The Amboys are a pair of municipalities in
Middlesex County,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
, both of which have the word ''Amboy'' in their name. The two municipalities are the
City of Perth Amboy and the
City of South Amboy, located across from each other on the
Raritan Bay
Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west by Per ...
.
While each community has its own independent government, and the two municipalities have no shared governance (other than Middlesex County), the term is often used to refer to the area, including on highway exit signs. Signage for Exit 11 on the
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not cons ...
, exit 129 on the
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jerse ...
southbound, and exit 30 on
Route 18 northbound refer to "The Amboys" as a destination.
Source for Amboy
Perth Amboy's history dates back to 1651 when August Herman bought a point of land from the
Lenni Lenape
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...
Native Americans. The land, which was called "Ompoge" by the Indians, gradually changed its name to "Emboyle", then "Amboyle". When the city was incorporated in 1683, settlers began to call the land "Ambo" or "Amboy Point", and finally "Amboy." The name means "place resembling a bowl."
In 1686, when the settlement became the capital of
East Jersey
The Province of East Jersey, along with the Province of West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702 in accordance with the Quintipartite Deed, were two distinct political divisions of the Province of New Jersey, which became the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...
, Perth was added to the name in honor of one of the Proprietors under the Royal grant, the
James Drummond, 1st Duke of Perth.
Perth Amboy City History
accessed Feb. 25, 2014
See also
For other groups of similarly named municipalities in New Jersey, see:
* The Brunswicks
*The Caldwells
The Caldwells are a group of three municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word ''Caldwell'' in their name. All of these communities are named after the Reverend James Caldwell, a Patriot who played an active role suppo ...
*The Oranges
The Oranges are a group of four municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word ''Orange'' in their name. The four municipalities are Orange, East Orange, South Orange and West Orange. All of these communities were n ...
* The Plainfields
* The Ridgefields
*The Wildwoods
The Wildwoods are a group of five communities (four distinct municipalities and one census-designated place) in Cape May County, New Jersey. These are situated on the Island of Five Mile Beach, a barrier island facing the Atlantic Ocean. These Je ...
References
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