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Holds the nation's first primary in the presidential election cycle. This was the 9th state to ratify the constitution, therefore bringing it into effect. Is the only state to have women as governor and in both senatorial positions.
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New Hampshire
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This is the only state to border only one other. It is also the most rural! The easternmost point in the contiguous U.S. is found here.
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Maine
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Almost 3/4 of this state's population lives in one county. Spanish explorers named this state after snow-covered mountains back home. It is the only state where prostitution is legal.
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Nevada
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Home to the world's largest naval base. The first permanent English colony settled in this state.
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Virginia
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Over 63% of its land is covered in forests and is home to the longest man-made beach in the world!
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Mississippi
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The Missouri River bisects this state. Home to Black Elk Peak, the highest natural point east of the Rocky Mountains, at 7,244 feet.
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South Dakota
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This state borders four of the five great lakes, and has the longest freshwater coastline of any U.S. political subdivision (3,288 miles). It also contains 64,980 inland lakes and ponds!
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Michigan
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Is named after the longest river in New England, meaning long-tidal river in the Mohegan-Pequot language. Its official nickname refers to the Fundamental Orders, one of the first written constitutions in American history. Proposed the bicameral structure for Congress in 1787.
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Connecticut
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Named in honor of King Charles I of England. The first shots of the American Civil War were fired here.
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South Carolina
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The smallest state by land area. Was the last of the original 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution, after an initial refusal. Its official name was State of _____ ______and Providence Plantations, until 2020 when it was changed.
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Rhode Island
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This is the home to the world's largest beer producer, Anheuser Busch. It is also home to the tallest man-made monument in the country, the Gateway Arch.
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Missouri
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Has the country's largest concentration of Amish. Also, the location of the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War.
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Pennsylvania
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The world's longest known cave system can be found here! Along with the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the contiguous U.S.
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Kentucky
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The largest city is home to the headquarters of the United Nations and the oldest continually newspaper in the country. The only state that borders Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.
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New York
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This state was the first to elect a woman to Congress, Jeanette Ranking, in 1916 (before she even had the right to vote!). Is the only state with a triple divide, where water can drain to the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, or the Hudson Bay.
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Montana
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This was the first state to legally recognized same-sex marriage and is home to the oldest university in the country. This state is named after the indigenous people, the Muhsachuweesut, meaning "near the great hill".
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Massachusetts
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Is the country's least populated state. Was the first state to allow women to vote (1869).
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Wyoming
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Location of the oldest state capital in the country, founded in 1610. Is also the highest state capital, at 6,998 feet. One third of this state's land is federally owned, with15 national parks and monuments, 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and numerous protected wilderness areas.
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New Mexico
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The only state where a majority of its inhabitants belong to a single church. Was admitted as the 45th state in 1896, only after it agreed to outlaw polygamy.
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Utah
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The United States Forest Service holds about 38% of this state's land, the most of any. The state's name is derived from a Shoshone term meaning "gem of the mountains".
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Idaho
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The 42° north parallel defines this state's southern border. This state is home to the deepest lake in the country, at 1,949 feet. Is also the top producer of lumber in the contiguous U.S.
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Oregon
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Home to the largest research park in the country, the Research Triangle Park. Was the first state to declare independence from Great Britain, with the Mecklenburg Declaration. Also has the tallest lighthouse in the country, at 210 feet.
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North Carolina
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A terminus of the Trail of Tears. Home to Cimarron County, the only county in the country to touch four different states. The state vegetable is watermelon!
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Oklahoma
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Rapid industrialization enabled this state's largest city to be the fastest growing city in the world in the late 1800s. John Deere is also from this state.
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Illinois
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Is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to the admitted to the Union. It ranks 51st in education (behind Washington D.C.) and is divided into 15 counties.
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Arizona
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The only state with a unicameral legislature, and its officials are elected without any official reference to political party affiliation. It is also one of two states that divides electoral college votes by district, not winner-takes-all.
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Nebraska
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This state's most populous city has the fewest of any in the U.S. Was an independent country for 14 years, before it was admitted to the Union in 1791.
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Vermont
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This state's flag is patterned after the flag of France, as it used to be a part of French Louisiana. It is also the home of the world's largest truck stop.
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Iowa
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The most densely populated state, and the only one where every county is considered urban by the U.S. Census Bureau. The fastest warming state by air temperature (per the NOAA) over the last 100 years.
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New Jersey
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This state was founded in 1634 as a haven for Catholics from religious persecution. It is home to the first post office in the country (1774) and has jousting as its official state sport!
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Maryland
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A landlocked state previously part of the Louisiana Purchase. Its name derives from the Osage language, and refers to their relatives, the Quapaw people.
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Arkansas
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A southeastern state with a 2024 population of over 5.15 million. Characterized by, a low cost of living and a growing economy in technology, aerospace, and healthcare.
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Alabama
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Is the second smallest and sixth least populated state, but is also the sixth most densely populated. This state is divided into 3 counties, the least of any U.S. state. Also the first state to ratify the Constitution.
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Delaware
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The most populous state. Two-thirds of the nation's earthquake risk lies in this state, along with the nation's busiest port. It's economy is the largest of any U.S. state, the largest of any subnational division, and if it were to be considered as an independent country, it would rank fourth-largest in the world (by nominal GDP). Also has the most national parks of any state (9).
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California
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The only state not on the North American mainland. One of two states that have a tropical climate, and one of two states that were sovereign nations prior to statehood. Home to the largest protected area in the U.S. (Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument).
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Hawaii
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Two thirds of this state occupies a peninsula and has the longest coastline in the contiguous U.S. The name of this state is Spanish for "land of flowers".
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Florida
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After the Civil War, this state was the last to be readmitted to the Union (July 15, 1870). Also the location of a terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
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Georgia
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Is the only state that doesn't share any letters with 'mackerel' and the only state with a non-rectangular flag.
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Ohio
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Home to the nation's only state-run bank. Is considered the geographic center of the North American continent.
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North Dakota
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The largest U.S. state by area, it is the world's largest exclave, and the seventh largest subnational division. It is the third least populous (740,133) and most sparsely populated state. It also contains the country's four largest cities by area.
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Alaska
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This state produces nearly all of the country's supply of ginseng. It's 2004 state quarter became famous for a minting error showing an extra leaf on the ear of corn.
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Wisconsin
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This is the only state with political subdivisions termed parishes (one of only two states that are not subdivided into counties). Much of the land of this state was formed from sediment washing down the Mississippi River, leaving enormous deltas and large areas of marsh and swamp land.
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Louisiana
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Is the only state to have two panhandles. Is the only state formed by seceding from a different state (in 1863, seceded from a confederate state to join the Union).
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West Virginia
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Has 14,420 bodies of freshwater covering at least 10 acres each! More than 60% of the population of this state live in one metropolitan area (nicknamed the "Twin Cities").
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Minnesota
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Second largest state by area and by population. The Balcones Escarpment extends across the center of the state and marks the transition between the Hill Country and the Coastal Plains.
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Texas
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Is the only state to have turned down an opportunity to host the Olympics. Home to the largest flat-topped mountain in the world (~500 square miles, 11,000 feet of elevation).
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Colorado
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This state is generally considered to be the geographic center of the contiguous United States. The name comes from the Algonquian term for the Quapaw people (Akansa).
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Kansas
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Has the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous U.S. Produces the most apples of any state. Is the only state named after a president.
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Washington
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The name of this state means "Land of the Indians" or "Indian Land". It is also home to the first city in the U.S. to be electrically lighted (on March 31, 1880).
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Indiana
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Home to the country's most visited national park. Also home to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which was the location of the Manhattan Project's uranium enrichment facilities.
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Tennessee
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