Skip to content
Email Signal messenger iconBluesky social media iconFacebook Instagram RSS
The Jersey Vindicator logoCropped JV logomark BW copy.jpeg
Newsletter

Insert HTML here

Bold reporting for a brighter New Jersey
  • Bill TrackerExpand
    • Bill search tool
    • Latest New Jersey bills
    • Top bill sponsors
    • Call It! Play our bill guessing game
  • Follow the money NJExpand
    • Pay to play rankings
    • Legislator profiles
  • State Government
  • Criminal Justice
  • HealthcareExpand
    • πŸ” NJ Nursing Home Owner Search Tool
    • πŸ” NJ Nursing Home Owners – Other States
  • Environment
  • Immigration
  • News In Brief
  • Elections
  • New Jersey VoicesExpand
    • The Public Record
    • What’s Left
    • Pinelands Matters
The Jersey Vindicator logoCropped JV logomark BW copy.jpeg

Portraits of New Jersey: Faces and voices of the Garden State

People of NJ

Jorge, 45

By Andres Kudacki
Housing – What’s Good“What I like about it is that we are close to New York and there’s more than one thing we can do. We can always go to New York…
Read More β†’ Jorge, 45
People of NJ

Raev, 24

By Andres Kudacki
Portraits of New Jersey – Meet Raev, 24, of Edison.
Read More β†’ Raev, 24
Portrait photograph from the Portraits of New Jersey series

Rea Silver-Chisholm

By Andres Kudacki
The appeal of Jersey City: β€œJust getting off the PATH after the cityβ€”there’s more space, less crowded buildings around. Why she loves the state: “We have the beach, we have mountains, and…
Read More β†’ Rea Silver-Chisholm
Portraits of new jersey

Ryan, 17

By Andres Kudacki
On sports: β€œI play basketball. I like the sports in New Jersey ’cause it’s competitive and hard.” On getting around New Jersey: β€œNew Jersey needs to improve some of the roads, but…
Read More β†’ Ryan, 17
Portraits of new jersey

Vic Buccos

By Andres Kudacki
New Jersey overall: β€œWhat I like about New Jersey is it has so much to offer. You can do everything here, and of course what it has to offer is the proximity…
Read More β†’ Vic Buccos
K100209 1

Johan Gonzalez

By Andres Kudacki
Why he likes living in New Jersey:β€œYou’re close to everything. You’ve got a ton of options for scenery, food, and entertainment. You’re close to the city, you’re close to Delaware, you’re close…
Read More β†’ Johan Gonzalez

Portraits of New Jersey is an ongoing Jersey Vindicator series by photojournalist Andres Kudacki, who speaks with residents about what they love β€” and what frustrates them β€” about life in the Garden State. He pairs each conversation with a photograph.

The Jersey Vindicator is a proud member of the following organizations:

Institute for Nonprofit News member badge
Association of Alternative Newsmedia logo
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) logo
New Jersey Center for Nonprofits logo
NJ News Commons at Montclair State University member badge
New Jersey Civic Information Consortium member badge
The Jersey Vindicator logo in white

Independent Investigative Journalism for New Jersey. Free for everyone, funded by readers.

  • Republishing our stories
  • Conflicts of interest policy
  • Diversity of funding policy
  • Editorial Independence Policy
  • Journalistic ethics
  • Collaborations
  • How to contact us
  • Our mission
  • Contributors
  • How we’re funded
  • How to support our work

© 2026 The New Jersey Center for Nonprofit Journalism

Email Bluesky social network butterfly logoLinkedin Facebook Instagram RSS

Get the Vindicator Brief
Free in your inbox once a week

Independent investigative reporting and plain-English explainers that help you understand government, policy, and power in New Jersey.

Get the Brief

  • Bill Tracker
    • Bill search tool
    • Latest New Jersey bills
    • Top bill sponsors
    • Call It! Play our bill guessing game
  • Follow the money NJ
    • Pay to play rankings
    • Legislator profiles
  • State Government
  • Criminal Justice
  • Healthcare
    • πŸ” NJ Nursing Home Owner Search Tool
    • πŸ” NJ Nursing Home Owners – Other States
  • Environment
  • Immigration
  • News In Brief
  • Elections
  • New Jersey Voices
    • The Public Record
    • What’s Left
    • Pinelands Matters
Search