Comparison between States of Pennsylvania and New Jersey - Essay Example

Task Comparison between s of Pennsylvania and New Jersey Pennsylvania and New Jersey are neighboring s in the US. Thetwo states border each other as New Jersey lies to the west of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was among the thirteen British colonies. Pennsylvania’s location is 40.276n, 76.884w east of the US. Known as the Keystone State it was admitted to statehood in December 12, 1287. It is a medium state covering an area of 46058 sq.mi. It is a second state. It is bordered to the North by New York and New Jersey to the south (Swain Gwenyth 7). Its blue flag embroided by the state coat of arms was authorized by the general assembly in 1799. Its motto is virtue, Liberty, and independence. Its capital city is Harrisburg and main cities include Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Erie, Allentown, Upper Darby Twp, Reading, Scranton and Lancaster. New Jersey’s location is 40.223N; 74.764w.it was admitted to statehood in December 18 1787. It covers an area8722 sq.mi it is a third state. New Jerseys State flag, which was formally, adopted in 1896 has the states’ coat of arms emblazoned at the center. Its motto is liberty and prosperity. Its capital city is Trenton and key cities include Newark and Jersey City, Paterson and Elizabeth, Edison Township and Woodbridge Township as well as Dover Township and Camden. According to the US Census Bureau in 2010, Pennsylvania has a total population of 12.7096 million from 12.2842 million in 2000. The same census puts New Jerseys population at 8.8016 million from 8.4306 million in 2000. Pennsylvania ranks sixth in population among other states (Hart and Hantula 7). The population growth seems to be almost constant. There is no overpopulation as growth can be easily estimated. The city of Philadelphia is the largest city in the state, and the sixth ranked biggest city in the US. Pittsburg is the state’s second largest city followed by Allentown (Hart and Hantula 7). Pennsylvania’s landscape includes mountain chains, gently rolling hills, flat plains and valleys. Its northwestern part is part of the Great Lakes Plain that hugs the shores of Lake Erie. Lake Erie is the eleventh-largest lake in the world and one of the five vast lakes. Located here is the city of Erie with a population of around 100,000 people. It is Pennsylvania’s chief port in the lake (Hart and Hantula 9). The state has several large lakes including the Allegheny reservoir which is an artificial lake in the Allegheny national Forest. The North eastern part of Pennsylvania is dotted with small lakes. Before the highway turnpikes were built, rivers were the best travelling routes. The Monongahela and the Allegheny two of Pennsylvania biggest rivers join to form the Ohio River at Pittsburg (Gwenyth 7). The city of Pittsburg also known as the city of bridges lies in the northern foothills of the Alleghenies, where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio River. Pennsylvania’s three-fifth is covered with forests. The forest contains the oak, hickory and walnut trees in the south while the black bears live the northern lush woods. Much of New Jersey is rich in natural beauty. It has many factories and office building that were not there during early settlement. Her forests and marshes are full of wildlife. New Jersey is also known as the fertile farming land. It has sandy beaches stretching along its coast for miles (Heinrich 4). It supplies many surrounding cities with fruits and fresh vegetables hence its reference as the garden state. It is surprising that Lancaster County appears like a history museum because of the centuries-old traditions that farmers here follow. That others still choose to live in homes in this era without electricity and still speak their native Swiss and German languages is captivating (Gwenyth 7). Both cities are surrounded by water bodies. The Delaware, Susquehanna, Allegheny and Ohio are four great river systems that shaped the state of Pennsylvania. These rivers were crucial in the development of the transportation systems and industries of the state (Stephen and Hart 14). New Jersey is nearly entirely enclosed by water. Its east coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. It links the Delaware River with the Atlantic. The most vital rivers in New Jersey are the Delaware and the Hudson rivers. The Delaware runs along New Jerseys western coast while the Hudson between New York and the northeastern of New Jersey (Heinrich 7). Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey borders New York. New Jersey largest cities are based close to New York, which is to, the north and Pennsylvania to the southwest. Its largest city is Newark. People use ferries, tunnels or bridges to travel to these cities. Only four states are smaller than New Jersey. It is among the smaller states which include Hawaii, Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticut. It could fit into U.S’ largest state Alaska seventy-five times (Heinrich 8). The natural habitats are destroyed in both states. Oil spillage, industrial wastes and domestic wastes to lakes and rivers cause both pollution and loss of aquatic life. Many forests face challenges of logging which leads to deforestation also wild fires affects the forests. Wild fires lead to loss of water catchment areas also wild life. These forests are protected through public policy enacted by the American constitution enforcement. They are also protected through community action, and justice and equity issues, which affect those, at large. They are also protected by excellent relationships between communities around them and the natural resources. If the resources benefit the locals, they ensure that the resources are not misused. The Environmental protection Agency (EPA) is entrusted the responsibility of dealing with environmental pollution by the government. It also entails their overseeing proper utilization of natural habitat and civil education to people. They check on companies’ greenhouse gases, control pesticide risks, toxic waste release and energy and water conservation. Average annual salary in Pennsylvania according to 2011/2012 salary survey is around 47,000 USD. With main industries being in manufacturing, agribusiness, tourism printing, health care, consulting and research, publishing and bio technology average salaries in Pennsylvania are around the same average US salary. New jerseys’ average income is around 50,781 USD according to annual data from the U.S bureau of Economic Analysis. New Jersey is among the states that register high pa capita income in the U.S. new jerseys income come from nursery stocks, fruits and nuts, seafood, dairy products, horses and vegetables from an agricultural perspective. From the industries, it comes from chemical products, electric equipment, food processing, tourism, printing and publishing. The two states enjoy biodiversity protection to a large extent. Biodiversity involves determining the presence of existing organisms in the states. They use policies identified in the commonwealth. Pennsylvania and New Jersey have endangered species of organisms. There are thousands of existing organisms, and many are yet to be identified. Both endangered and other organisms are protected by state laws and commonwealth laws. The two states place a high value on protecting animals, plants and their habitats. Though the public used to misunderstand the meaning of biodiversity, nowadays it is understood. A sizeable number has a clear, current knowledge and understanding of biodiversity. Land protection, habitat protection and species reintroduction, is also encouraged as means of biodiversity. People in these two states are striving to live sustainably. Though they face numerous challenges, they are not far away from achieving self-sustainability. As seen from the average incomes in the two states, most residents in the two states are middle wage earners. They are not extremely rich but also not poor. The state of New Jersey is similar to the state of Pennsylvania in that both are full of water sources. They are surrounded by water masses and are agricultural areas. They both have almost similar landscapes. Forests are in plenty, and they have plains and valleys. The major cities of New Jersey are well developed due to their proximity to New York state and Philadelphia. The lifestyle in those cities is almost similar due to their proximity. Philadelphia city is near the border of New Jersey, therefore, similarities in their cultures. The states differ in that in Pennsylvania there are still native German and Swiss speakers. Some people have abandoned their traditional ways of living and adopted modern ones. They have adopted the western way of living. The two states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey are comparable not only because they are close to each other but also because of their landscapes and the way of living. Their culture, language and general perspective of life is fascinating. Works Cited Hart, Joyce, and Richard Hantula. Pennsylvania. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2011. Heinrichs, Ann. New Jersey. Minneapolis, Minn: Compass Point Books, 2003. Peters, Stephen, and Joyce Hart. Pennsylvania. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009. Swain, Gwenyth. Pennsylvania. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2002. Pennsylvania. U.S Census Bureau: state and county QuickFccts. Web Feb 23 2012 Available at; Marchex, Inc. New jersey.50states.com.web Feb. 23 2012 Available at: Marchex, Inc. Pennsylvania.50states.com. Web. Feb 23 2012 Available at: Read More