Nostalgia is defined as a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. For many of us, that place is New Jersey. If you were in the Garden State in the 1970s, check out these photos and have fun looking back. If you weren’t here yet (or weren’t born yet), these photos are still fascinating.

1. Virginia Theatre was a popular Atlantic City destination for decades. A roadhouse-style theater, it showed films in 70mm format. This photo was taken in 1978.
The Library Of Congress/Flickr
2. An aerial shot snapped in 1971. The World Trade Center is being built. Jersey City is in the foreground. The waterfront looks much different today.
Roger W/Flickr
3. A celebration in Newark in 1970, following the election of Ken Gibson. He was the city's first African-American mayor.
Winston Vargas/Flickr
4. Near the Benjamin Franklin Bridge circa 1976.
David King/Flickr
5. The Gladstone Station of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad on April 25, 1970.
Roger Puta/Wikipedia

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6. An illegal dumping area off the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973. This site would later become part of Liberty State Park.
EPA/Wikipedia
7. Sandy Hook in 1973.
Arthur Tress/Wikipedia
8. The home that would eventually become Cape May's Luther Ogden Inn Bed & Breakfast, photographed in 1977.
Jack Boucher, HABS photographer/Wikipedia
9. Downtown New Brunswick from above in 1974. The Northeast Corridor rail line runs across the photo and the New Brunswick station is in the center of the shot.
Historic American Engineering Record/Wikipedia
10. Dial-A-Ride Radio Dispatched Door-To-Door Bus in Haddonfield circa 1974. This service ran from 1972-1975 and fares were 30 cents per household for up to 3 people.
Jim Pickerell/Wikipedia

Do you have a favorite photo? Let us know and share your 1970s Garden State snaps and memories with us. You can also click here for more photos of New Jersey in the 1970s. There are shots of Atlantic City, Jersey City, Asbury Park, and more.

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