Every State's Nickname and Motto, Updated for 2015
You ever play a really long version of The License Plate Game on a road trip and, after staring at state names for five hours, start to wonder stuff like: “Where exactly are these gardens in New Jersey? And what is a tar heel, dammit?” The nicknames were created so long ago that nobody has any clue as to why. And state mottos aren’t much better. Many are in Latin and don’t seem to mean much, and even the ones in English are ho-hum at best -- "Agriculture and Commerce?" Way to get those hearts racing, Tennessee!
Yea, it's all so terribly outdated. Which is why we thought it'd be fun to come up with nicknames and mottos that are a little more reflective of what each state represents today.
Alabama
The Overzealous-College-Football-Fan-Reaction-Video State
Motto: I'm gonna be sick
Alaska
The Pipeline State
Motto: We’ll pay you to live here
Arizona
The Retirement State
Motto: But it's a dry hundred-and-fifteen
Arkansas
The Hot Springs State
Motto: No, those AREN'T rotten eggs
California
The Red Tape and Regulation State
Motto: There’s a tax on that
Colorado
The Highest State
Motto: We’re talking about the mountains!
Connecticut
The Daytime Television State
Motto: You are NOT the father!
Delaware
The 21.99% APR state
Motto: You’re pre-approved!
Florida
The Idiot State
Motto: Who needs a brain when you’ve got a beach?
Georgia
The Cheap Gas State
Motto: You’ll make it. Trust us.
Hawaii
The Reluctant State
Motto: Houle go home!
Idaho
The Separationist State
Motto: All we need are guns and potatoes
Illinois
The Corruption State
Motto: Every vote counts, and some count twice
Indiana
The Basketball State
Motto: We don’t get there with milk and cookies
Iowa
The Caucus State
Motto: We don’t really know why it’s important either
Kansas
The Creation State
Motto: Rock Chalk, no evolution talk!
Kentucky
The Bourbon State
Motto: Whiskey for my men AND my horses
Louisiana
The Mardi Gras State
Motto: Don’t puke on me
Maine
The Lobster State
Motto: Our lobsters are way tastier than Florida's!
Maryland
The Crab State
Motto: Old Bay on everything!
Massachusetts
The State You Love to Hate
Motto: Count our trophies
Michigan
The Militia State
Motto: Except for Detroit, we’re beautiful!
Minnesota
The Fried-Food-on-a-Stick State
Motto: Oh, ya, you betcha!
Mississippi
The Last-In-Everything State
Motto: You’re welcome, South Carolina
Missouri
The Macro-Brew State
Motto: Brought to you by Budweiser. Budweiser, King of Beers.
Montana
The Celebrity Ranch State
Motto: We shoot paparazzi!
Nebraska
The Slaughterhouse State
Motto: It’ll go away once you get ‘bout five miles outta town
Nevada
The Casino State
Motto: No one ever lost money giving free liquor to gamblers
New Hampshire
The Relevant-Once-Every-Four-Years State
Motto: You care about us as often as you care about soccer
New Jersey
The Overcompensating State Pride State
Motto: I’m from JERSEY, yo!
New Mexico
The Breaking Bad State
Motto: Better call Saul!
New York
The We’re-Actually-a-State State
Motto: More than just Manhattan! Really.
North Carolina
The Tobacco State
Motto: *Cough* It’s perfectly *cough* fine *hack*
North Dakota
The Fracking State
Motto: 0.2 Women for Every Guy
Ohio
The Exodus State
Motto: LeBron came back, so should you
Oklahoma
The Team-Stealing State
Motto: Thank you, David Stern!
Oregon
The Hipster State
Motto: We were a state before it was cool
Pennsylvania
The Yuengling State
Motto: Nah, you don’t really have a friend here
Rhode Island
The Family Guy State
Motto: Stop asking us about Quahog
South Carolina
The BMW State
Motto: Your “imported” car was built here
South Dakota
The Roadside Attraction State
Motto: What have YOU built out of corn?
Tennessee
The Jack Daniels State
Motto: Buy it here, drink it elsewhere
Texas
The Tex-Free State
Motto: Our suburbs are your corporate headquarters!
Utah
The Mormon State
Motto: [Knock, knock] Hello! We’d love to talk to you about...
Vermont
The Ben and Jerry’s State
Motto: Feeding America’s breakups
Virginia
The Almost-Southern State
Motto: Hey, we were in the Confederacy too!
Washington
The Suddenly a Football State
Motto: 12th man 'til death and/or an 8-8 season
West Virginia
The Couch Burning State
Motto: Where the 19th century still lives!
Wisconsin
The Plus-Size State
Motto: Beer and cheese are good for you
Wyoming
The Forgotten Square State
Motto: Draw America and we guarantee you'll forget to include us