The United States has 50 named states. What isn't as well known is the fact that every one of those states has a nickname (official or not)—or maybe even more than one. Some state nicknames come out of the pages of history (Constitution State, Land of Lincoln), and some come from what grows there (Peach State, Spud State) or an identifying natural feature (Grand Canyon State). Some just make you want to go there (Sunshine State, Colorful Colorado, Land of Opportunity).
Historical Nicknames
To those not living there, some of the nicknames might seem odd or mysterious. Or they might not be what you think. The Constitution State isn't where the U.S. Constitution was drafted (that was in Philadelphia), but rather the nickname comes from a document with regulations for running towns that was put together in 1639 by three cities. This document was called the Fundamental Orders and is considered by some to be the first written constitution. There's much debate about this "first" and even debate about whether the document constitutes a constitution.
Wars come into play in the nicknames for Alabama, Maryland, and Tennessee. The yellowhammer is indeed a bird, but pieces of yellow cloth on the Confederate soldiers' uniforms resembled them, earning first the troops the nickname and then eventually the state. And Maryland's nickname "Old Line" refers to the steadfast Maryland troops from the era of the American Revolution. Tennessee soldiers who volunteered during the Mexican-American War (not the War of 1812) earned them their state's nickname, the "Volunteer State."
Also from the colonial era, the "Tar Heel" nickname comes from the fact that North Carolina pine trees were harvested to make tar, pitch, and turpentine used in wooden naval shipbuilding. This was messy work, and workers inevitably found the sticky substance on their feet—hence the name.
In 1889 in Oklahoma, settlers poured in to stake land claims. Those who came in early, before the specified time, were called "Sooners." The territory became a state in 1907.
State Nicknames
Here's a listing of the often colorful nicknames of the 50 states. When a state has multiple nicknames, the official or most common state nickname is listed first.
Alabama: Yellowhammer State, Heart of Dixie, Camellia State
Alaska: The Last Frontier
Arizona: Grand Canyon State, Copper State
Arkansas: The Natural State, Land of Opportunity, The Razorback State
California: Golden State
Colorado: Centennial State, Colorful Colorado
Connecticut: Constitution State, Nutmeg State
Delaware: First State, Diamond State, Blue Hen State, Small Wonder
Florida: Sunshine State
Georgia: Peach State, Empire of the South, Goober State
Hawaii: Aloha State, Pineapple State
Idaho: Gem State, Spud State
Illinois: Prairie State, Land of Lincoln
Indiana: Hoosier State
Iowa: Hawkeye State
Kansas: Sunflower State, Salt of the Earth
Kentucky: Bluegrass State
Louisiana: Pelican State, Sugar State
Maine: Pine Tree State
Maryland: Old Line State, Free State
Massachusetts: Bay State, Old Colony State
Michigan: Great Lakes State, Wolverine State
Minnesota: North Star State, Gopher State, Land of 10,000 Lakes, Bread and Butter State
Mississippi: Magnolia State
Missouri: Show Me State
Montana: Treasure State, Big Sky State
Nebraska: Cornhusker State
Nevada: Silver State, Battle Born State, Sagebrush State
New Hampshire: Granite State
New Jersey: Garden State
New Mexico: Land of Enchantment
New York: Empire State
North Carolina: Tar Heel State, Old North State
North Dakota: Peace Garden State, Flickertail State, Roughrider State
Ohio: Buckeye State, Modern Mother of Presidents
Oklahoma: Sooner State, Panhandle State
Oregon: Beaver State
Pennsylvania: Keystone State, Quaker State
Rhode Island: Ocean State, Little Rhody
South Carolina: Palmetto State
South Dakota: Coyote State, Mount Rushmore State
Tennessee: Volunteer State, Big Bend State
Texas: Lone Star State
Utah: Beehive State
Vermont: Green Mountain State
Virginia: Old Dominion
Washington: Evergreen State, Chinook State
West Virginia: Mountain State
Wisconsin: Badger State
Wyoming: Equality State, Cowboy State