New Jersey is known as the Garden State due to its history of gardening and preservation of natural lands. The nickname was coined by Abraham Browning, although Benjamin Franklin made a similar comparison. Despite its industrial reputation, New Jersey is a leader in agricultural production and has many parks and wilderness areas. Some residents have opposed the nickname, but it remains an important part of the state’s identity.
Despite its reputation as a seedy industrial state on the US East Coast, New Jersey has long been known as the Garden State. The moniker is actually more accurate than the state’s less flattering reputation, as much of the state is still forested and residents are very interested in preserving the natural lands. Additionally, since it was dubbed the Garden State in the late nineteenth century, New Jersey has become a mecca for gardening, gardening education, and garden clubs. The Garden State nickname comes from a history of the state written in the early 20th century.
The man behind the nickname was Abraham Browning, a lawyer living in New Jersey in the 19th century. Alfred M. Heston recounted a speech Browning gave in which Browning refers to New Jersey as the Garden State; he said New Jersey was a huge open-ended barrel full of good things to eat, and Pennsylvania was harvesting at one end and New York at the other. His reference to New Jersey as the Garden State stuck, and he is known by the nickname today. Some historians argue that Browning was not the first to use this term, however, as the image of New Jersey as a barrel touched at both ends can be traced back to Benjamin Franklin, who wrote a similar comparison long before Browning .
Ever since the state was given its name, the people of New Jersey have embraced the notoriety. New Jersey is among the leaders in the country in agricultural production, and the state is filled with bird sanctuaries, nature preserves, state and historic parks, and other areas where the state’s natural beauty is evident. Additionally, many local community groups continue to push for greenways or sections of natural wooded areas in or near urban centers. About half of the state is still forested, and parks and wilderness abound.
Not all New Jersey residents have historically supported the nickname. In the 1950s, then-Governor Robert Meyner shot down a bill that would have put the slogan on state license plates, arguing that New Jersey’s notoriety as an industrial center was more identifiable and important to state residents. The governor’s assessment wasn’t entirely out of place, as those industries have sustained the state for decades, but the Garden State moniker has proven to be an enduring and important part of New Jersey’s history and identity.
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