List of U.S. state nicknames

Map of the United States showing the state nicknames as hogs. Lithograph by Mackwitz, St. Louis, 1884.

The following is a table of U.S. state nicknames, including officially adopted nicknames and other traditional nicknames for individual states and the district of the United States.

State nicknames

Current official state nicknames are highlighted in bold. A state nickname is not to be confused with an official state motto.

State	Nickname(s)
Alabama (No official nickname)[1]	Cotton Plantation State[2] Cotton State[3] Heart of Dixie (used on license plates)[3][4][5] Lizard State[2] Yellowhammer State[3]
Alaska	Land of the Midnight Sun[6] Land of the Noonday Moon[6] The Last Frontier (currently used on license plates)[6][7] Seward's Folly (named after U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward)[6] Seward's Ice Box, Icebergia, Polaria, Walrussia, and Johnson's Polar Bear Garden were satirical names coined by members of the U.S. Congress during debate over the Alaska Purchase[6]
Arizona	Apache State[8] Aztec State[8] Baby State (Because Arizona is the newest continental state in the Union)[8] Copper State[8] Grand Canyon State (currently used on license plates)[8][9] Italy of America[8] Sand Hill State[8] Sunset State[8] Sweetheart State (See below)[8] Valentine State (Arizona gained statehood on February 14, 1912)[8]
Arkansas	Bear State[10] Bowie State[10] Hot Springs State[10] Land of Opportunity (former official nickname; previously used on license plates)[10] The Natural State (currently used on license plates)[10][11] Razorback State[10] Toothpick State[10] Wonder State[10]
California	El Dorado State[12] The Golden State[13][14] (previously used on license plates) The Eureka State[15]
Colorado	Buffalo Plains State[16] (no longer used) Centennial State[17] (previously used on license plates. Colorado was admitted to the Union on the 100th year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.) Colorful Colorado[17] (previously used on license plates) Columbine State[18] Highest State[16] Lead State[16] (no longer used) Mother of Rivers[19] Rocky Mountain Empire[20] (no longer used) Rocky Mountain State[21] (no longer used) Silver State[16] (no longer used; see Nevada) Ski Country USA[22] Switzerland of America[23] (no longer used)
Connecticut	Constitution State (official)[24] Nutmeg State[12] Blue Law State[12] Freestone State[12] Land of Steady Habits[12]
Delaware	Chemical Capital[25] Corporate Capital (due to the state's business-friendly laws)[25] Diamond State (allusion to the state flag)[25] Blue Hen State or Blue Hen Chicken State[26] The First State[25][27] (Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution; currently used on license plates) Home of Tax Free Shopping[25] New Sweden[25] Peach State[25] Small Wonder[25] Uncle Sam's Pocket Handkerchief[25]
Washington, D.C.	Nation's Capital[28] DMV (nickname for the broader metropolitan area of Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia)[28]
Florida	Alligator State[29] Everglade State[29] Flower State[29] Gulf State[29] La Florida Orange State[29] Peninsula State or Peninsular State[26] Sunshine State (currently used on license plates)
Georgia	Peach State[30] (previously used on license plates) Cracker State — Along with Florida, Georgia had 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.[30] See also Atlanta Crackers: Origin of the name Empire State of the South — Refers to economic leadership[30] 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.[30] Goober State — Refers to peanuts, the official state crop.[30] State of Adventure (On highway welcome signs)
Hawaii	Aloha State (officially the "popular" name,[31] currently used on license plates)[32] Paradise The Islands of Aloha Paradise of the Pacific[32] Pineapple State[32] Rainbow State[33] Youngest State[32]
Idaho	Gem State[34] Gem of the Mountains[35] Little Ida[35] Spud State[36] Potatonia Little Ida[35] (currently used on license plates)
Illinois[37]	Land of Lincoln[38] (currently used on license plates) Prairie State[38] Corn State[38] Inland Empire State Garden of the West[38]
Indiana	Crossroads of America (previously used on license plates) Hoosier State[39]
Iowa	Hawkeye State[40] Land of the Rolling Prairie Tall Corn State
Kansas	America's Bread Basket Wheat State (previously used on license plates) Home of Beautiful Women[41] Central State[12] Sunflower State[12]
Kentucky	Bluegrass State (currently used on license plates)[42] Corn-cracker State (reported in 1881)[26] The Dark and Bloody Ground State (an allusion to battles between the Creek, Shawnee, Chickasaw, and Cherokee tribes)[42] Hemp State[42] Tobacco State[42]
Louisiana	Bayou State (previously used on license plates) Child of the Mississippi Creole State[12] Fisherman's Paradise Holland of America Pelican State[12] Sportsman's Paradise (currently used on license plates) Sugar State
Maine	Vacationland (currently used on license plates) Pine Tree State[43] Lumber State[12]
Maryland	America in Miniature[44] Chesapeake State[45] Cockade State[45] Crab State Free State[46] Monumental State[45] Old Line State[45] Oyster State[45] Queen State[45] Terrapin State[47]
Massachusetts	Baked Bean State[48] Codfish State (formerly represented on license plates by a codfish) The Bay State[48] The Commonwealth Old Colony State[49] Pilgrim State[48] The Spirit of America (currently used on license plates) The People's Republic of Massachusetts (colloquial) Taxachusetts (colloquial)[50][51][52][53][54]
Michigan	The Great Lakes State (previously used on license plates) Mitten State Winter Water Wonderland (previously used on license plates) Wolverine State[26] The World's Motor Capital America's High Five
Minnesota	Butter Country Gopher State[12] Land of 10,000 Lakes ("10,000 Lakes" currently used on license plates) Land of Lakes Land of Sky-Blue Waters New England of the West[12] North Star State State of Hockey[55] Vikings State Bread and Butter State[12]
Mississippi	Hospitality State (previously used on license plates) Magnolia State The South's Warmest Welcome The Birthplace of America's Music (currently being used on license plates) The Bayou State[12]
Missouri	Bullion State[12] Cave State Gateway State Bellwether State Lead State The Great Rivers State Ozark State The Puke State [56] Show-Me State (currently used on license plates)
Montana	Big Sky Country (currently used on license plates) The Last Best Place[57] Treasure State (previously used on license plates)
Nebraska	Beef State (previously used on license plates) Cornhusker State (previously used on license plates)[58] Tree Planter's State Blackwater State[12]
Nevada	Battle Born State (refers to the fact that Nevada joined the Union during the Civil War) Sagebrush State Silver State (currently used on license plates)
New Hampshire	Granite State[59] Mother of Rivers[59] Live Free or Die (motto currently used on license plates)[59] White Mountain State[59]
New Jersey	Garden State (currently used on license plates) The Crossroads of the Revolution (previously used on license plates) The Tomato State The Armpit of America[60]
New Mexico	Cactus State[61] The Colorful State Land of Enchantment[62] (currently used on license plates) Land of Sunshine (predates "Land of Enchantment"; this earlier nickname highlighted the large percentage of sunshine received statewide)[61] New Andalusia[61] The Outer Space State The Tex-Mex State The Spanish State
New York	Empire State (currently used on license plates)[12] Excelsior State[12]
North Carolina	Old North State[63] Tar Heel State[63] Turpentine State[64] Variety Vacationland[65] Rip Van Winkle State Land of the Sky First in Flight State (currently used on license plates)
North Dakota	Flickertail State Peace Garden State (currently used on license plates) Rough Rider State Sioux State
Ohio	Buckeye State[26] Birthplace of Aviation[66] (currently used on license plates) Mother of Modern Presidents The Heart Of It All[67] (formerly used on license plates)
Oklahoma	Native America (currently used on license plates) Land of the Red Man Sooner State[68]
Oregon	Beaver State Union State Pacific Wonderland (previously used on license plates and currently available on an extra cost plate)[69] Sunset State Webfoot State[12]
Pennsylvania	Liberty Bell State Independence State Keystone State[26] Quaker State Toll Booth State[70]
Puerto Rico	Isla del Encanto ("Island of Enchantment") (currently used on license plates) Borinquen (name given by indigenous people, the Tainos)[71] The Shining Star of the Caribbean Progress Island[72]
Rhode Island	Little Rhody[26] Ocean State (currently used on license plates)
South Carolina	Palmetto State[26] Sandlapper State Iodine Products State (no longer used)[73] (previously used on license plates)
South Dakota	Artesian State[74] Blizzard State[74] Coyote State[74] Land of Infinite Variety The Mount Rushmore State[75] (officially adopted in 1980 in place of the former nickname of Sunshine State)[74] Sunshine State[74]
Tennessee	Big Bend State (refers to the Tennessee River)[76] Butternut State (refers to the tan color of the uniforms worn by Tennessee soldiers in the American Civil War)[76] Hog and Hominy State[76] The Mother of Southwestern Statesmen[76] Volunteer State[76] (currently used on license plates)
Texas	Friendship State[77] Lone Star State[26][77] (currently used on license plates) Chili State
Utah	Beehive State Mormon State[78] Friendly State (formerly used on license plates)[79]
Vermont	Green Mountain State[26] (currently used on license plates)
Virginia	Mother of Presidents[12] Mother of States[12] The Old Dominion[26] The Commonwealth
Washington	Evergreen State[80] (currently used on license plates) Apple State
West Virginia	Mountain State (previously used on license plates) Almost Heaven' Panhandle State[12]
Wisconsin	America's Dairyland (currently used on license plates) Cheese State Badger State[12]
Wyoming	Cowboy State Equality State Park State Like No Place On Earth Forever West (On highway welcome signs)

See also

• List of U.S. state mottos
• List of demonyms for U.S. states
• List of city nicknames in the United States
• List of U.S. nicknames
• List of provincial and territorial nicknames in Canada
• Lists of nicknames – nickname list articles on Wikipedia

References

General

Notes

External links