Each of the fifty US states has its own nickname. There is a story behind the nicknames, too. Below are each of the fifty states in America, followed by their various nicknames, as well as a brief synopsis of how their full nicknames came to be.
There is a bird known as the yellowhammer after which Alabama is named because the bird was representative of the uniforms of confederate soldiers in Alabama during the 1860s.
Additional nicknames for include…
Alaska is called the Last Frontier State because it was the second to last state to join the nation.
Additional nicknames for Alaska include…
Arizona is home to the Grand Canyon, and since it's an incredibly renowned national park, so the popularity of the park is where Arizona gets its nickname.
Additional nicknames for Arizona include…
Arkansas has so much natural beauty and scenery, hence the nickname of The Natural State.
Additional nicknames for Arkansas include…
In 1848, Californians struck gold during the Gold Rush, and coupled with the Golden Gate Bridge, the historical event is where California gets its nickname.
Additional nicknames for California include…
The centennial part of Colorado's name refers to the fact that Colorado officially became part of the US one hundred years after Congress signed the Declaration of Independence.
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Some of the very first laws put into place in the US were written in Connecticut, so the state was nicknamed after the Constitution itself.
Additional nicknames for Connecticut include…
Out of all the original thirteen colonies, Delware signed the Consitution first, so it was dubbed the First State.
Additional nicknames for Delaware include…
The Sunshine State is Florida's nickname because of the state's geography and abundance of sunny weather.
Additional nicknames for Florida include…
Georgia peaches are the best of the best, earning Georgia the nickname of The Peach State.
An additional nickname for Georgia is...
Aloha is Hawaiian for hello, so the state was nicknamed as the Aloha State.
Additional nicknames for Hawaii include…
Idaho is known as the Gem State because its official state name is actually a Shoshone Native American word for gem of the mountains.
Illinois is nicknamed after Abraham Lincoln who lived in Illinois when he was chosen as the president of the US in 1861.
Additional nicknames for Illinois include…
The official nickname of Indiana is pulled from a poem called "The Hoosier's Nest," by poet John Finley.
Additional nicknames for Indiana include…
Native American tribe leader Chief Black Hawk was forced to move to land that is now Iowa, so the state is nicknamed after him out of respect and appreciation.
Kansas is home to sunflowers galore, earning it the title of the Sunflower State.
Additional nicknames for Kansas include…
Grasslands in Kentucky sprout grass with blue budding flowers at the tips, hence the term bluegrass.
There are more pelicans in Louisiana than in most other places, so Louisiana i known as the Pelican State.
Additional nicknames for Louisiana include…
White pine trees are some of Maine's most unique and treasured natural beauties.
An additional nickname for Maine is...
During the Revolutionary War in the United States, the troops from Maryland that fought in the war were known as the Maryland Line military.
Additional nicknames for Maryland include…
Cape Cod Bay is part of Massachusetts, and the state was also home to the Massachusetts Bay Company which acted as the government, if you will, until the year 1684.
Additional nicknames for Massachusetts include…
Wolverines are not hard to find in Michigan, so the state earned a nickname inspired by the wild animals.
Additional nicknames for Michigan include…
The state motto of Minnesota is translated in English to mean the Star of the North, so it makes sense to nickname the state something similar.
Additional nicknames for Minnesota include…
There are magnolias all over the state of Mississippi, and it happens to be the state's official flower as well as its nickname.
Additional nicknames for Mississippi include…
Missouri's official nickname reflects a line from the speech given by the congressman of Missouri in 1899.
Additional nicknames for Missouri include…
Montana has a plethora of gold mines and various other reserves with an abundance of minerals.
Additional nicknames for Montana include…
A cornhusker is someone who grows corn competitively, which is quite seriously a sport in the state of Nebraska.
An additional nickname for Nebraska is...
Nevada is the heart of the silver mining industry.
Additional nicknames for Nevada include…
If you are ever in search of granite, New Hampshire is the state to visit.
Additional nicknames for New Hampshire include…
In 1876, Abraham Browning presented a speech during which he mentioned New Jersey as being the Garden State, and the nickname stuck ever since becoming official in 1954.
New Mexico's nickname was inspired by the text in one of Lilian Whiting's books.
An additional nickname for New Mexico is...
New York was noted as being the Seat of the Empire by George Washington in 1785, eventually earning the state its current official nickname.
An additional nickname for New York is…
The nickname of North Carolina stems from the way General Robert E. Lee, a Confederate leader, spoke about the Tar Heel Boys during war.
Additional nicknames for North Carolina include…
Additional nicknames for North Dakota include…
An additional nickname for Ohio is...
Additional nicknames for Oklahoma include…
An additional nickname for Oregon is...
Additional nicknames for Pennsylvania include…
Additional nicknames for Rhode Island include…
Additional nicknames for South Dakota include…
An additional nickname for Tennessee is...
An additional nickname for Utah is...
An additional nickname for Virginia is...
An additional nickname for Washington is...
An additional nickname for West Virginia is
Additional nicknames for Wisconsin include…
Additional nicknames for Wyoming include…
State | State Nickname | Additional Nicknames |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | The Yellowhammer State | Camellia State, The Heart of Dixie |
| Alaska | The Last Frontier | Land of the Midnight Sun, The North Star State |
| Arizona | The Grand Canyon State | The Apache State, The Copper State |
| Arkansas | The Natural State | The Land of Opportunity, The Wonder State |
| California | The Golden State | The Grape State, The Land of Milk and Honey |
| Colorado | The Centennial State | The Columbine State, The Rocky Mountain State |
| Connecticut | The Constitution State | The Arsenal of the Nation, The Nutmeg State |
| Delaware | The First State | The Diamond State, The Spud State |
| Florida | The Sunshine State | The Everglade State, The Orange State |
| Georgia | The Peach State | The Empire State of the South |
| Hawaii | The Aloha State | The Pineapple State, The Rainbow State |
| Idaho | The Gem State | |
| Illinois | The Prairie State | The Land of Lincoln, The Rainy State |
| Indiana | The Hoosier State | The Hoosier State, The Hospitality State |
| Iowa | The Hawkeye State | |
| Kansas | The Sunflower State | The Jayhawk State, The Wheat State |
| Kentucky | The Bluegrass State | |
| Louisiana | The Pelican State | The Bayou State, The Child of the Mississippi |
| Maine | The Pine Tree State | Vacationland |
| Maryland | The Old Line State | The Cockade State, The Free State |
| Massachusetts | The Bay State | The Colony State, The Spirit of America |
| Michigan | The Wolverine State | The Mitten State, The Winter Water Wonderland |
| Minnesota | The North Star State | The Gopher State, The State of Hockey |
| Mississippi | The Magnolia State | The Hospitality State, The Mudcat State |
| Missouri | The Show-Me State | The Bullion State, The Cave State |
| Montana | The Treasure State | Big Sky Country, The Last Best Place |
| Nebraska | The Cornhusker State | The Beef State |
| Nevada | The Silver State | The Battle-Born State, The Sagebrush State |
| New Hampshire | The Granite State | The Mother of Rivers, The White Mountain State |
| New Jersey | The Garden State | |
| New Mexico | The Land of Enchantment | The Land of Enchantment |
| New York | The Empire State | The Big Apple |
| North Carolina | The Tar Heel State | The Old North State, The Turpentine State |
| North Dakota | The Peace Garden State | The Flickertail State, The Sioux State |
| Ohio | The Buckeye State | The Mother of Modern Presidents |
| Oklahoma | The Sooner State | Cowboy Country, The Land of the Red Man |
| Oregon | The Beaver State | The Union State |
| Pennsylvania | The Keystone State | The Independence State, The Quaker State |
| Rhode Island | The Ocean State | Little Rhody, The Plantation State |
| South Carolina | The Palmetto State | |
| South Dakota | The Mount Rushmore State | The Coyote State, The Sunshine State |
| Tennessee | The Volunteer State | The Butternut State |
| Texas | The Lone Star State | |
| Utah | The Beehive State | The Deseret |
| Vermont | The Green Mountain State | |
| Virginia | The Old Dominion | The Mother of Presidents |
| Washington | The Evergreen State | The State of Love and Trust |
| West Virginia | The Mountain State | The Panhandle State |
| Wisconsin | The Badger State | America’s Dairyland, The Cheese State |
| Wyoming | The Equality State | The Cowboy State, The Park State |