New Jersey is First…For A Lot Of Things

New Jersey is first in our hearts, of course. And New Jersey was the first place for many of the things we love...and the whole country loves.

Anytime you watch a baseball game, remember the first organized game ever played was right here in the Garden State (Hoboken, 1846). Don't like baseball? More of a basketball person? Well, the first pro basketball game was also in New Jersey (Trenton, 1896).

Don't you love taking a long walk on the boardwalk, like thousands who travel to the Jersey Shore each summer? Well, the first boardwalk ever built was in Atlantic City in 1870.

I bet the first thing you did this morning was head to the bathroom and switch on the light. Thanks again, New Jersey! The first light bulb...West Orange, 1889. Heading to the movies this weekend. Guess where the first movie was developed. Yep, you got it (Thomas Edison, West Orange, 1889).

After a long work day or work week, do you like to sit down and pop open a cold beer? Then you should salute New Jersey, where the first brewery in the U.S. popped up in Hoboken in 1642.

New Jersey was first for a lot of things that people love or rely on to this day. Just some things for us to be proud of! Check out some more New Jersey firsts at the State of New Jersey website.