List of U.S. state nicknames

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of U.S. state nicknames, including officially adopted nicknames and other traditional nicknames for individual states of the United States. Current official state nicknames are highlighted in bold.

State Nickname(s)
Alabama
(No official Nickname)[1]
  • Cotton State[2]
  • Heart of Dixie[3][2]
  • Yellowhammer State[2]
  • Stars Fell on Alabama[2]
Alaska
  • Great Land
  • Last Frontier
Arizona
  • Apache State
  • Copper State
  • Grand Canyon State
Arkansas
  • Bear State
  • Land of Opportunity (former official nickname)
  • Natural State
  • Wonder State
  • Razorback State
  • What a State!
California
  • El Dorado State
  • Golden State[4]
  • Golden West
  • The Left Coast
  • Grape State
  • Land of Milk and Honey
  • The Bear State (or Republic)
  • Land of Fruits and Nuts (derisive)
  • Entertainment State
  • Land of the Fires
  • Movie State
Colorado
  • Buffalo Plains State[5] - disused
  • Centennial State[6]
  • Colorful Colorado[6]
  • Columbine State[7]
  • Highest State[5]
  • Lead State[5] - disused
  • Mother of Rivers[8]
  • Rocky Mountain Empire[9]
  • Rocky Mountain State[10] - disused
  • Silver State[5] - disused
Connecticut
Delaware
  • Diamond State
  • First State
  • Land of Tax-Free Shopping
  • Small Wonder
  • Blue Hen State or the Blue Hen's Chicken[12]
District of Columbia
  • The Federal City
  • The District
Florida
  • Peninsula State or Peninsular State[12]
  • Hurricane State
  • Tropical State
  • Everglades State
  • Citrus State
  • Flower State
  • Manatee State
  • Orange State
  • Sunshine State
Georgia
  • Peach State[13]
  • Cracker State - Along with Florida, Georgia has been called "The Cracker State" in earlier times, perhaps a derogatory term that referred to immigrants, called "Crackers," from the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina. [13] See also Atlanta Crackers: Origin of the name
  • Empire State of the South - Refers to economic leadership[13]
  • Yankee-land of the South: Similarly to the above nickname, "Yankee-land of the South" speaks to industrial and economic development in the south. This nickname may be used in a derogatory sense.[13]
  • Goober State - Refers to peanuts, the official state crop[13]
Hawaii
Idaho
  • Gem State
  • Spud State [14]
Illinois[15]
  • Land of Lincoln
  • Prairie State
  • The Corn State
  • The Sucker State (for a type of fish)
  • Garden of the West
Indiana
  • Crossroads of America
  • Hoosier State
  • Hospitality State
Iowa
  • Hawkeye State
  • Tall Corn State
  • Land of the Rolling Prairie
  • Cyclone State
Kansas
Kentucky
  • Bluegrass State
  • The Corn-crackers (reported in 1881)[12]
Louisiana
  • Bayou State
  • Child of the Mississippi
  • Creole State
  • Pelican State
  • Sportsman's Paradise
  • Sugar State
Maine
  • The Border State (reported in 1881)[12]
  • Down East[citation needed]
  • Pine Tree State
  • Vacationland
Maryland
  • Cockade State
  • Free State
  • Monumental State
  • Old Line State
  • Terrapin State
Massachusetts
Michigan
  • Great Lakes State
  • Mitten State
  • Winter Water Wonderland
  • Wolverine State[12]
Minnesota
  • Gopher State
  • Land of 10,000 Lakes
  • Land of Lakes
  • Land of Sky-Blue Waters
  • North Star State
Mississippi
  • Hospitality State
  • Magnolia State
Missouri
  • Bullion State
  • Cave State
  • Gateway State
  • Bellwether State
  • Lead State
  • Ozark State
  • Puke State (reported in 1881)[12]
  • Show Me State
Montana
Nebraska
  • Beef State
  • Cornhusker State
  • Tree Planter's State
Nevada
  • Battle Born State
  • Sagebrush State
  • Silver State
New Hampshire
  • Granite State[16]
  • Mother of Rivers[16]
  • White Mountain State[16]
New Jersey
New Mexico
  • The Colorful State
  • The Land of Enchantment
New York
  • The Empire State
North Carolina
North Dakota
  • Flickertail State
  • Peace Garden State
  • Rough Rider State
  • Sioux State
Ohio
Oklahoma
  • Land of the Red Man
  • Sooner State
Oregon
  • Beaver State
  • Union State
  • Pacific Wonderland[22]
  • Sunset State
Pennsylvania
  • Liberty Bell State
  • Independence State
  • Keystone State[12]
  • Quaker State
Rhode Island
  • Little Rhody[12]
  • Ocean State
  • Plantation State
South Carolina
  • Palmetto State[12]
  • Sandlapper State, Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places
  • Iodine Products State - disused[23]
South Dakota
  • Coyote State
  • Land of Infinite Variety
  • Mount Rushmore State
  • Sunshine State
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
  • Green Mountain State[12]
Virginia
  • Mother of Presidents
  • The Old Dominion[12]
Washington
  • Evergreen State[27]
West Virginia
  • Mountain State
  • Panhandle State
Wisconsin
  • America's Dairyland
  • America's Bread Basket
  • Badger State[12]
Wyoming
  • Cowboy State
  • Equality State
  • Park State

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Emblems Index", State of Alabama. Retrieved on 2008-01-26. 
  2. ^ a b c d Alabama Emblems, Symbols and Honors. Alabama Department of Archives & History (2006-04-20). Retrieved on 2007-03-18. “Alabama does not have an official nickname.”
  3. ^ Heart of Dixie. Alabama Emblems, Symbols and Honors. Alabama Department of Archives & History (2004-06-29). Retrieved on 2007-03-18.
  4. ^ "State Symbols", California State Library, State of California. Retrieved on 2008-01-26. 
  5. ^ a b c d Colorado (HTML). NetState.com. NState, LLC.. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
  6. ^ a b Colorado State Name and Nicknames (HTML). Colorado State Symbols & Emblems. State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
  7. ^ Colorado State Flower (HTML). Colorado State Symbols & Emblems. State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
  8. ^ Colorado Water History (asp). Colorado Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
  9. ^ Denver (HTML). wikipedia.org. Wikipedia. Retrieved on 2007-05-05.
  10. ^ Colorado (HTML). USAtourist.com. USATourist. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
  11. ^ a b c d STATE OF CONNECTICUT, Sites º Seals º Symbols; Connecticut State Register & Manual; retrieved on January 4, 2007
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Barry Popik, Smoky City, barrypopik.com website, March 27, 2005
  13. ^ a b c d e Quick Facts: State Symbols (HTML). The New Georgia Encyclopedia. University of Georgia Press. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  14. ^ SuperPages: Idaho History (HTML). Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  15. ^ Illinois (HTML). Illinois State Symbols & Emblems. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
  16. ^ a b c State of New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development (HTML). State Facts. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
  17. ^ "Cackalacky", North Carolina Miscellany. Retrieved on 2008-06-06. 
  18. ^ "Official State Symbols of North Carolina", State of North Carolina. Retrieved on 2008-01-26. 
  19. ^ "Official State Symbols of North Carolina", State of North Carolina. Retrieved on 2008-01-26. 
  20. ^ "Why We are Called Tar Heels", UNC Libraries. Retrieved on 2008-01-26. 
  21. ^ It's official: Ohio IS the birthplace of aviation. The Cincinnati Enquirer (2003-06-14). Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  22. ^ Oregon's license plate from 1960 to circa 1966. Plate Shack. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
  23. ^ Iodine. South Carolina Encyclopedia (2007-04-14). Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  24. ^ a b c d e Tennessee Symbols and Honors, in Tennessee Blue Book
  25. ^ a b "Texas:Facts, Map, and State Symbols", EnchantedLearing.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-09. 
  26. ^ NetState: Utah (HTML). Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
  27. ^ Symbols of Washington State. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.

[edit] External links