New Jersey is known throughout the country for its beautiful resort towns, the Atlantic City boardwalk and casinos, and the New Jersey Turnpike. While some tenets of New Jersey’s history are famous like the birthplace of Bruce Springstein and scenes from the Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire – others, like its diverse architecture and history, are lesser known. Here are some fun facts about New Jersey that you might not know!  

1. In New Jersey, you can choose from over 450 diners to dine in 

That's right – New Jersey is the diner capital of the world! During the 1920s and 1930s, New Jersey factories manufactured approximately one third of the country’s prefab diners. The earlies diners resemble railroad dining cars often with art deco elements. As diners became more opulent, the dining cars opted for a contemporary automobile design. The earliest Jersey diner menus were limited in choices and aimed at working people and travelers. It was not until the 1940s and 1950s when immigrant - Italian, Greek, and Mexican - infusions were incorporated to the menu. Visit some of the oldest diners in the state to try their egg breakfasts, pancakes, burgers, soups, and pies! 

2. Alexander Hamilton founded Paterson 

Paterson, New Jersey is the first planned industrial city in the United States. After visiting the Paterson Great Falls, America’s First Secretary of the Treasury was so impressed by its potential for industry that he established the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.) to fulfill this vision. The city grew to be a major industrial center, where Colt weapons, railroad locomotives, and textiles, most notably silk, were produced.  

3. The Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in the country 

Maintained by the United States Coast Guard, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest continually operating lighthouse in the country. The lighthouse was completed on June 11, 1764 due to the efforts of prominent New York merchants. The merchants petitioned the Colonial Assembly of New York to erect a lighthouse on Sandy Hook to guide ships safely into New York Harbor. Take a ranger-led guided tour to climb the 95 stairs and 9 rung ladder to the top of the lighthouse. 

4. New Jersey is known as the Crossroads of the American Revolution 

Strategically located between New York City and Philadelphia, New Jersey saw more revolutionary action and activity, over a longer period of time, than any other colony. It was the site of over 600 battles, skirmishes and acts of war; today there are over 150 historic sites to explore.  

5. The tallest elephant in the world helped sell real estate along the Jersey Shore 

Lucy the Elephant is the world's largest elephant standing six stories tall, weighing 90 tons, and covered with 12,000 square feet of sheet tin. Built in 1881 by James V. Lafferty, she was used to promote the sale of lots along the Jersey shore in what was then called South Atlantic City. Potential buyers were guided up the staircase in Lucy’s left leg and treated to a 360-degree view from Lucy’s howdah. Today visitors can take a guided tour of Lucy to see views of Margate, the Atlantic City skyline, and the Atlantic Ocean.  

6. The first complete dinosaur skeleton was discovered in Haddonfield 

In the spring of 1858, the first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton was unearthed in Haddonfield, New Jersey. The duckbilled dinosaur, Hadrosaurus foulkii, roamed the forests and swamps along the bays of New Jersey's ancient seacoast. It was about twenty-five feet long, weighed approximately seven to eight tons, and stood about 10 feet tall. Today its bones are found in ancient marine deposits with fossil seashells.  Hadrosaurus foulkii became the official State dinosaur of New Jersey in 1991. 

7. Thomas Edison invented the picture camera, sound recordings, silent and sound movies, and the nickel-iron alkaline electric storage battery while living in New Jersey 

The famous inventor and scientist Thomas Edison had his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey which covered two city blocks, earning Edison the nickname "The Wizard of Menlo Park." The Thomas Edison National Historical Park preserves Edison's laboratory and his residence, Glenmont, in nearby Llewellyn Park. Roughly half of Edison’s 1,093 patents were based on experiments in his laboratory here. 

8. Grover Cleveland is the only U.S. president to have been born in New Jersey 

Born in 1837 in Caldwell, New Jersey, Stephen Grover Cleveland grew up to become the only US President to serve two non-consecutive terms and the only US President to hail from New Jersey. Visit the Grover Cleveland Birthplace to see the president’s modest beginning, hear family stories, and view artifacts that highlight the formative years of a future president.  

9. Camden is home to the first Drive-In Movie theater 

The Camen Drive-In opened on June 6, 1933 on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken, New Jersey. Created by Richard Hollingshead, a movie fan and a sales manager who was reportedly inspired by his mother’s struggle to sit comfortably in traditional movie theater seats. Drive-in theaters gained popularity after WWII and reached its heyday in the late 1950s to mid-60s, with some 5,000 theaters across the country. Today, fewer than 500 drive-in theaters survive in the United States. Head to Vineland, New Jersey to catch a movie on the big screen from the comfort of your car at the Delsea Drive-in Movie Theatre, the only drive-in movie theatre in New Jersey.  

10. Cape May is the oldest seaside resort in the United States 

Cape May is the oldest seaside resort in the country and began hosting vacationers from Philadelphia who sought a healthy and pleasurable getaway in the mid eighteenth century. Cape May is now known for its collection of Victorian period homes, second in the nation after San Francisco. Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) interprets the National Historic Landmark District’s history through tours, exhibits, programs, and annual festivals.