The 1980s were definitely something special in New Jersey. There was good (Brendan Byrne Arena, later known as Continental Airlines Arena and later still, the Izod Center, opened with a series of 6 concerts by Bruce Springsteen) and there was bad (the syringe tide), but we made the best of things. Here are some photos from the decade to jog your memory.

1. Skylands Manor in Ringwood State Park circa 1981. It still looks similar today.
Flickr/Tchamber1986
2. The Exxon Bayway Refinery in Linden circa 1983.
Flickr/Herbert Maruska
3. Beach Haven looks a bit different. Photo taken in 1983.
Flickr/Tchamber236
4. Black River & Western Railroad, Ringoes. Photo circa 1984.
Flickr/Herbert Maruska
5. Atlantic City in 1984. Note the short lived Playboy Casino.
Flickr/Tchamber236
6. The Garden State Bowl in 1980 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford.
Flickr/Scheiner
7. Modern technology at a factory in Clifton circa 1985.
Flickr/BASF

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8. The Italian Air Force puts on a show over McGuire Air Force Base in Wrightstown circa 1986.
Flickr/Robert Fitzpatrick
9. The Emlen Physick Estate in Cape May circa 1984.
Wikipedia/Jack E. Boucher
10. Princeton from above circa 1988. Photo taken from Princeton University's Cleveland Tower.
Flickr/Joe Shlabotnik
11. And a shot of the Princeton University Band playing in the fountain circa 1988.
Wikipedia/Joe Shlabotnik
12. New York City shot from Queens, with New Jersey in the distance. Photo circa 1981.
Wikipedia/Been Around A While
13. The Delaware River Viaduct circa 1988.
Wikipedia/Chuck Walsh
14. The Metedeconk River in Brick Township circa 1988.
Photo/Author's Own
15. The famed Fairy Tale Forest in Oak Ridge circa 1988.
Photo/Author's Own

The little girl in the last shot? That’s me, with a bad case of hat hair. I loved growing up in New Jersey in the ’80s and beyond. What’s your favorite Garden State memory? For more nostalgic photos of New Jersey, check out these gems from the 1970s.

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