CONTACTS:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0Cate Litvack: \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 609-418-3939<\/em> \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0Kevin Tremble:\u00a0 \u00a0 201-951-8540<\/em> \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0Patrick Murray: \u00a0 732-979-6769<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n TRENTON – A new poll released in advance of the July 4th<\/sup> holiday finds that most state residents consider the preservation and promotion of New Jersey’s Revolutionary War heritage personally important. Many also see New Jersey as one of the more important states involved in the fight for American independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2006, the federal government recognized New Jersey’s role as the crossroads in the fight for American independence by establishing the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area, which encompasses 213 municipalities in 14 counties across the Garden State. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Key findings from the survey include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It was great to learn that New Jerseyans appreciate how much the state’s Revolutionary War heritage contributes to our quality of life. Our heritage is a key element in New Jersey’s sizable tourism economy, which is too often overlooked,” said Cate Litvack, Executive Director of the Crossroads of the American Revolution Association and Chair of the New Jersey Heritage Tourism Task Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The survey also found regional differences, with residents of Morris, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties exhibiting the highest levels of awareness and interest, while those in Essex and Hudson counties showed the lowest levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “These regional differences indicate that New Jersey’s Revolutionary War story may be easier to tell in areas where physical evidence of those events still exist. One challenge for Crossroads is to bring this story to life in communities where the landscape has been completely altered,” said Kevin Tremble, President of the Board of Trustees of the Crossroads of the American Revolution Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The survey pointed to important linkages between awareness and importance. The revolution didn’t just occur in Boston and Philadelphia and Yorktown. It occurred here in New Jersey. Those who know about the state’s Revolutionary War sites are more likely to see them as valuable assets for the state,” said Patrick Murray, Director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. Murray is also a trustee of the Crossroads Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The survey of 804 adult New Jersey residents was conducted by telephone April 7-11 and has a \u00b1 3.5 percent margin of sampling error. The poll was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute on behalf of the Crossroads of the American Revolution Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Association is the federally designated managing organization for the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area. Its purpose is to foster the conservation, preservation and interpretation of New Jersey’s Revolutionary War sites and landscapes in ways that enhance public understanding about the people, places and events that transformed the course of American and New Jersey history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n