New Jersey Was the OG Tech Innovation Capital, Not Silicon Valley

What place comes to mind when you think of cutting-edge technology and world-changing inventions? Silicon Valley, right?

Well, long before California’s big tech boom, the real powerhouse of American innovation was right here in New Jersey. That’s right. From Thomas Edison’s electric genius to Bell Labs’ major breakthroughs, the Garden State laid the foundation for the digital world we live in today.

Edison: The First Tech Bro (But, Like, in a Good Way)

Basically, Thomas Edison built America’s first research and development center in West Orange in the late 1800s. This wasn’t just some rinky-dink workshop either. It was a bona fide factory of ideas.

Edison and his crew invented everything from the phonograph to the motion picture camera. Their work also led to the development of the incandescent light bulb. Oh, and they also created the first electric power distribution system that lit up homes and cities for the first time ever.

To be honest, Edison’s lab reflected the original blueprint for modern tech startups: bold ideas, constant experimentation, and never-ending learning.

Bell Labs: Ground Zero for Modern Tech

Several decades later, Bell Labs, headquartered in New Jersey, took Edison’s mantle. A total think tank, this legendary lab revolutionized physics, communications, and computing.

I’m not being hyperbolic either. As a result of their work, we have the transistor (the tiny component that makes all modern electronics possible), the laser, the photovoltaic cell, and the CCD with which we make digital cameras. In all seriousness, Bell Labs shaped the 20th century.

They didn’t stop there. In addition to Unix, the team laid the foundation for C++, which still powers today’s software. As a result, Bell Labs scientists won so many Nobel Prizes, cementing New Jersey’s status as a global innovation hub.

The Beginning of Your Cell Phone Habit

By developing cellular communication technology at its Holmdel facility in the 1960s, Bell Labs made history once again. Even though their famous Holmdel Horn Antenna helped confirm the Big Bang theory, their main legacy is the foundation for today’s mobile phones. That means all your texts, calls, and wireless signals are the result of experiments here in New Jersey.

The Irony: New Jersey is Silicon Valley’s Dad

Want to know the real kicker? Silicon Valley’s story actually starts in New Jersey.

The inventor of the transistor at Bell Labs, William Shockley, eventually moved west, Mountain View, California for be exact, to start Shockley Semiconductor. He founded a company dedicated to silicon-based electronics, and bam! New industries (and new geographical identities) were born. As its name suggests, Silicon Valley owes its existence to the material that powered Shockley’s invention. In other words, the Valley’s DNA runs straight through the Garden State.

A Jersey Legacy Worth Remembering

It wasn’t just Bell Labs and Edison who were crushing it. Jersey innovators also developed the first fax machine, long-distance television transmission, and stereo broadcast. They also fueled earlier industrial revolutions, such as locomotives, textiles, and even telephones.

Before venture capitalists, garage startups, and billion-dollar IPOs, New Jersey was home to engineers, scientists, and dreamers who redefined what was possible. All around you, Edison and Bell Labs’ impact is still apparent: in text notifications, streaming videos, and glowing screens.

You don’t have to look far to remind yourself that before there was Silicon Valley, there was New Jersey — the original innovation state.