State, federal district, or territory |
Nickname(s)
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Alabama[1][a]
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Alaska
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American Samoa
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- Motu o Fiafiaga (a Samoan phrase; in English, it is "Islands of Paradise")[9] (used on American Samoa license plates)[10]
- Football Island[s][11]
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Arizona
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Arkansas
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California
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Colorado
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Connecticut
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- Constitution State (official, used on license plates)[28]
- Nutmeg State[16]
- Provision State[29]
- Blue Law State[16]
- Freestone State[16]
- Land of Steady Habits[16]
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Delaware
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- Chemical Capital of the World[30] (due to one time being the corporate headquarters for several international chemical companies.)
- Corporate Capital (due to the state's business-friendly incorporation laws)[30]
- Diamond State (Thomas Jefferson is supposed to have referred to Delaware as being like a diamond – small in size but great in value)[31]
- Blue Hen State or Blue Hen Chicken State[32]
- The First State[30][33] (Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution; used on license plates)
- Peach State[30] (no longer used; see Georgia)
- Small Wonder[30]
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District of Columbia[a]
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- Nation's Capital[34]
- DMV (nickname for the broader metropolitan area of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia)[34]
- Inside the Beltway
- Chocolate City[35]
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Florida
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Georgia
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- Peach State[38] (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.[39] See also Atlanta Crackers: Origin of the name
- Empire State of the South — Georgia is the largest Southern state in land area east of the Mississippi and was the leading industrial state of the Old South.[40]
- Goober State — Refers to peanuts, the official state crop.[41]
- State of Adventure (on highway welcome signs)
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Guam
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Hawaii
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Idaho
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Illinois[53]
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Indiana
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- Hoosier State (Used at various times on license plates)[55]
(Hoosier is also the official demonym of a resident of Indiana)
- Crossroads of America (Also used at various times on license plates and used on highway welcome signs)
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Iowa
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Kansas
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- America's Heartland (previously used on Licence Plates)
- Central State[16]
- Dorothy's Home
- Free State
- Midway USA (previously used on Kansas Licence Plates)
- Sunflower State[16]
- Wheat State (previously used on license plates)
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Kentucky
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Louisiana
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- Bayou State (previously used on license plates)
- Creole State[16]
- Pelican State[16]
- Sportsman's Paradise (used on license plates)
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Maine
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- Pine Tree State[57] (co-official with Vacationland)
- Vacationland (used on license plates)
- Lumber State[16]
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Maryland
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Massachusetts
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- Baked Bean State[62]
- Codfish State (formerly represented on license plates by a codfish)
- The Bay State[62]
- Old Colony State[63]
- Pilgrim State[62]
- The Spirit of America (used on license plates)
- Taxachusetts (colloquial)[64][65][66][67][68]
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Michigan
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- The Great Lakes State (previously used on license plates)
- Water Wonderland and Water-Winter Wonderland (previously used on license plates)
- The Wolverine State[69]
- The Mitten State
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Minnesota
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Mississippi
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- Hospitality State (previously used on license plates)
- Magnolia State
- The Birthplace of America's Music (being used on license plates)
- The Bayou State[16]
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Missouri
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- Bullion State[16]
- Show-Me State (used on license plates)
- Gateway to the West
- Lead State
- Ozark State
- Mother of the West
- Iron Mountain State
- Pennsylvania of the West
- Cave State
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Montana
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- Big Sky Country (previously used on license plates)
- The Last Best Place[71]
- Treasure State (used on license plates)
- Land of the Shining Mountains
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Nebraska
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Nevada
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- Battle Born State (refers to the fact that Nevada joined the Union during the Civil War)
- Sagebrush State
- Silver State (used on license plates)
- Casino State
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New Hampshire
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New Jersey
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- Garbage State (pejorative)[76][77]
- Garden State (used on license plates)
- The Crossroads of the Revolution (previously used on license plates)
- The Cornerstone State (used colloquially, especially with reference to Pennsylvania when it is called the Keystone State).
- The Suburban State
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New Mexico
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- Land of Enchantment[78] (used on license plates)
- Land of Sunshine (predates "Land of Enchantment"; this earlier nickname highlighted the large percentage of sunshine received statewide)[79]
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New York
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North Carolina
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North Dakota
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- Flickertail State
- Peace Garden State (used on license plates)
- Rough Rider State
- Sioux State
- Heaven on Earth
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Northern Mariana Islands[a]
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- Håfa Adai (a Chamorro phrase; in English, it is "Hello")[84] (used on Northern Mariana Islands license plates)[85][b]
- America's Best Kept Secret[86]
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Ohio
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- Buckeye State[32]
- Birthplace of Aviation[87] (used on license plates)
- The Heart of It All[88] (formerly used on license plates)
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Oklahoma
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Oregon
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- Beaver State[90]
- Pacific Wonderland (previously used on license plates and available on an extra cost plate)[91]
- Webfoot State[16]
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Pennsylvania
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Puerto Rico
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- Isla del Encanto ("Island of Enchantment") (used on license plates)
- Borinquen (name given by indigenous people, the Tainos)[92]
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Rhode Island
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- Little Rhody[32]
- Ocean State (used on license plates)
- Rogues Island[93]
- The Licentious Republic[93]
- Smallest State
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South Carolina
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- Palmetto State[32]
- Iodine Products State (no longer used)[94] (previously used on license plates)
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South Dakota
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Tennessee
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- Big Bend State (refers to the Tennessee River)[97]
- Butternut State (refers to the tan color of the uniforms worn by Tennessee soldiers in the American Civil War)[97]
- Hog and Hominy State[97]
- The Mother of Southwestern Statesmen[97]
- Volunteer State[97] (used on license plates)
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Texas
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- Lone Star State[32][98] (used on license plates)
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U.S. Virgin Islands[a]
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- America's Caribbean (used on U.S. Virgin Islands license plates until 2015)[99]
- American Paradise[100]
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Utah
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- Beehive State
- Crossroads of the West[101][102] – Location the Golden Spike was driven into the railroad, the joining point of the First transcontinental railroad.
- Mormon State[101]
- Friendly State (formerly used on license plates)[103]
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Vermont
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- Green Mountain State[32] (used on license plates)
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Virginia
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Washington[a]
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- Evergreen State[105] (used on license plates)
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West Virginia
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Wisconsin[107][a]
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Wyoming
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- Cowboy State
- Equality State
- Forever West (on highway welcome signs)
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