{"id":225946,"date":"2026-06-23T21:00:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T21:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/?p=225946"},"modified":"2026-06-23T21:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T21:57:21","slug":"new-jersey-own-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"custom_featured_image\" style=\"display:none;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country-300x200.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country.png 1000w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country-263x175.png 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div><div id=\"custom_category\" style=\"display:none;\">i love nj<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Local Girl<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is asking the most <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themontclairgirl.com\/famous-women-from-new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Jersey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> question imaginable: who needs the other 49? The phrase, &#8220;I love my country, New Jersey,&#8221; has taken the internet by storm, but how well would New Jersey pan out as a country? Many parts of modern life wouldn\u2019t exist without New Jersey &#8211;&nbsp; the light bulb, film, and M&amp;Ms, to name a few. We\u2019re not saying America owes us everything; we&#8217;re just saying movies, lighting, and snacks would not be the same. <\/span><b>Read on to learn how strong New Jersey would be as its own country.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-225952 \" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"451\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country.png 1000w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country-263x175.png 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 451px) 100vw, 451px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><b>By the Numbers<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Home to roughly 9.5M people, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/dot-cakes-trend-new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Jersey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would be the 99th largest country by population and home to more people than El Salvador, Ireland, or Mongolia. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Jersey is 7,354.22 square miles by land and would be the 150th largest country by land, outsizing Fiji, Lebanon, Montenegro, and Jamaica.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Economy Would Be Strong<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People throughout the United States and probably the world do not realize <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/our-country-new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Jersey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an economic powerhouse. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Jersey\u2019s gross domestic product sits at<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/usafacts.org\/answers\/what-is-the-gross-domestic-product-gdp\/state\/new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$688.1 billion in 2025<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and a GDP per capita of $72,100. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Nation of New Jersey would rank among the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldcountrydata.com\/en\/rankings\/gdp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">top 25<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> economies in the world,&nbsp; ahead of Argentina, Israel, and Singapore. Now, a country this powerful would need an economy to match, and it&#8217;s a good thing New Jersey has one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pharmaceutical industry alone would make New Jersey a global power. Johnson &amp; Johnson, Merck, and Becton Dickinson are all headquartered here. New Jersey would control a substantial share of the world\u2019s medicine cabinet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-225947 \" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"campbells soup cans\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1-1920x1920.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1-1170x1170.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Campbells-Soup-Cans-1-scaled-1-585x585.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Export-wise, New Jersey is big on petroleum, specialty chemicals, and fresh produce like corn, blueberries, and tomatoes. In terms of brands, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Campbell\u2019s Soup<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a strong export that New Jersey has held since 1869. Other popular food brands that have had headquarters or distribution centers in New Jersey include Bosco Chocolate Syrup, Goya Foods, Love Corn, Mars Inc, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/nuts.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nuts.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and Ryl Company. While it is impossible to know which companies would actually have been part of the country of New Jersey, the region&#8217;s proximity to major population centers suggests it would still have developed a strong commercial hub.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Jersey avoided the 18th Amendment and never instituted Prohibition as its neighbor did. Atlantic City became a hotbed for Americans looking to legally drink, and tourism exploded. Supported by businesses like Balic Winery,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/lifestyle\/new-jersey-oldest-businesses-restaurants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laird + Company<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Renault Winery, and Tomasello Winery, Atlantic City and all of New Jersey exported an immense amount of alcohol to the United States during the 13 years of Prohibition. When brands shuttered their operations throughout America, New Jersey offered them the opportunity to continue business. Once prohibition ended, New Jersey maintained its strong brewery economy in Jersey City and Newark, and wineries and distilleries in South Jersey.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Read More:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/jalen-brunson-karl-anthony-towns-knicks-new-jersey-connection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Even the Knicks Needed New Jersey For an NBA Championship<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><b>Soft Power<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-225948 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-19-at-10.59.33-AM.jpg\" alt=\"thomas edison\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-19-at-10.59.33-AM.jpg 450w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-19-at-10.59.33-AM-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-19-at-10.59.33-AM-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/iconic-new-jersey-film-locations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Film was created<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in New Jersey by Thomas Edison, and production began in Fort Lee. Holding center stage over a global craft and controlling interest over production, patents, and exports to other countries for filming, New Jersey would have immense soft power.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pop culture, screen icons, singers, and authors, like Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, Queen Latifah, Meryl Streep, Danny DeVito, and the Dolan Twins, would exert immense cultural impact upon the world. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shows like<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Boardwalk Empire, Cake Boss, <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hobokengirl.com\/beaches-hoboken-jersey-city-new-york-public-transit-trains-bus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jersey Shore<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, House<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Real Housewives of New Jersey<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Sopranos<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would shape global perception of the country and influence tourism. Playa Bowls, Blimpie, and Jersey Mike&#8217;s would be global chains, and the diner concept would spread around the world. Tourists would flock to the Jersey Shore, Hoboken, Princeton, Lambertville, Morristown, and Vineland, enjoying small-town charm and historic spots.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>National Symbols<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-225792 \" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/sloppy-joe-nj.jpg\" alt=\"Sloppy Joe NJ\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/sloppy-joe-nj.jpg 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/sloppy-joe-nj-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/sloppy-joe-nj-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every nation needs its symbols, legends, and institutions, and New Jersey has plenty. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themontclairgirl.com\/pork-roll-taylor-ham-new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">national food<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would be recognized by those in North Jersey as Taylor Ham and those in South Jersey as Pork Roll. New Jersey dishes consumed globally would include disco fries, salt water taffy, the Italian hot dog, the Texas wiener, bagels, and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themontclairgirl.com\/new-jersey-food-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jersey sloppy Joe<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The national symbol would be the Lower Trenton Bridge, which states \u201cTrenton Makes &#8211; The World Takes\u201d, but instead would say \u201cNew Jersey Makes &#8211; The World Takes\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">James Lyon of Newark, who composed <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/media.confessional.org\/archives\/davies-1762-the-military-glory-of-great-britain.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Military Glory of Great Britain<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 1762, was selected by New Jersey to create the national anthem \u201cMy Dear Jersey\u201d. As a country, New Jersey would use its coat of arms, designed in 1777 with a white background. In 1984, Bruce Springsteen debuted his single \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Born in New Jersey\u201d, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which would become the de facto national song of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">capital<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is Elizabeth, with Newark as the largest city. New Jersey would have active ports in Camden, Cape May, Hoboken, Newark, Jersey City, and Salem, and international airports in Hammonton and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themontclairgirl.com\/shortest-flights-from-newark-airport\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Newark<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In 1668, colonial representatives met in Elizabeth, then called Elizabethtown, with representatives from Woodbridge, Piscataway, Newark, Middletown, Shrewsbury, Bergen, and of course Elizabethtown. After the American Revolution, when New Jersey decided not to become a state, country officials debated on moving the capital to Burlington, Newark, or Jersey City, but it was ultimately decided that stability was needed and a change would be too chaotic for the young nation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-225807 \" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/nj-filming-locations-newark-city-hall.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/nj-filming-locations-newark-city-hall.png 1000w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/nj-filming-locations-newark-city-hall-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/nj-filming-locations-newark-city-hall-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/nj-filming-locations-newark-city-hall-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/nj-filming-locations-newark-city-hall-585x585.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/NewarkMapNR6\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Newark grew to become the largest city<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the state, spanning from the Passaic River in the east, westward to the top of the First Watchung Mountains. It never split into smaller communities like Glen Ridge, Montclair, or Orange. New Jersey, as an independent nation, limited the development of numerous municipalities and only grew to 115 separate communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The six active ports facilitate imports and exports. Camden and Newark are the largest, while Hoboken, Jersey City, and Salem function as reliever ports dealing with smaller-sized ships. Cape May primarily functions as a tourism port, allowing travellers to reach the area by boat from Lewes, Delaware, but retains a small capacity for commercial fishing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opening in 1926, the airport in Newark International Airport connected the world to the northern portion of the country and borders the capital. It is an international hub for travellers coming to New York, too. The Hammonton International Airport opened in 1947, several years after World War II. Country officials debated on an airport in Atlantic City or Trenton, finally deciding on Hammonton, a somewhat halfway point. Officials determined that travellers could fly out of the Philadelphia International Airport if needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>See More:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hobokengirl.com\/oldest-historic-sites-hudson-county-hoboken-jersey-city-nj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A Guide to the Oldest Historic Sites in Hudson County, New Jersey<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Follow @thenewjerseygirl on <a class=\"broken_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thelocalgirlhq\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s1\">Instagram<\/span><\/a>&nbsp;+&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@thelocalgirlhq?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s1\">TikTok<\/span><\/a> for the latest updates on Hoboken, Montclair, Bergen County, and more;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.myflodesk.com\/xdt5qdr3st\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s1\">sign up for our weekly newsletter here<\/span><\/a>&nbsp;that shares everything you missed each week, and check out our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/calendar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s1\">events calendar<\/span><\/a>, which has over 100+ events weekly to peruse.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/lifestyle\/ \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lifestyle<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>i love njAs America prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, the Local Girl is asking the most New Jersey question imaginable:&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":330,"featured_media":225952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,45,40],"tags":[9,43,12],"class_list":["post-225946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-new-jersey","category-the-local-girl","tag-lifestyle","tag-new-jersey","tag-tlg"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Here&#039;s Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country - The New Jersey Girl<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With all of the influence New Jersey has had on modern life + pop culture, it isn&#039;t hard to make the case that it should be its own country.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Here&#039;s Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With all of the influence New Jersey has had on modern life + pop culture, it isn&#039;t hard to make the case that it should be its own country.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The New Jersey Girl\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-23T21:00:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-23T21:57:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Local Girl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Olivia Fisher\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Local Girl\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/55c6b830d89fcaff1e9fc6a582a78567\"},\"headline\":\"Here&#8217;s Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-23T21:00:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-23T21:57:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1151,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/13\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/new-jersey-own-country.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Lifestyle\",\"new jersey\",\"The Local Girl\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\",\"New Jersey\",\"The Local Girl\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/\",\"name\":\"Here's Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country - The New Jersey Girl\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/13\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/new-jersey-own-country.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-23T21:00:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-23T21:57:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/55c6b830d89fcaff1e9fc6a582a78567\"},\"description\":\"With all of the influence New Jersey has had on modern life + pop culture, it isn't hard to make the case that it should be its own country.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/13\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/new-jersey-own-country.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/13\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/new-jersey-own-country.png\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":666},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/new-jersey-own-country\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Here&#8217;s Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/\",\"name\":\"The New Jersey Girl\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/newjersey\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/55c6b830d89fcaff1e9fc6a582a78567\",\"name\":\"The Local Girl\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/migration\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/ltg-icon-community-Picsart-BackgroundRemover-96x96.jpeg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/migration\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/ltg-icon-community-Picsart-BackgroundRemover-96x96.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/migration\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/ltg-icon-community-Picsart-BackgroundRemover-96x96.jpeg\",\"caption\":\"The Local Girl\"},\"url\":\"\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Here's Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country - The New Jersey Girl","description":"With all of the influence New Jersey has had on modern life + pop culture, it isn't hard to make the case that it should be its own country.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Here's Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country","og_description":"With all of the influence New Jersey has had on modern life + pop culture, it isn't hard to make the case that it should be its own country.","og_url":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/","og_site_name":"The New Jersey Girl","article_published_time":"2026-06-23T21:00:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-23T21:57:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":666,"url":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"The Local Girl","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Olivia Fisher","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/"},"author":{"name":"The Local Girl","@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/#\/schema\/person\/55c6b830d89fcaff1e9fc6a582a78567"},"headline":"Here&#8217;s Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country","datePublished":"2026-06-23T21:00:46+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-23T21:57:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/"},"wordCount":1151,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country.png","keywords":["Lifestyle","new jersey","The Local Girl"],"articleSection":["Lifestyle","New Jersey","The Local Girl"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/","url":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/","name":"Here's Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country - The New Jersey Girl","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country.png","datePublished":"2026-06-23T21:00:46+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-23T21:57:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/#\/schema\/person\/55c6b830d89fcaff1e9fc6a582a78567"},"description":"With all of the influence New Jersey has had on modern life + pop culture, it isn't hard to make the case that it should be its own country.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/new-jersey-own-country.png","width":1000,"height":666},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/new-jersey-own-country\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Here&#8217;s Why New Jersey Could Be Its Own Country"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/","name":"The New Jersey Girl","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/#\/schema\/person\/55c6b830d89fcaff1e9fc6a582a78567","name":"The Local Girl","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/migration\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/ltg-icon-community-Picsart-BackgroundRemover-96x96.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/migration\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/ltg-icon-community-Picsart-BackgroundRemover-96x96.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/migration\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/07\/ltg-icon-community-Picsart-BackgroundRemover-96x96.jpeg","caption":"The Local Girl"},"url":""}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/330"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}