It's about time Central Jersey is formally recognized | Deak

Two questions have long puzzled New Jersey minds.

Is it pork roll or Taylor ham?

And is there a Central Jersey?

While there may not be a definitive answer to the first question, legislation introduced last week would formally designate Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset counties as Central Jersey in the state's tourism materials.

Here in Central Jersey, we have always known the answers to those questions.

It's about time our homeland was formally recognized.

The bill, introduced in the Assembly by Roy Freiman, D-Hillsborough, Sadaf Jaffer, D-Somerville, and Anthony Verrelli, D-Trenton, calls for the Division of Travel and Tourism to redraw the state's tourism map to create a "Central Jersey" region comprised, at a minimum, of the four counties.

Including Mercer in the designation is an act of political generosity. Parts of northern Mercer County within sight of the Sourland Mountains, like Princeton, Pennington and Hopewell, have been considered honorary members of the Central Jersey community because their cultural compasses have always pointed north. South of Princeton, Mercer points to the Trenton area, which, to be kind, is its own wonderland.

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The Central Jersey designation would be incorporated into all regional marketing materials, including the VisitNJ.org website. Increasing tourism in the best part of New Jersey is the goal; whether we want more outsiders coming here on weekends is debatable. It's good for business, but those Spandex and Lycra bicycle gangs on back roads can be a nuisance.

MyCentralJersey.com has been ahead in the name game, covering Hunterdon, Middlesex and Somerset counties and southwestern Union County. Unlike many in New Jersey content inside their bubbles, we recognize reality.

In reality, Central Jersey has always been around

Historically, before the decades of suburban blight, Central Jersey could be defined by its population centers – Plainfield, Somerville and Flemington – and its main highway, the iconoclastic Route 22. Those three towns remain the brightest stars in the Central Jersey constellation. That's where people still go to shop, the favored activity in Central Jersey besides making money.

That has always been the commonly accepted boundary of Central Jersey. After all, New Brunswick radio station WCTC, once called "The Voice of Central Jersey," announced school closings on snow days in the three counties. The station had news and weather forecasts specially tailored for Central Jersey and advertising from local stores, like Allen & Bubenick in Piscataway and Archie's in Bound Brook. The station broadcasted high school football games on Saturday afternoons until recently.

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Questions arose this century

But questions about the borders and even the existence of Central Jersey arose this century when, for some unknown reason, some in Monmouth and Mercer counties wanted to be included in Central Jersey, like outsiders who want to have lunch with the cool kids in the junior high cafeteria.

And when we gently rebuffed their application to join, they began to question if Central Jersey really did exist.

Balderdash, because we use polite words.

Even Phil Murphy agrees

Gov. Phil Murphy felt compelled to wade into the fray three years ago when he tweeted that there really was a Central Jersey.

In another act of political generosity, Murphy – a resident of Middletown in Monmouth County, which purists have never considered to be part of Central Jersey and hopefully never will be – also included Monmouth and Ocean counties as part of Central Jersey, as defined by state law. Like a good politician, Murphy settled one controversy by starting another.

Lets add Shore while we're at it

Unlike Gaul, New Jersey cannot be divided into three. There should be a fourth section called by that unique New Jersey term "Shore," reserved for Ocean, Monmouth, Cape May and the part of Atlantic County east of the Parkway where you smell the ocean, taffy and simmering sausage and peppers.

We in Central Jersey are proud of our homeland and we will defend it to rhetorical death. It's the best part of New Jersey to grow up, have a job, raise a family and retire. In a world obsessed by analytics, the statistics show we are healthy, wealthy and wise. And despite being chauvinistic about Central Jersey, we are remarkably tolerant and welcoming to diversity.

It's a special place.

And there's one more thing you should know about Central Jersey.

Here, it's pork roll.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com and a lifelong resident of Central Jersey. To get unlimited access to his articles on Central Jersey, please subscribe or activate your digital account

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Central Jersey should be formally recognized | Mike Deak