Best Countries

Rockland County

Rockland County is an urbanized county on the west bank of the Hudson River in New York State. It is the only West Bank urbanized area within the state, most of which is in New Jersey. Rockland County is an overflow area of densely populated northern New Jersey and to a lesser extent Westchester County. The region largely consists of spacious plots with large houses and a low building density. It is not possible to designate a real center, but New City is one of the more important centers. There is some employment along I-87, but not much. I-87 runs east-west through the County. The Palisades Interstate Parkway runs north-south and the Garden State Parkway ends just 2 miles in Rockland County.

Fairfield County

According to topmbadirectory, Fairfield County encompasses the far southwestern part of the state of Connecticut. Although much of the state is urbanized, only Fairfield County is usually counted as part of the New York metropolitan area. The rest are considered suburban of New Haven and Hartford. The largest centers in Fairfield County are Greenwich, Stamford, Fairfield and Bridgeport, although the latter is also a center in its own right. The coast of Fairfield County is also called the Gold Coast because of the very affluent suburbs. Traffic here is through two highways running parallel to the coast, I-95 and the Merritt Parkway. In northern Fairfield County, near the town of Danbury, the I-84. continues, but it is usually not considered part of the New York metropolitan area. There are still a few short highways near Bridgeport and Norwalk, but they do not fulfill an important function within the New York metropolis.

Bergen County

Bergen County includes the extreme northeast of the state of New Jersey. Here are several older suburbs, such as Paramus and Hackensack, as well as some further suburbs with many affluent neighborhoods on the fringes of Bergen County. Several highways run through the County, the most important of which are I-80 and the Garden State Parkway. In addition, there are commuter highways such as the SR-4 and the SR-208. In the south of the County, I-95 enters Manhattan via the George Washington Bridge. This is suburban New Jersey’s main hub and bottleneck.

Passaic County

Passaic County is located south and west of Bergen County in New Jersey and is half urban, half rural. There are a few large centers such as Paterson, Passaic and Clifton, and more expensive and smaller suburbs to the northwest. I-80 and the Garden State Parkway pass through the County, as do the SR-3 and SR-21 commuter highways. The I-287 beltway runs through the middle of the County.

Hudson County

Hudson County includes several suburbs directly on the Hudson River across from Manhattan. These are the older suburbs and are often densely built. The city of Hoboken is one of the most populous cities in the United States. Major centers include Bayonne, Jersey City and Union City. Several highways crisscross the County, including I-78, I-95, and two tunnels to Manhattan, the Lincoln Tunnel and the Holland Tunnel. The Bayonne Bridge runs to Staten Island.

Essex County

Essex County is a slightly inland suburban county. The main city here is without a doubt Newark, one of New York City’s largest suburbs. On the border with Union County is Newark Airport, the second most important airport in the metropolitan area after JFK Airport. In the east of Essex County are the older, densely populated suburbs, in the west more the newer, low-density suburbs. Several major highways pass through it, including I-78 and I-95 to the east and I-80 to the north. The Garden State Parkway also runs north-south through the County. SR-24 is a major commuter highway to Newark. I-280 is a major east-west route from the western suburbs to Newark and southern Manhattan.

Union County

Union County is located south of Essex County and includes important downtown Elizabeth. It is located northwest of Staten Island and has quite a few smaller suburbs that are still quite densely built. Major highways are I-78, I-95, and the Garden State Parkway. I-278 begins here and runs over the Goethals Bridge to Staten Island.

Morris County

Morris County is further west and consists mainly of expensive suburbs 30 to 70 kilometers from Manhattan. There are no major centers in Morris County, but major highways pass through it, such as the east-west I-80 and the I-287 beltway that runs west of New York. SR-24 runs toward Newark, and so does I -280.

Somerset County

Somerset County is the transition from the metropolitan area of New York to the metropolitan area of Philadelphia. It is located about 50 kilometers southwest of Manhattan and 80 kilometers northeast of Philadelphia. This is mainly suburban, although Somerset County is also rural in nature. It has two highways running through it, east-west I-78 and I-287 that turns north from east here.

Middlesex County

A major suburban area is in Middlesex County, the transition from the old New Jersey suburbs to the urbanized coast of the state south of New York. Here are centers such as Edison, Perth Amboy and New Brunswick. It is about the same distance from Manhattan as it is from Philadelphia. I-95 and the Garden State Parkway are the major highways, as is the I-287 beltway. The Outerbridge Crossing runs to the south of Staten Island. Around the city of Fords, all these highways intertwine with one of the largest interchange complexes in the wider region.

Monmouth County

Monmouth County is an urbanized area of expensive suburbs along the east coast of New Jersey. Monmouth is closest to New York, and in fact just south of Staten Island. However, by road it is quite a distance to Manhattan. Major centers are Long Branch and Neptune City, but most suburbs are quite small. The Garden State Parkway is the main and only access route to New York. I-195 forms an east-west route and runs to New Jersey’s capital, Trenton. The SR-18 and the SR-33 are local highways.

Ocean County

Ocean County begins just north of Atlantic City and runs through Monmouth County. It is quite far from Manhattan, about 60 to 110 kilometers. The main place is Toms River. The Garden State Parkway and I-195 open up the area. Especially the north of Ocean County and the coastal strip are urbanized, the interior consists of impenetrable forests.