Hawaii (HI) 43-bananapancakes
Capital: Honolulu
Largest City: Honolulu
Area: 10,931 sq. mi. (43rd in US)
Population: 1,360,301 in 2010 (40th in US)
Nicknames: Aloha State, Rainbow State, Paradise of the Pacific, Youngest State
Motto: Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘aina i ka pono (“The life of the land is perpetuated by righteousness”)
Song: “Hawai’i pono’i” by Kalakaua/Berger
Colors: (by island) Red, Pink, Golden Yellow, Purple, Green, Orange, White, Gray
Flower: Hibiscus (Hibiscus brackenridgei)
Bird: Nene
Tree: Kukui (Aleurites moluccana)
Dance: Hula
Team Sport: Outrigger canoe paddling
Marine Mammal: Humpback Whale
Mammal: Hawaiian monk seal
Gem: Black coral
Fish: Humuhumunukunukuapua’a
Individual Sport: Surfing
Admission to Union: August 21, 1959
Jun 10, 2011, 07:58PM PDT | 15 cheers | 2 comments
Alaska (AK)
Capital: Juneau
Largest City: Anchorage
Area: 663,268 sq. mi. (1st in US)
Population: 698,473 in 2009 (47th in US)
Nicknames: Last Frontier, Seward’s Folly, Land of the Midnight Sun, Great Land
Motto: North to the future
Song: “Alaska’s Flag” by Dusenbury/Davis
Colors: None adopted
Flower: Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides)
Bird: Willow Ptarmigan
Tree: Sitka Spruce (Pinus palustris)
Dog: Alaskan malamute
Insect: Four-spot skimmer dragonfly
Sport: Dog mushing
Marine Mammal: Bowhead whale
Fish: King salmon
Fossil: Woolly mammoth
Mammal: Moose
Mineral: Gold
Language: English
Admission to Union: January 3, 1959
May 19, 2011, 09:34PM PDT | 23 cheers | 0 comments
Arizona (AZ)
Capital: Phoenix
Largest City: Phoenix
Area: 113,998 sq. mi. (6th in US)
Population: 6,392,017 in 2010 (16th in US)
Nicknames: Grand Canyon State, Valentine State, Aztec State, Italy of America, Apache State
Motto: Ditat Deus “God enriches”
Song: “Arizona”
Colors: Blue and Gold
Flower: Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea)
Bird: Cactus Wren
Tree: Paloverde (Cercidium floridum)
Amphibian: Arizona tree frog
Reptile: Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake
Mammal: Ringtail
Fish: Apache trout
Butterfly: Two-tailed swallowtail butterfly
Neckware: Bola tie
Gemstone: Turquoise
Admission to Union: February 14, 1912
Apr 10, 2011, 05:00PM PDT | 10 cheers | 1 comment
New Mexico (NM)
Capital: Sante Fe
Largest City: Albuquerque
Area: 121,589 sq. mi. (5th in US)
Population: 2,059,179 in 2009 (36th in US)
Nicknames: Land of Enchantment, Land of Sunshine, Cactus State, New Andalusia
Motto: Crescit eundo (It grows as it goes)
Song: “O Fair New Mexico” by Elizabeth Garrett
Colors: None adopted
Flower: Yucca (Yucca sp.)
Bird: Roadrunner
Tree: Pinyon (Pinus edulis)
Animal: Black bear
Insect: Tarantula hawk wasp
Tie: Bola tie
Reptile: New Mexico whiptail lizard
Grass: Blue grama grass
Cookie: Biscochito
Amphibian: New Mexico Spadefoot Toad
Aircraft: Hot air balloon
Gem: Turquoise
Admission to Union: January 6, 1912
Apr 10, 2011, 04:58PM PDT | 12 cheers | 1 comment
Oklahoma (OK)
Capital: Oklahoma City
Largest City: Oklahoma City
Area: 69,898 sq. mi. (20th in US)
Population: 3,751,351 in 2010 (28th in US)
Nicknames: Sooner State, Land of the Red Man, Native America
Motto: Labor omnia vincit (Labor conquers all things)
Song: “Oklahoma!” by Rodgers and Hammerstein
Colors: Green and White
Flower: Mistletoe (Lorantaceae sp.)
Bird: Scissor-tailed flycatcher
Tree: Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Animal: Bison
Amphibian: Bullfrog
Vegetable: Watermelon
Grass: Indian grass
Insect: Honeybee
Furbearer Animal: Raccoon
Cartoon Character: GUSTY
Beverage: Milk
Reptile: Collared lizard (mountain boomer)
Flying Mammal: Mexican free-tailed bat
Fish: White bass (sand bass)
Admission to Union: November 16, 1907
Apr 10, 2011, 04:57PM PDT | 3 cheers | 0 comments
Utah (UT)
Capital: Salt Lake City
Largest City: Salt Lake City
Area: 84,899 sq. mi. (13th in US)
Population: 2,763,885 in 2010 (34th in US)
Nicknames: Beehive State, Mormon State, Friendly State, Greatest Snow on Earth, Life Elevated
Motto: Industry
Song: “Utah, This Is The Place” by Sam and Gary Francis
Colors: None adopted
Flower: Sego lily (Calchortus gunnisonii)
Bird: American Seagull
Tree: Blue Spruce (Picea pungens)
Animal: Rocky Mountain elk
Fruit: Cherry
Insect: Honeybee
Rock: Coal
Vegetable: Spanish sweet onion
Cooking Pot: Dutch oven
Astronomical Symbol: The Beehive Cluster
Mineral: Copper
Historic Vegetable: Sugar beet
Fish: Bonneville cutthroat trout
Admission to Union: January 4, 1896
Jan 17, 2011, 07:28PM PST | 13 cheers | 0 comments
Wyoming (WY)
Capital: Cheyenne
Largest City: Cheyenne
Area: 97,814 sq. mi. (10th in US)
Population: 563,626 in 2010 (50th in US)
Nicknames: Equality State, Cowboy State, Park State
Motto: Equal Rights
Song: “Wyoming”
Colors: None adopted
Flower: Indian paint brush (Castilleja affinis)
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Tree: Cottonwood (Populus sargentii)
Dinosaur: Triceratops
Coin: Sacajawea golden dollar
Reptile: Horned toad
Grass: Western wheatgrass
Mammal: Bison
Sport: Rodeo
Gemstone: Jade
Admission to Union: July 10, 1890
Jan 17, 2011, 07:19PM PST | 12 cheers | 1 comment
Idaho (ID)
Capital: Boise
Largest City: Boise
Area: 83,570 sq. mi. (14th in US)
Population: 1,567,582 in 2010 (39th in US)
Nicknames: Gem State, Spud State, Potatonia, Little Ida
Motto: Esto perpetua (“Let it be perpetual”)
Song: “Here We Have Idaho” by Sallie Hume Douglas
Colors: None adopted
Flower: Syringa (Philadephus lewisii)
Bird: Mountain Bluebird
Tree: Western White Pine (Pinus monticola)
Fish: Cutthroat trout
Vegetable: Potato
Insect: Monarch butterfly
Raptor: Peregrine falcon
Horse: Appaloosa
Fruit: Huckleberry
Admission to Union: July 3, 1890
Jan 17, 2011, 07:13PM PST | 5 cheers | 0 comments
Washington (WA)
Capital: Olympia
Largest City: Seattle
Area: 71,300 sq. mi. (18th in US)
Population: 6,724,540 in 2010 (13th in US)
Nicknames: Evergreen State
Motto: Al-ki (By and by)
Song: “Washington, My Home”
Colors: None adopted
Flower: Western rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum)
Bird: Willow Goldfinch
Tree: Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)
Fish: Steelhead trout
Marine Mammal: Orca whale
Vegetable: Walla Walla sweet onion
Fruit: Apple
Gem: Petrified wood
Amphibian: Pacific chorus frog
Insect: Green darner dragonfly
Admission to Union: November 11, 1889
Jan 15, 2011, 09:30PM PST | 18 cheers | 1 comment
Montana (MT)
Capital: Helena
Largest City: Billings
Area: 147,042 sq. mi. (4th in US)
Population: 989,415 in 2010 (44th in US)
Nicknames: Treasure State, Big Sky Country, The Last Best Place
Motto: Oro y plata (“Gold and silver”)
Song: “Montana”
Colors: None adopted
Flower: Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva)
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Tree: Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)
Animal: Grizzly bear
Fish: Blackspotted cutthroat trout
Butterfly: Mourning cloak butterfly
Grass: Bluebunch wheatgrass
Fossil: Duck-billed dinosaur (Maiasaura peeblesorum)
Admission to Union: November 8, 1889
Jan 15, 2011, 09:21PM PST | 9 cheers | 0 comments