The Jersey History You Probably Never Heard

Before there were diners, shore houses, traffic on the Turnpike and the eternal debate over whether Central Jersey actually exists, there was... New Jersey.

And believe it or not, the story starts with a pretty interesting real estate deal.

When Europeans arrived in the 1600s, the land we now call New Jersey was home to the Lenape and other Indigenous peoples. The Dutch established settlements in the region, but in 1664, the English took control.

King Charles II granted the territory to his brother, the Duke of York, who then divided part of it between two men: Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret.

That's right. One of the men responsible for the creation of New Jersey was Carteret. 

Name origin come from Sir George Carteret, so there you go.... (if you know that reference reply back to this email lol) 

And here's where the name gets interesting.

George Carteret was born on the Isle of Jersey, an island in the English Channel. During the English Civil War, he famously defended the island for the Crown. When he was given the territory that would become part of New Jersey, the land was named New Jersey in honor of his beloved island home.

So the name "New Jersey" isn't random at all. It's essentially New Jersey, named for Jersey.

Carteret's name also lives on right here in our state. The borough of Carteret was named after George Carteret, giving a modern-day New Jersey town a direct connection to the man who helped shape the colony's earliest history.

The original colony was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey, and settlers were encouraged to come by offering favorable terms for land ownership.

In other words, New Jersey's history begins with land, ownership and development.

Sound familiar?

Fast-forward to 1776, and New Jersey found itself directly in the middle of the American Revolution. The state was home to major battles, including Trenton and Princeton, and its central location made it strategically important.

Then, on December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

And perhaps the most interesting part of the story, especially for anyone interested in real estate, is that New Jersey's location has always been one of its greatest assets.

We're positioned between New York and Philadelphia, with access to the Atlantic Ocean, major rivers, ports and transportation routes. Over time, those advantages helped turn New Jersey into the densely populated, highly developed state we know today.

From colonial land grants to industrial cities, suburban neighborhoods and million-dollar homes, the value of New Jersey real estate has always been tied to one thing:



Location, location, location.

So the next time you're sitting in traffic on the Turnpike, driving through Carteret, or arguing about which part of Jersey is the best, remember that you're traveling through a state whose story began more than 350 years ago with land, politics, a guy named Carteret and an island across the Atlantic.

Pretty Jersey, if you ask me.

Did you know any of this? What's a Jersey fun fact you want to share?!