Visualizing Density in New Jersey

"The Garden State is home to the top four most densely populated municipalities in the United States, and seven of the top 10," according to this article by Stephen Stirling.

In fact, every good New Jersey resident is taught that the state is the densest state of all 50 United States, according to Stirling. "But some of the minutiae that make up that statewide statistic is staggering."

That's where an interactive map produced by NJ Advance Media for NJ.com comes in handy for illustrating the point. The visualization renders clearly the big four of density in the state—Guttenberg, Union City, West New York, and Hoboken—and the population groupings along the shore.

For the less populated corner of the state, look to the southwest, where Salem and Cumberland counties remain largely farmland. "But though the area remains largely farmland, communities have clustered around small, more tightly-packed community centers. Viewed in 3D, small but dense towns like Elmer, Bridgeton and Salem City stick out like sore thumbs," writes Stirling.