To say New Jersey has an identity crisis is an understatement.

Being a geographically small state sandwiched between New York City and Philadelphia gives us a red-headed stepchild stigma right off the bat.

But did you know New Jersey is the 11th most populated state in the nation? Truth.
9,261,699. Yet it’s spread out more in all directions than one megacity.

Yes, we have Newark. We have Jersey City. But they’re not like Chicago or L.A. or Atlanta.

Downtown Newark (Google Maps)
Downtown Newark (Google Maps)
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So when I saw someone compiling a list of the most iconic buildings in each state I immediately wondered what on Earth they would do with a place like New Jersey. Even in a city like Newark, we don’t exactly have an obvious Empire State Building type of standout.

Think about what you’d pick. The most iconic building in our state. Hmm. Tough, isn’t it?

Now you could make a crazy argument that Margate’s Lucy the Elephant counts as a building even though it’s a novelty structure, and it is certainly one of a kind.

Or what about Drumthwacket, the official governor’s mansion (even though governors rarely live there anymore)?

Could we go pop culture and pick something like “The Sopranos” house in North Caldwell?

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/14-Aspen-Dr-Cedar-Grove-NJ-07006/38716281_zpid/?mmlb=g,0
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/14-Aspen-Dr-Cedar-Grove-NJ-07006/38716281_zpid/?mmlb=g,0
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Or a lighthouse? Or the tower at High Point?

It’s a stumper, isn’t it?

But if you scroll through this list of the most iconic buildings in every state you will discover New Jersey’s. And maybe you never heard of it either, or perhaps I’m just not as Jersey as I thought? See for yourself.

LOOK: Explore the iconic buildings from every state

From colonial homesteads to mansions by the ocean, iconic buildings define every state in the country. Stacker compiled this list of notable examples from historic and government reports and news articles. 

Gallery Credit: Aine Givens

LOOK: Groceries that dropped in price in the Northeast Last Month

Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the grocery items that saw the largest price decreases from August to September in the Northeast.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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