State,
federal district,
or territory |
Nickname(s) |
 Alabama |
- Alabama the Beautiful
- Cotton State (because of its history with cotton farms)
- Heart of Dixie (used on license plates)
- Lizard State
- Sweet Home Alabama
- Yellowhammer State (named after the state bird)
|
 Alaska |
- Land of the Midnight Sun (the sun stays out very late in summer)
- Land of the Noonday Moon
- The Last Frontier (seen on license plates)
- Seward's Folly (a funny name given when the U.S. bought Alaska)
- Seward's Ice Box, Icebergia, Polaria, Walrussia, and Johnson's Polar Bear Garden (other funny names used when Alaska was bought)
|
 American Samoa |
- Motu o Fiafiaga (a Samoan phrase meaning "Islands of Paradise") (used on license plates)
- Football Island[s]
|
 Arizona |
- Apache State
- Aztec State
- Baby State (it was the newest state in the main U.S. for a while)
- Copper State (known for its copper mines)
- Grand Canyon State (seen on license plates)
- Italy of America
- Sand Hill State
- Sunset State
- Sweetheart State
- Valentine State (Arizona became a state on February 14, 1912)
|
 Arkansas |
|
 California |
|
 Colorado |
- Centennial State (Colorado joined the U.S. 100 years after the Declaration of Independence)
- Colorful Colorado (used on welcome signs)
- Columbine State (named after the state flower)
- Highest State (it has the highest average elevation)
- Mother of Rivers (many major rivers start here)
- Ski Country USA
- Switzerland of America (because of its mountains)
|
 Connecticut |
- Constitution State (official, used on license plates)
- Nutmeg State (from a story about dishonest traders selling fake nutmeg)
- Provision State
- Blue Law State
- Freestone State
- Land of Steady Habits
|
 Delaware |
- Chemical Capital of the World (many chemical companies were based here)
- Corporate Capital (due to its business-friendly laws)
- Diamond State (Thomas Jefferson said it was small but valuable like a diamond)
- Blue Hen State or Blue Hen Chicken State (named after a famous fighting chicken breed)
- The First State (Delaware was the first state to agree to the U.S. Constitution; used on license plates)
- Small Wonder
|
 District of Columbia |
- Nation's Capital
- DMV (for the wider area of D.C., Maryland, and Virginia)
- Inside the Beltway
- Chocolate City
|
 Florida |
- Alligator State
- Everglade State
- Flower State
- Gulf State
- Orange State (known for its oranges)
- Peninsula State or Peninsular State (it's mostly surrounded by water)
- Sunshine State (used on license plates)
|
 Georgia |
- Peach State (used on license plates)
- Cracker State (an older term)
- Empire State of the South (Georgia was a big industrial state in the Old South)
- Goober State (refers to peanuts, a big crop there)
- State of Adventure
|
 Guam |
- Tano y Chamorro (Land of the Chamorro people) (used on Guam license plates)
- Hub of the Pacific
- Gateway to Micronesia
|
 Hawaii |
- Aloha State (official popular name, used on license plates)
- Paradise of the Pacific
- Pineapple State (known for pineapples)
- Rainbow State
- Youngest State (it was the last state to join the U.S.)
- 808 State (refers to its area code)
|
 Idaho |
- Gem State (many different gemstones are found here)
- Gem of the Mountains
- Little Ida
- Spud State (famous for its potatoes)
|
 Illinois |
- Land of Lincoln (used on license plates)
- Prairie State (because of its large prairie lands)
- Corn State
- Garden of the West
|
 Indiana |
- Hoosier State (used on license plates) (a "Hoosier" is also what people from Indiana are called)
- Crossroads of America (used on highway welcome signs)
|
 Iowa |
|
 Kansas |
- America's Heartland
- Central State
- Dorothy's Home (from The Wizard of Oz)
- Free State
- Midway USA
- Sunflower State (known for its sunflowers)
- Wheat State (a major wheat producer)
|
 Kentucky |
- Bluegrass State (used on license plates) (named for the blue-green grass found there)
- The Dark and Bloody Ground State (refers to old battles between Native American tribes)
- Hemp State
- Tobacco State
|
 Louisiana |
- Bayou State (known for its bayous, slow-moving rivers)
- Creole State
- Pelican State (named after the state bird)
- Sportsman's Paradise (used on license plates)
|
 Maine |
- Pine Tree State (co-official with Vacationland)
- Vacationland (used on license plates)
- Lumber State
|
 Maryland |
|
 Massachusetts |
- Baked Bean State
- Codfish State (codfish used to be on license plates)
- The Bay State (named for its many bays)
- Old Colony State
- Pilgrim State
- The Spirit of America (used on license plates)
- Taxachusetts (a joking nickname about taxes)
|
 Michigan |
- The Great Lakes State (because it borders four of the Great Lakes)
- Water Wonderland and Water-Winter Wonderland
- The Wolverine State
- The Mitten State (because its shape looks like a mitten)
|
 Minnesota |
|
 Mississippi |
- Hospitality State
- Magnolia State (named after the state flower)
- The Birthplace of America's Music (used on license plates)
- The Bayou State
|
 Missouri |
- Show-Me State (used on license plates) (means people from Missouri like to see proof)
- Gateway to the West
- Ozark State
- Mother of the West
- Cave State
|
 Montana |
- Big Sky Country (used on license plates)
- The Last Best Place
- Treasure State (used on license plates) (many valuable minerals are found here)
- Land of the Shining Mountains
|
 Nebraska |
- Antelope State
- Beef State (known for its cattle)
- Cornhusker State (used on license plates) (refers to husking corn)
- The Good Life (seen on state border signs)
- Tree Planters State (an older official nickname)
|
 Nevada |
- Battle Born State (Nevada joined the U.S. during the Civil War)
- Sagebrush State
- Silver State (used on license plates) (known for its silver mines)
- Casino State (known for its casinos)
|
 New Hampshire |
- Granite State (known for its granite quarries)
- The Live Free or Die State (official motto, used on license plates)
- Mother of Rivers
- White Mountain State
- Switzerland of America
|
 New Jersey |
- Garbage State (a negative nickname)
- Garden State (used on license plates) (known for its farms and produce)
- The Crossroads of the Revolution
- The Cornerstone State
- The Suburban State
|
 New Mexico |
- Land of Enchantment (used on license plates)
- Land of Sunshine (an older nickname about its sunny weather)
|
 New York |
- Empire State (used on license plates) (a powerful and important state)
- Excelsior State
|
 North Carolina |
- First in Flight (the Wright brothers first flew here)
- First in Freedom
- Old North State
- Tar Heel State (from its history of producing tar)
- Turpentine State
- Variety Vacationland
|
 North Dakota |
|
 Northern Mariana Islands |
- Håfa Adai (a Chamorro phrase meaning "Hello") (used on license plates)
- America's Best Kept Secret
|
 Ohio |
- Buckeye State (named after the Buckeye tree)
- Birthplace of Aviation (the Wright brothers were from Ohio)
- The Heart of It All
|
 Oklahoma |
- Native America (used on license plates)
- Land of the Red Man
- Sooner State (refers to people who illegally entered land sooner than allowed during the land runs)
|
 Oregon |
- Beaver State (named after the state animal)
- Pacific Wonderland
- Webfoot State
|
 Pennsylvania |
- Keystone State (Pennsylvania was central to the original 13 colonies, like a keystone in an arch)
- Quaker State (founded by Quakers)
- Coal State
- Railroad State
|
 Puerto Rico |
- Isla del Encanto ("Island of Enchantment") (used on license plates)
- Borinquen (its original name from the Taino people)
|
 Rhode Island |
- Little Rhody
- Ocean State (used on license plates) (it has a lot of coastline)
- Rogues Island
- Smallest State (it is the smallest U.S. state)
|
 South Carolina |
|
 South Dakota |
|
 Tennessee |
- Big Bend State (refers to the Tennessee River)
- Butternut State (from the tan uniforms of Civil War soldiers)
- Hog and Hominy State
- The Mother of Southwestern Statesmen
- Volunteer State (used on license plates) (many Tennesseans volunteered for the War of 1812)
|
 Texas |
- Lone Star State (used on license plates) (from its flag with a single star)
|
 U.S. Virgin Islands |
- America's Caribbean
- American Paradise
|
 Utah |
|
 Vermont |
- Green Mountain State (used on license plates) (named for its Green Mountains)
|
 Virginia |
- Mother of Presidents (many U.S. presidents were born here)
- Mother of States (many other states were formed from its original territory)
- Horse Country
- The Old Dominion (a very old nickname given by King Charles II)
|
 Washington |
- Evergreen State (used on license plates) (because of its many evergreen forests)
|
 West Virginia |
- Mountain State (used on license plates) (it's very mountainous)
- Panhandle State
- The Switzerland of America
- Almost Heaven
|
 Wisconsin |
- Badger State (named after the state animal)
- America's Dairyland (also on license plates, known for its dairy farms)
- The Mitten State
- The Dairy State
|
 Wyoming |
- Cowboy State
- Equality State
- Forever West (on highway welcome signs)
|
