New Jersey

New Jersey is the fifth smallest but most densely populated state of the United States of America; the U.S. postal abbreviation is NJ. The state is named after the island of Jersey in the English Channel.

Counties

New Jersey is broken up into 21 counties, most of which are vestiges of the colonial area, and the remainder partitioned from existing counties in the 1800s. New Jersey is the only state in the nation where elected county officials are called "Freeholders," serving together on a Board of Chosen Freeholders in each county. The number of freeholders in each county is determined by referendum, and cannot exceed nine members.

Related Topics:
21 counties - Freeholder - Board of Chosen Freeholders

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Depending on the county, the executive and legislative functions may be performed by the Board of Chosen Freeholders or split into separate components. In some counties, members of the Board of Chosen Freeholders perform both legislative and executive functions on a commission basis, with each Freeholder assigned responsibility for a department or group of departments. In other counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Mercer), there is a directly-elected County Executive who performs the executive functions while the Board of Chosen Freeholders retains a legislative and oversight role. In counties without an Executive, a County Administrator or County Manager may be hired to perform day-to-day administration of county functions.

Related Topics:
Atlantic - Bergen - Essex - Hudson - Mercer

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