The 50 States that make up the USA
Created | Updated May 19, 2003
A bit of a work in progress this one...
Alabama- 'The Heart of Dixie' or the Yellowhammer State.
Admitted to Statehood in December 1819.
Capital city- Montgomery. The official State Bird is the Yellowhammer, and the State Flower is the Camellia. Notable Alabamians include Nat 'King' Cole, Harper Lee, Carl Lewis, Jesse Owens, and Hank Williams.
Alaska- 'The Last Frontier'. Became a state in January 1959. Capital city- Juneau. The largest state in the Union, and home to the highest mountain in the USA, Mount McKinley. State bird- Willow Ptarmigan, Flower- Forget-me-not.
Arizona- 'The Grand Canyon State'. Became a state in 1912. Capital city- Phoenix. Home to the Grand Canyon, one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. Famous Arizonans include Geronimo and Linda Ronstadt. The State Bird is the Cactus Wren, and the State Flower is the Saguaro Cactus Blossom.
Arkansas- 'The Natural State'. Confusingly pronounced 'Arkansaw'. Statehood- 1836. Capital city- Little Rock (former home of Bill Clinton). Bird- Mockingbird. Flower- Apple Blossom. Famous Arkansans (I'm not sure about the pronounciation of that...) include Maya Angelou, General Douglas MacArthur, John Grisham, and Glen Campbell.
California- 'The Golden State'. Motto- 'Eureka'. Statehood- 1850. Capital City- Sacramento. California is the largest state in terms of population, and third largest in area. Bird- California Valley Quail. Flower- California Poppy. Famous Californians include Coolio, Joe DiMaggio, Jerry Garcia, William Randolph Hearst, Richard M. Nixon, and Tiger Woods.
Colorado- 'The Centennial State', or 'Colorful Colorado'. Capital city- Denver. Statehood- 1876. Bird- Lark Bunting. Flower- Rocky Mountain Columbine. Famous Coloradans include Tim Allen, Douglas Fairbanks, Jack Dempsey, and Lon Chaney.
Connecticut- 'Constitution State'. Statehood- 1788. Capital city- Hartford. Bird- Robin. Flower- Mountain Laurel. President GW Bush was born in New Haven, CT, while his father (President GHW Bush) was attending Yale University. Other famous 'Nutmeggers' include Katherine Hepburn, PT Barnum, Charles Goodyear, and Noah Webster.
Delaware- 'The First State'. Statehood- 1787, the first state (if you hadn't guessed that already). Capital city- Dover. Bird- Blue Hen Chicken. Flower- Peach Blossom. Famous Delawareans include EI Du Pont, Henry Heimlich, and Howard Pyle.
Florida- 'The Sunshine State'. Statehood- 1845. Capital city- Tallahassee. Bird- Mockingbird. Flower- Orange Blossom. Florida's highest point is the lowest of all the 50 states. Famous Floridians include Sidney Poitier, Pat Boone, Jim Morrison, and Faye Dunaway. The current governor, Jeb Bush, is GW Bush's younger brother.
Georgia- 'The Peach State'. Statehood- 1788. Capital City- Atlanta (host of the 1996 Olympic games, and home to Coca Cola's HQ). Bird- Brown Thrasher. Flower- Cherokee Rose. Home state of Jimmy Carter. Other famous Georgians include Hulk Hogan, Jasper Johns, Otis Redding, Ty Cobb, and Oliver Hardy.
Hawaii- 'Aloha State'. Statehood- 1959, the last of the states to join the Union. Capital city- Honolulu. Hawaii is made up of eight main islands, which are the tops of submerged volcanoes. Bird- Nene. Flower- Hibiscus. Famous Hawaiians include Don Ho, Charles R. Bishop, and Harold Sakata.
Idaho- 'Gem State'. Statehood- 1890. Capital city- Boise. Bird- Mountain Bluebird. Flower- Syringa. Idaho is famous for producing vast amounts of potatoes, more than any other region in the US. Famous Idahoans include Joe Albertson (founder of the Albertson's grocery store chain), Picabo Street, and Lana Turner.
Illinois- 'Prarie State'. Statehood- 1818. Capital city- Springfield. Bird- Cardinal. Flower- Purple Violet. Home state of Ronald Reagan. Chicago, one of the largest cities in the US, can also be found in Illinois. Famous Illinoisans include Gillian Anderson, Jack Benny, Harrison Ford, Sam Shepard, Ernest Hemmingway, and Walt Disney.
Indiana- 'Hoosier State'. Statehood- 1816. Capital- Indianapolis. Bird- Cardinal. Flower- Peony. South Bend, Indiana, is the home of the University of Notre Dame. Famous Hoosiers include Larry Bird, James Dean, Michael Jackson, Cole Porter, Dan Quayle, and Shelly Long.
Iowa- 'Hawkeye State'. Statehood- 1846. Capital- Des Moines. Bird- Eastern Goldfinch. Flower- Wild Prarie Rose. Home state of Herbert Hoover. Other famous Iowans include Bill Bryson, Bix Beiderbecke, Johnny Carson, Glenn Miller, and John Wayne.
Kansas- 'Sunflower State'. Statehood- 1861. Capital- Topeka. Bird- Western Meadowlark. Flower- Sunflower. Famous Kansans include Dennis Hopper, Bob Dole, Amelia Earhart, Buster Keaton, and Walter Chrysler. Kansas is probably most famous for being Dorothy's home in 'The Wizard of Oz'.
Kentucky- 'Bluegrass State'. Statehood- 1792. Capital- Frankfort. Bird- Cardinal. Flower- Goldenrod. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky. Other famous Kentuckians include Muhammed Ali, Jefferson Davis, Rosemary Clooney, and Diane Sawyer.
Louisiana- 'Pelican State'. Statehood- 1812. Capital- Baton Rouge. Bird- Eastern Brown Pelican. Flower- Magnolia. New Orleans, famous for its Mardi Gras, is in Louisiana. Famous Louisianians include Louis Armstrong, Truman Capote, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Maine- 'Pine Tree State'. Statehood- 1820. Capital- Augusta. Only has a border with one other US State, New Hampshire. Bird- Chickadee. Flower- White Pine Cone and Tassel. Famous Mainers include Stephen King, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and John Ford.
Maryland- 'Old Line State'. Statehood- 1788. Capital- Annapolis. Bird- Baltimore Oriole. Flower- Black-Eyed Susan. Maryland is home to Johns Hopkins University, and the United States Naval Academy. Famous Marylanders include John Wilkes Booth, Babe Ruth, Billie Holiday, and Philip Glass.
Massachusetts- 'Bay State'. Statehood- 1788. Capital- Boston. Bird- Chickadee. Flower- Mayflower. Massachusetts is home to Plymouth, where the Mayflower landed. No less than four former presidents were born in the state- John Adams, John Quincey Adams, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and George Herbert Walker Bush. Other famous Bay Staters include Bette Davis, Cecil B DeMille, Buckminster Fuller, and Emily Dickinson.
