Welcome to the Garden State! New Jersey was the only state without an official song until Maryland repealed its state song. Some think it should adopt one of Bruce Springsteen’s hits, while others joke that it should adopt “New York, New York.” (Continued below)
| Nicknames & Slogans | |||
| Nicknames | The Garden State, Clam State, Camden and Amboy State, Jersey Blue State, Pathway of the Revolution | ||
| Slogan | Garden State | 2017 | |
| Symbols of State | |||
| Motto | Liberty and Prosperity | 1928 | > |
| Song | [none] | > | |
| EcoSymbols | |||
| Flower | common meadow violet (Viola sororia) | 1972 | > |
| Tree | red oak (Quercus rubra) | 1950 | > |
| Memorial Tree | dogwood (Cornus florida) | 1951 | > |
| Berry | highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) | 2004 | > |
| Bird | eastern goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) | 1935 | > |
| Animal | horse (Equus caballus) | 1977 | > |
| Reptile | bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) | 2018 | > |
| (Freshwater) Fish | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 1991 | > |
| Saltwater Fish | striped bass (Morone saxatilis) | 2017 | > |
| Bug | honeybee (Apis mellifera)  |
1974 | > |
| Butterfly | black swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes) | 2016 | > |
| Shell | knobbed whelk (Busycon carica) | 1995 | > |
| Soil | Downer (unofficial)  |
> | |
| Dinosaur † | Hadrosaurus foulkii (Hadrosaurus foulkii) | 1991 | > |
| Mineral | franklinite | 2023 | > |
| Cultural Symbols | |||
| Colors | buff and Jersey blue | 1965 | > |
| Tall Ship | A.J. Meerwald | 1998 | > |
| Juice | cranberry juice | 2023 | > |
| Folk Dance | square dance |
1983 | > |
Most of the symbols representing the Garden State also represent other states. In fact, the brook trout and striped bass are among the most popular state fishes, while the goldfinch also represents distant Iowa and Washington.
More unique is New Jersey’s state fossil, one of the first dinosaurs ever discovered. Other unique symbols include the red oak, bog turtle, ship A.J. Meerwald, and the official colors, buff and Jersey blue.
New Jersey’s state animal, the horse, is depicted on its state flag. However, its flag would look a lot nicer if just about everything else was removed.
If you think state flags and flowers are nothing more than trivia, guess again. A thorough exploration of the more than 1,500 items adopted as state symbols embraces geography, history, and psychology.
You have found the best state symbols website, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The introduction above is adapted from Geobop’s State Symbols and My State Symbols Book, by far the biggest and most detailed state symbols references ever. You can learn still more about the symbols of the 50 states in the books Flag Quest and Grading the States. (Learn more about them here.)
After you spend some time exploring your favorite state’s symbols, you can come back here and tell us what you think about them.
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