many permanent residents, 12,000 to 7,000, but has only 1/3rd as many visitors on Summer weekends, 120,000 to 320,000.) Parkway Exits 25, 29 and 30.

Outerbridge Crossing: See "New York, Crossings Into."

Volume 4 follows.