Fifty Nifty United States

Each of the 50 United States of America has charm and individuality.

My fifth graders learn about the states every year, so I've compiled songs for each one. I'll share their nicknames, postal abbreviations, and some interesting facts. This will be in alphabetical order, as in the song above, but the number preceding them is the order in which they joined the union.

Enjoy!

22) Alabama is The Yellowhammer State, also known as The Cotton State. Their license plates say, "Heart of Dixie." AL is the only state with all of the major natural resources needed to make iron and steel.

49) Alaska's nickname is Land of the Midnight (or noonday) Sun. Their license plates say, "The Last Frontier." Rhode Island could fit into AK 425 times! Dog mushing is the official state sport. The discovery of gold in the Yukon began a gold rush in 1898.

48) Arizona, The Grand Canyon State's birthday is on Valentine's birthday. AZ is home to many Aztec, Apache, and Navajo people. Arizona has the largest percentage of its land set aside and designated as Indian lands. The London bridge is located in Lake Havasu City, AZ.

25) Arkansas is The Natural State. The Buffalo River in AR is one of the few remaining unpolluted, free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states. Sam Walton founded his first Walmart in Bentonville, AR. Notice the spelling of the state includes Kansas.

31) California, The Golden State, raises more turkeys than any other state. CA also produces 300,000 tons of grapes for making 17 million gallons of wine each year. Some bristle cone pine trees in northern CA are thought to be over 4,600 years old.

38) Colorado, The Centennial State, has the highest mean altitude of all the states. At 14,110 feet above sea level over 400,000 people ascend Pikes Peak each year. There are nearly 20 rivers whose headwaters begin in CO, with the Continental Divide directing each river’s course.

5) Connecticut, The Constitution State, is home to the first hamburger, Polaroid camera, helicopter, and color television. Hartford, CT, is where you will find the oldest newspaper still being published. PEZ Candy is made in the city of Orange, CT.

1) Delaware, The First State, is so named because it was the first to ratify the constitution, becoming our first state. DE is the only state without any national parks, memorials, or monuments. America's newest tall ship is a recreation of Kalmar Nyckel that landed on the Christina River in 1638.

27) Florida, The Sunshine State, houses America's launchpad for space travel, Cape Canaveral. Gatorade was named for the University of FL Gators where the drink was first developed. Key West has the highest average temperature in the United States.

4) Georgia, The Peach State, is the nation’s number one producer of the three Ps–peanuts, pecans, and peaches. Wesleyan College in Macon, GA was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. In Gainesville, the Chicken Capital of the World, it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork.

50) Hawaii, The Aloha State, is the most isolated population center on earth. HI is thousands of miles from California, Japan, and China. There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet -- vowels A, E, I, O, U and consonants H, K, L, M, N, P, W. Kilauea volcano is the world’s most active and largest.

43) Idaho, The Gem State, is so named for the abundance of gems found there. President Theodore Roosevelt established the Caribou National Forest in 1907. The area now covers more than 1 million acres in southeast ID. Seven Devils’ Peaks includes Heaven’s Gate Lookout, where sightseers can look into four states.

21) Illinois, IL, The Prairie State, is known for extreme weather - major winter storms, deadly tornadoes, and spectacular heat and cold waves. The Chicago Public Library is the world’s largest public library with a collection of more than 2 million books. The Chicago River is dyed green on Saint Patrick’s Day.

19) Indiana is called The Hoosier State for unclear reasons. Deep below the earth in Southern Indiana is a sea of limestone that is one of the richest deposits of top-quality limestone found anywhere on earth. More than a dozen government buildings in D.C are built from IN limestone. The first professional baseball game was played in Fort Wayne on May 4, 1871.

29) Iowa, The Hawkeye State, was so named as a tribute to Native American warrior Chief Black Hawk. Fenlon Place Elevator in Dubuque, IA is the world’s steepest and shortest railway. Glenn Miller, noted trombonist and orchestra leader, was born in Clarinda, IA. Donna Reed and John Wayne were both born in IA.

34) Kansas, The Sunflower State, boasts the largest population of wild grouse in North America. The first woman mayor in the United States, Susan Madora Salter, was elected to office in Argonia, KS in 1887. Handel’s Messiah has been presented in Lindsborgeach, KS at Easter since 1889.

15) Kentucky is The Bluegrass State. Bluegrass is green, but the purple flowers give it a blue hue. The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously held horse race in the country in Louisville, KY. In the War of 1812, more than half of all Americans killed in action were Kentuckians.

18) Louisiana, The Pelican State, is home to the world’s largest freshwater river basin. The first American army to have African American officers was the confederate Louisiana Native Guards, sworn into service in 1862. World-famous “Mardi Gras” is celebrated in New Orleans, LA. Mamou, LA bills itself as “The Cajun Music Capital of the World.”

23) Maine, Vacationland, also The Pine Tree State, produces 99% of all the blueberries in the country. Approximately 40 millions pounds of the nation’s lobster supply is caught off the coast of ME. The nation’s first sawmill was established near York, ME in 1623. Maine contains 542,629 acres of state and national parks.

7) Maryland was given the name “Old Line State” by George Washington. MD is also called Free State. Samuel F.B. Morse reportedly received the first telegraph message in Bladensburg, MD in 1844. Greenbelt, MD was the first community in the United States built as a planned city, an experiment in physical and social planning.

6) Massachusetts, The Bay State, is home to Harvard, the first college establishing in America. The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in Plymouth, MA in 1621. The Boston Tea Party reenactment takes place in Boston Harbor every December 16th.

26) Michigan is called The Wolverine State, even though there are no longer wolverines in the state. It is sometimes called The Great Lakes State, because standing anywhere in the state, a person is within 85 miles of one of the Great Lakes. The Detroit Zoo in MI was the first zoo in America to feature cageless, open exhibits, allowing animals freedom to roam.

32) Minnesota, The Land of 10,000 Lakes, has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than CA, FL, and HI combined. The first practical water skis were invented in 1922 by Ralph W. Samuelson, who steam-bent eight-foot-long pine boards into skies and rode behind a motorboat on a lake in Lake City, MN. MN has one recreational boat per every six people, more than any other state.

20) Mississippi, The Magnolia State, boasts the invention of root beer in Biloxi, MS. In 1902 while on a hunting expedition in Sharkey County, MS, President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt refused to shoot a captured bear, resulting in the creation of the world-famous teddy bear. Natchez, settled by the French in 1716, has more than 500 buildings that are on the National Register of Historic Places.

24) Missouri, The Show-Me State's nickname began in 1899 when Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver stated, “I’m from Missouri and you’ve got to show me.” In 1865 Missouri became the first slave state to free its slaves. At the St. Louis, MO World’s Fair in 1904, the ice cream cone was invented.

41) Montana, The Treasure State, formerly Big Sky State, has the most diversity of mammals in America. Elk, deer, and antelope outnumber humans. Custer's last stand took place just south of Billings, MT. Montana is the only state with a triple divide allowing water to flow into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Hudson Bay. This phenomenon occurs at Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park.

37) Nebraska, Cornhusker State, was where the 911 emergency system was developed and first used in Lincoln, NE. Buffalo Bill Cody held his first rodeo in North Platte, NE July 4, 1882. The University of Nebraska Cornhuskers have been to a record 27 consecutive bowl games.

36) Nevada, The Silver State, has silver, but it is the largest gold producing state, second in the world only to South Africa. NV has more mountain ranges than any other state. In Death Valley, NV, the Kangaroo Rat can live its entire life without drinking a drop of liquid.

9) New Hampshire, The Granite State, In 1833 the first free public library in the United States was established in Peterborough, NH. The first potato planted in the United States was at Londonderry Common Field, NH, in 1719. The Blue Ghost of Wolfeboro is the U.S. Mail Boat for Lake Winnipesaukee. It makes a daily 60-mile loop delivering mail around the lake.

3) New Jersey, The Garden State, is sometimes called The Cornerstone State. Atlantic City, NJ, is where the street names came from for the game monopoly. New Jersey has the most diners in the world. Passaic river was the site to the first submarine ride by inventor John P. Holland.

47) New Mexico, White Sands, where the world’s first Atomic Bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945, is a desert, not of sand, but of gleaming white gypsum crystals. Since NM’s climate is so dry, 3/4 of the roads are left unpaved. The town of Gallup calls itself the “Indian Capital of the World” and serves as a trading center for more than 20 different Indian groups.

11) New York, The Empire State, is named for The Empire State Building. The first American chess tournament was held in New York, NY in 1843. New York State is home to 58 species of wild orchids and over 70,000 miles of rivers and streams. Adirondack Park is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Olympic Parks combined.

12) North Carolina, The Tar Heel State, used to be First in Flight, due to the Wright Brother's historic flight at Kitty Hawk, NC. Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Fayetteville, NC on March 7, 1914. Havelock, NC is home of Marine Base “Cherry Point.” It is the largest air base in the Marine Corps.

39) North Dakota is The Peace Garden State, formerly Rough Rider, and Sioux. The Dakota Dinosaur Museum in Dickinson, ND, houses twelve full scale dinosaurs, thousands of rock, mineral and fossil specimens and a complete real Triceratops and Edmontosaurus. President Theodore Roosevelt owned ranches in ND after going there to hunt bison.

17) Ohio, Buckeye State, is also called The Birthplace of Aviation, because that's where the Wright brothers lived. OH gave America its first hot dog in 1900. Cleveland, OH, is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It also became the world’s first city to be lighted electrically in 1879.

46) Oklahoma, The Native American State, is also called The Sooner State, owing to the people who cheated and claimed plots "sooner" during the OK land rush of 1889, that is, if they weren't shot on sight. Anadarko, OK, is home to the only authentic Native American City in the United States. It is located in the beautiful Washita river valley in southwest Oklahoma.

33) Oregon, The Beaver State, has more ghost towns than any other state. Portland, OR, is an example of outstanding urban planning. The city is known as The City of Roses. The Oregon Trail is the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States. Eugene is rated by “Bicycling Magazine” as one of the top ten cycling communities in the United States.

2) Pennsylvania, The Keystone State, is home of The Liberty Bell. Betsy Ross made the first American flag in Philadelphia, PA, which is also where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Hershey, PA is considered the Chocolate Capital of the United States. PA is famous for coal mining in the past and large settlements of Amish and Quaker people.

13) Rhode Island, The Ocean State, shares a state water border with New York. Since 1785, Bristol, RI has the longest running, unbroken series of 4th of July Independence Day observances in the U.S. Rhode Islanders were the first to take military action against England by sinking one of her ships in the Narragansett Bay located between Newport and Providence RI.

8) South Carolina, is The Palmetto State. Johnston, SC is known as the Peach Capital of the World. SC is also known for cotton production. The most famous person from Fountain Inn, SC lost his leg in a cotton gin accident. He became a well-known dancer. A 24-mile motorcycle trail and a 26-mile horse trail are unusual features of Parsons Mountain Park in the Sumter National Forest.

40) South Dakota, The Mount Rushmore State, is the home of the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota tribes, which make up the Sioux Nation. For millions of years, Split Rock Creek near Garretson, SD cut deep gorges through Palisades State Park. Geologists say the Sioux quartzite spires are 1.2 billion years old.

16) Tennessee, is called Volunteer State. The name “Tennessee” originated from the old Yuchi Indian word, “Tana-see,” meaning “The Meeting Place.” Elvis Presley’s home called Graceland is located in Memphis, TN. Graceland is the second most visited house in the country. Coca-Cola was first bottle in 1899 in downtown Chattanooga, TN.

28) Texas, The Lone Star State, is the only state to enter the United States by treaty instead of territorial annexation. More wool comes from the state of TX than any other state in the United States. The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the world’s largest rose garden. It contains 38,000 rose bushes representing 500 varieties of roses set in a 22-acre garden.

45) Utah is The Beehive State, for its industrious pioneers. Because of the state’s inland location Utah’s snow is unusually dry, making it "the world’s greatest powder." 14 Alpine ski resorts operate in Utah. Utah has five national parks, seven national monuments, two national recreation areas, and six national forests.

14) Vermont is The Great Mountain State. The capital, Montpelier, VT, is the largest producer of maple syrup in the U.S. One of the largest companies operating in VT is Ben & Jerry’s. They give their ice cream waste to the local Vermont farmers who feed it to their hogs. The hogs to like all of the flavors except Mint Oreo.

10) Virginia, The Old Dominion, has more people working for the government than any other state - about 1/4 of the population. Jamestown, VA was the first English settlement in the U.S. Yorktown, VA is the site of the final victory of the American Revolution. Wild Ponies have roamed freely on Assateague Island for centuries.

42) Washington is The Evergreen State. Though WA is known for apple production at 58.1%, their raspberries are even more impressive at 90% U.S. production. Starbucks was founded in Seattle, WA. The world’s first soft-serve ice cream machine was located in an Olympia Dairy Queen. Washington is home to many Internet companies, including Amazon, Classmates, Whitepages.

35) West Virginia, The Mountain State, has part of the Appalachians, The Blue Ridge, and Allegheny Mountains, among others. The first steamboat was launched by James Rumsey in the Potomac River at New Mecklensburg, WV on December 3, 1787. Daniel Boone made his last survey of Charleston, WV on September 8, 1798.

30) Wisconsin, now The Badger State, was previously America's Dairyland, appropriate as it's the dairy capital of the country. WI snowmobile trails total 15,210 miles of signed and groomed snow highways. Noah’s Ark in Wisconsin Dells, WI is the nation’s largest water-themed park. Somerset, WI is the Inner Tubing Capital of the World.

44) Wyoming is The Equality State because of the rights women have traditionally enjoyed there. Yellowstone is the first official National Park (1872.) Devils Tower was designated as the first National Monument (1906.) The first Dude Ranch in Wyoming was the Eaton Ranch, where they coined the term “dude.”

What's your favorite state? If you were born in America, what do you consider home? I was born in Minnesota, but I've lived in Arizona for more than half of my life, so even though most of my family is far to the north, I feel at home where I currently reside.

References:

50states.com and Wikipedia