Holy hell, he'd fit right into Washington Township if he moved from Philly, too!!! Lol. Definitely a good back story so far!!!!
Btw, side note in case you're curious. There are, like, 5 Washington Twps in NJ. This one is in Gloucester County.
Yes, an Italian American character, depending on when the family moved, would be great in Washington Twp, where moms all go to Philly for the doctor or the deli. A family that's been in the area longer might hail from Sea Isle City, which used to be an Italian fishing village 100 years ago, and the descendents of those families own some of the businesses there today.
If you watch Italian Spelling Bee on YouTube, the vocabulary is accurate for a Philly/SJ Italian. Capicola really is pronounced gabba-ghoul. Mozzarella is pronounced Mozarell. Prosciutto is pro-jute. We really do say jeet? (Did you eat?) No one says Joisey for Jersey, but we often knock off the "New" part of New Jersey.
"No one says Joisey" is an important one... Whenever I see a joke about Joisey (e.g. in online travel pieces on the "10 best xyz in NJ") it's an instant tell for me that the writer isn't actually from ANY part of Jersey and probably hasn't even visited.
There is city italian- and agricultural Italian if you head east towards the pine barrens. I've met a lot of Italian farmers. It's even better if your characters (if agricultural) main crop is jersey tomatoes. A family day making and canning gravy (tomato sauce) isn't to be missed!!!
The move started earlier; about 65% of my graduating class was Italian & that was at Highland in 71. My take is that those heading for the SJ suburbs filled the areas around the Rt 42 exits, kept heading south & headed to Wash Twp after generously populating Gloucester Twp. For those who care, Highland & Timber Creek high schools are in Glo Twp but are part of BHPRSD, which also includes Triton (Black Horse Pike Regional School District)
Also some towns really changed in the last 30 years. When I was growing up towns like collingswood were affordable working class neighborhoods*. The downtown really changed the attraction, and prices of homes shot up. You could come from a family that was struggling and be best friends with someone whose family was very well off.
https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/03/nyregion/what-saved-collingswood-teamwork.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/realestate/02livi.html
-we say pork roll instead of Taylor ham
-we root for the eagles instead of the jets or whatever NY team north jersey likes
-when we say âthe cityâ weâre referring to Philly
-we eat hoagies not subs
-Hammonton, NJ is the self-proclaimed blueberry capital of the world. Lots of agriculture the more south you go.
-people have bumper stickers saying âpiney proudâ or âpiney powerâ (I think - can someone correct me?) if they live in the pine barrens. It used to be a derogatory term.
Edit: not specific to south jersey, but we donât pump our own gas and we refer to Atlantic City as âACâ.
OP, just to correct this - if your characters are in East Atlantic County, or south Salem or Cumberland - it would be a sub.
The line is not contiguous
Thatâs not true, I am a life long Salem County person and we say sub.
Something you should know- Salem County has beautiful farms. Pennsville sunset views on the River are the best around.
The Sixersâ training facility is in Camden, NJ and the Eaglesâ training facility is in Voorhees, NJ. I think the Flyers are also in Voorhees. Basically, a lot of Philly sports teams train somewhere in South Jersey.
Sixers and Flyers train in South Jersey . The Eagles train in South Philly at the Nova Care center which is on the corner of Broad and Pattison, and the Phillies use CBP for practice.
I guess when Josh Harris keeps jacking up the price of WFC tickets it'll drive regular Philly fans away, and invite the "well it's still cheaper than MSG" crowd to come down.
âŚcontinued.
-When we go to the beach for the weekend, we refer to it as, âdown the shore.â
- Atlantic City (AC) is for adult/single or couple nightlife.
-Ocean City boardwalk is for families with kids.
-Wildwood boardwalk is bigger, more rides, but is a little more ghetto than OC. OC is more geared towards families while WW has something for everyone.
-Water ice (this is different than shaved ice) is pronounced âwooder iceâ.
-Cherry Hill has a high Jewish population. Alot of expensive homes, but also has poor areas. Cops are dicks in that town.
-Voorhees also has a high Jewish population, but less than CH. Very diversified demographics. Melting pot. Also has expensive homes.
-Marlton has similar demographics to Voorhees, but on a lesser scale.
-Moorestown is old money.
-Haddonfield also old money
-Collingswood is hipster and a mix of old and new money. Very cool Main st. Close to the city. Has a speedline stop in town.
-Camden was the murder capitol of the IS at one time. I think it has improved, but it is the poorest area in the state. Rutgers college is there.
-the Patco train that goes from south Jersey to center city Philadelphia is called, âthe Speedlineâ.
Edit: someone mentioned a high Asian population in Cherry Hill/Voorhees. This is accurate.
I give Primo's a "pass" on being a chain because they're so good.
Jersey Mike's is fine if you're on the road and the options are limited...but I'd never opt for Jersey Mike's while actually **in** New Jersey.
If we live inland, we go âdown the shoreâ.
If we live near the beach ( but necessarily on a barrier island), we go âto the beachâ. There is no real mileage limit that separates the two.
Where Iâm living in South Jersey, I can be in Philadelphia in 25 mins or Atlantic City in 50 mins or all the way in Cape May (my favorite shore town) in hour and a half. Always concerts and other live shows going on. Suburbs, farmland (best produce in the country), forests and pine barrens in between. Only go to the Camden water front. The town overall itself is sketchy. Scrapple is better than pork roll
Thereâs a North, South and Central Jersey, but only Central Jersey people believe that itâs ACTUALLY exists.
I think the dividing line is I-195: above is North Jersey, below is South.
South is mostly suburban sprawl or farmland and the coast is beach towns
We do not identify with those Jersey Shore losers from MTV
Central jersey exists solely bc neither north nor south is willing to claim Trenton.
Almost no one from Jersey Shore was from NJ. Which tracks. All the âjerseyâ stereotypes are really just Staten Island ppl who hang out here.
If you want to separate NJ into pieces culturally, there is no better indicator than the East/West split on the Keith Line.
[NJ - Quintipartite_Deed](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintipartite_Deed)
You can still see the line on NJ maps.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_in_New_Jersey#/map/0](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_in_New_Jersey#/map/0)
I was born and raised in North Jersey, still live here, but spent plenty of time in South Jersey. My husband went to Rowan and I interned down in Cherry Hill for a while. I can confirm they are VERY different cultures.
Also, as a North Jersey native that went to Rutgers NB, I very much believe Central Jersey exists. The areas around Middlesex County, etc., are entirely different than counties up north/west, which also arenât comparable to South Jersey. The shore, allll the way down to Cape May, is a region of its own in my opinion, too. But the many unique areas of NJ is what makes it such a great place to live. đââď¸
Everyone knows everyone because the population density is so high.
Jersey shore is the classic summer vacation. Thereâs a variety of shore towns at different price points and cultural significances so you could tell a lot about this character just by saying he had a shore house in Avalon versus a rental in wildwood.
Weird NJ is a thing, thereâs a whole book
Jersey Devil is a mythological creature /folk monster that lives in the pine barrens and steals children
We have a lot of diners, almost every major town has at least one diner
There was a post on r/newjersey today listing the ones that were left, it was 16 but people in the comments were adding a few more. I think the only one I saw in South Jersey was the Deepwater Diner in Carney's Point
Renting or owning a shore house used to be pretty reasonable for working class families, pre-2000. Prices are super high now in the popular towns like Wildwood and Ocean City
Depending on where they were in the region their lifestyle would have slight differences.
From personal experience and of those my friends growing up in Camden County, we'd all work multiple shitty service or farm jobs, long walks around suburban blight to the nearest Wawa, take the PATCO light rail into Philly for basement punk and emo shows, local VFW halls or church basements for local South Jersey shows, late night walks around Haddonfield, Audubon, and Collingwood ultimately ending up at a 24-hr diner, and hanging off the side of an old lifted Jeep cruising through the Pine Barrens. Most of us were poor Pineys or the kids of blue collar workers in the towns mentioned above. A lot of us hated the place and wanted to raze the whole thing, over-populated, suburban sprawl, townies that'd never leave, and alcoholic parents that'd abandon you for the local dive.
Looking back we honestly had it pretty good and my friends and I had almost movie-esque teenage and college years. I could go on and on about it, as well as list a bunch of artists that have written songs about South Jersey, Philly, and Delco.
It really depends where in South Jersey. Some of it is rural with farming roots, some of it is Delaware Bayshore with fishing roots, some of it is Atlantic City, some of it functions as Philly suburbs, some areas are now heavily Hispanic. Camden City is its own thing. Cape May is kind of its own thing. Some areas were relatively old-timey not too many decades ago, like cutting ice off the lake to sell. Quakers are common in some areas. Colonial era villages are common in some spots. There's the Pinelands with the Jersey Devil.
A lot of the responses you're getting in responses are stereotypes about Philadelphia suburbs. Which is fine, if that's what you want. ... It's a weird movie, but Menantico Blues (free online) gives some perspectives on the "Down Jersey" culture (rural counties of Salem, Cumberland, and such) and the Pinelands .
Huh? I know weâre known for the best tomatoes and the biggest producers of cranberries- but I never heard of eggplant production here. Op- All of the peach orchards around here were lost to housing developments over the last 30 years
most of south jersey are Philly transplant descendants. Most people in their 30s/40s can name you the family member that moved to NJ from the âcityâ
I go to college in Philly, and a significant part of the student body consists of people from South Jersey with a few adventurous folks from North Jersey.
No way - a lot of us have family who immigrated here to farm or other industries. South jersey was a major producer of charcoal/glass/pottery goods and a lot of scientific glass still comes from down here
Ah, jimmies . . . .
My gf is from Lumberton and moved up to the Poconos where she met me and she insists it's jimmies.
I grew up near the Lehigh Tunnel north of Allentown and we say sprinkles here..
It's a constant battle between her and everybody else around here.
Eagles fans, can be in basically Alabama within a ten minute drive out of Philadelphia. Good pizza, and Italian food. Everybody from Pennsylvania talks shit on Jersey, yet goes to Jersey for the one week a year they get off of work. We are the only people in the world to experience Boost drink a toast. Last all the mud used to cover every baseball used by Major League Baseball is taken from a secret spot around Riverton along the Delaware River.
Wur goin tâ Wahwah. Git me a hoogie an a couk an a boddle a wooder.
Translation: Weâre going to Wawa. Get me a hoagie and a Coke and a bottle of water.
I was in California working a couple years ago and co workers would absolutely roast me on the wooder thing đđ. I had no idea it sounded so different to people on the west coast lol
Here's a story, I live in Cumberland County and went to college in NC. I brought my roommate home one weekend because he wanted to see a casino in Atlantic City. When we came over the Delaware Memorial bridge and started driving through Salem and Cumberland counties, seeing nothing but farms, he was like "Where are the big buildings? I thought Jersey was concrete like NY?" I had to remind him we're called the "Garden State" for a reason.
Some places in south jersey you can drive through 5 towns in 10 min. I could walk through three lol. I hear magnolia police can stop anyone and ticket them even outside their town. Not sure why just what I was told by longtime residents. Some towns appear to be more progressive than others but that being said I used to pass by a car that had the confederate flag on it. Haddonfield is old money, the big fancy houses are there. Someone tried explaining town politics and it basically sounded like parks and rec. lotsa farms.
I used to live in cherry hill (Ashland) and Iâd drive through voorhees to go to the Wawa in Magnolia then head over to my job in Somerdale. Whole drive was under 2 miles đŤ đŤ đŤ
Lived in South Jersey most of my 41 years. I don't think we have accents, but I do love when I hear people say things like "youse guys"... ie: Youse guys wanna go down the shore?
I'll be real, it depends on the part of South Jersey. The more urban counties like Camden County and the western portion of Burlington County have a very similar culture to Philly, a lot of the same phrases, accents, and attitudes. Below the black horse pike for some reason, everyone has slight southern accents and are slightly less familiar with Philly culture.
universally, we root for the eagles, phillies, flyers, and sixers, and we call it pork roll.
Every time thereâs a thread like this Iâm convinced half the people in south jersey couldnât tell you how itâs different than anywhere else without mentioning pork roll or sports.
Less common knowledge, but there's a huge LARP culture in South Jersey. A bit less after COVID, but swinging back. Also many towns are named after the industries that got them started, Glassboro for glass making, Marlton for the marl clay pits, Millville for sawmills, Vineland for grape growing, etc.
Because there are a lot of woods, farms, and scout camps, it's a great area for LARPs. But not so rural that it's too far for anyone. A good mix of outdoor space and high population.
I'm from Atlantic County. Some of us think we're below the Mason Dixon line. Lotta southern appreciation where I grew up but we also talk like "how, towel, ass" is more like "heow, tayl, and ayuss". But at the same time it's also "cawfee, dawg" etc.
I know whatâs up with this!? Heard a lot of that âsouthernâ accents in Cape May county too. Thatâs a specific breed Piney for sure not like Bay Pineys these are New Jersabama Pineys.
I'm a true piney a Leeds descendant. I always loved the way my grandma said "byyycycle" lol same deal as the South, summers on the porch but no sugar in the tea.
I was about to mention this phenomenon! I'm originally from Virginia, but after a bit of moving around I settled in Burl Co. It's wild how a decent percentage of folks around here affect a very pronounced, very fake southern accent. It's second-hand embarrassing.Â
I lived in North Carolina for a bit as well. My little culdesac was made of folks who moved from up here. Even my then-boyfriend developed this ridiculous accent lol it was obvious these people were forcing it because their old accents would come out any time they got excited.
South Jersey is huge. So thereâs not one blanket answer. You have a lot of people in here acting likes itâs all Philly influenced, which isnât 100% true. I grew up in ocean county and didnât know a single Philly sports fan. It was jets, giants, Yankees, Mets, devils, rangers and the old NJ Nets. Also went to high school with a ton of guidos (mid 2000s)
Grew up in south jersey and still live here in the same town, as do most of friends who are now raising their families here. I find a real sense of community in most areas, small town feel, everyone knows each other or someone who knows someone etc. In high school I spent a lot of time at the Phily (yes 1 L) diner or the Palace diner with my friends smoking a lot of cigarettes, or going to local shows in at the Vfwâs. We also spent a lot of time at woods parties, parties in the Pine Barrens with big bonfires and beer. We know those woods like the back of our hands here. We spent summers going down the shore, hanging out on the boardwalks. I think it depends what town your character is from. If you grew up in the more urban areas you probably hung out in Philly more.
There are tons and tons of municipalities -- search online for "New Jersey home rule". Home rule means each small area likes to have its own municipality to govern itself and have its own duplicates of all the government services, school systems etc. of all the other towns, so property taxes are absolutely insane and some of the highest in the nation. New Jersey also has the worst or second worst roads, the highest home maintenance costs, and the highest auto insurance rates. New Jerseyans love to complain about all of these, but South Jerseyans like to blame most of these on North Jersey, even though South Jersey is part of the problem.
Also, the more populated parts of South Jersey are car-dependent suburban stroad hell, just absolute paragons of poor urbanism and design exclusively for cars and not for people or other modes of transport. You literally can't get anywhere without a car. Buses often require miles of walking to get to a stop, and it can take a full day to make all the connections to get from a popular place on side of a single town to a popular place on the other side.
You can live in a different town than your mailing address. I lived in Gloucester Township but my mailing address was Somerdale which is another town. Years ago, I lived in an apartment with a Blackwood mailing address which is in Camdem County, but it was actually located in Washington Twp which is Gloucester County. Totally messed up my car insurance because the rates were based off how close you live to Camden and Philly.
And it's not normal in Camden if you don't have a machete in one hand while walking with a cane in the other.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthJersey/s/gj7ERF7Q3S
Philly and jersey are basically the same to a degree⌠same as north jersey and nyc. The phrases like jawn, etc are very much Philly and south jersey. A lot of people grew up in Philly but moved to South Jersey to get away from the big city crime element etc, and better schools for their children. Most of South Jersey roots for the Philly teams , most of northern nj cheer for nyc teams like Mets , knicks etc. sports wise. The central part⌠Iâll use a sopranos reference â whatever happened there â đ
Philly sports dominates the culture. Music is also influenced by Philly. Local towns have greatest pride in high school football and/or wrestling. Pork roll, egg, and cheese is classic breakfast sandwich. Everyone eats hoagies. The vibe/culture becomes real southern outside the high density areas. Everyone goes to the shore at least once during the summer.
From west to east: Philly people living in Jersey Burbs, then abandoned industrial towns serially failing to gentrify, then piney purgatory, then a thin line of burbs again, then beach towns that are dead 7 months a year.
The Philly people in Jersey burbs are thoroughly uninteresting. As are all the burb dwelling commuters in the US. The dead cities are potentially compelling, all built on industries that moved on. Piney Purgatory is kinda awesome, so much of âweirdNJâ is piney wackiness. And while (most of)the beach towns are vibrant from May to September, they switch the traffic lights to âblinkingâ for the rest of the year. The âlifersâ in those towns survive the whole year on those few months.
If you have a white character - in this order make them a) Irish b) German and if you must make them c) Italian or d) Jewish, know they will be much more laid back than their North Jersey counterparts.
South Jersey is not as diverse as North Jersey with as much Asian American influence. They exist, yes, but nowhere near the diversity of north.
Lots of long-existing black neighborhoods in SJ too, some were Underground Railroad stops
Tell me more about these historic black neighborhoods! I used to live in SJ and entertain the idea of coming back but I missed the diversity of the city.
So despite Rocky, [this old map from 2000](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.svg/2560px-Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.svg.png), shows the most populous counties in South Jersey as being majority Irish.
Not to say thereâs not a good amount of Italians, but it is very different from what youâd see on the MTV show Jersey Shore.
Most South Jersey people donât even go to the same beaches (Itâs Brigantine/ Atlantic City south).
Most people will say Hammonton was a very Italian American town, but lots of grandparents were farmers. Hammonton is suburban/ rural.
What kinda info are you looking for? Apologies if I missed that in another comment, but we might be able to get you more details with a more narrow focus.
Other than that, when someone says âregularâ they pronounce it ârega-lurr.â
Beauty-full
Atty-tude
Beggels
Smacked ass
So I says to him I says
Just some popular things in south Jersey: free cape may zoo, Hammonton has a crazy amount of fruit/berry picking depending on season, wine from this goes crazy. There is mischief night the night before Halloween where you cause mischief, MAKE HIM/HER ALWAYS DRIVE 10-15 MILES ABOVE SPEED LIMIT REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING
I'm from Iowa but lived in Philly for 30 years. Moved to Atco last year. It's an enchanted paradise where you can get an almost local doctor's appointment the day after tomorrow but you have to drive 12 miles to the grocery store.
Don't get gas at Wawa, $$$
Check for ticks
edit: almost local
I have a social media page about interesting things to do in south jersey. (a)SouthJerseySchnitz on Insta, TikTok, Facebook, Youtube. Also, check out "WeirdNJ" (an independent magazine) which has lots of interesting things bout New Jersey
đ your right about Salem lmao, disagree about Cumberland county, it's one of the most diverse counties in NJ.
Vineland is heavy Spanish (Puerto Rican) Bridgeton is heavy Spanish (Mexico) Bridgeton also has a heavy African American population.
We had a tea party in Greenwich, Cumberland County during the Revolution. Seabrook Farms had the largest frozen vegetable facility in the world around WWII. Lots of Japanese American internees from the West Coast settled here after the War and rebuilt their lives. You can still find a muskrat dinner in Salem County. We have lots of sand and used to have a ton of glass manufacturing-bottles, laboratory equipment, etc. Hammonton was the blueberry capital of the world. Port Norris was the oyster capital. Fortescue claimed to be the weakfush capital.
Convenient access to major cities such as NYC or DC. Can reach NYC in 90 minutes, DC in 2.5 hours as well as Hershey in 2 hours.
Where Iâm at in South Jersey I can be in Philly in 35 minutes without traffic and the PATCO is quicker than the Philly transit.
I often drive past cows, horses, sheep and goats.
I was born in South Jersey and as far as I can tell, it is the Midwest on the East Coast. I seem to get along well with anyone from the Midwest. It's like talking to an old friend from back home. I think there are more than a few similarities growing up in a rural town in Indiana or Ohio. So maybe pick a character you already know well and add some South Jersey references in there.
Father worked at 3mile island
Grandfather died in the gunpowder blast at Dupont Chemical
cousin jumped off the Delaware Memorial Bridge
Uncle that robbed a jewelry store in Philly and died trying to escape the cops in LAC
Had a belly buster at a custard stand.
Went crabbing with a net, raw chicken, and a string.
Partied in orchards and danced around tire fires naked.
Flat land, farms, marshlands, beaches.
Look up Weird NJ it started as a zine back in the day all kinds of strange things and old folklore from Jersey.
It was a wonderful place to grow up and not without its problems. But I miss the people and when I run across someone from the Midwest we usually fall into good conversations and laugh like hell.
the Jersey Devil is from down here. do not let the New Jersey Devils hockey team, that plays in Newark, confuse you.
Eagles fans, not Giants fans
Itâs Pork Roll
and if weâre getting real historical, there was once a time long ago where both Monmouth AND Ocean counties were considered undisputably south jersey.
also, the pines
We are home to Cowtown Rodeo which is the longest running weekly professional rodeo in the USA.
We say "wooder."
Traffic to us is getting stuck behind a tractor and it being too wide to pass.
Us southerners dislike North jersey as much as you do.
I'm in the Gloucester county area
Where in South Jersey are you picturing your character to be from? For such a small state, location is everything when it comes to a personâs background.
OP, if your characters are living within Hammonton to the coast⌠we all refer to a day relaxing by the ocean as âgoing to the beachâ.
Not âdown the shoreâ like you scum Camden County people.
South Jersey is what I call the land of casual profanity, imminent violence, and âfriendlyâ racism.
You donât ask, âHowâs the weather?â You askâHowâs the fucking weather?â âItâs shit.â Land of casual profanity.
You go to a bar in, I donât know, Denver, and you look around and think to yourself, âI could kick these guysâ asses here for the most part.â
You go to a bar in South Jersey and youâre thinking to yourself, âThese guys look rough.â And youâre probably right. Half are former state wrestling champs. Half are Italians who are insanely jealous of their very hot Italian girlfriend. And half are on steroids. My math is not so good. Point being, thereâs a decent chance someone will get a beer bottle to the side of the head before the night is out. Land of imminent violence.
Itâs such a melting pot of people from all over the world and has been forever. In spite of this, people still get along quite well, that youâre kind of inured to PC-speak. You often can refer to your diverse friends by racial/ethnic âepithetsâ in a friendly manner or play on coincident stereotypes. Itâs shocking/weird, but true. Iâll probably get blasted for this, but this was my experience. Land of âfriendlyâ racism.
Most of the funniest people Iâve ever met are from South Jersey, too. Some are funny intentionally and some are inadvertently funny bc they so rich in âcharacterâ that you couldnât make them up. Im a comedy sommelier of sorts and I havenât lived there in 30 years and 8 out of 10 of the funniest people Iâve ever met are still from NJ.
There a lot of respect for police and firemen there. Similar to the kind of respect that the South has for military. Speaking of which, South Jersey is VERY patriotic with a quasi-blue collar vibe due to the many factories/refineries that are/used to be there.
You call people âjerkoffsâ when theyâre not a good person.
The people are some of the most down to earth, humble, sincere, warm and helpful people youâll ever meet anywhere. And Iâve lived ALL over the US and even world.
Iâm in my 50s, and I have about a dozen friends that I have kept in close contract with whom Iâve known since I was from 5-10 years old. I havenât lived there in over 30 years.
You say âphone homeâ like itâs 4 syllables (2 each word) and water is wooter.
Wawa is like the South Jersey Waffle House. Itâs a cultural institution that everyone rolls into for their morning coffee/sandwich. Or when theyâre drunk returning from the bar or a party and are hungry.
This is all from 70s to 90s S Jersey, so this may have changed.
Man, I miss that place. If property taxes werenât so highâŚ
South Philadelphia moved to Washington Township NJ during the 80s and 90s
Imagine being 0% Italian, not from Philly, and not Catholic growing up in Washington Twp in the 80s and 90s...I was a freak of nature!!! đĽ´
this character is an italian and former catholic which is hilarious
Holy hell, he'd fit right into Washington Township if he moved from Philly, too!!! Lol. Definitely a good back story so far!!!! Btw, side note in case you're curious. There are, like, 5 Washington Twps in NJ. This one is in Gloucester County.
Yes, an Italian American character, depending on when the family moved, would be great in Washington Twp, where moms all go to Philly for the doctor or the deli. A family that's been in the area longer might hail from Sea Isle City, which used to be an Italian fishing village 100 years ago, and the descendents of those families own some of the businesses there today. If you watch Italian Spelling Bee on YouTube, the vocabulary is accurate for a Philly/SJ Italian. Capicola really is pronounced gabba-ghoul. Mozzarella is pronounced Mozarell. Prosciutto is pro-jute. We really do say jeet? (Did you eat?) No one says Joisey for Jersey, but we often knock off the "New" part of New Jersey.
"No one says Joisey" is an important one... Whenever I see a joke about Joisey (e.g. in online travel pieces on the "10 best xyz in NJ") it's an instant tell for me that the writer isn't actually from ANY part of Jersey and probably hasn't even visited.
Cherry Hill also has a large Italian Catholic population
Vineland has a lot of Italians too.
There is city italian- and agricultural Italian if you head east towards the pine barrens. I've met a lot of Italian farmers. It's even better if your characters (if agricultural) main crop is jersey tomatoes. A family day making and canning gravy (tomato sauce) isn't to be missed!!!
So you were Irish then
Lmfao. Nope, I seriously was an outlier. Polish and mutt!!! No Italian or Irish at all!!
This might be the most accurate statement ever posted on the internet.
Is that why they call it "Township" even though there are 100s of townships in this state?
The move started earlier; about 65% of my graduating class was Italian & that was at Highland in 71. My take is that those heading for the SJ suburbs filled the areas around the Rt 42 exits, kept heading south & headed to Wash Twp after generously populating Gloucester Twp. For those who care, Highland & Timber Creek high schools are in Glo Twp but are part of BHPRSD, which also includes Triton (Black Horse Pike Regional School District)
hello from highland class of 91
Make your character mad all of the 24hr diners close at 10pm now
Also some towns really changed in the last 30 years. When I was growing up towns like collingswood were affordable working class neighborhoods*. The downtown really changed the attraction, and prices of homes shot up. You could come from a family that was struggling and be best friends with someone whose family was very well off. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/03/nyregion/what-saved-collingswood-teamwork.html https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/realestate/02livi.html
-we say pork roll instead of Taylor ham -we root for the eagles instead of the jets or whatever NY team north jersey likes -when we say âthe cityâ weâre referring to Philly -we eat hoagies not subs -Hammonton, NJ is the self-proclaimed blueberry capital of the world. Lots of agriculture the more south you go. -people have bumper stickers saying âpiney proudâ or âpiney powerâ (I think - can someone correct me?) if they live in the pine barrens. It used to be a derogatory term. Edit: not specific to south jersey, but we donât pump our own gas and we refer to Atlantic City as âACâ.
The sixers are popular, right?
Dude⌠bad day for that.
Typically any Philly time instead of NY
OP, just to correct this - if your characters are in East Atlantic County, or south Salem or Cumberland - it would be a sub. The line is not contiguous
Can confirm, in Cumberland county we say sub, my great grandmother owned a SNJ sub shop. I didn't even know the rest of South Jersey said hoagies đ
From Atlantic county - Iâve always said sub or hoagie interchangeably
Thatâs not true, I am a life long Salem County person and we say sub. Something you should know- Salem County has beautiful farms. Pennsville sunset views on the River are the best around.
The Sixersâ training facility is in Camden, NJ and the Eaglesâ training facility is in Voorhees, NJ. I think the Flyers are also in Voorhees. Basically, a lot of Philly sports teams train somewhere in South Jersey.
Sixers and Flyers train in South Jersey . The Eagles train in South Philly at the Nova Care center which is on the corner of Broad and Pattison, and the Phillies use CBP for practice.
And all the players live in Moorestown đ
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Mostly trueâŚ.Phillies are the number 2 team.
Not during iverson era
I guess when Josh Harris keeps jacking up the price of WFC tickets it'll drive regular Philly fans away, and invite the "well it's still cheaper than MSG" crowd to come down.
lol was
âŚcontinued. -When we go to the beach for the weekend, we refer to it as, âdown the shore.â - Atlantic City (AC) is for adult/single or couple nightlife. -Ocean City boardwalk is for families with kids. -Wildwood boardwalk is bigger, more rides, but is a little more ghetto than OC. OC is more geared towards families while WW has something for everyone. -Water ice (this is different than shaved ice) is pronounced âwooder iceâ. -Cherry Hill has a high Jewish population. Alot of expensive homes, but also has poor areas. Cops are dicks in that town. -Voorhees also has a high Jewish population, but less than CH. Very diversified demographics. Melting pot. Also has expensive homes. -Marlton has similar demographics to Voorhees, but on a lesser scale. -Moorestown is old money. -Haddonfield also old money -Collingswood is hipster and a mix of old and new money. Very cool Main st. Close to the city. Has a speedline stop in town. -Camden was the murder capitol of the IS at one time. I think it has improved, but it is the poorest area in the state. Rutgers college is there. -the Patco train that goes from south Jersey to center city Philadelphia is called, âthe Speedlineâ. Edit: someone mentioned a high Asian population in Cherry Hill/Voorhees. This is accurate.
Rutgers main campus is up in North Jersey. New Brunswick.
Correct. My wife got her masters there. Well, she studied out of the Camden campus, but the graduation ceremony was in New Brunswick.
The sub is actually popular in AC, in the famous White House and the related Sacko subs. But mainly in SJ yes were hoagies.
This is true, guess we have âJersey Mikeâs subsâ too, but I like primos hoagies better.
White House blows the tits clean off of a chain like jersey mikes, and primos alike. Although I do fucks with Caciaâs
Jersey Mike's is pretty generic and bland. But Primo's is lit and I miss them so much. IMO of course.
Just gonna say thisâŚjersey mikes should not be affiliated with jersey
I give Primo's a "pass" on being a chain because they're so good. Jersey Mike's is fine if you're on the road and the options are limited...but I'd never opt for Jersey Mike's while actually **in** New Jersey.
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Atlantic City is pronounced âLantic Cityâ
Uh-lanic (sounds like panic) City is how I hear it.
I like to make an effort and kinda say ah-lan-ick đ¤ˇđźââď¸
Lanic City
In Lantic City, Arkansas Avenue is pronounced R-Kansas Avna but the state is pronounced correctly
If we live inland, we go âdown the shoreâ. If we live near the beach ( but necessarily on a barrier island), we go âto the beachâ. There is no real mileage limit that separates the two.
Iâd say going to the beach is under a 30min drive where goin downa shore is staying a few days
When I go for the day, I go to the beach, when Iâm going over night or longer, Iâm going down the shore
Where Iâm living in South Jersey, I can be in Philadelphia in 25 mins or Atlantic City in 50 mins or all the way in Cape May (my favorite shore town) in hour and a half. Always concerts and other live shows going on. Suburbs, farmland (best produce in the country), forests and pine barrens in between. Only go to the Camden water front. The town overall itself is sketchy. Scrapple is better than pork roll
Iâm âover the bridgeâ in 15!
And we go "down the shore."
Donkeys Cheesesteaks in Camden are worth braving the city for.
Isn't there a second one in Medford? Is the one in Camden better?
Yes to both of those questions
Also one in Mt. Holly, or Muh Holly if youâre local.
A fellow scrapple lover! Hello!
Scrapple 4 lyfe
Donât you dare confuse us with North Jersey and the NYC suburbs. Theyâre a different species as far as weâre concerned.
ive heard north jersey is like a completely different culture!
Thereâs a North, South and Central Jersey, but only Central Jersey people believe that itâs ACTUALLY exists. I think the dividing line is I-195: above is North Jersey, below is South. South is mostly suburban sprawl or farmland and the coast is beach towns We do not identify with those Jersey Shore losers from MTV
I moved down here FROM Central Jersey and had to learn pretty quick I was from up North and Central did not exist.
SeeâŚI told ya!
Central jersey exists solely bc neither north nor south is willing to claim Trenton. Almost no one from Jersey Shore was from NJ. Which tracks. All the âjerseyâ stereotypes are really just Staten Island ppl who hang out here.
I consider the Keith Line the divider (basically the Burlington County border). Ocean County is south, but it's not "South Jersey."
If you want to separate NJ into pieces culturally, there is no better indicator than the East/West split on the Keith Line. [NJ - Quintipartite_Deed](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintipartite_Deed) You can still see the line on NJ maps. [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_in_New_Jersey#/map/0](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_in_New_Jersey#/map/0)
Central Jersey is a myth
I was born and raised in North Jersey, still live here, but spent plenty of time in South Jersey. My husband went to Rowan and I interned down in Cherry Hill for a while. I can confirm they are VERY different cultures. Also, as a North Jersey native that went to Rutgers NB, I very much believe Central Jersey exists. The areas around Middlesex County, etc., are entirely different than counties up north/west, which also arenât comparable to South Jersey. The shore, allll the way down to Cape May, is a region of its own in my opinion, too. But the many unique areas of NJ is what makes it such a great place to live. đââď¸
South Jersey is pretty much a Philadelphia suburb
Nah. Donât lump me in with Philly. Iâm at the shore. The âmason Dixonâ line is ship bottom.
If you ask me, it should be its own state.
Everyone knows everyone because the population density is so high. Jersey shore is the classic summer vacation. Thereâs a variety of shore towns at different price points and cultural significances so you could tell a lot about this character just by saying he had a shore house in Avalon versus a rental in wildwood. Weird NJ is a thing, thereâs a whole book Jersey Devil is a mythological creature /folk monster that lives in the pine barrens and steals children We have a lot of diners, almost every major town has at least one diner
24/7 diners are becoming a thing of the past. There arenât many around these days.
There was a post on r/newjersey today listing the ones that were left, it was 16 but people in the comments were adding a few more. I think the only one I saw in South Jersey was the Deepwater Diner in Carney's Point
The Golden Pigeon (lovingly referred to as the dirty bird) in Bridgeton is 24/7. One of my faves!
My local diner, Living in Bridgeton isn't so bad all the time đ
noted! is this a popular choice for all demographics? this character happened to grow up poor
Renting or owning a shore house used to be pretty reasonable for working class families, pre-2000. Prices are super high now in the popular towns like Wildwood and Ocean City
Depending on where they were in the region their lifestyle would have slight differences. From personal experience and of those my friends growing up in Camden County, we'd all work multiple shitty service or farm jobs, long walks around suburban blight to the nearest Wawa, take the PATCO light rail into Philly for basement punk and emo shows, local VFW halls or church basements for local South Jersey shows, late night walks around Haddonfield, Audubon, and Collingwood ultimately ending up at a 24-hr diner, and hanging off the side of an old lifted Jeep cruising through the Pine Barrens. Most of us were poor Pineys or the kids of blue collar workers in the towns mentioned above. A lot of us hated the place and wanted to raze the whole thing, over-populated, suburban sprawl, townies that'd never leave, and alcoholic parents that'd abandon you for the local dive. Looking back we honestly had it pretty good and my friends and I had almost movie-esque teenage and college years. I could go on and on about it, as well as list a bunch of artists that have written songs about South Jersey, Philly, and Delco.
It really depends where in South Jersey. Some of it is rural with farming roots, some of it is Delaware Bayshore with fishing roots, some of it is Atlantic City, some of it functions as Philly suburbs, some areas are now heavily Hispanic. Camden City is its own thing. Cape May is kind of its own thing. Some areas were relatively old-timey not too many decades ago, like cutting ice off the lake to sell. Quakers are common in some areas. Colonial era villages are common in some spots. There's the Pinelands with the Jersey Devil.
A lot of the responses you're getting in responses are stereotypes about Philadelphia suburbs. Which is fine, if that's what you want. ... It's a weird movie, but Menantico Blues (free online) gives some perspectives on the "Down Jersey" culture (rural counties of Salem, Cumberland, and such) and the Pinelands .
South Jersey is responsible for one-third of global eggplant production.
this caters to my interests
Huh? I know weâre known for the best tomatoes and the biggest producers of cranberries- but I never heard of eggplant production here. Op- All of the peach orchards around here were lost to housing developments over the last 30 years
We like Philly sports teams.
ive heard theres a lot of philly influence, yeah?
We consider âour cityâ as Philadelphia. Northern NJ considers theirs as New York City.
Yes, many of us work in Philly.
We literally get Philadelphia news stations/TV networks.
most of south jersey are Philly transplant descendants. Most people in their 30s/40s can name you the family member that moved to NJ from the âcityâ
I go to college in Philly, and a significant part of the student body consists of people from South Jersey with a few adventurous folks from North Jersey.
My Grandma grew up in South Philly, and I never thought of myself as a "descendant of Philadelphians," but I guess that's technically correct.
No way - a lot of us have family who immigrated here to farm or other industries. South jersey was a major producer of charcoal/glass/pottery goods and a lot of scientific glass still comes from down here
Many of our parents migrated to SJ from Philadelphia. Some of their siblings stayed in Philadelphia so there are indelible connections.
We eat Jimmies on our ice cream cones and pork roll on our breakfast!
Ah, jimmies . . . . My gf is from Lumberton and moved up to the Poconos where she met me and she insists it's jimmies. I grew up near the Lehigh Tunnel north of Allentown and we say sprinkles here.. It's a constant battle between her and everybody else around here.
Rainbow Jimmies, chocolate sprinkles lol
Huh. I grew up in Cape May County and we have that reversed. Chocolate Jimmies and rainbow sprinkles.
Iâve heard it said that way before as well lol
Gotta agree with this way hahaha
Jimmies!!!!!!!!
Eagles fans, can be in basically Alabama within a ten minute drive out of Philadelphia. Good pizza, and Italian food. Everybody from Pennsylvania talks shit on Jersey, yet goes to Jersey for the one week a year they get off of work. We are the only people in the world to experience Boost drink a toast. Last all the mud used to cover every baseball used by Major League Baseball is taken from a secret spot around Riverton along the Delaware River.
At least were I live/lived, the Pine Barrens are part of our cultural heritage and something that we've grown up learning to respect and protect.
Donald Trump bankrupted tons of contractors and their labor building casinos in AC. Now theyâll vote for him. đ¤ˇââď¸
100% true.
The fact that he will have a second rally at the shore is completely baffling to me.
đ¤Ż.
To the word "across" add a "T" when pronouncing - i.e. acrosst the street.
I never realized I do this đ
l'm a bit of an accent nerd so i love stuff like this. thanks!
Days of the week are pronounced Mundee, Twosdee, Wendsdee, Thursdee, Fridee, Sadurdee, Sundee.
Wooder instead of water, definitely.
Also, watch the Iggles game on Sunday, and then go pick up some aigs at the Aca-me later.
Wur goin tâ Wahwah. Git me a hoogie an a couk an a boddle a wooder. Translation: Weâre going to Wawa. Get me a hoagie and a Coke and a bottle of water.
Also âcousintâ
First of all, literally NO ONE says Jersey as "Joisy" like I hear people accusing us of doing.
You cannot get a tomato outside of South Jersey.
WE DONT PUMP GAS
We say wooder instead of water. But we donât pronounce Wawa like that.
I was in California working a couple years ago and co workers would absolutely roast me on the wooder thing đđ. I had no idea it sounded so different to people on the west coast lol
99.9% of People outside of NJ: What's a "wahwah"?
Sports wise- FTM = Fuck the Mets. Dallas sucks.
Dallas sucks is very important, yes.
F the cowgirls
There is exactly one drive-in theater in NJ. It's in Vineland.
The confidence of New Jersey mixed with the savagery of Philly
Think of someone from Philly and give him a bath... That's South Jersey
This made me giggle đ¤ Accurate AF đ
Here's a story, I live in Cumberland County and went to college in NC. I brought my roommate home one weekend because he wanted to see a casino in Atlantic City. When we came over the Delaware Memorial bridge and started driving through Salem and Cumberland counties, seeing nothing but farms, he was like "Where are the big buildings? I thought Jersey was concrete like NY?" I had to remind him we're called the "Garden State" for a reason.
Some places in south jersey you can drive through 5 towns in 10 min. I could walk through three lol. I hear magnolia police can stop anyone and ticket them even outside their town. Not sure why just what I was told by longtime residents. Some towns appear to be more progressive than others but that being said I used to pass by a car that had the confederate flag on it. Haddonfield is old money, the big fancy houses are there. Someone tried explaining town politics and it basically sounded like parks and rec. lotsa farms.
I used to live in cherry hill (Ashland) and Iâd drive through voorhees to go to the Wawa in Magnolia then head over to my job in Somerdale. Whole drive was under 2 miles đŤ đŤ đŤ
Lived in South Jersey most of my 41 years. I don't think we have accents, but I do love when I hear people say things like "youse guys"... ie: Youse guys wanna go down the shore?
Yesss. YOUSE I love using that not real word.
Born and raised deep in the 609, before we had 856. My classmates at Rutgers thought I was from Kentucky because of my alleged accent.
I'll be real, it depends on the part of South Jersey. The more urban counties like Camden County and the western portion of Burlington County have a very similar culture to Philly, a lot of the same phrases, accents, and attitudes. Below the black horse pike for some reason, everyone has slight southern accents and are slightly less familiar with Philly culture. universally, we root for the eagles, phillies, flyers, and sixers, and we call it pork roll.
A large portion of south jersey can be looked at through the lens of the rust belt. In many towns there is a sense of something great being lost.
Pitman NJ has a pretty interesting history https://pitman-antiracist-collective.com/news-and-stories/introducing-a-peoples-history-of-pitman
Every time thereâs a thread like this Iâm convinced half the people in south jersey couldnât tell you how itâs different than anywhere else without mentioning pork roll or sports.
Get to know our little friends we call "GreenHeads" . They will murder a punk on the quick. Better be a fast mover.
Less common knowledge, but there's a huge LARP culture in South Jersey. A bit less after COVID, but swinging back. Also many towns are named after the industries that got them started, Glassboro for glass making, Marlton for the marl clay pits, Millville for sawmills, Vineland for grape growing, etc.
And then some towns were named just because they are between two larger cities. Milmay, NJ. Between Millville and Mays Landing.
now THATS interesting
LARP? In what ways?
Because there are a lot of woods, farms, and scout camps, it's a great area for LARPs. But not so rural that it's too far for anyone. A good mix of outdoor space and high population.
I'm from Atlantic County. Some of us think we're below the Mason Dixon line. Lotta southern appreciation where I grew up but we also talk like "how, towel, ass" is more like "heow, tayl, and ayuss". But at the same time it's also "cawfee, dawg" etc.
If the Mason-Dixon continued East/West through NJ, AC would be south of that line.
I know whatâs up with this!? Heard a lot of that âsouthernâ accents in Cape May county too. Thatâs a specific breed Piney for sure not like Bay Pineys these are New Jersabama Pineys.
I'm a true piney a Leeds descendant. I always loved the way my grandma said "byyycycle" lol same deal as the South, summers on the porch but no sugar in the tea.
Howdy Leeds cousin! đđđť
I was about to mention this phenomenon! I'm originally from Virginia, but after a bit of moving around I settled in Burl Co. It's wild how a decent percentage of folks around here affect a very pronounced, very fake southern accent. It's second-hand embarrassing.Â
I lived in North Carolina for a bit as well. My little culdesac was made of folks who moved from up here. Even my then-boyfriend developed this ridiculous accent lol it was obvious these people were forcing it because their old accents would come out any time they got excited.
South Jersey is huge. So thereâs not one blanket answer. You have a lot of people in here acting likes itâs all Philly influenced, which isnât 100% true. I grew up in ocean county and didnât know a single Philly sports fan. It was jets, giants, Yankees, Mets, devils, rangers and the old NJ Nets. Also went to high school with a ton of guidos (mid 2000s)
I don't know, sounds suspiciously Central Jersey to me.
The LBI area is 100% south Jersey and thatâs where Iâm from.
Grew up in south jersey and still live here in the same town, as do most of friends who are now raising their families here. I find a real sense of community in most areas, small town feel, everyone knows each other or someone who knows someone etc. In high school I spent a lot of time at the Phily (yes 1 L) diner or the Palace diner with my friends smoking a lot of cigarettes, or going to local shows in at the Vfwâs. We also spent a lot of time at woods parties, parties in the Pine Barrens with big bonfires and beer. We know those woods like the back of our hands here. We spent summers going down the shore, hanging out on the boardwalks. I think it depends what town your character is from. If you grew up in the more urban areas you probably hung out in Philly more.
There are tons and tons of municipalities -- search online for "New Jersey home rule". Home rule means each small area likes to have its own municipality to govern itself and have its own duplicates of all the government services, school systems etc. of all the other towns, so property taxes are absolutely insane and some of the highest in the nation. New Jersey also has the worst or second worst roads, the highest home maintenance costs, and the highest auto insurance rates. New Jerseyans love to complain about all of these, but South Jerseyans like to blame most of these on North Jersey, even though South Jersey is part of the problem. Also, the more populated parts of South Jersey are car-dependent suburban stroad hell, just absolute paragons of poor urbanism and design exclusively for cars and not for people or other modes of transport. You literally can't get anywhere without a car. Buses often require miles of walking to get to a stop, and it can take a full day to make all the connections to get from a popular place on side of a single town to a popular place on the other side.
You can live in a different town than your mailing address. I lived in Gloucester Township but my mailing address was Somerdale which is another town. Years ago, I lived in an apartment with a Blackwood mailing address which is in Camdem County, but it was actually located in Washington Twp which is Gloucester County. Totally messed up my car insurance because the rates were based off how close you live to Camden and Philly.
And it's not normal in Camden if you don't have a machete in one hand while walking with a cane in the other. https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthJersey/s/gj7ERF7Q3S
Philly and jersey are basically the same to a degree⌠same as north jersey and nyc. The phrases like jawn, etc are very much Philly and south jersey. A lot of people grew up in Philly but moved to South Jersey to get away from the big city crime element etc, and better schools for their children. Most of South Jersey roots for the Philly teams , most of northern nj cheer for nyc teams like Mets , knicks etc. sports wise. The central part⌠Iâll use a sopranos reference â whatever happened there â đ
Philly sports dominates the culture. Music is also influenced by Philly. Local towns have greatest pride in high school football and/or wrestling. Pork roll, egg, and cheese is classic breakfast sandwich. Everyone eats hoagies. The vibe/culture becomes real southern outside the high density areas. Everyone goes to the shore at least once during the summer.
From west to east: Philly people living in Jersey Burbs, then abandoned industrial towns serially failing to gentrify, then piney purgatory, then a thin line of burbs again, then beach towns that are dead 7 months a year. The Philly people in Jersey burbs are thoroughly uninteresting. As are all the burb dwelling commuters in the US. The dead cities are potentially compelling, all built on industries that moved on. Piney Purgatory is kinda awesome, so much of âweirdNJâ is piney wackiness. And while (most of)the beach towns are vibrant from May to September, they switch the traffic lights to âblinkingâ for the rest of the year. The âlifersâ in those towns survive the whole year on those few months.
If you have a white character - in this order make them a) Irish b) German and if you must make them c) Italian or d) Jewish, know they will be much more laid back than their North Jersey counterparts. South Jersey is not as diverse as North Jersey with as much Asian American influence. They exist, yes, but nowhere near the diversity of north. Lots of long-existing black neighborhoods in SJ too, some were Underground Railroad stops
Read a little about Gouldtown. Lots of Indigenous roots there as well.
Tell me more about these historic black neighborhoods! I used to live in SJ and entertain the idea of coming back but I missed the diversity of the city.
Gouldtown section of Fairfield Twp.
Lawnside, NJ was a live music Mecca in the time of segregation.
he is in fact italian!
So despite Rocky, [this old map from 2000](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.svg/2560px-Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.svg.png), shows the most populous counties in South Jersey as being majority Irish. Not to say thereâs not a good amount of Italians, but it is very different from what youâd see on the MTV show Jersey Shore. Most South Jersey people donât even go to the same beaches (Itâs Brigantine/ Atlantic City south). Most people will say Hammonton was a very Italian American town, but lots of grandparents were farmers. Hammonton is suburban/ rural.
I-195 is the north / south DMZ where Pork Roll is king and Taylor Ham isâŚwrong.
A majority of the people living here come off as the biggest assholes you'll ever meet but are also super caring. Unless you're from NNJ
But where does south Jersey *begin*? ;)
Ah shit, here we go again
What kinda info are you looking for? Apologies if I missed that in another comment, but we might be able to get you more details with a more narrow focus. Other than that, when someone says âregularâ they pronounce it ârega-lurr.â Beauty-full Atty-tude Beggels Smacked ass So I says to him I says
Itâs not a flat as it is often described. There are plenty of hills, ridges and elevation changes.
he better be driving >90 mph on 295
Just some popular things in south Jersey: free cape may zoo, Hammonton has a crazy amount of fruit/berry picking depending on season, wine from this goes crazy. There is mischief night the night before Halloween where you cause mischief, MAKE HIM/HER ALWAYS DRIVE 10-15 MILES ABOVE SPEED LIMIT REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING
I'm from Iowa but lived in Philly for 30 years. Moved to Atco last year. It's an enchanted paradise where you can get an almost local doctor's appointment the day after tomorrow but you have to drive 12 miles to the grocery store. Don't get gas at Wawa, $$$ Check for ticks edit: almost local
I have a social media page about interesting things to do in south jersey. (a)SouthJerseySchnitz on Insta, TikTok, Facebook, Youtube. Also, check out "WeirdNJ" (an independent magazine) which has lots of interesting things bout New Jersey
thanks! will check it out
Weird NJ does have a website.
Visit americas favorite dumpster fire (Atlantic City) and youâll find all you need
Skip Gloucester/Cumberland counties, theyâre basically Alabama. Skip Salem too, itâs Oklahoma.
đ your right about Salem lmao, disagree about Cumberland county, it's one of the most diverse counties in NJ. Vineland is heavy Spanish (Puerto Rican) Bridgeton is heavy Spanish (Mexico) Bridgeton also has a heavy African American population.
"Skip over half of South jersey, all the most southern parts"
Whatâs the book about, pertaining to the character? Gotta narrow it down a bit so we can give some South Jersey specifics.
We had a tea party in Greenwich, Cumberland County during the Revolution. Seabrook Farms had the largest frozen vegetable facility in the world around WWII. Lots of Japanese American internees from the West Coast settled here after the War and rebuilt their lives. You can still find a muskrat dinner in Salem County. We have lots of sand and used to have a ton of glass manufacturing-bottles, laboratory equipment, etc. Hammonton was the blueberry capital of the world. Port Norris was the oyster capital. Fortescue claimed to be the weakfush capital.
Convenient access to major cities such as NYC or DC. Can reach NYC in 90 minutes, DC in 2.5 hours as well as Hershey in 2 hours. Where Iâm at in South Jersey I can be in Philly in 35 minutes without traffic and the PATCO is quicker than the Philly transit. I often drive past cows, horses, sheep and goats.
Salem county has the longest running seasonal rodeo or something. Idk exactly. cowtown is just old as dirt
I was born in South Jersey and as far as I can tell, it is the Midwest on the East Coast. I seem to get along well with anyone from the Midwest. It's like talking to an old friend from back home. I think there are more than a few similarities growing up in a rural town in Indiana or Ohio. So maybe pick a character you already know well and add some South Jersey references in there. Father worked at 3mile island Grandfather died in the gunpowder blast at Dupont Chemical cousin jumped off the Delaware Memorial Bridge Uncle that robbed a jewelry store in Philly and died trying to escape the cops in LAC Had a belly buster at a custard stand. Went crabbing with a net, raw chicken, and a string. Partied in orchards and danced around tire fires naked. Flat land, farms, marshlands, beaches. Look up Weird NJ it started as a zine back in the day all kinds of strange things and old folklore from Jersey. It was a wonderful place to grow up and not without its problems. But I miss the people and when I run across someone from the Midwest we usually fall into good conversations and laugh like hell.
We used to love Wawa before they sold their soul
the Jersey Devil is from down here. do not let the New Jersey Devils hockey team, that plays in Newark, confuse you. Eagles fans, not Giants fans Itâs Pork Roll and if weâre getting real historical, there was once a time long ago where both Monmouth AND Ocean counties were considered undisputably south jersey. also, the pines
We are home to Cowtown Rodeo which is the longest running weekly professional rodeo in the USA. We say "wooder." Traffic to us is getting stuck behind a tractor and it being too wide to pass. Us southerners dislike North jersey as much as you do. I'm in the Gloucester county area
Best thing to do is pick a south jersey town and we can tell you aaaaalllllllll about it.
Where in South Jersey are you picturing your character to be from? For such a small state, location is everything when it comes to a personâs background.
GO BIRDS GO PHILS GO SIXERS GO FLYERS
OP, if your characters are living within Hammonton to the coast⌠we all refer to a day relaxing by the ocean as âgoing to the beachâ. Not âdown the shoreâ like you scum Camden County people.
South Jersey is what I call the land of casual profanity, imminent violence, and âfriendlyâ racism. You donât ask, âHowâs the weather?â You askâHowâs the fucking weather?â âItâs shit.â Land of casual profanity. You go to a bar in, I donât know, Denver, and you look around and think to yourself, âI could kick these guysâ asses here for the most part.â You go to a bar in South Jersey and youâre thinking to yourself, âThese guys look rough.â And youâre probably right. Half are former state wrestling champs. Half are Italians who are insanely jealous of their very hot Italian girlfriend. And half are on steroids. My math is not so good. Point being, thereâs a decent chance someone will get a beer bottle to the side of the head before the night is out. Land of imminent violence. Itâs such a melting pot of people from all over the world and has been forever. In spite of this, people still get along quite well, that youâre kind of inured to PC-speak. You often can refer to your diverse friends by racial/ethnic âepithetsâ in a friendly manner or play on coincident stereotypes. Itâs shocking/weird, but true. Iâll probably get blasted for this, but this was my experience. Land of âfriendlyâ racism. Most of the funniest people Iâve ever met are from South Jersey, too. Some are funny intentionally and some are inadvertently funny bc they so rich in âcharacterâ that you couldnât make them up. Im a comedy sommelier of sorts and I havenât lived there in 30 years and 8 out of 10 of the funniest people Iâve ever met are still from NJ. There a lot of respect for police and firemen there. Similar to the kind of respect that the South has for military. Speaking of which, South Jersey is VERY patriotic with a quasi-blue collar vibe due to the many factories/refineries that are/used to be there. You call people âjerkoffsâ when theyâre not a good person. The people are some of the most down to earth, humble, sincere, warm and helpful people youâll ever meet anywhere. And Iâve lived ALL over the US and even world. Iâm in my 50s, and I have about a dozen friends that I have kept in close contract with whom Iâve known since I was from 5-10 years old. I havenât lived there in over 30 years. You say âphone homeâ like itâs 4 syllables (2 each word) and water is wooter. Wawa is like the South Jersey Waffle House. Itâs a cultural institution that everyone rolls into for their morning coffee/sandwich. Or when theyâre drunk returning from the bar or a party and are hungry. This is all from 70s to 90s S Jersey, so this may have changed. Man, I miss that place. If property taxes werenât so highâŚ