North Jersey Versus South Jersey

This writer starts off about the guy in south Jersey who recently put up a billboard that says the state is a rotten place to conduct business. But for most of the article he makes some interesting observations about the differences between south Jersey residents and north Jersey residents.

I think the most important difference between north and south Jersey is that north Jersey people are Giant fans and south Jersey people like the Eagles. Since the two teams play in the same division, there is also a rivalry. (Unlike between the Eagles and Jets.)

Question – What town or physical landmark on the Jersey Shore is the demarcation line between where south Jerseyans primarily go in the summer and where north Jerseyans go?

I would guess it is the area called the Great Bay, which is just south of Little Egg Harbor. Here is a map

Essentially any beaches that are south of LBI, but not actually on LBI is southern Jersey and Philly territory. All points north of LBI to Sandy Hook, including LBI is north Jersey and New York territory.

[In order to understand what I’m getting at, you first have to understand New Jersey. And in order to understand New Jersey, you have to understand that New Jersey doesn’t really exist. Oh, maybe in the technical, geographical sense it does. Mapmakers certainly recognize it. And it certainly has its own license plates. But actual New Jerseyans know “New Jersey” is a misnomer—an oversimplification, if you will. You see, there are actually two New Jerseys—North and South. I’m from North Jersey. And, yes, there’s a difference.

I was 18 before I met anyone from South Jersey. I swear it was like talking to a foreigner. Simply put, these people pronounce their words weird. Take bagels, for instance. They don’t call ‘em bagels in South Jersey. They call ‘em “beggles.” This blows my mind. What the hell is a beggle? Is that some kind of puppy? Why would I eat a puppy for breakfast? North Jerseyans know better. We call ‘em “bay gulls.” The word derives from Staten Island’s seagulls—literally, gulls by the bay.]

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