[ohioWfan]

And that would explain to those of us outside of New Jersey, why in the world it is called the GARDEN State.

You guys are ON to something here..........

[SuziQ]

And that would explain to those of us outside of New Jersey, why in the world it is called the GARDEN State.

Actually, when you get about 45 miles due west of NYC, it's really rather pretty. The western part of NJ is hilly and green, and there are areas south of the Raritan River and west of the Garden State Parkway, that are more rural, too. We used to live in Freehold Township, which is about halfway between Trenton and Asbury Park, and less than 10 minutes drive West of us were big farms, and East of us was Colt's Neck township which also has big spreads, some of which are owned by wealthy folks who work in NYC.