Founding of the New Jersey Colony
When was the colony of New Jersey founded? The New Jersey Colony was founded in 1664 by Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret.

The Naming of the New Jersey Colony
Named after the British island of Jersey, situated in the English Channel and part of the Channel Islands.

Information and Facts with the New Jersey Colony Fact File
Fast facts and interesting information about the founding, establishment, geography, climate, religion, history, natural resources, raw material, industries (refer to Colonial Times) and the famous historical people associated with the New Jersey Colony of Colonial America. Information and facts at a glance about the New Jersey Colony via this fast fact file.

Year Founded: 1664 by English colonists refer to article on Lords Proprietors

Major Towns / Cities: Trenton, Princeton

Geography: Mountains in the northeast, lowlands from Lake Ontario along the Canadian border. Atlantic coastal plain. The general geography of the Middle Colonies had a mix of the New England and Southern features but had fertile soil and land that was suited to farming

Climate: The Middle Colonies had a mild climate with warm summers and mild winters that were suited to farming and agriculture

Religion: Not dominated by a specific religion which gave way to religious freedom for Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jews and others. Refer to Religion in the Colonies

Natural Resources: Good farmland, timber, furs and coal. Iron ore was a particularly important natural resource

Major Industries: Exported agricultural products and natural resources including cattle, grain, rice, indigo (dye), wheat

Manufacturing: Manufactured iron ore products such as plows, tools, kettles, locks, nails and large blocks of iron which they exported to England

Government: By 1775 New Jersey was governed as a Royal Colony.
Original Name: The original name of the colony was the Province of New Jersey, later New Jersey

Reason for Founding: Trade and profits. New Jersey was often referred to as a breadbasket colony because it grew so many crops, especially wheat. The wheat was ground into flour in flour mills then shipped to England.

A typical farm was 50 to 150 acres consisting of a house, barn, yard and fields

In 1664 the British take control of New Jersey from the Dutch

In 1676 the New Jersey Colony is divided into East Jersey and West Jersey

In 1702 East and West Jersey combined into one colony