Well, it has been a very long time since our Part 4 post about the differences between Ireland and the US. That last one was way back in February!
This one should more properly be called Ireland vs NJ because that is what we have been researching. In our many miles of driving and traveling, one thing that all of us have noticed is how much space there is in Ireland! We decided to find out just how much more space there is than in NJ.
Here are the details:
NJ has approximately 9 million people in about 8,700 square miles, making the average number of people per square mile 1,195. This makes NJ the most densely populated state in the US. It is the 4th smallest (or 47th largest if you prefer) and the only one to have all its counties designated as “urban.” Is it any wonder it feels so crowded?
The population of Ireland is roughly 4.8 million. The area is 26,600 square miles. The average number of people per square mile is 182. Given that 65% of the population is in urban areas, this would make the average number of people per square mile out in the countryside far less than 182, which explains why it feels like there is so much space as we drive around. Sometimes it feels like there are more sheep and cows than people.
The numbers show that NJ is 6.5 times more crowded than Ireland. Practically speaking, the difference is greater than that since we have been traveling mostly in very rural locations.
Now that we’ve bored you with all the details, here are some pictures for you to enjoy.
For comparison’s sake, we are currently in County Kerry, which is 1,856 square miles. The population of the county is just under 148,000 people. That makes the number of people per square mile 80 (compared to NJ’s 1,195). The town we are staying in is called Caherdaniel. The census data says….that the town of Caherdaniel is too small to have census data! The nearest towns are Waterville, with a population of 462, and Sneem, with a population of 288 (Waterville and Sneem are about 40 minutes away from each other, with nothing but Caherdaniel in between). In case you were wondering, Point Pleasant has a population of 18,545. Now we know why the grocery store is so far away!
The sky begins to get light at about 4:30 am, so there are only 6 hours of darkness.
The next installment of Ireland vs USA will cover the subject you’ve all been waiting for…garbage! I’ll try not to keep you in suspense for too long 🙂
Brogans Across the Pond 
Ugh! NJ is so bloody crowded!
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