State Facts

Do you know of any cool facts about your state, that other people might not know of? Or you find interesting?

Here are some facts about Wisconsin, you may know some already.

*Wisconsin is the cranberry capital of the WORLD. We produce over 2.1 billion barrels of cranberries!!
*Wisconsin is commonly known for cows, cheese, and beer
*The state bird is the American Robin
*Wisconsin became a state in 1848
*The state tree is the Maple
*The length of Wisconsin is 300 miles, the width is 280 miles
*Wisconsin has 14,927 lakes
*There is 108,000 miles of road in Wisconsin
*Horicon Marsh is the largest freshwater Cattail Marsh in the U.S.,
covering more than 32,000 acres.
*Wisconsin produces over 2.5 billion pound of cheese a year!!!
*Colby and brick cheese were the first two cheeses produced in Wisconsin
*Wisconsin is the largest producer of Ginseng in the U.S
*The first malted milk was made in Racine, Wisconsin in 1883
*Door county, Wisconsin, has more shoreline than anyother county in the United States. Over 250 miles.
*Wisconsin's deepest lake is Wazee Lake (by our cottage), it is over 300 feet deep. SCARRY! NEVER GOING TO SWIM/BOAT THERE!!!
*Georgia O'Keefe (a famous painter, deceased) was from
Wisconsin
*Harry Houdini, a famous magician, was raised in Wisconsin
*Carl Eliason, of St. Germain, Wisconsin, is the inventor of the snowmobile.


Kinda neat huh, share your state facts!!!

LOL I live in Wisconsin, too. So I can't... sorry!

B.C. is a haven for bird watchers. It's estimated that over one million birds use the Pacific Flyway, two of the many species that use this corridor are the rufous hummingbirds and the Snow geese.


Animals include moose, Rocky Mountain elk, deer, woodland caribou, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, black bears, grizzly bears, cougars, and the hoary marmots. Subspecies of the black bear include the Kermode white bear that lives in the Terrace-Kitimat region and the glacier bear that's found in the northwest area of the province.


Sea life is abundant in B.C. coastal waters. Pacific gray whales migrate along the west coast of Vancouver Island, orcas (killer whales) live in the east coast water of Vancouver Island. Occasionally minke whales are seen, and recently humpback whales have been spotted. Harbour seals are common. There are Stellar and California sea lion colonies.


Five different species of salmon live in Pacific waters. Lingcod and halibut are also found in waters along the coast. B.C. inland streams and lakes offer cutthroat, rainbow and Dolly Varden trout and kokanee salmon.


British Columbia is the third largest and most westerly province in Canada, it's larger than any of the U.S. states, except Alaska, and is four times larger than Great Britain. The Yukon and Northwest Territories form B.C.'s northern border that stretches for 1062 km (669 mi.) along the 60th parallel, and to the east B.C. and the province of Alberta share a common boundary that runs in a northerly and southerly direction, as it follows the Rocky Mountains for 1545 km (973 mi.). To the south, British Columbia's neighbours are the states of Washington, Idaho and Montana, this border on the 49th parallel is 650 km (409 mi.) long. Forming the west boundary of B.C. is the Pacific Ocean. The distance of this coastline that includes the mainland and all islands is more than 27,000 km (16,900 mi.).


B.C.'s total land and freshwater area is 95 million hectares, larger than France and Germany combined. Only 30 countries are larger. British Columbia occupies about 10 per cent of Canada's land surface.

Since 1992 alone, over 4.8 million hectares of B.C. have been permanently protected, creating more than 340 new parks and protected areas and additions to existing sites. 10.8 million hectares --11.36 per cent of the province -- have now been set aside.

Neat!! We have moose way up by Upper Michigan. I wish I could see one, I love moose!!

Hmm, sounds like fun!
Here's what I dug up:

New York, the *Empire State*:

*New York was named after the Duke of York of England.
*Our state motto is excelsior ("Ever upward").
*New York city is one of, if not the largest city in the United States.
*"Uncle Sam," the national symbol, originated in Troy in the early 1800's.
*Radio City Music Hall, in New York City, is the world's largest indoor theater, seating 5,900.
*The first escalator was manufactored in New York City in 1899.
*The World Trade Center had the world's second tallest skyscrapers.
*The National Baseball Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown.
*New York City's theaters, museums, and concert halls make it a leading cultural center.

Er....

not many people know this but...

FLORIDA COMPLETELY SUCKS.
darnit. lol

I just searched google for some Washington facts :) Here's a little list I found...

* On May 18, 1980, Mount Saint Helens erupted in Washington, resulting in 57 deaths and billions of dollars in damage.

* According to the 1990 census, more than half the residents of metropolitan Seattle were born outside Washington.


* In 1997 Gary Locke became the first Asian American governor in the continental United States.


* Governor Gary Locke is the first Chinese-American governor in U.S. history.


* In addition to its state song, Washington also has an official state folk song: "Roll on Columbia, Roll On."


* Washington is number one in the country in the production of these fruits and vegetables: apples, lentils, dry edible peas, hops, pears, red raspberries, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries.


* Washington is home to Boeing, the world's largest aircraft maker.


* Washington has over 1,000 dams.


* Lewis and Clark explored the Columbia River area of what is now Washington in 1805-06.


* The state of Washington is the only state to be named after a United States president.


* Microsoft Corporation is located in Redmond.


* Starbucks, the biggest coffee chain in the world was founded in Seattle.


* Medina is the home of the United States wealthiest man, Microsoft's Bill Gates.

Interesting thread!!!
I just dug up some Pennsylvania facts:

~The Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Gettysburg Address were all written in PA

~Nickname is the Keystone state

~Pennsylvania leads the nation in covered bridges, hunters, state game lands, mushroom production, meat packing plants, potato chip production, pretzel bakeries, and sausage production

~the name means "Penn's Woods", it was named after the father of Admiral William Penn

~our motto is: Virtue, Liberty, and Independence

~state animal--whitetail deer

~state beverage--milk

~state bird--ruffed grouse

~state flower--mountain laurel

~state dog--Great Dane

~state fish--brook trout

~state insect--firefly

~state tree--Hemlock

~Christmas tree capitol of the world: Indiana County, PA

~geographical center of the state--Centry County (hence the name--that's where I live)

~310 miles east to west; 180 miles north to south

~50 natural lakes, 2500 man-made lakes

~population--12,009,000

Pennsylvania firsts:
hospital, library, zoo, newspaper, state capitol (Harrisburg), television broadcast, cable tv, radio broadcast, banana split, and paper mill

Quote:

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Originally posted by lovemyshiba


~state dog--Great Dane

---

I did not know state's how a state dog- that's cool!

A few Ohio facts:
Nickname: The Buckeye State
State Bird-Cardinal
State beverage- Tomato juice
Sate Animal- White-Tailed deer
State Fossil- Trilobite
State Gemstone-Flint
State Insect-Lady Bug
State Motto: "With God, All Things Are Possible"
State Name: comes from the Ohio River. It is an Iroquoian word meaning "great river"
State seal:
http://www.oplin.lib.oh.us/products/.../greatseal.gif
State Song: Beautiful Ohio
State Tree: Buckeye
State Wildflower: White Trillium

Geography:
The state of Ohio encompasses 41,330 square miles.
Ohio contains 88 counties.
Ashtabula is Ohio’s largest county with 711 square miles.
Lake is Ohio’s smallest county with 232 square miles.
Highest geographical point is Campbell Hill located in Bellefontaine at 1,550 ft.
Lowest geographical point is the Ohio River at 433 ft.
The geographic center of the state is located in Centerburg
in Knox County.

Hisotorical Facts:
-Marietta was Ohio’s first permanent settlement. It was founded in 1788 by General Rufus Putnam and named in honor of Marie Antoinette, then queen of France.

-Chillicothe was Ohio’s first capital. The Chillicothe statehouse was the first stone building erected in Ohio.

-The nation’s first interracial, coeducational college, Oberlin College, was founded in Oberlin in 1833.

-Cleveland became the world’s first city to be lighted
electrically in 1879 when Charles Brush successfully demonstrated arc lights on the streets.
-Ohio University, founded in 1804 in Athens, was the first university in Ohio and the Northwest Territory.

-In Marietta, John Gilman first used x-rays in surgery in 1896.

-8 Former President's were born inOhio, giving the state the nickname "the Mother of Presidents"
The 8 are: William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Warren G. Harding

Quote:

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Originally posted by Cincy'sMom
I did not know state's how a state dog- that's cool!

---

Neither did I, until I found the facts--I wonder if we can find out other state's dogs???

There are about 10 states that have state dogs. I inquired about getting one from Indiana and was laughed at...big surprise.

MA is....big surprise here....Boston Terrier
MD is Cheasapeake Bay Retriever

I know that SC and WI have state dogs too, but I can't remember what they are. Nova Scotia has a provincial dog...the Duck Trolling Retriever.

Here is some stuff about Indiana...I'll post more tomorrow when I get to school....I have bunches of stuff there....

Indiana
Facts, Map and State Symbols
Indiana Flag Printout/Quiz

Indiana was the 19th state in the USA; it became a state on December 11, 1816.
State Abbreviation - IN
State Capital - Indianapolis
Largest City - Indianapolis
Area - 36,420 square miles [Indiana is the 38th biggest state in the USA]
Population - 6,080,485 (as of 2000) [Indiana is the 14th most populous state in the USA]
Major Industries - agriculture (corn, soybeans, wheat), manufacturing, mining (coal, limestone), steel-making

Major Rivers - Ohio River, Wabash River, White River, Tippecanoe River
Major Lakes - Mississinewa Lake, Lake Michigan
Highest Point - Hoosier Hill, Wayne County (near Richmond in east-central Indiana) - 1,257 feet (383 m) above sea level
Bordering States - Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio

Origin of the Name Indiana - Indiana is a word that refers to the local Indians.
State Nickname - Hoosier State
State Motto - "The Crossroads of America"
State Song - "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away," by Paul Dresser

Indiana State Symbols and Emblems:
State Flag
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa...ndianaflag.GIF
The official state flag of Indiana was adopted in 1917. It was designed by Paul Hadley of Mooresville, Indiana; he won a flag design contest sponsored by the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) for Indiana's 100th anniversary of statehood in 1916. There are 19 golden stars on a blue field. The 13 stars in the outer circle represent the 13 original colonies of the United States of America; the 5 stars in a half circle represent the states admitted prior to Indiana (but after the original 13), and the larger star atop the flame of the torch of Liberty represents Indiana.



Animal Symbols:
State Bird
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/cgifs/Cardinal.GIF


Cardinal



Plant Symbols:
State Flower


Peony
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/pgifs/Peony.GIF

State Tree
Tulip tree



Earth Symbol:
State Stone
Salem limestone

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa...ndiana/map.GIF

I looked up all of the states on a webpage, and this was all I could find for state dogs:
Louisiana--Catahoula Leopard Dog
Maryland--Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Massachusetts--Boston Terrier
North Carolina--Plott hound (I don't know what this is)
South Carolina--Boykin Spaniel (don't know what this is either)
Virginia--American fox Hound
Wisconsin--American Water Spaniel
Pennsylvania--Great Dane


I found pics:
boykin spaniel
http://www.boykinspaniel.org/pic1.jpg
plott hound
http://www.treehound.com/treehound/graphics/plott.jpg

Famous New Jersey natives ~
Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Jason Alexander, Queen Latifa, Shaq, Judy Blume, Whitney Houston, Eddie Money, Frank Sinatra, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, & Walt Whitman.

KayAnn Florida can't be that bad. Three friends have recently moved down there and love it! ;)

Here is some of Georgia's official things ;)

Bird - Brown Thrasher
Butterfly - Tiger Swallowtail
Crop - Peanut
Fish - Largemouth Bass
Flower - Cherokee Rose
Fossil - Shark Tooth
Fruit - Peach
Game Bird - Bobwhite Quail
Gem - Quartz
Insect - Honeybee
Marine Mammal - Right Whale
Mineral - Staurolite
Motto - "Wisdom, Justice & Moderation"
Prepared Food - Grits
Reptile - Gopher Tortoise
Seashell - Knobbed Whelk
Song - "Georgia on My Mind"
Tree - Live Oak
Vegetable - Vidalia Sweet Onion
Waltz - "Our Georgia"
Wildflower - Azalea

We have no official dog or cat. :(

Hawai´i facts:

* Hawai´i's `Iolani Palace is the only royal residence in the United States of America.
* Hawai´i is considered the nation's (USA) endangered species capitol. :(
* Hawai´i is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth: 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; 5,280 miles from the Philippines.
*There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian Alphabet.
Vowels: A, E, I, O, U
Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W
* Hawai´i is the only state where coffee is commercially grown.
* From east to west Hawai´i is the widest state in the United States.
* Hawai´i has its own time zone (Hawai´i Standard Time). There is no daylight savings time. The time runs two hours behind Pacific Standard Time and five hours behind Eastern Standard Time.
* Hawai´i has the most advanced telecommunications system in the world. The state is one of only five states in the U.S. with 100 percent digital switching for telephones and more fiber optic cable per mile, per capita than any other state.
* There are no racial or ethnic majorities in Hawai´i. Everyone is a minority. Caucasians constitute about 34%; Japanese-American about 32%; Filipino-American about 16% and Chinese-American about 5%. It is very difficult to determine racial identification as most of the population has some mixture of ethnicities. :D:D:D
* Honolulu is the nation's 11th largest metropolitan area.
* The largest single mountain mass in the world is also located on the island of Hawai´i. While the bulk of its girth is below sea level and not readily visible,the active volcano Mauna Loa has a body mass about 100 times greater than Mt. Shasta in North America, or Mount Fuji in Japan. LITTLE KNOWN FACT! :)
* The wettest spot in the world is located on the island of Kauai. Mt. Waialeale consistently records rainfall at the rate of nearly 500 inches per year.
* Hawai´i is the largest consumer of Spam in the United States. Last estimates site over 10,000 cans of Spam are consumed everyday in Hawaii. :p
* The only reported wild Kangaroos in the U.S. are found in Hawai´i. Descendants of an escaped pair of wallabies continue to flourish in the mountains behind Honolulu. WHEN I WORKED AT THE HAWAIIAN HUMANE SOCIETY I SAW ONE OF THESE SUBSPECIES OF HAWAIIAN WALLABIES THAT HAD BEEN IN SOMEONES YARD! SO CUTE! :D
* Hawai´i has no snakes, seagulls, rabies OR billboards!

Ok, typical stuff first! ;)

Admission to Statehood: Jan. 6, 1912
State Bird: Roadrunner
State Fish: Cutthroat Trout
State Animal: Black Bear
State Insect: Tarantula Hawk Wasp
State Flower: Yucca Flower
State Tree: Piñon Pine
State Grass: Blue Grama
State Vegetables: Chile and Frijole
State Cookie: Biscochito
State Song: “O, Fair New Mexico” (adopted in 1917) was written three years after New Mexico became the 47th state. It was written by the daughter of Pat Garrett, the man who killed the outlaw Billy the Kid. In 1971, New Mexicans adopted an official Spanish-language song, is “Asi es Nuevo Méjico.”
State Gem: Turquoise
State Fossil: Coelophysis
10 Largest cities: Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Roswell, Farmington, Alamogordo, Clovis, Hobbs, Carlsbad

Now the fun stuff! :)

• Each October Albuquerque hosts the world's largest international hot air balloon fiesta. awesome site!!
• Las Cruces makes the world's largest enchilada the first weekend in October at the "Whole Enchilada Fiesta". VERY yummy!
• The world's first Atomic Bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945 on the White Sands Testing Range near Alamogordo. North of the impact point a small placard marks the area known as Trinity Site. The bomb was designed and manufactured in Los Alamos.
• White Sands National Monument is a desert, not of sand, but of gleaming white gypsum crystals. neat place to visit!
• Hatch is known as the "Green Chile capital of the world". VERY VERY VERY yummy!!!
• The Palace of Governors in Santa Fe is the oldest Government Building in the United States.
• On the same desert grounds where today's space age missiles are tested, ten-thousand-year-old arrowheads have been found.
• Santa Fe, the oldest capital city in the United States, was founded in 1610.
• Since New Mexico's climate is so dry 3/4 of the roads are left unpaved. The roads don't wash away.
• New Mexico has far more sheep and cattle than people. There are only about 12 people per square mile.
• The Navajo, the Nation's largest Native American Group, have a reservation that covers 14 million Acres.
• New Mexico's State Constitution officially states that New Mexico is a bilingual State, and 1 out of 3 families in New Mexico speak Spanish at home.

Entered the Union: 1849 (31st State)

Nickname: The Golden State

Number of U.S. Senators: 2

Number of U.S. Representatives: 52

Number of State Senators: 40

Number of Assembly members: 80

Capital City: Sacramento

State Abbreviation: CA

Other Notable Cities: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

Area: 163,707 square miles (California is the 3rd biggest state in the USA - only Alaska and Texas are bigger)

Population: 33,871,648 (as of 2000) (California is the most populous state in the USA)

Major Industries: agriculture (many, many products), oil, mining, electronics, movie making/entertainment, and tourism

Presidential Birthplace: Richard Milhous Nixon was born in Yorba Linda on January 9, 1913 (he was the 37th US President, serving from 1969 to 1974).

Main Rivers: Sacramento River, Colorado River, San Joaquin River

Highest Point: - Mt. Whitney, 14,495 feet (4,418 m) above sea level

Lowest Point: Death Valley, 282 feet (86 m) below sea level (this is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere)

Bordering States: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona

Bordering Country: Mexico

Bordering Body of Water: Pacific Ocean

Origin of the Name California: The California comes from a mythical Spanish island ruled by a queen called Califia that was featured in a Spanish romance ("Las Sergas de Esplandian") written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo in 1510 (the Spanish explorers originally thought that California was an island).

State Nickname: The Golden State

State Motto: Eureka (I have found it)

State Song: "I Love You, California"

State Flag:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa...forniaflag.GIF

State Bird: Quail
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/qgifs/Quail.GIF

State Mammal: Grizzly Bear
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/ggifs/Grizzly.GIF

State Marine Animal: Grey Whale
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/ggifs/Graywhale.GIF

State Reptile: Desert Tortoise
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/dgi...rttortoise.GIF

State Flower: California Poppy
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/cgifs/Calpoppy.GIF

State Tree: Redwood and Giant Redwood
(The redwood is the tallest tree, growing up to 370 feet (113 m) tall and living for over a thousand years. One redwood in California is 2,200 years old. The roots of this giant conifer are shallow, but spread sideways up to 250 feet (75 meters) from the trunk. The bark is deeply-furrowed, fibrous, thick [up to about 1 foot (30.5 cm) thick] and lacks resin.)

State Fish: Golden Trout

State Marine Fish: Garibaldi

State Insect: California dog-face butterfly

Map:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa...fornia/map.GIF

State Seal:
http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/OMU/O...ornia_Seal.jpg