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This page gives the capital, largest city (if different from the capital), 'official' nickname and license plate nickname (if different from the 'official' one) for each of the fifty states of the USA, along with the date on which they joined the Union and the ordinal number of their joining.
It's easy (and convenient, for quizzers) to assume that every US state has an official nickname. 50states.com states that "All 50 states in the US have official state nicknames." But this is not the case; Alabama, Missouri and Wisconsin are three that I've discovered don't have one. I believe that the other 47 are official; but please do not take this for granted.
Wikipedia lists at least one 'official' nickname for every state except Washington and Wisconsin – including the other two I've mentioned above as not having one. In the tables below, 'Official' nicknames are those listed as such by Wikipedia (which lists the official one for each state listed in bold type.) Where the entry under 'Official' Nickname (on this Quiz Monkey page) is in brackets, there is no official nickname but the one listed here is probably the best–known one.
Most states have several nicknames, many of which cannot be described as official in any way. But they do occasionally get asked in quizzes, so I've listed them on a separate page.
See also US States: Classified (2), which lists the states in the order in which they joined the Union, and also includes the 'official' nicknames.
A few more explanatory notes regarding the tables on this page:
| • | Where there is no entry under Largest City, the state capital is also the largest city in the state. |
| • | Where the entry under License Plate Nickname reads 'Same', the license plate nickname is the same as the official nickname. |
| • | Where the entry under License Plate Nickname reads 'None', there is no official license plate nickname. |
| • | Where the entry under License Plate Nickname is in brackets, the state in question does not currently have a nickname or slogan on its license plates, but this one has been used in the past. |
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
 |
Alabama |
|
Montgomery |
|
Birmingham |
|
(Heart of Dixie)
 |
Same |
|
14 Dec 1819 |
|
22 |
|
|
|
Alaska |
|
Juneau |
|
Anchorage |
|
Last Frontier |
Same |
|
3 January 1959 |
|
49 |
|
|
|
Arizona |
|
Phoenix |
|
Grand Canyon State |
Same |
|
14 February 1912 |
|
48 |
|||
|
|
Arkansas |
|
Little Rock |
|
Natural State
|
Same |
|
15 June 1836 |
|
25 |
|||
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
|
|
California |
|
Sacramento |
|
Los Angeles |
|
Golden State |
None |
|
9 September 1850 |
|
31 |
|
|
|
Colorado |
|
Denver |
|
Centennial State |
Same
|
|
1 August 1876 |
|
38 |
|||
|
|
Connecticut |
|
Hartford |
|
Constitution State
|
Same |
|
9 January 1788 |
|
5 |
|||
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
|
|
Delaware |
|
Dover |
|
Wilmington |
|
First State |
Same |
|
7 December 1787 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
Florida |
|
Talahassee |
|
Jacksonville |
|
Sunshine State |
Same |
|
3 March 1845 |
|
27 |
|
|
|
Georgia |
|
Atlanta |
|
Peach State
|
None
|
|
2 January 1788 |
|
4 |
|||
|
|
Hawaii |
|
Honolulu |
|
Aloha State |
Same |
|
21 August 1959 |
|
50 |
|||
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
|
|
Idaho |
|
Boise (City) |
|
Gem State
|
|
Little Ida |
|
3 July 1890 |
|
43 |
||
|
|
Illinois |
|
Springfield |
|
Chicago |
|
Prairie State |
|
Land of Lincoln |
|
3 December 1818 |
|
21 |
|
|
Indiana |
|
Indianapolis |
|
Hoosier State
|
None |
|
11 December 1816 |
|
19 |
|||
|
|
Iowa |
|
Des Moines |
|
Hawkeye State
|
None |
|
28 December 1846 |
|
29 |
|||
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
|
|
Kansas |
|
Topeka |
|
Wichita |
|
Sunflower State |
|
(Wheat State) |
|
29 January 1861 |
|
34 |
|
|
Kentucky |
|
Frankfort |
|
Louisville |
|
Bluegrass State
|
Same |
|
1 June 1792 |
|
15 |
|
|
|
Louisiana |
|
Baton Rouge |
|
New Orleans |
|
Pelican State |
|
Sportsman's Paradise
|
|
30 April 1812 |
|
18 |
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
|
|
Maine |
|
Augusta |
|
Portland |
|
Pine Tree State |
|
Vacationland |
|
15 March 1820 |
|
23 |
|
|
Maryland |
|
Annapolis |
|
Baltimore |
|
Old Line State
|
None |
|
28 April 1788 |
|
7 |
|
|
|
Massachusetts |
|
Boston |
|
Bay State
|
|
Spirit of America |
|
6 February 1788 |
|
6 |
||
|
|
Michigan |
|
Lansing |
|
Detroit |
|
Wolverine State
|
None
|
|
26 January 1837 |
|
26 |
|
|
|
Minnesota |
|
St. Paul |
|
Minneapolis |
|
Land of 10,000 Lakes |
|
10,000 Lakes |
|
11 May 1858 |
|
32 |
|
|
Mississippi |
|
Jackson |
|
Magnolia State
|
|
Birthplace of ... Music
|
|
10 December 1817 |
|
20 |
||
|
|
Missouri |
|
Jefferson (City) |
|
St. Louis |
|
(Show Me State)
|
Same |
|
10 August 1821 |
|
24 |
|
|
|
Montana |
|
Helena |
|
Billings |
|
Treasure State
|
|
Big Sky Country
|
|
8 November 1889 |
|
41 |
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
|
|
Nebraska |
|
Lincoln |
|
Omaha |
|
Cornhusker State
|
None
|
|
1 March 1867 |
|
37 |
|
|
|
Nevada |
|
Carson City |
|
Las Vegas |
|
Silver State
|
Same |
|
31 October 1864 |
|
36 |
|
|
|
New Hampshire |
|
Concord |
|
Manchester |
|
Granite State
|
None |
|
21 June 1788 |
|
9 |
|
|
|
New Jersey |
|
Trenton |
|
Newark |
|
Garden State |
Same
|
|
18 December 1787 |
|
3 | |
|
|
New Mexico |
|
Santa Fe |
|
Albuquerque |
|
Land of Enchantment
|
Same |
|
6 January 1912 |
|
47 |
|
|
|
New York |
|
Albany |
|
New York City |
|
Empire State
|
Same |
|
26 July 1788
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
North Carolina |
|
Raleigh |
|
Charlotte |
|
Tar Heel State
|
|
First in Flight State |
|
21 November 1789 |
|
12 |
|
|
North Dakota |
|
Bismarck |
|
Fargo |
|
Peace Garden State
|
Same |
|
2 November 1889 |
|
39 |
|
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
|
|
Ohio |
|
Columbus |
|
Buckeye State
|
|
Birthplace of Aviation
|
|
1 March 1803 |
|
17 |
||
|
|
Oklahoma |
|
Oklahoma City |
|
Sooner State
|
|
Native America |
|
16 November 1907 |
|
46 |
||
|
|
Oregon |
|
Salem |
|
Portland |
|
Beaver State |
|
Pacific Wonderland
|
|
14 February 1859 |
|
33 |
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
|
|
Pennsylvania |
|
Harrisburg |
|
Philadelphia |
|
Keystone State
|
None
|
|
12 December 1787 |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Rhode Island |
|
Providence |
|
Ocean State
|
Same |
|
29 May 1790 |
|
13 |
|||
|
|
South Carolina |
|
Columbia |
|
Palmetto State
|
None |
|
23 May 1788 |
|
8 |
|||
|
|
South Dakota |
|
Pierre |
|
Sioux Falls |
|
Mount Rushmore State |
None |
|
2 November 1889 |
|
40 |
|
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
|
|
Tennessee |
|
Nashville |
|
Memphis |
|
Volunteer State
|
Same |
|
1 June 1796 |
|
16 |
|
|
|
Texas |
|
Austin |
|
Houston |
|
Lone Star State
|
Same |
|
29 December 1845 |
|
28 |
|
|
|
Utah |
|
Salt Lake City |
|
Beehive State
|
|
(Friendly State) |
|
4 January 1896 |
|
45 |
||
|
|
Vermont |
|
Montpelier |
|
Burlington |
|
Green Mountain State |
Same |
|
4 March 1791 |
|
14 |
|
|
|
Virginia |
|
Richmond |
|
Norfolk |
|
The Old Dominion
|
None |
|
26 June 1788 |
|
10 |
|
| State | Capital | Largest City | 'Official' Nickname | License Plate Nickname | Joined the Union | Order | |||||||
|
|
Washington |
|
Olympia |
|
Seattle |
|
Evergreen State |
Same |
|
11 November 1889 |
|
42 |
|
|
|
West Virginia |
|
Charleston |
|
Mountain State
|
None
|
|
20 June 1863 |
|
35 |
|||
|
|
Wisconsin |
|
Madison |
|
Milwaukee |
|
(Badger State)
|
|
America's Dairyland |
|
29 May 1848 |
|
30 |
|
|
Wyoming |
|
Cheyenne |
|
Equality State
|
Same |
|
10 July 1890 |
|
44 |
|||
© Haydn Thompson 2021