All fifth graders should be able to identify each of the 50 states and then tell the capital for that state.  

 

Augusta, Maine

Concord, New Hampshire

Montpelier, Vermont

Boston, Massachusetts

Albany, New York

Providence, Rhode Island

Hartford, Connecticut

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Trenton, New Jersey

Little Rock, Arkansas

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Austin, Texas

Tallahassee, Florida

Annapolis, Maryland

Dover, Delaware

Nashville, Tennessee

Richmond, Virginia

Charleston, West Virginia

Sacramento, California

Raleigh, North Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina

Jackson, Mississippi

Montgomery, Alabama

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Carson City, Nevada

Atlanta, Georgia

Frankfort, Kentucky

Juneau, Alaska

Columbus, Ohio

Lansing, Michigan

Honolulu, Hawaii

Springfield, Illinois

Indianapolis, Indiana

Salt Lake City, Utah

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Denver, Colorado

Phoenix, Arizona

Topeka, Kansas

Jefferson City, Missouri

Olympia, Washington

Salem, Oregon

Helena, Montana

Boise, Idaho

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Lincoln, Nebraska

Bismarck, North Dakota

Pierre, South Dakota

Des Moines, Iowa

St. Paul, Minnesota

Madison, Wisconsin

 

 

Virtual Car Trip Through the USA!

Traveling around the country can be a lot of fun for individuals and families alike. It is made all the more entertaining when you have a selection of interesting facts made available to you all about the place you are visiting. Every state in the USA has something fun worth visiting and learning about. Visiting each of the states can be as educational as it is fun. Use this page as an opportunity to learn a little about all of the states.

Alabama

• Alabama is the 22nd state of the United States.
• Alabama became a state on December 14, 1819.
• The official state song is “Alabama,” and was written by Julia Tutwiler.
• The official nut of the state is the pecan.
• The oldest county in Alabama is Washington County.

Alaska

• Alaska is the 49^th state of the United States and became a state on January 3, 1959.
• The state of Alaska is large enough to fit Rhode Island inside of it 425 times.
• Twenty-five percent of the United States’ oil that is produced comes from Alaska.
• Alaska supplies America with more herring, halibut, crab and salmon than other states.
• The official state sport of Alaska is dog mushing. 

Arizona

• Arizona is the only place you can find Arizona trout.
• Arizona is at the top position for copper production in the country.
• The official type of neckwear for the state is the bola tie.
• The Grand Canyon National Park is located in Arizona.
• The official state colors of Arizona are blue and gold.

Arkansas

• One of the nation’s largest municipal parks is located in North Little Rock.
• The official state bird of Arkansas is the mockingbird.
• Wal-Mart was founded by Sam Walton in Bentonville.
• Arkansas is the 25^th state in the nation.
• Arkansas became a state on June 15, 1836.

California

• The California State Railroad Museum is located in Sacramento, and is the largest of its kind in the country.
• San Bernardino is the largest county in the United States with over three million acres.
• Baker, California is where The Country Store is located, which is the store that has the most winning lottery tickets in the state.
• The world’s largest outdoor amphitheater is the Hollywood Bowl.
• One out of eight people in the United States live in California.

Colorado

• Colorado Springs is home to the United States Air Force Academy.
• Grand Mesa has the largest flat-top mountain in the world.
• The term used when speaking of the Lower Downtown region of Denver is LoDo.
• Colorado is known as the “Centennial State”
• “Colored red” is the meaning of “Colorado.”

Connecticut

• Naugatuck Valley is where the first trade association was founded in the country.
• There are 144 newspapers that are published in the state.
• New Haven became an incorporated city in 1784.
• The praying mantis is the official state insect.
• The first operating steel mill was located in Simsbury.

Delaware

• The official state song of Delaware is “Our Delaware.”
• “Our Delaware” was written by George Hynson and produced by William Brown.
• Delaware’s official state bug is the lady bug.
• The official state flower of Delaware is the peach blossom.
• Colonial blue and buff are the official state colors of Delaware.

Florida

• North America’s oldest European settlement is Saint Augustine.
• Clearwater has the highest rate of lightning strikes per capita in the United States.
• Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in Florida.
• Key West, Florida has the highest average temperature in the nation.
• One of the few rivers that exist that flow north instead of south is the Saint John’s River.

Georgia

• Georgia became a part of the Confederacy on January 19, 1861.
• The largemouth bass is the official state fish.
• Stone Mountain is one of the world’s largest single masses of exposed granite.
• East of the Mississippi River, Georgia is the largest state.
• The population of Georgia was only 40,000 in 1776.

Hawaii

• Hawaii is the only state in the United States that grows coffee.
• Hawaii is the widest state, from east to west, in the United States.
• Hawaii became the 50^th state on August 20, 1959.
• There are four counties that exist in Hawaii.
• The world’s most active volcano is the Kilauea volcano.

Idaho

• Lava Hot Springs contains world famous hot springs.
• The deepest gorge in America is Hell’s Canyon.
• America’s first destination ski resort is Sun Valley.
• Idaho State University is in Pocatello.
• Idaho’s Banana Belt is a term that is used to describe the Treasure Valley.

Illinois

• The first aquarium opened in 1893 in Chicago.
• The first skyscraper in the world opened in 1885 in Chicago.
• The oldest community in Illinois is Peoria.
• Before Springfield, there were two other capital cities: Vandalia and Kaskaskia.
• There are 102 counties in Illinois.

Indiana

• Fort Wayne, Indiana is the location of the first professional baseball game.
• Huntingburg is where the movie “Hard Rain” was filmed.
• The rapid-fire machine gun was invented in Indianapolis by Richard Gatling in 1862.
• Indiana’s first newspaper was the Indiana Gazette, which was published in 1804 in Vincennes.
• The first major railroad line in Indiana was completed in 1847 and linked Indianapolis and Madison.

Iowa

• The lowest elevation point in all of Iowa is located in Lee County.
• East Okoboji is the state’s longest natural lake at 16 miles.
• The oldest city in the state is Dubuque.
• The largest glacier-made lake in Iowa is Spirit Lake.
• The longest bridge in Madison County is Holliwell Bridge.

Kansas

• The windiest city in the nation is Dodge City.
• Kansas consists of over 600 incorporated towns.
• Twenty-seven Walnut Creeks exist in the state.
• The first Pizza Hut opened in Wichita.
• This state has the largest population of prairie chicken in North America.

Kentucky

• Cheeseburgers were first served in Louisville in 1934.
• Bowling Green is home to the manufacturing of Chevrolet Corvettes.
• Over 100 native Kentuckians have been chosen, or elected, as governors in other states.
• “Happy Birthday to You” was created in 1893 by two sisters in Louisville.
• Kentucky is the 15^th state.

Louisiana

• King Louis XIV is who Louisiana was named after.
• This state refers to the Napoleonic Code in its state law and is the only state to still do so.
• The “Crawfish Capital of the World” is Breaux Bridge.
• Jean Lafitte is a town that was once a pirate hideaway.
• Bayou means slow-moving river in French.

Maine

• The City of Ships is what Bath is referred to as.
• Maine has one syllable and is the one state to have just one.
• Maine only shares a border with one other state, and is the only state to do so.
• The earliest inhabitants of Maine were Ice Age hunter descendants.
• The most eastern capital city in the nation is Augusta.

Maryland

• The United States Naval Academy was founded in Annapolis.
• The U.S. Naval Academy was founded on October 10, 1845.
• The first dental school in the nation opened at the University of Maryland.
• The National Aquarium is in the Inner Harbor located in Baltimore.
• Maryland’s antique capital is New Market.

Massachusetts

• The first subway system was built in 1897 in Boston.
• Rockport is home of a house that is made entirely of newspaper.
• Newton, Massachusetts is what the Fig Newton is named after.
• Springfield is home to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
• The first basketball game was played in 1891 in Springfield.

Michigan

• The car capital of the world is Detroit.
• The largest limestone quarry in the world is in Rogers City.
• In the list of state boat registrations, Michigan ranks first.
• The world’s largest cement plant is in Alpena.
• The oldest incorporated county is Wayne.

Minnesota

• The largest regional playhouse in the country is the Guthrie Theater.
• There is 90,000 miles of shoreline in Minnesota.
• Spring Valley is where the stapler was invented.
• The snowmobile was invented in Roseau.
• Polaris Industries invented the snowmobile.

Mississippi

• Liberty is the location where Border’s Condensed Milk was first canned.
• Edwards is home of the largest cactus plant.
• The first nuclear submarine was produced in this state.
• This state is the birthplace of the Order of the Eastern Star.
• Petal is home to the International Checkers Hall of Fame.

Missouri

• This state is known as the “Show Me State”.
• The mule is the official state animal.
• The official state bird is the Bluebird.
• The official state insect is the honeybee.
• The official state tree is the flowering dogwood tree.

Montana

• The largest migratory elk herd in the nation is located in Montana.
• Montana has the most variation of mammal species in the U.S.
• The Cowboy Capital is another name for Miles City.
• The nickname of this state is the Treasure State.
• The official state flower is the bitterroot.

Nebraska

• “The Great American Desert” is what Nebraska was once called.
• The honeybee is the official state insect.
• The official motto of the state is: Equality before the law.
• The state flower was declared to be the goldenrod on April 4, 1895.
• The Reuben sandwich was born in Nebraska. 

Nevada

• The model slot machine was called the Liberty Bell and was invented in 1899.
• Gambling was legalized in March of 1931.
• The first casino to open on the strip in Las Vegas was the Pair-O-Dice club.
• The official state fossil is the ichthyosaur.
• Nevada comes from a Spanish word that means snow-clad.

New Hampshire

• The Londonderry Common Field was the first place that a potato was planted in the United States.
• Peterborough is home to the first free public library in the nation.
• The first alarm clock was invented by Levi Hutchins in 1787.
• Dover is the oldest permanent settlement in New Hampshire.
• Exeter was the first capital city of New Hampshire.

New Jersey

• “I’m From New Jersey” is the state song of New Jersey.
• Ninety percent of the people in New Jersey live in an urban area.
• All counties in New Jersey are classified as metropolitan areas.
• This state has the highest population density in the United States.
• The average population density is New Jersey is 1,030 people per square mile.

New Mexico

• The highest capital city in the nation is Santa Fe.
• Santa Fe sits at 7,000 feet above sea level.
• The largest international hot air balloon fiesta is held in Albuquerque every October.
• The Green Chile capital is considered to be Hatch.
• New Mexico borders with Arizona, Utah and Colorado at the same point.

New York

• The first American chess tournament was held in 1843.
• There are 722 miles of subway track.
• The world’s smallest church is located in Oneida.
• The first Boys’ Club was established in 1876 in New York City.
• Toilet paper was invented by a New Yorker in 1857.

North Carolina

• The Furniture Capital of the World is High Point.
• Wilmington is where Charles Karault was born and raised.
• Hampstead is the native location of the Venus Fly-Trap.
• Babe Ruth’s first home run was hit in Fayetteville.
• The first state-owned art museum is in Raleigh.

North Dakota

• The official state beverage is milk.
• The official state language is English.
• The official state language bill was passed in 1987.
• More sunflowers are grown in this state than any other state.
• North Dakota is the 17^th state in size.

Ohio

• The first traffic light was in Cleveland.
• The first ambulance service was in Cincinnati.
• The official state rock song is “Hang On Sloopy”.
• The first professional baseball team was the Cincinnati Reds.
• The first city to use police cars was Akron.

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma City is the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
• The oldest chartered town is Choctaw.
• Choctaw gained status as a town in 1893.
• The first shopping cart was invented by Sylvan Goldman.
• The band Hanson is from Tulsa.

Oregon

• There are more ghost towns in Oregon than in any other state.
• The first city to have one-way streets was Eugene.
• The state’s birthday is on Valentine’s Day.
• The official state colors are navy blue and gold.
• The official state fish is Chinook salmon.

Pennsylvania

• The first baseball stadium was built in 1909 in Pittsburgh.
• The Chocolate Capital of the United States is Hershey.
• The first computer was developed in Philadelphia and was in 1946.
• The first Zoological garden was in Philadelphia in July 1874.
• Pittsburgh had the first automobile service station in 1913.

Rhode Island

• Polo was played near Newport for the first time in the nation in 1876.
• The first National Lawn Tennis Championship was in 1899 in Rhode Island.
• Rhode Island was the last of the colonies to become an official state.
• Rhode Island and New York share a state water border.
• The first open golf tournament was in 1895 in this state.

South Carolina

• The official state amphibian is the salamander.
• South Carolina was the eighth state in the nation.
• South Carolina became a part of the union on May 23, 1788.
• Fort Sumter was the location of the first Civil War battle.
• The Shag is the official state dance.

South Dakota

• The tallest water tower in the state is located in Bowdle.
• The Potato Capital of the state is Clark.
• The world-famous Mashed Potato Wrestling contest is held in Clark.
• The only Corn Palace in the world is located in Mitchell.
• The Homestead Mine is the largest underground gold mine and is located in Lead.

Tennessee

• The Volunteer State is the nickname of Tennessee.
• More horses exist per capita in Shelby County than the rest of the counties in the United States.
• Murfreesboro is located in the exact center of the state.
• More soldiers of the National Guard were deployed from this state than any other one.
• The birthplace of country music is Bristol.

Texas

• Texas is known as the Lone Star State.
• The largest herd of whitetail deer resides in Texas.
• The official state shell is the lightning whelk.
• Between 1836 and 1845, Texas was an independent nation.
• The only natural lake in the entire state is Caddo Lake.

Utah

• The Rainbow Trout is the state fish.
• The Rocky Mountain Elk is the state animal.
• There are five national parks in the state.
• The national parks are Capitol Reef, Bryce, Zion, Canyonlands and Arches.
• The state symbol is the beehive.

Vermont

• The top of the state capital building has a gold dome.
• There is a statue of Ceres on top of the capital’s gold dome.
• President Calvin Coolidge was born in Plymouth and was the only president born on the Furth of July.
• Vermont was the last state to have a Wal-Mart in 1996.
• The largest employer in the state is IBM.

Virginia

• Virginia was named after the “Virgin Queen” of England, Elizabeth I.
• The state of Virginia is considered the “birthplace of a nation”.
• Seven presidents were buried in the state of Virginia.
• Six president’s wives were born in the state.
• Virginia is the state where the first peanuts were grown in the entire nation. 

Washington

• The first revolving restaurant is in Seattle and was built in 1961.
• The wealthiest man in the United States, Bill Gates, lives in Medina.
• Compared to every other state in the union, Washington produces the most apples.
• The Microsoft Corporation is located in Redmond.
• Zillah is home to the oldest operating gas station in the nation.

West Virginia

• In 1926, the first women’s prison was opened in West Virginia.
• On July 1, 1921, the first state sales tax was in effect in the entire nation.
• West Virginia is considered to be the northern most southern state.
• West Virginia is also considered to be the southernmost northern state.
• Forests cover almost 75 percent of the state.

Wisconsin

• The nickname of Wisconsin is the Badger State.
• The Catfish Capital of the state is Potosi.
• The dairy capital of the United States is Wisconsin.
• More milk is produced in this state than any other state.
• The largest water-themed park in the United States is located in Wisconsin Dells and is called Noah’s Ark.

Wyoming

• There is a man riding a bucking bronco on Wyoming’s license plate design.
• Women were first given the right to vote in this state.
• The official National Park, as of 1872, is Yellowstone.
• JCPenney stores first began in Kemmerer.
• Out of all 50 states in the United States, Wyoming has the lowest population.