Sure, the Garden State has a lot to offer, but at what quality? The beaches, mountains, cities, food and community are all great things, but there’s simply better elsewhere.
We’re not saying the state is horrible; it’s definitely manageable, but the New Jersey pride might be a little overkill…or a lot.
Each semester we solemnly pack our bags for the coming months, and each semester, we endure the mediocre New Jersey life.
Nature
Minuscule mountains, ordinary forests and flat beaches make up the New Jersey landscape. Sure, it’s diverse, but it’s largely unremarkable—and much better can be found elsewhere.
This is all made worse when winter weather sucks out the little bit of life the state offers. Snow-covered ground, bare trees and abandoned beaches become reality for half of the year.
Simple nature walks that heal the soul are not a reality in New Jersey. In southern Appalachia and Hawaii, where we call home, stepping outside feels straight out of a postcard.
The mountains in the state are a far cry from the biodiverse peaks found elsewhere in the country. Even on the East Coast, southern Appalachia offers far more species, diversity and elevation in both North Carolina and Tennessee, making for a truer mountain experience. Plus you get the southern food, culture and traditions while you are there.
Similarly, New Jersey beaches are a far cry from paradise. They might be fun for a party, but the beach quality itself? Nothing compared to Hawaii or Florida.
Picture-perfect beaches, endless rolling hills, space to roam and fresh air to breathe are missing from the state—and it sucks.
Architecture
The lack of wow factor in nature is one thing—for places to be extraordinary, some have to be ordinary, and that’s nobody’s fault.
But brick buildings and cookie-cutter houses mixed with rundown, unwelcoming buildings and overly modern complexes and high-rises? Neither is particularly appealing to us.
In the eastern portion of the state, houses and towns seem to topple over one another, making it not only difficult to distinguish what town you are in, but also whose yard you are standing in—if you even have a real one.
The dense layout congests daily life and takes away from the feeling of freedom and peace that accompanies more open and aesthetically pleasing states.
Accessibility
On top of the run-down buildings, traveling between them is no easy feat.
The sheer number of major roadways makes New Jersey difficult to navigate on foot.
And while NJ Transit offers bus and rail options, delays often feel more reliable than the estimated arrival times, which is helpful to no one.
Driving is the most reliable option, but only if you don’t mind risking a crash in the ever-so-aggressive New Jersey traffic, paying countless tolls for a short commute and praying the pothole-filled side roads don’t blow a tire.
Take away the responsibility of owning a car, and the next option is rideshare services, where you can expect to pay around $30 for a 15-minute trip, not accounting for rush-hour prices.
Don’t even get us started on the airport, where flight delays can be so unpredictable that, after spending $400 on a plane ticket and enduring a 10-hour delay, you might as well have driven.
Affordability
Everything comes at a hefty price. At least in the part of New Jersey we’re in, they seem to have forgotten that some people aren’t rich.
Getting there is one financial strain, but the money spent once you’re there is a whole other one. In the Garden State, everything costs an arm and a leg.
As college students, balancing needs and wants is always an issue, but New Jersey prices sort it all out for you—we are not grateful.
Grocery shopping is cheapest at Whole Foods and Target—places known back home as the “rich” places to shop.
This leaves hardly any money for doing anything fun. Weekend movie dates, mall trips, thrifting, Halloween celebrations and sweet treats—things you do in college to unwind from a stressful week—become unaffordable after simply buying the basics.
Culture
Jersey pride is real…and overhyped.
To be frank, we can’t find what there is to be proud of.
To us, there’s nothing attractive about the normalized rude interactions and rushed lifestyles that New Jerseyans seem to love.
Simple manners are not valued in New Jersey, which is baffling coming from any other part of the country—or the world.
But something the state’s residents seem to love even more than their impolite ways? The faux New York City and Philadelphia personas everyone seems to have.
Really, how can a New Jersey native claim a New York sports team? The amount of superficial, bandwagon Knicks reposts we saw this summer was insane.
On top of that, New Jersey is so overshadowed by New York that they couldn’t even have their own football team to play at Metlife Stadium—the New York Jets and Giants play there.
But sports isn’t the only thing neighboring states have over New Jersey. The cities have better restaurants, nightlife, activities and just a better quality of life.
We don’t blame people for leeching off nearby states because we do it too when we’re up here for college. Think about it, when someone asks where you go to school, how many times have you added, “Right outside of New York City”?
But that is exactly our point—New Jersey isn’t even as good as the states it neighbors, and is even worse in comparison to the rest of the country.
Lakyn Austin is the managing editor of The Setonian. She can be reached at lakyn.austin@student.shu.edu.
Solomon Lee is the advertising manager of The Setonian. He can be reached at solomon.lee@student.shu.edu.
