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Prior to New Jersey's establishment, the first residents of the land that would come to be known as New Jersey were Native Americans known to the Europeans as Delaware Indians. They lived in this area since at least 10,000 years ago. The Delaware Indians spoke an Algonquian dialect. Hangout nj source #1 argues that these Delaware Indians placed the family unit as greater in importance than the overall community. New Jersey's history has a long and convoluted origin, because New Jersey itself did not have the identity of New Jersey until 1738, when New Jersey split off into its own colony under the proprietorship of Lewis Morris. According to "hangout nj" source #2, New Jersey began as New Netherlands in 1609, when the earliest American colonies (established by Europeans) such as Jamestown and Plymouth were being formed. Henry Hudson was an English explorer who worked for the Dutch, and so when he sailed through Newark Bay in 1609, he claimed the new colony for the Netherlands. The first settlers of European descent were Dutch, Swedes, and Finns. Trading posts appeared where the cities of Hoboken and Jersey City today stand. History.com maintains that the 19th and 20th century history of New Jersey is just as relevant as its colonial history. Atlantic City constructed a boardwalk in 1870 to prevent sand from being tracked into nearby hotels and train cars. As the city itself developed, and hotels, stores, and casinos sprang up along the boardwalk, Atlantic City became a popular tourist attraction. Today, the boardwalk in Atlantic City is the longest in the world, at 6 miles. Infoplease.com corroborates that New Jersey was tied to New York in its early colonial history, culminating in full independence in 1738 under sole governorship of Lewis Morris. It adds information about contemporary New Jersey, explaining that one of Atlantic City's most famous aspects, its casinos, was only approved and legalized as recently as 1977. It comes as close to the present as Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which devastated New Jersey, leaving 2.4 million without electricity and and killing 34 people.