State Nicknames Quiz
Read a state nickname and pick which state it belongs to. 50 questions in total.
State Nicknames Quiz — all 50 questions
The Prairie State
Q1Which state has this nickname?
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Illinois
The Prairie State nickname recalls the tallgrass prairie that once covered much of Illinois before it was converted to farmland.
The Cornhusker State
Q2Which state has this nickname?
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Nebraska
The nickname "The Cornhusker State" comes from the University of Nebraska's athletic teams and the state's long corn-farming heritage.
The Land of Enchantment
Q3Which state has this nickname?
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New Mexico
The nickname "The Land of Enchantment" celebrates New Mexico's dramatic desert landscapes and its blend of Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo cultures.
The Green Mountain State
Q4Which state has this nickname?
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Vermont
The nickname "The Green Mountain State" refers to the Green Mountains running the length of the state, which also gave Vermont its French-derived name.
The Gem State
Q5Which state has this nickname?
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Idaho
The Gem State nickname refers to Idaho's mineral wealth, said to include nearly every type of gemstone found somewhere within the state.
The First State
Q6Which state has this nickname?
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Delaware
The First State nickname marks Delaware's status as the first of the original colonies to ratify the US Constitution.
The Golden State
Q7Which state has this nickname?
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California
The Golden State nickname traces to the California Gold Rush of 1849, which drew hundreds of thousands of settlers westward.
The Tar Heel State
Q8Which state has this nickname?
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North Carolina
The nickname "The Tar Heel State" traces to the state's colonial-era production of tar, pitch, and turpentine from its pine forests.
The Peach State
Q9Which state has this nickname?
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Georgia
The Peach State nickname celebrates Georgia's long history of peach cultivation, though cotton and poultry are larger parts of its economy today.
The Empire State
Q10Which state has this nickname?
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New York
The nickname "The Empire State" reflects New York's long-standing wealth and dominance in trade, finance, and industry.
The Hoosier State
Q11Which state has this nickname?
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Indiana
The Hoosier State nickname refers to "Hoosier," the traditional demonym for Indiana residents, whose exact origin remains debated.
The Grand Canyon State
Q12Which state has this nickname?
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Arizona
The Grand Canyon State nickname refers to the Grand Canyon, the mile-deep gorge carved by the Colorado River in the state's northwest.
The Buckeye State
Q13Which state has this nickname?
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Ohio
The nickname "The Buckeye State" comes from the buckeye tree, once common across Ohio and named for nuts resembling a deer's eye.
The Sooner State
Q14Which state has this nickname?
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Oklahoma
The nickname "The Sooner State" refers to settlers who staked land claims before the official start of the 1889 land run, ahead of schedule.
The Great Lakes State
Q15Which state has this nickname?
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Michigan
The Great Lakes State nickname reflects Michigan's position touching four of the five Great Lakes, more than any other state.
The Constitution State
Q16Which state has this nickname?
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Connecticut
The Constitution State nickname refers to Connecticut's 1639 Fundamental Orders, often cited as an early model for written constitutional government.
The Pine Tree State
Q17Which state has this nickname?
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Maine
The Pine Tree State nickname reflects Maine's extensive forests, and the white pine appears on both its flag and state seal.
The Sunshine State
Q18Which state has this nickname?
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Florida
The Sunshine State nickname reflects Florida's warm, sunny climate, which has long drawn tourists and retirees from across the country.
The Hawkeye State
Q19Which state has this nickname?
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Iowa
The Hawkeye State nickname is said by some to honor the Sauk leader Black Hawk, though its exact origin among early settlers is debated.
The Treasure State
Q20Which state has this nickname?
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Montana
The nickname "The Treasure State" reflects Montana's rich mineral deposits, including gold, silver, and copper mined since the 19th century.
The Volunteer State
Q21Which state has this nickname?
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Tennessee
The nickname "The Volunteer State" traces to the large number of Tennesseans who volunteered for the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.
The Granite State
Q22Which state has this nickname?
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New Hampshire
The nickname "The Granite State" refers to the state's extensive granite quarries and its rocky, mountainous terrain.
The Pelican State
Q23Which state has this nickname?
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Louisiana
The Pelican State nickname refers to the brown pelican, which appears on the state flag and seal as an official symbol.
The Yellowhammer State
Q24Which state has this nickname?
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Alabama
The Yellowhammer State nickname honors Alabama's official state bird, a woodpecker known for its bright yellow underwings.
The Bluegrass State
Q25Which state has this nickname?
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Kentucky
The Bluegrass State nickname refers to the bluegrass found around Lexington, long prized for grazing the region's thoroughbred horses.
The Garden State
Q26Which state has this nickname?
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New Jersey
The nickname "The Garden State" reflects New Jersey's long history of fruit and vegetable farming that once supplied nearby cities.
The Ocean State
Q27Which state has this nickname?
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Rhode Island
The nickname "The Ocean State" reflects Rhode Island's roughly 400 miles of coastline relative to its small land area.
The Show-Me State
Q28Which state has this nickname?
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Missouri
The Show-Me State nickname suggests a skeptical, hard-to-convince attitude, though its exact nineteenth-century origin is debated.
The Badger State
Q29Which state has this nickname?
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Wisconsin
The nickname "The Badger State" originated with early lead miners who dug shelters into hillsides like badger dens, not from the animal itself.
The Mountain State
Q30Which state has this nickname?
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West Virginia
The nickname "The Mountain State" reflects West Virginia's location entirely within the Appalachian Mountains, often cited as the only state fully inside the range.
The Beehive State
Q31Which state has this nickname?
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Utah
The nickname "The Beehive State" symbolizes industry and cooperation, values tied to the state's early Mormon pioneer settlement.
The Aloha State
Q32Which state has this nickname?
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Hawaii
The Aloha State nickname reflects the Hawaiian concept of aloha, a word expressing love, peace, and welcome central to island culture.
The Peace Garden State
Q33Which state has this nickname?
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North Dakota
The nickname "The Peace Garden State" refers to the International Peace Garden, a park on the Canadian border symbolizing peace between the two nations.
The Natural State
Q34Which state has this nickname?
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Arkansas
The Natural State nickname highlights Arkansas's mountains, forests, and hot springs, and has been the state's official tourism identity since the 1990s.
The Magnolia State
Q35Which state has this nickname?
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Mississippi
The Magnolia State nickname refers to the magnolia tree, which is both the official state tree and the official state flower.
The Old Dominion
Q36Which state has this nickname?
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Virginia
The nickname "The Old Dominion" dates to the colonial era, when King Charles II praised Virginia's loyalty to the English crown.
The Bay State
Q37Which state has this nickname?
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Massachusetts
The Bay State nickname refers to Massachusetts Bay, the body of water along which many of the earliest colonial settlements were built.
The Old Line State
Q38Which state has this nickname?
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Maryland
The Old Line State nickname honors Maryland's Continental Army regiments, praised for their discipline during the Revolutionary War.
The Evergreen State
Q39Which state has this nickname?
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Washington
The nickname "The Evergreen State" reflects the dense coniferous forests that cover much of western Washington.
The Mount Rushmore State
Q40Which state has this nickname?
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South Dakota
The nickname "The Mount Rushmore State" refers to the massive presidential sculpture carved into the Black Hills, the state's best-known landmark.
The Keystone State
Q41Which state has this nickname?
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Pennsylvania
The nickname "The Keystone State" reflects Pennsylvania's central position among the original thirteen colonies, like a keystone holding an arch together.
The Last Frontier
Q42Which state has this nickname?
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Alaska
The Last Frontier nickname reflects Alaska's vast wilderness and its history as one of the final regions of North America to be widely settled.
The Beaver State
Q43Which state has this nickname?
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Oregon
The nickname "The Beaver State" honors the beaver, tied to the fur trade that drove much of Oregon's early exploration and settlement.
The Centennial State
Q44Which state has this nickname?
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Colorado
The Centennial State nickname marks Colorado's admission to the Union in 1876, exactly one hundred years after US independence.
The Silver State
Q45Which state has this nickname?
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Nevada
The nickname "The Silver State" recalls the Comstock Lode, the great silver strike of 1859 whose boom drove Nevada’s early settlement and statehood.
The Sunflower State
Q46Which state has this nickname?
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Kansas
The Sunflower State nickname reflects the wild sunflower, which grows abundantly across Kansas and became its official state flower.
The Equality State
Q47Which state has this nickname?
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Wyoming
The nickname "The Equality State" honors Wyoming's history as the first territory and state to grant women the right to vote, in 1869.
The North Star State
Q48Which state has this nickname?
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Minnesota
The North Star State nickname translates the Latin motto "L'Etoile du Nord" on Minnesota's state seal, adopted at statehood.
The Palmetto State
Q49Which state has this nickname?
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South Carolina
The nickname "The Palmetto State" honors the palmetto tree, whose spongy logs helped a coastal fort withstand British cannon fire in 1776.
The Lone Star State
Q50Which state has this nickname?
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Texas
The nickname "The Lone Star State" refers to the single star on the Texas flag, carried over from its years as an independent republic.