State, federal district, or territory | Nickname(s) |
Alabama[1][lower-alpha 1] |
|
Alaska |
|
American Samoa |
- 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]
|
Arizona |
|
Arkansas |
|
California |
|
Colorado |
|
Connecticut |
- 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]
|
Delaware |
- 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]
|
District of Columbia[lower-alpha 1] |
- 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]
|
Florida |
|
Georgia |
- 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)
|
Guam |
|
Hawaii |
|
Idaho |
|
Illinois[53] |
|
Indiana |
- 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)
|
Iowa |
|
Kansas |
- 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)
|
Kentucky |
|
Louisiana |
- Bayou State (previously used on license plates)
- Creole State[16]
- Pelican State[16]
- Sportsman's Paradise (used on license plates)
|
Maine |
- Pine Tree State[57] (co-official with Vacationland)
- Vacationland (used on license plates)
- Lumber State[16]
|
Maryland |
|
Massachusetts |
- 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]
|
Michigan |
- 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
|
Minnesota |
|
Mississippi |
- Hospitality State (previously used on license plates)
- Magnolia State
- The Birthplace of America's Music (being used on license plates)
- The Bayou State[16]
|
Missouri |
- 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
|
Montana |
- Big Sky Country (previously used on license plates)
- The Last Best Place[71]
- Treasure State (used on license plates)
- Land of the Shining Mountains
|
Nebraska |
|
Nevada |
- 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
|
New Hampshire |
|
New Jersey |
- 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
|
New Mexico |
- 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]
|
New York |
|
North Carolina |
|
North Dakota |
- Flickertail State
- Peace Garden State (used on license plates)
- Rough Rider State
- Sioux State
- Heaven on Earth
|
Northern Mariana Islands[lower-alpha 1] |
|
Ohio |
- Buckeye State[32]
- Birthplace of Aviation[87] (used on license plates)
- The Heart of It All[88] (formerly used on license plates)
|
Oklahoma |
|
Oregon |
- Beaver State[90]
- Pacific Wonderland (previously used on license plates and available on an extra cost plate)[91]
- Webfoot State[16]
|
Pennsylvania |
|
Puerto Rico |
- Isla del Encanto ("Island of Enchantment") (used on license plates)
- Borinquen (name given by indigenous people, the Tainos)[92]
|
Rhode Island |
- Little Rhody[32]
- Ocean State (used on license plates)
- Rogues Island[93]
- The Licentious Republic[93]
- Smallest State
|
South Carolina |
- Palmetto State[32]
- Iodine Products State (no longer used)[94] (previously used on license plates)
|
South Dakota |
|
Tennessee |
- 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)
|
Texas |
- Lone Star State[32][98] (used on license plates)
|
U.S. Virgin Islands[lower-alpha 1] |
- America's Caribbean (used on U.S. Virgin Islands license plates until 2015)[99]
- American Paradise[100]
|
Utah |
- 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]
|
Vermont |
- Green Mountain State[32] (used on license plates)
|
Virginia |
|
Washington[lower-alpha 1] |
- Evergreen State[105] (used on license plates)
|
West Virginia |
|
Wisconsin[107][lower-alpha 1] |
|
Wyoming |
- Cowboy State
- Equality State
- Forever West (on highway welcome signs)
|