50 States Community Blog

Alabama

Alabama

Became a state: December 14, 1819 (22^nd state)

Area: 52,419 sq mi (ranked 30^th in size)

Population: 4,447,100 (ranked 23^rd in population)

Capital: Montgomery

Largest City: Birmingham (population 230,000)

Bordering States: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee

Origin of state name: Alabama means “tribal town” in the Creek Indian language

State Nickname: Heart Of Dixie, “Yellowhammer State”

State Bird: Wild Turkey

State Flower: Camellia (Camellia Japonica)

State Tree: Southern Longleaf Pine

State Gemstone: Star Blue Quartz

Trivia: Alabama is the birthplace of two legendary baseball players. Henry Louis (Hank) Aaron was born in Mobile in 1934 and Willie Howard Mays was born in Westfield in 1931.

Abbreviation: AL

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Born in Alabama

Nat King Cole

Emmylou Harris

Alaska

Alaska

Became a state: January 3, 1959 (49^th state)

Area: 663,267 sq mi (ranked 1st in size)

Population: 670,035 (ranked 47th in population)

Capital: Juneau

Largest City: Anchorage (population 275,043)

Origin of state name: The word Alaska is from the Aleut Indian word "alaxsxaq" or "agunalaksh" which means the mainland or shore.

State Nickname: The Last Frontier

State Bird: Willow ptarmigan

State Flower: Forget-Me-Not (genus Myosotis)

State Tree: Sitka Spruce

State Gemstone: Jade

Trivia: The Alaska Highway was originally built as a military supply road during World War II.

Abbreviation: AK

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Born In Alaska

Irene Bedard (Actress/Singer)

Joe Tompkins (Professional Skier)

Arizona

Arizona

Became a state: February 14, 1912 (48th state)

Area: 113,998 sq mi (ranked 6^th in size)

Population: 5,130,632 (ranked 17th in population)

Capital: Phoenix

Largest City: Phoenix (population 1,475,834)

Bordering States: California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah

Origin of state name: Some say the name comes from the Aztec Indian word arizuma; which means “silver-bearing”

State Nickname: Grand Canyon State

State Bird: Cactus Wren

State Flower: Saguaro Cactus Blossom

State Tree: Palo Verde

State Gem: Turquoise

Trivia: Tombstone, Ruby, Gillette, and Gunsight are among the ghost towns scattered throughout the state.

Abbreviation: AZ

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Born In Arizona

Linda Ronstadt

Joe Jonas

Arkansas

Arkansas

Became a state: June 15, 1836 (25th state)

Area: 53,179 sq mi (ranked 29^th in size)

Population: 2,673,400 (ranked 32nd in population)

Capital: Little Rock

Largest City: Little Rock (population 204,370)

Bordering States: Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennesse, Texas

Origin of state name: Arkansas is from the Quapaw (Sioux) word "acansa," which means "downstream place" or "south wind."

State Nickname: The Natural State

State Bird: Mocking Bird

State Flower: Apple Blossom

State Tree: Pine Tree

State Gemstone: Diamond

Trivia: Arkansas the first U.S. state where diamonds have been found.

Abbreviation: AR

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Born In Arkansas

Al Green

Conway Twitty

California

California

Became a state: September 9, 1850 (31st state)

Area: 163,696 sq mi (ranked 3rd in size)

Population: 33,871,648 (ranked 1st in population)

Capital: Sacramento

Largest City: Los Angeles (population 3,833,995)

Bordering States: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona

Origin of state name: The name California comes from a mythical Spanish island ruled by a queen called Califia who was featured in the Spanish romance novel ("Las Sergas de Esplandian") written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo in 1510.

State Nickname: The Golden State

State Bird: California Valley Quail

State Flower: California Poppy

State Tree: Redwood

State Gemstone: Benitoite

Trivia: The first motion picture theater opened in Los Angeles on April 2, 1902. The Electric Theater was located at 262 S. Main Street in Los Angeles, California. The films shown on opening night were; “Capture of the Biddle Brothers” and “New York In A Blizzard”, admission was ten cents. Thomas L. Tally opened the theater and showed the first color film in 1912.

Abbreviation: CA

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Born In California

Nicholas Cage

Cher

Leonardo DiCaprio

Josh Groban

Ritchie Valens

Colorado

Colorado

Became a state: August 1, 1876 (38th state)

Area: 104,185 sq mi (ranked 8th in size)

Population: 4,301,261 (ranked 22nd in population)

Capital: Denver

Largest City: Denver (population 566,974)

Bordering States: Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming

Origin of state name: Colorado is a Spanish word, which means the “color red” and refers to the muddy Colorado river.

State Nickname: Centennial State, Colorful Colorado

State Bird: Lark Bunting

State Flower: Rocky Mountain Columbine (White and Lavender)

State Tree: Colorado Blue Spruce

State Gemstone: Aqua Marine

Trivia: Louis Ballast created the “cheeseburger” in 1935. Ballast owned the Humpty Dumpty Barrel Drive-In, which was located in Denver, Colorado. The Humpty Dumpty burned down completely and now the site is a boring parking lot with a small memorial to the Humpty Dumpty. You can visit the site at, 2776 N. Speer Blvd, Denver, Colorado.

Abbreviation: CO