New Jersey Geo-demographics

With a brief exception, I've lived in a 20-mile radius in New Jersey for my whole life (so far) - Middlesex and southern Somerset County - an area, along with Mercer and Monmouth Counties, that is pretty safe to consider "Central Jersey", in geography as well as character (more suburban than northeast, less rural than northwest and south). However, those in North or South Jersey often ignore "Central" and consider it South or North, respectively. Came across a good comment on another view of this "issue" on a Real Barbecue in Central Jersey thread on Chowhounds...

I've long maintained that, for many people, "central Jersey" is located between Englewood and Wildwood, mostly because few want what they perceive as the stigma of being in "south Jersey" (Pineys!) or "north Jersey" (decayed urban rustbelt!) - "northwest Jersey" gets pass, of course, for the 12 people who live there. It's like "middle class" in America- which is, apparently, someone who does not qualify for welfare yet can't afford their own learjet.