Map of the Pine Barrens

The New Jersey Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands, is a heavily forested area covering 1.1 million acres (4,500 km²) of coastal plain across southern and central New Jersey. The name "barrens" refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, which didn't take well to the crops originally imported by European settlers. However, these uncommon conditions led the Pine Barrens to develop a unique and diverse spectrum of plant life, especially orchids and carnivorous plants. The area is also notable for its populations of rare pygmy Pitch Pines and other plant species that depend on fire to reproduce (fire is very frequent in the Pine Barrens). Despite being near metropolitan areas such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City, and the fact that the Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway run directly through it, the Pine Barrens remains largely rural and undeveloped. In fact, the area has the unique distinction of being the largest piece of open space between Boston, Massachusetts and Richmond, Virginia. The Pine Barrens also lays claim to a 17-trillion gallon aquifer containing some of the purest water in the United States. As a result of all these factors, the area was designated the Pinelands National Reserve (the nation's first National Reserve) in 1978, and it was designated a United Nations International Biosphere Reserve in 1983. Development in the Pine Barrens is strictly controlled by an independent state/federal agency called the Pinelands Commission. Download high resolution version (550x716, 130 KB)Pinelands map from the State of New Jersey: This work is copyrighted. ... Download high resolution version (550x716, 130 KB)Pinelands map from the State of New Jersey: This work is copyrighted. ... In geography, a coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. ... South Jersey includes the New Jersey portion of the Delaware Valley in the United States. ... State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (D) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ... Orchid re-directs here; for alternate uses see Orchid (disambiguation) Genera Over 800 See List of Orchidaceae genera. ... A pitcher plant in flower, growing on a road cut in Palau A carnivorous plant is a plant that derives some or most of its nutrients (but not energy) by trapping and consuming animals, especially insects. ... Generally speaking, pygmy (from Greek pygmaios, fist sized, a kind of dwarf in Greek mythology) can refer to any human or animal of unusually small size, for example, the pygmy hippopotamus. ... Binomial name Pinus rigida The Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) is a small-to-medium sized (6-30 m) tree, often contorted due to fire or weather. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... Alternate meanings: See Atlantic City (disambiguation) Atlantic City is a city located in USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 40,517. ... The Garden State Parkway is a 172-mile-long limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York Thruway at Montvale, NJ to Cape May at the southern tip of the state. ... The Atlantic City Expressway (officially numbered, but unsigned, as New Jersey State Highway 446) is a controlled-access toll road in New Jersey. ... Nickname: Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe), Athens of America Location in Massachusetts Founded  -Incorporated September 17, 1630 1820, as a city  County Suffolk County Mayor Thomas Menino (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 232. ... Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States of America. ... An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock, or permeable mixtures of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) (see also groundwater). ... A Biosphere Reserve is an international conservation designation for reserves designated by UNESCO under the MaB (Man and the Biosphere) Programme. ...

During colonial times, the Pine Barrens was home to various industries. Bog iron was mined from bogs, streams, and waterways and worked in furnaces such as Batsto, Atsion, Ferrago, Hanover Furnace, as well as dozens of others. Iron from these early furnaces was instrumental in supplying colonial troops during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. The bog iron industry fell in the mid 1800s when cheaper iron could be found in Pennsylvania. Other industries such as paper mills, sawmills, and gristmills rose and fell throughout the years. Smaller industries such as charcoaling and glassmaking also were attempted and met with varying degrees of success. Over time, however, the forest reclaimed almost all traces of the Pine Barrens' industrial past. Ghost towns — remnants of these industries — can still be seen at various locations. Bog iron refers to impure iron deposits that develop in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in the solutions. ... Before the Revolution: The 13 colonies are in red, the pink area was claimed by Great Britain after the French and Indian War, and the orange region was claimed by Spain. ... The War of 1812 was a conflict fought in North America between the United States and Great Britain from 1812 to 1815. ... State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... A street corner in the ghost town of Bodie, California. ...

The only industries that still thrive in the Pine Barrens are related to agriculture. The Pine Barrens are the reason New Jersey grows the third-highest number of Cranberries in the country. The first-ever cultivated Blueberries were developed in the Pine Barrens in 1916 through the hard work of Elizabeth White of Whitesbog, and blueberry farms are now almost as common as cranberry bogs. Album cover for Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Cant We?, the Cranberries breakthrough debut album. ... For other uses, see Blueberry (disambiguation). ...

The Pine Barrens is allegedly the home of the Jersey Devil. The Devil is said to have been born to a local woman named Mrs. Leeds, in an area known as "Leeds Point" sometime during the 1700s. Most sightings of the Devil have occurred in or near the Pine Barrens. Illustration of Jersey Devil, drawn from description by Nelson Evans, Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, 1909 The Jersey Devil is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. ...

The Pine Barrens were also home to the Kallikaks, a poor, backwoods family which were held up as a case study in genetic inferiority by eugenicists in the early 20th century. Today, it is now understood that the facts in the Kallikaks case study were misrepresented [1]. Picture of Kallikaks from The Kallikak Family. ... Case studies involve a particular method of research. ... Eugenics is the self-direction of human evolution: Logo from the Second International Congress of Eugenics, 1921, depicting it as a tree which unites a variety of different fields. ...

For years, rural residents of the area were called the derogatory term "Pineys" by outsiders, but nowadays, many Pinelands residents are proud of both the name and the land on which they live.

External links

• Official site
• Profile of the Pinelands
• NJ Pinelands and Down Jersey
• Birds of the Pine Barrens
• Plants of the Pine Parrens
• NJPineBarrens.com - Exploring the Ghost Towns of Southern New Jersey
• Photos of Colliers Mills WMA

Regions of New Jersey
Jersey Shore | Meadowlands | North Jersey | New Jersey Pine Barrens | South Jersey | New York metropolitan area | Delaware Valley
Largest cities
Atlantic City | Bayonne | Camden | Clifton | East Orange | Elizabeth | Hackensack | Hoboken | Jersey City | Linden | Long Branch | New Brunswick | Newark | Passaic | Paterson | Perth Amboy | Plainfield | Trenton | Union City | Vineland State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (D) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ... File links The following pages link to this file: New Jersey Warren County, New Jersey Union County, New Jersey Sussex County, New Jersey Somerset County, New Jersey Salem County, New Jersey Passaic County, New Jersey Ocean County, New Jersey Morris County, New Jersey Monmouth County, New Jersey Middlesex County, New... The Jersey Shore is a colloquial term used in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States to refer to the ocean-facing coast of New Jersey, together with the adjacent resort and residential communities. ... The Meadowlands Pavilion New Jersey Meadowlands is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. ... North Jersey includes the New Jersey portion of the Hudson Valley in the United States. ... South Jersey includes the New Jersey portion of the Delaware Valley in the United States. ... The metropolitan area of New York City, also called Greater New York or Greater New York City is defined by the U.S. Census as the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT Metropolitan Statistical Area based on broad social and economic integration, which is divided into... Delaware Valley is the name of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-Atlantic City, New Jersey-Wilmington, Delaware Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area. ... Atlantic City is a city located in Atlantic County, New Jersey, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 40,517. ... Bayonne is a city located in Hudson County, New Jersey. ... Tweeter Center The City of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey in the United States. ... Clifton is a city located in Passaic County, New Jersey. ... East Orange is a city located in Essex County, New Jersey. ... Elizabeth, as seen from Bayonne, New Jersey across Newark Bay. ... Map highlighting Hackensacks location within Bergen County. ... Image of Hoboken taken by NASA (red line shows where Hoboken is). ... Jersey Citys skyline from Hoboken, New Jersey. ... Linden is a city located in Union County, New Jersey. ... Long Branch is a city located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. ... New Brunswick is a city located in Middlesex County, New Jersey. ... Newark (), nicknamed The Brick City, is the largest city in New Jersey and the county seat of urban Essex County. ... Passaic is a city located in Passaic County, New Jersey. ... The skyline of Paterson, New Jersey, showing the canyon of the Passaic River in the foreground. ... Perth Amboy is a city located in Middlesex County, New Jersey. ... Plainfield is a city located in Union County, which is in the northeastern part of New Jersey. ... Location in New Jersey Founded  -Incorporated  c. ... Union City is a city located in Hudson County, New Jersey. ... Vineland highlighted in Cumberland County. ...
Counties of New Jersey
Atlantic | Bergen | Burlington | Camden | Cape May | Cumberland | Essex | Gloucester | Hudson | Hunterdon | Mercer | Middlesex | Monmouth | Morris | Ocean | Passaic | Salem | Somerset | Sussex | Union | Warren List of New Jersey counties: New Jersey counties Atlantic County: formed in 1837 from part of Gloucester County. ... Location in the state of New Jersey Formed 1837 Seat Mays Landing Area  - Total  - Water 1,739 km² (671 mi²) 286 km² (110 mi²) 16. ... Location in the state of New Jersey Formed 1683 Seat Hackensack Area  - Total  - Water 606 km² (234 mi²) 33 km² (13 mi²) 5. ... Burlington County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Camden County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Cape May County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Cumberland County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Location in the state of New Jersey Formed 1682 Seat Newark Area  - Total  - Water 336 km² (130 mi²) 9 km² (3 mi²) 2. ... Gloucester County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Location in the state of New Jersey Formed 1840 Seat Jersey City Area  - Total  - Water 162 km² (62 mi²) 41 km² (16 mi²) 25. ... Location in the state of New Jersey Formed 1714 Seat Flemington Area  - Total  - Water 1,134 km² (438 mi²) 20 km² (8 mi²) 1. ... Location in the state of New Jersey Formed 1838 Seat Trenton Area  - Total  - Water 585 km² (226 mi²) 8 km² (3 mi²) 1. ... Middlesex County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Location in the state of New Jersey Formed 1675 Seat Freehold Borough Area  - Total  - Water 1,723 km² (665 mi²) 500 km² (193 mi²) 29. ... Location in the state of New Jersey Formed March 15, 1738 Seat Morristown Area  - Total  - Water 1,247 km² (481 mi²) 32 km² (12 mi²) (2. ... Ocean County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Passaic County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Salem County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Somerset County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Sussex County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Union County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ... Warren County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ...