Mid West
Despite Minnesota's nickname, this state boasts over 15,000 lakes
Wisconsin
This state boasts a few major firsts:
The first to declare Christmas a legal holiday, the first 911 call ever placed, and the first to celebrate Mardi Gras
Alabama
During World War Two, Boeing built a fake city in this state to disguise their facilities from aerial attacks. It was named “Boeing Wonderland” by a local newspaper
Washington
This state was the first state in the United States to pass a law establishing a speed limit for automobiles. In 1901, the state enacted a law that set a speed limit of 12 miles per hour in cities and 15 miles per hour on rural roads.
Connecticut
Tourism is surprisingly this state's leading industry
West virginia
This state has a famously engineered river designed to flow backward to keep sewage out of Lake Michigan.
Illinois
This state has the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States, established by the Spanish in 1565.
Florida
This state is home to the largest living organism on Earth: a massive "humongous fungus" spanning roughly 2,385 acres (nearly 4 square miles) inside a national forest. This single underground network of mycelium is estimated to be anywhere from 2,400 to 8,650 years old
Oregon
This state has more miles of coastline than the entire state of California and has over 4600 islands off its coast
Maine
This state is the birthplace of the Happy Birthday song, and is the ONLY producer of every single Corvette
Kentucky
This state produces over 20% of the United States' commercial popcorn supply. Popcorn is officially recognized as the state snack.
Indiana
This state's largest leading crop is not the same food that it is well-known for and nicknamed after- California and South Carolina both grow far more of this fruit than this state does does.
Georgia
The state was named after a mythical, gold-rich island ruled by a fictional queen, which was featured in a 1510 Spanish romance novel
California
This state is home to the still-active yet oldest university in the world, as well as a lake with a ridiculously long name: Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
Massachusetts
Home to quirky laws, such as it being illegal to hunt whales here despite it being a landlocked state, and home to the first Pizza Hut, this state was once covered by a giant sea
Kansas
This state is the only U.S. state with east and west borders formed entirely by rivers
Iowa
This state has an active diamond mine that is the only in the world that allows the public to keep what they find. Interestingly, a 13-year-old girl from Missouri found a 2.93-carat diamond in Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Arkansas
This state is partially home to the Crown of the Continent, which
Montana
This state has the shortest ocean coastline of any coastal U.S. state, stretching only 13 to 18 miles depending on how it's measured. It also does not require adult drivers to wear a seatbelt.
New Hampshire
This state has more cattle than human residents, invented KoolAid, and is triple-landlocked.
Nebraska
This state boasts the longest freshwater coastline in the United States, spanning over 3,200 miles
Michigan
This state is the only state in the US to have parishes rather than counties
Louisiana
This state is home to Hells Canyon, which plummets \(7,900\) feet at its deepest point, making it the deepest river-carved gorge in North America.
Idaho
This state's capital is the only state capital that does not have a McDonalds, has more miles of dirt roads than paved roads, no skyscrapers, and a government program that pays you to move here.
Vermont
The United States' National Helium Reserve is located here, providing around 90% of the world's recoverable helium supply.
Texas
This state boasts the largest mall in the USA
Minnesota
Often called the Birthplace of America's Music, this state spawned "The King of Rock and Roll" (Elvis Presley was born here) and a famous delta is widely credited as the birthplace of the Blues.
Mississippi
This state has a deep historical footprint, including Spirit Cave outside Fallon, where the oldest naturally mummified human remains ever found in the United States were discovered. They date back over 10,000 years, predating the Egyptian pyramids.
Nevada
This state started the very first circus, and is home to the world's oldest carousel
Rhode Island
The four largest cities by area are all located within this state, and this state also has over 3 million lakes, more bears than residents, and a capital that cannot be accessed by road.
Alaska
This state has the largest beer producing plant in the country as it houses the maker of Budweiser beer–the Anheuser-Busch.
Missouri
This state kicked off the nation's first gold rush in 1799 after the discovery of a 17-pound chunk of gold. There is also a resident living here that is a retired chemical engineer and has spent over 25 years tracking down and rescuing over 1,200 "lost" or forgotten heirloom apple varieties throughout Appalachia
North Carolina
You can grab a burger at the only McDonald's in the world with turquoise arches, located in this state
Arizona
This state housed the very first computer, and is the biggest producer of crayons.
Pennsylvania
This state contains the longest drivable stretch of the original Route 66, spanning roughly 400 miles. Also, thanks to the highest number of man-made lakes in the country, this state actually boasts more than 55,000 miles of shoreline—more than the combined Atlantic and Pacific U.S. coasts.
Oklahoma
This state is home to the exact geographical center of North America: a small town named Rugby, marked by a 21-foot stone obelisk.
North Dakota
This state is the only place in the country with a colony of free-ranging rhesus monkeys
South Carolina
In 1913, this state became the first state to have a law setting a standard legal blood alcohol content (BAC) for drivers - it also has the highest average birth rate, and one of the highest literacy rates in the country
Utah
In the 19th century, oysters were so popular and abundant in a particular city in this state, that the discarded shells were actually used to pave a street called Pearl Street.
New York
This state is the only state in history to reject hosting the Olympics. Voters declined the 1976 Winter Olympics to protect the state's environment and economy from excessive population growth and pollution.
Colorado
Despite being a landlocked Midwestern state, this state has more miles of shoreline than the state of Florida, thanks to the massive lakes created by the Missouri River.
South Dakota
Mountain Dew was originally invented in this state as a mixer for whiskey and was given the slang name for Moonshine
Tennessee
This state is home to the very first national park in the world
Wyoming
This state has only 3 counties - the smallest amount in all of the US. It is also the only state in the US to not have a national park
Delaware
There is a city here that has a boardwalk that is the world's longest, and the streets featured in the Monopoly board game are actually based on real streets from this city. This state also opened the very first drive-in movie theater.
New Jersey
There is a running joke about Tyler Joseph terrorizing the streets in his hometown in this state by rolling around in a large, jacked up truck blasting music with insanely loud subwoofers
Ohio
This state boasts the world's largest naval base
Virginia
This state is the test site of the world's first atom bomb, and is the oldest wine-producing region in the US
New Mexico
This state's official state sport is jousting
Maryland
Gambling is outlawed here, but this state can claim to be first in indoor plumbing and electricity, and does not observe daylight savings time.
Hawai'i