List of U.S. state nicknames

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

[edit] State nicknames

State	Nickname(s)
Alabama (No official Nickname)[1]	Cotton Plantation State[2] Cotton State[3] Heart of Dixie[3][4][5] (currently used on license plates) Lizard State[2] Yellowhammer State[3] Camellia State
Alaska	Great Land (previously used on license plates) Land of the Midnight Sun[6] Last Frontier (previously used on license plates)[6] 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[7] Aztec State[7] Baby State (during the 47 years that Arizona was the newest state in the Union)[7] Copper State[7] Grand Canyon State (currently used on license plates)[7] Italy of America[7] Sand Hill State[7] Sunset State[7] Sweetheart State[7] Valentine State (Arizona gained statehood on February 14, 1912)[7]
Arkansas	Bear State (pronounced "Bar State")[8] Bowie State[8] Hot Springs State[8] Land of Opportunity (former official nickname; previously used on license plates)[8] Natural State (currently used on license plates)[8] Razorback State[8] Toothpick State[8] Wonder State[8]
California	El Dorado State Golden State[9] (previously used on license plates) Golden West Grape State Land of Milk and Honey The Eureka State [10] The Bear State (or Republic) The Sunshine State
Colorado	Buffalo Plains State[11] (in disuse) Centennial State[12] Colorful Colorado[12] (previously used on license plates) Columbine State[13] Highest State[11] Lead State[11] (in disuse) Mother of Rivers[14] Rocky Mountain Empire[15] Rocky Mountain State[16] (in disuse) Silver State[11] (in disuse; see Nevada) Switzerland of America[17]
Connecticut	Blue Law State[18] Brownstone State[18] Constitution State[19] (currently used on license plates) Freestone State[18] Land of Steady Habits[19][20] Nutmeg State[19] Provisions State[19]
Delaware	Chemical Capital[21] Corporate Capital (due to the state's business-friendly laws)[21] Diamond State (allusion to the state flag)[21] Blue Hen State or Blue Hen Chicken State[20] First State (Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution; currently used on license plates)[21] Home of Tax Free Shopping[21] New Sweden[21] Peach State[21] Small Wonder[21] Uncle Sam's Pocket Handkerchief[21]
District of Columbia	A Capital City (previously used on license plates) The Federal City The District
Florida	Alligator State[22] Citrus State[citation needed] Everglade State[22] Flower State[22] Gulf State[22] Hurricane State[citation needed] Manatee State[citation needed] Orange State[22] Peninsula State or Peninsular State[20] Sunshine State (currently used on license plates) Tropical State[citation needed]
Georgia	Peach State[23] (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.[23] See also Atlanta Crackers: Origin of the name Empire State of the South — Refers to economic leadership[23] 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.[23] Goober State — Refers to peanuts, the official state crop.[23]
Hawaii	Aloha State (currently used on license plates)[24] Paradise of the Pacific[24] Pineapple State[24] Rainbow State[25] Youngest State[24]
Idaho	Gem State[26] Gem of the Mountains[27] Little Ida[27] Spud State[28]
Illinois[29]	Land of Lincoln[30] (currently used on license plates) Prairie State[30] Corn State[30] Inland Empire State Sucker State (possibly named for a type of fish)[30] Garden of the West[30]
Indiana	Crossroads of America (previously used on license plates) Hoosier State[31] Hospitality State
Iowa	Hawkeye State Hawkeye State[32] Land of the Rolling Prairie
Kansas	Bleeding Kansas Jayhawk State Sunflower State Wheat State (previously used on license plates)
Kentucky	Bluegrass State (currently used on license plates)[33] Corn-cracker State (reported in 1881)[20] The Dark and Bloody Ground State (an allusion to battles between the Creek, Shawnee, Chickasaw, and Cherokee tribes)[33] Hemp State[33] Tobacco State[33]
Louisiana	Bayou State (previously used on license plates) Child of the Mississippi Creole State Fisherman's Paradise Holland of America Pelican State Sportsman's Paradise (currently used on license plates) Sugar State
Maine	The Border State (reported in 1881)[20] Pine Tree State Vacationland (currently used on license plates)
Maryland	America in Miniature[34] Chesapeake State[35] Cockade State[35] Crab State[citation needed] Free State[36] (most common) Monumental State[35] Old Line State[35] Oyster State[35] Queen State[35] Terrapin State[37]
Massachusetts	Baked Bean State[38] The Bay State[38] The Commonwealth[citation needed] Old Colony State[39] Pilgrim State[38] Taxachusetts (colloquial)[40][41][42][43][44]
Michigan	The Great Lakes State (previously used on license plates) Mitten State Winter Water Wonderland (previously used on license plates) Wolverine State[20] The Birthplace of Automotives
Minnesota	Gopher State Land of 10,000 Lakes (currently used on license plates) Land of Lakes Land of Sky-Blue Waters North Star State State of Hockey[45]
Mississippi	Hospitality State (previously used on license plates) Magnolia State
Missouri	Bullion State Cave State Gateway State Bellwether State Lead State Ozark State Puke State (reported in 1881)[20] Show-Me State (currently used on license plates)
Montana	Big Sky Country (currently used on license plates) The Last Best Place[citation needed] Treasure State (previously used on license plates)
Nebraska	Beef State (previously used on license plates) Cornhusker State (previously used on license plates) Tree Planter's State
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[46] Mother of Rivers[46] White Mountain State[46]
New Jersey	Garden State (currently used on license plates) The Crossroads of the Revolution (previously used on license plates) The Tomato State
New Mexico	Cactus State[47] The Colorful State Land of Enchantment[47] (currently used on license plates) Land of Sunshine (predates "Land of Enchantment"; this earlier nickname highlighted the large percentage of sunshine received statewide)[47] New Andalusia[47] The Outer Space State The Spanish State[citation needed]
New York	The Empire State (currently used on license plates)
North Carolina	Old North State[48] Tar Heel State[49] Turpentine State[50] Variety Vacationland[51]
North Dakota	Flickertail State Peace Garden State (currently used on license plates) Rough Rider State Sioux State
Ohio	Buckeye State[20] Birthplace of Aviation[52] (currently used on license plates) Mother of Modern Presidents
Oklahoma	Native America (currently used on license plates) Land of the Red Man Sooner State[53]
Oregon	Beaver State Union State Pacific Wonderland (previously used on license plates)[54] Sunset State
Pennsylvania	Liberty Bell State Independence State Keystone State[20] Quaker State
Rhode Island	Little Rhody[20] Ocean State (currently used on license plates) Plantation State
South Carolina	Palmetto State[20] Sandlapper State Iodine Products State (in disuse)[55][dead link] (previously used on license plates)
South Dakota	Artesian State[56] Blizzard State[56] Coyote State[56] Land of Infinite Variety Mount Rushmore State (officially adopted in 1980 in place of the former nickname of Sunshine State)[56] Sunshine State[56]
Tennessee	Big Bend State (refers to the Tennessee River)[57] Butternut State (refers to the tan color of the uniforms worn by Tennessee soldiers in the American Civil War)[57] Hog and Hominy State[57] The Mother of Southwestern Statesmen[57] Volunteer State[57] (currently used on license plates)
Texas	Friendship State[58] Lone Star State[20][58] (currently used on license plates)
Utah	Beehive State Mormon State[59] Friendly State (in disuse) (formerly used on license plates)[60] Greatest Snow on Earth (formerly used on all license plates; now an alternate slogan on license plates alongside the state's current tourism slogan, "Life Elevated")
Vermont	Green Mountain State[20] (currently used on license plates)
Virginia	Mother of Presidents The Old Dominion[20]
Washington	Evergreen State[61] (currently used on license plates)
West Virginia	Mountain State (previously used on license plates) Panhandle State
Wisconsin	America's Dairyland (currently used on license plates) America's Bread Basket Badger State[20]
Wyoming	Cowboy State Equality State Park State

[edit] See also

• List of U.S. state mottos
• List of U.S. state slogans
• List of demonyms for U.S. states
• List of city nicknames in the United States

[edit] References

General

Notes

[edit] External links