1. The Statue of Liberty is actually inside of Jersey City, even though New York still has legal jurisdiction.
Source: Flickr user thebridge
2. Jersey City is often referred to as the best place to go to a diner in the world. This is true.
3. In the 1950s, rock ’n’ roll was banned in Jersey City by commissioner Lawrence Whipple. What a square.
4. Despite the stifling of this creative movement, Jersey City has a huge population of artists, resulting in The Atlantic ranking it the 10th most artistic city in America.
5. There is literally a palace that people can go watch movies and plays in, Loew’s Jersey Theatre.
6. And it’s topped with a man slaying a dragon.
Source: Flickr user saebaryo
7. While roughly 30 percent of New Jersey residents speak a language other than english at home, over 50 percent of those in Jersey City do.
8. Almost 41 percent of Jersey City households do not have an automobile, making it the second lowest car per household ratio in american cities of a similar size.
9. Best-known for his lead role in the hit film Kazaam (just kiddin’), Shaquille O’neal grew up in Jersey City, splitting time between there and Newark.
Source: Flickr user bob bekian
10. Famous poet, Wallace Stevens, described Jersey City as a city in which “the deer and the dachshund are one.” Um, Ok... interpret that as you may.
11. Though originally from Hoboken, Frank Sinatra lived in Jersey City during the start of his career while married to his first wife.
12. Robert “kool” Bell, founder of Kool & the Gang grew up in Jersey City. Their famous song “Celebration” is still played at every single wedding you will ever go to in your life. In. Your. Life.
Source: Flickr user simononly
13. Hip hop artist, Akon spent his high school years in Jersey City before making it big. He was the first artist ever to hold the top two positions on Billboard’s Top 100 at the same time, twice in his career.
14. We’re just scratching the surface of Jersey City’s famous alumni, it has also been the hometown of: comic Patrice O’Neal, actor Michelle Rodriguez, home economics mogul Martha Stewart, and Howard Stern personality Beetlejuice.
15. Jersey City was also the filming location for “Snooki & JWoww,” a spinoff of “The Jersey Shore.”
Source: mtvpress.com
16. Jersey City has it’s share of spooky residents too. At night at St. Joseph’s Church urban legend holds that you can see two eyes in the tower, aka “Cat’s Eyes of St. Joseph.” There is also the Lady in White at the New Jersey Terminal and the haunting of Bergen Tunnel, aka Dead Man’s Tunnel.
17. There is a tiny mysterious castle in Liberty State Park. As it turns out it was created by sculptor Charles Simonds as part of his “Left Turns” project.
18. Zeppelin Hall Biergarten and Restaurant in Jersey City has 144 beer taps and enough seating for 800 people.
19. Featured prominently on the Jersey shoreline, the neon red colgate clock in Jersey City is the fourth largest clock in the world with a diameter of 15.24 meters.
Source: Flickr user snipe106
21. Jersey City is the second most populous city in New Jersey, after newark, with roughly 250,000 people
22. Jersey City is also one of the most racially diverse cities in the world with non-hispanic white, hispanic/latino, african american, and asian populations making up close to 25 percent of the total population each.
23. Jersey City is very international, with 12 sister cities spread around the globe, including Cusco, Peru and Jerusalem.
24. The Liberty Science Center is home to the nation’s largest Imax dome theatre. So if you’re going to subject yourself to the latest Transformers movie, this is the place to do it.
Source: Flickr user edenpictures
25. Some people claim the best view of Lower Manhattan is from Jersey City, as it gives an unobstructed view across Hudson River.
26. Jersey City has one of the nation’s most vibrant downtown districts, coming in at the 12th largest.
27. Jersey City is the oldest town in New Jersey, developing around Bergen Square in 1660.
28. Over 10 million immigrants can claim that Communipaw Terminal in Liberty State Park was their first stop in the United States.
Source: Flickr user oldschoolsolo
29. One of four underground railroad routes led to Jersey City.
30. Jersey City had the first permanent drinking water disinfection system, installed in 1908.
31. Jersey City is part of the East Coast Greenway Trail, meaning it will soon be connected to the Florida Keys by a single unbroken bike route. That’s a lot of peddling.
Source: Flickr user richard masoner / cyclelicious
32. 82 percent of Jersey Citians voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 election against John Mccain, making Jersey City one of Obama’s most decisive victories.
33. Jersey City is home to one of the nation’s best high schools, Dr. Ronald E. Mcnair Academic High School, ranking first of 322 in the state and 15th nationwide.
34. Jersey City is home to WFMU the longest running freeform radio station in the U.S.
35. Jersey City was home to four different recipients of the medal of honor during the vietnam war.
36. Jersey City is home to the first ever skyway highway, Pulaski Skyway.
Source: Flickr user hydropeek
37. Jersey City had the first medical center in America.
38. The first graphite pencils ever found a home in Jersey City when Joseph Dixon built Dixon Mills downtown in 1847, producing up to 86,000 pencils a day.
39. Jersey City has an extremely dense population, with almost 17,000 people per square mile.
40. The area in Jersey City known as “The Heights” is home to some of the country’s most well preserved victorian mansions.
41. While Jersey City sits in the shadows of New York’s skyline, it’s own Goldman Sachs building stands at 238 meters, making it one of the top 200 tallest in the world.
Source: Flickr user a. strakey
42. Jersey City is often referred to as the “sixth borough” of New York due to it’s close proximity and number of commuters.
43. The Hudson Tubes offered the first alternative to ferry travel between Jersey City and new york in 1911, transporting passengers to Manhattan by train underneath the Hudson River.
44. It wasn’t until 1927 when the Holland Tunnel was built that people could drive themselves underneath the Hudson and into New York.
45. St. Peter’s University is the only Division One university to have a peacock as their mascot.
Source: Flickr user kristine 233
46. While men’s teams at St. Peter’s University use the term peacock, women’s teams are known as the peahens.
47. The Newkirk House in Jersey City was built in 1690 and is one of the oldest houses in the united states.
48. Jersey City is home to the largest population of Egyptian Copts in the country.
49. Jersey City is home to Rustique Pizza, home of a great pie at a low cost, that rivals the best of N.Y.
Source: Flickr user thehungrydudes
50. Jersey City employs an “urban enterprise zone” to encourage the growth of certain areas. in these zones spread throughout the city, sales tax is half of the statewide 7 percent.
51. Jersey City is a great place to find the mysterious meat, Taylor Ham, specifically at Wonder Bagels. Out-of-towners usually compare it to spam, bologna, or canadian bacon, but the real thing from New Jersey and it’s delicious.
52. Jersey City residents spend a lot of time commuting, on average 35 minutes one way. to put it in perspective, los angeles residents, in one of the most congested traffic systems in the nation, spend around 32 minutes.
Source: Flickr user joiseyshowaa
53. Even though Jersey City is only separated from New York by a little bit of water, it truly is one of a kind. The level of diverse cultures that have been present throughout it’s history have allowed Jersey City to blossom into the unique part of the “Garden State” that it is today.
