United States

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - The Interior Lowlands and their upland fringes
  - The Appalachian Mountain system
  - The Atlantic Plain
  - The Western Cordillera
  - The Western Intermontane Region
- Drainage
  - The Eastern systems
  - The Pacific systems
- Climate
  - Climatic controls
  - The change of seasons
  - The bioclimatic regions
    - The Humid East
    - The Humid Pacific Coast
    - The Dry West
    - The Humid–Arid Transition
    - The Western mountains
- Plant life
- Animal life
- Settlement patterns
  - Rural settlement
    - Early models of land allocation
    - Creating the national domain
    - Distribution of rural lands
    - Patterns of farm life
    - Regional small-town patterns
  - The rural–urban transition
    - Weakening of the agrarian ideal
    - Impact of the motor vehicle
    - Reversal of the classic rural dominance
  - Urban settlement
    - Classic patterns of siting and growth
    - New factors in municipal development
    - The new look of the metropolitan area
    - Individual and collective character of cities
    - The supercities
- Traditional regions of the United States
  - The hierarchy of culture areas
  - The cultural hearths
    - New England
    - The South
    - The Midland
  - The newer culture areas
    - The Midwest
    - The problem of “the West”
People
- Ethnic distribution
  - Ethnic European Americans
  - African Americans
  - Hispanics
  - Asian Americans
  - Middle Easterners
  - Native Americans
- Religious groups
- Immigration
Economy
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Taxation
- Labor force
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
  - Minerals
  - Biological resources
  - Power
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Foreign trade
- Transportation
  - Roads and railroads
  - Water and air transport
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
  - The executive branch
  - The legislative branch
  - The judicial branch
- State and local government
- Political process
  - Suffrage
  - Voting and elections
  - Money and campaigns
  - Political parties
- Security
  - National security
  - Domestic law enforcement
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Literature
- The visual arts and postmodernism
- The theater
- Motion pictures
- Television
- Popular music
- Dance
- Sports
- Audiences
History
- Colonial America to 1763
  - The European background
  - Settlement
    - Virginia
    - Maryland
    - The New England colonies
    - The middle colonies
    - The Carolinas and Georgia
  - Imperial organization
  - The growth of provincial power
    - Political growth
    - Population growth
    - Economic growth
    - Land, labor, and independence
  - Cultural and religious development
    - Colonial culture
    - From a city on a hill to the Great Awakening
  - Colonial America, England, and the wider world
  - The Native American response
- The American Revolution and the early federal republic
  - Prelude to revolution
    - The tax controversy
    - Constitutional differences with Britain
    - The Continental Congress
  - The American Revolutionary War
  - Treaty of Paris
  - Foundations of the American republic
    - Problems before the Second Continental Congress
    - State politics
    - The Constitutional Convention
  - The social revolution
  - Religious revivalism
  - The United States from 1789 to 1816
    - The Federalist administration and the formation of parties
    - The Jeffersonian Republicans in power
    - Madison as president and the War of 1812
    - The Indian-American problem
- The United States from 1816 to 1850
  - The Era of Mixed Feelings
    - Effects of the War of 1812
    - National disunity
  - The economy
    - Transportation revolution
    - Beginnings of industrialization
  - Social developments
    - Birth of American Culture
    - The people
    - Cities
      Education and the role of women
      Wealth
  - Jacksonian democracy
    - The democratization of politics
    - The Jacksonians
    - The major parties
    - Minor parties
  - An age of reform
    - Abolitionism
    - Support of reform movements
    - Religious-inspired reform
  - Expansionism and political crisis at midcentury
    - Westward expansion
    - Attitudes toward expansionism
- The Civil War
  - Prelude to war, 1850–60
    - Sectionalism and slavery
    - A decade of political crises
      Popular sovereignty
      Polarization over slavery
  - Secession and the politics of the Civil War, 1860–65
    - The coming of the war
    - The political course of the war
      Moves toward emancipation
      Sectional dissatisfaction
  - Fighting the Civil War
    - Foreign affairs
    - Aftermath
- Reconstruction and the New South, 1865–1900
  - Reconstruction, 1865–77
    - Reconstruction under Abraham Lincoln
      Lincoln’s plan
      The Radicals’ plan
    - Reconstruction under Andrew Johnson
      Johnson’s policy
      “Black Codes”
      Civil rights legislation
    - The South during Reconstruction
    - The Ulysses S. Grant administrations, 1869–77
  - The New South, 1877–90
    - The era of conservative domination, 1877–90
    - Jim Crow legislation
    - Booker T. Washington and the Atlanta Compromise
- The transformation of American society, 1865–1900
  - National expansion
    - Growth of the nation
      Immigration
      Westward migration
      Urban growth
    - The West
      The mineral empire
      The open range
      The expansion of the railroads
      Indian policy
  - Industrialization of the U.S. economy
    - The growth of industry
      The dispersion of industry
      Industrial combinations
    - Foreign commerce
    - Labor
      Formation of unions
      The Haymarket Riot
  - National politics
    - The Rutherford B. Hayes administration
    - The administrations of James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur
    - Grover Cleveland’s first term
      The surplus and the tariff
      The public domain
      The Interstate Commerce Act
      The election of 1888
    - The Benjamin Harrison administration
      The Sherman Antitrust Act
      The silver issue
      The McKinley tariff
      The agrarian revolt
      The Populists
      The election of 1892
    - Cleveland’s second term
    - Economic recovery
- Imperialism, the Progressive era, and the rise to world power, 1896–1920
  - American imperialism
    - The Spanish-American War
    - The new American empire
    - The Open Door in the Far East
    - Building the Panama Canal and American domination in the Caribbean
  - The Progressive era
    - The character and variety of the Progressive movement
      Origins of progressivism
      Urban reforms
      Reform in state governments
    - Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive movement
    - Republican troubles under William Howard Taft
      The Republican insurgents
      The 1912 election
    - The New Freedom and its transformation
  - The rise to world power
    - Woodrow Wilson and the Mexican Revolution
    - The struggle for neutrality
      Loans and supplies for the Allies
      German submarine warfare
      Arming for war
    - The United States enters the Great War
      Break with Germany
      Mobilization
      America’s role in the war
    - Wilson’s vision of a new world order
    - The Paris Peace Conference and the Versailles Treaty
    - The fight over the treaty and the election of 1920
- The United States from 1920 to 1945
  - The postwar Republican administrations
    - Postwar conservatism
    - Peace and prosperity
    - New social trends
    - The Great Depression
  - The New Deal
    - The first New Deal
      Relief
      Agricultural recovery
      Business recovery
    - The second New Deal and the Supreme Court
    - The culmination of the New Deal
    - An assessment of the New Deal
  - World War II
    - The road to war
    - The United States at war
      War production
      Financing the war
      Social consequences of the war
      The 1944 election
    - The new U.S. role in world affairs
- The United States since 1945
  - The peak Cold War years, 1945–60
    - The Truman Doctrine and containment
    - Postwar domestic reorganization
    - The Red Scare
    - The Korean War
    - Peace, growth, and prosperity
    - Eisenhower’s second term
      Domestic issues
      World affairs
    - An assessment of the postwar era
  - The Kennedy and Johnson administrations
    - The New Frontier
    - The Great Society
    - The civil rights movement
    - Latino and Native American activism
    - Social changes
    - The Vietnam War
  - The 1970s
    - The Richard M. Nixon administration
      Foreign affairs
      Domestic affairs
      The Watergate scandal
    - The Gerald R. Ford administration
    - The Jimmy Carter administration
      Foreign affairs
      Domestic policy
  - The late 20th century
    - The Ronald Reagan administration
    - The George H.W. Bush administration
    - The Bill Clinton administration
  - The 21st century
    - The George W. Bush administration
    - The Barack Obama administration
      First term
      Election and inauguration
      Tackling the “Great Recession,” the “Party of No,” and the emergence of the Tea Party movement
      Negotiating health care reform
      Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
      Deepwater Horizon oil spill
      Military de-escalation in Iraq and escalation in Afghanistan
      The 2010 midterm elections
      WikiLeaks, the “Afghan War Diary,” and the “Iraq War Log”
      The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ratification of START, and the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords
      Budget compromise
      The Arab Spring, intervention in Libya, and the killing of Osama bin Laden
      The debt ceiling debate
      The failed “grand bargain”
      Raising the debt ceiling, capping spending, and the efforts of the “super committee”
      Occupy Wall Street, withdrawal from Iraq, and slow economic recovery
      Deportation policy changes, the immigration law ruling, and sustaining Obamacare’s “individual mandate”
      The 2012 presidential campaign, a fluctuating economy, and the approaching “fiscal cliff”
      The Benghazi attack and Superstorm Sandy
      Second Term
      The 2012 election
      The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
      “Sequester” cuts, the Benghazi furor, and Susan Rice on the hot seat
      The IRS scandal, the Justice Department’s AP phone records seizure, and Edward Snowden’s leaks
      Removal of Mohammed Morsi, Obama’s “red line” in Syria, and chemical weapons
      The decision not to respond militarily in Syria
      The 2013 government shutdown
      The Obamacare rollout
      The Iran nuclear deal, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, and the Ukraine crisis
      The rise of ISIL (ISIS), the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap, and imposition of stricter carbon emission standards
      The child migrant border surge, air strikes on ISIL (ISIS), and the 2014 midterm elections
      Normalizing relations with Cuba, the USA FREEDOM Act, and the Office of Personnel Management data breach
      The Ferguson police shooting, the death of Freddie Gray, and the Charleston church shooting
      Same-sex marriage and Obamacare Supreme Court rulings and final agreement on the Iran nuclear deal
      New climate regulations, the Keystone XL pipeline, and intervention in the Syrian Civil War
      The Merrick Garland nomination and Supreme Court rulings on public unions, affirmative action, and abortion
      The Orlando nightclub shooting, the shooting of Dallas police officers, and the shootings in Baton Rouge
    - The Donald Trump administration
      The campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination
      The campaign for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination
      Hillary Clinton’s private e-mail server, Donald Trump’s Access Hollywood tape, and the 2016 general election campaign
      Trump’s victory and Russian interference in the presidential election
      “America First,” the Women’s Marches, Trump on Twitter, and “fake news”
      Scuttling U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, reconsidering the Keystone XL pipeline, and withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement
      ICE enforcement and removal operations
      The travel ban
      Pursuing “repeal and replacement” of Obamacare
      John McCain’s opposition and the failure of “skinny repeal”
      Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, the air strike on Syria, and threatening Kim Jong-Un with “fire and fury”
      Violence in Charlottesville, the dismissal of Steve Bannon, the resignation of Michael Flynn, and the investigation of possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign
      Jeff Session’s recusal, James Comey’s firing, and Robert Mueller’s appointment as special counsel
      Hurricanes Harvey and Maria and the mass shootings in Las Vegas, Parkland, and Santa Fe
      The #MeToo movement, the Alabama U.S. Senate special election, and the Trump tax cut
      Withdrawing from the Iran nuclear agreement, Trump-Trudeau conflict at the G7 summit, and imposing tariffs
      The Trump-Kim 2018 summit, “zero tolerance,” and separation of immigrant families
      The Supreme Court decision upholding the travel ban, its ruling on Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, No. 16-1466, and the retirement of Anthony Kennedy
      The indictment of Paul Manafort, the guilty pleas of Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos, and indictments of Russian intelligence officers
      Cabinet turnover
      Trump’s European trip and the Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin
      The USMCA trade agreement, the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford, and the Supreme Court confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh
      Central American migrant caravans, the pipe-bomb mailings, and the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
      The 2018 midterm elections
      The 2018–19 government shutdown
      Sessions’s resignation, choosing a new attorney general, and the ongoing Mueller investigation
      The Mueller report
      The impeachment of Donald Trump
      The coronavirus pandemic
      The killing of George Floyd and nationwide racial injustice protests
      The 2020 U.S. election
    - The Joe Biden administration
      The COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the Delta and Omicron variants, and the American Rescue Plan Act
      Economic recovery, the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the failure of Build Back Better
      Stalled voting rights legislation, the fate of the filibuster, and the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court
      Foreign affairs: U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
      The Buffalo and Uvalde shootings, overturning Roe v. Wade, and the January 6 attack hearings
      Rising inflation
      Immigration surge and the busing of migrants to sanctuary cities
      2022 midterm congressional elections
Presidents of the United States
Vice presidents of the United States
First ladies of the United States
State maps, flags, and seals
State nicknames and symbols

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

A map of the states, boundaries, and capital cities of the United States, along with the bodies of water and other counties surrounding the U.S.

Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park

Explore the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, the Great Lakes, the Black Hills, and more in the American Midwest

For Students

United States summary

Presidents of the United States

inUnited States

Also known as: America, U.S., U.S.A., United States of America

Written by Adam Gopnik, Willard M. Wallace•All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 23, 2024 • Article History

News •

Storm dumps record rain in Northern California, while US Northeast deals with winter storms • Nov. 23, 2024, 1:00 AM ET (AP)

An influx of outsiders and money turns Montana Republican, culminating in a Senate triumph • Nov. 23, 2024, 12:03 AM ET (AP)

Voters rejected historic election reforms across the US, despite more than $100M push • Nov. 23, 2024, 12:03 AM ET (AP)

Trump raced to pick many Cabinet posts. He took more time to settle on a treasury secretary • Nov. 23, 2024, 12:03 AM ET (AP)

People on breathing machines struggle without power after weather disasters • Nov. 23, 2024, 12:02 AM ET (AP)

The table provides a list of the presidents of the United States.

Presidents of the United States
	no.	president	birthplace	political party	term
*Died in office.
**Resigned from office.
	1	George Washington	Virginia	Federalist	1789–97
	2	John Adams	Massachusetts	Federalist	1797–1801
	3	Thomas Jefferson	Virginia	Democratic-Republican	1801–09
	4	James Madison	Virginia	Democratic-Republican	1809–17
	5	James Monroe	Virginia	Democratic-Republican	1817–25
	6	John Quincy Adams	Massachusetts	National Republican	1825–29
	7	Andrew Jackson	South Carolina	Democratic	1829–37
	8	Martin Van Buren	New York	Democratic	1837–41
	9	William Henry Harrison	Virginia	Whig	1841*
	10	John Tyler	Virginia	Whig	1841–45
	11	James K. Polk	North Carolina	Democratic	1845–49
	12	Zachary Taylor	Virginia	Whig	1849–50*
	13	Millard Fillmore	New York	Whig	1850–53
	14	Franklin Pierce	New Hampshire	Democratic	1853–57
	15	James Buchanan	Pennsylvania	Democratic	1857–61
	16	Abraham Lincoln	Kentucky	Republican	1861–65*
	17	Andrew Johnson	North Carolina	Democratic (Union)	1865–69
	18	Ulysses S. Grant	Ohio	Republican	1869–77
	19	Rutherford B. Hayes	Ohio	Republican	1877–81
	20	James A. Garfield	Ohio	Republican	1881*
	21	Chester A. Arthur	Vermont	Republican	1881–85
	22	Grover Cleveland	New Jersey	Democratic	1885–89
	23	Benjamin Harrison	Ohio	Republican	1889–93
	24	Grover Cleveland	New Jersey	Democratic	1893–97
	25	William McKinley	Ohio	Republican	1897–1901*
	26	Theodore Roosevelt	New York	Republican	1901–09
	27	William Howard Taft	Ohio	Republican	1909–13
	28	Woodrow Wilson	Virginia	Democratic	1913–21
	29	Warren G. Harding	Ohio	Republican	1921–23*
	30	Calvin Coolidge	Vermont	Republican	1923–29
	31	Herbert Hoover	Iowa	Republican	1929–33
	32	Franklin D. Roosevelt	New York	Democratic	1933–45*
	33	Harry S. Truman	Missouri	Democratic	1945–53
	34	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Texas	Republican	1953–61
	35	John F. Kennedy	Massachusetts	Democratic	1961–63*
	36	Lyndon B. Johnson	Texas	Democratic	1963–69
	37	Richard M. Nixon	California	Republican	1969–74**
	38	Gerald R. Ford	Nebraska	Republican	1974–77
	39	Jimmy Carter	Georgia	Democratic	1977–81
	40	Ronald Reagan	Illinois	Republican	1981–89
	41	George Bush	Massachusetts	Republican	1989–93
	42	Bill Clinton	Arkansas	Democratic	1993–2001
	43	George W. Bush	Connecticut	Republican	2001–09
	44	Barack Obama	Hawaii	Democratic	2009–17
	45	Donald Trump	New York	Republican	2017–21
	46	Joe Biden	Pennsylvania	Democratic	2021–

Vice presidents of the United States

The table provides a list of the vice presidents of the United States.

Vice presidents of the United States
	no.	vice president	birthplace	term	presidential administration served under
*Died in office.
**Resigned from office.
	1	John Adams	Mass.	1789–97	George Washington
	2	Thomas Jefferson	Va.	1797–1801	John Adams
	3	Aaron Burr	N.J.	1801–05	Thomas Jefferson
	4	George Clinton	N.Y.	1805–09	Thomas Jefferson
		George Clinton	N.Y.	1809–12*	James Madison
	5	Elbridge Gerry	Mass.	1813–14*	James Madison
	6	Daniel D. Tompkins	N.Y.	1817–25	James Monroe
	7	John C. Calhoun	S.C.	1825–29	John Quincy Adams
		John C. Calhoun	S.C.	1829–32**	Andrew Jackson
	8	Martin Van Buren	N.Y.	1833–37	Andrew Jackson
	9	Richard M. Johnson	Ky.	1837–41	Martin Van Buren
	10	John Tyler	Va.	1841	William Henry Harrison
	11	George Mifflin Dallas	Pa.	1845–49	James K. Polk
	12	Millard Fillmore	N.Y.	1849–50	Zachary Taylor
	13	William Rufus de Vane King	N.C.	1853*	Franklin Pierce
	14	John C. Breckinridge	Ky.	1857–61	James Buchanan
	15	Hannibal Hamlin	Maine	1861–65	Abraham Lincoln
	16	Andrew Johnson	N.C.	1865	Abraham Lincoln
	17	Schuyler Colfax	N.Y.	1869–73	Ulysses S. Grant
	18	Henry Wilson	N.H.	1873–75*	Ulysses S. Grant
	19	William A. Wheeler	N.Y.	1877–81	Rutherford B. Hayes
	20	Chester A. Arthur	Vt.	1881	James A. Garfield
	21	Thomas A. Hendricks	Ohio	1885*	Grover Cleveland
	22	Levi Morton	Vt.	1889–93	Benjamin Harrison
	23	Adlai E. Stevenson	Ky.	1893–97	Grover Cleveland
	24	Garret A. Hobart	N.J.	1897–99*	William McKinley
	25	Theodore Roosevelt	N.Y.	1901	William McKinley
	26	Charles Warren Fairbanks	Ohio	1905–09	Theodore Roosevelt
	27	James Sherman	N.Y.	1909–12*	William Howard Taft
	28	Thomas R. Marshall	Ind.	1913–21	Woodrow Wilson
	29	Calvin Coolidge	Vt.	1921–23	Warren G. Harding
	30	Charles G. Dawes	Ohio	1925–29	Calvin Coolidge
	31	Charles Curtis	Kan.	1929–33	Herbert Hoover
	32	John Nance Garner	Texas	1933–41	Franklin D. Roosevelt
	33	Henry A. Wallace	Iowa	1941–45	Franklin D. Roosevelt
	34	Harry S. Truman	Mo.	1945	Franklin D. Roosevelt
	35	Alben W. Barkley	Ky.	1949–53	Harry S. Truman
	36	Richard M. Nixon	Calif.	1953–61	Dwight D. Eisenhower
	37	Lyndon B. Johnson	Texas	1961–63	John F. Kennedy
	38	Hubert H. Humphrey	S.D.	1965–69	Lyndon B. Johnson
	39	Spiro T. Agnew	Md.	1969–73**	Richard M. Nixon
	40	Gerald R. Ford	Neb.	1973–74	Richard M. Nixon
	41	Nelson A. Rockefeller	Maine	1974–77	Gerald R. Ford
	42	Walter F. Mondale	Minn.	1977–81	Jimmy Carter
	43	George Bush	Mass.	1981–89	Ronald Reagan
	44	Dan Quayle	Ind.	1989–93	George Bush
	45	Albert Gore	Wash., D.C.	1993–2001	Bill Clinton
	46	Dick Cheney	Neb.	2001–09	George W. Bush
	47	Joe Biden	Pa.	2009–17	Barack Obama
	48	Mike Pence	Ind.	2017–21	Donald Trump
	49	Kamala Harris	Calif.	2021–	Joe Biden

First ladies of the United States

The table provides a list of the first ladies of the United States.

First ladies of the United States
	first lady	president
	Abigail Adams	John Adams
	Louisa Adams	John Quincy Adams
	Ellen Arthur	Chester A. Arthur
	Jill Biden	Joe Biden
	Barbara Bush	George Bush
	Laura Welch Bush	George W. Bush
	Rosalynn Carter	Jimmy Carter
	Frances Cleveland	Grover Cleveland
	Hillary Rodham Clinton	Bill Clinton
	Grace Coolidge	Calvin Coolidge
	Mamie Eisenhower	Dwight D. Eisenhower
	Abigail Fillmore	Millard Fillmore
	Betty Ford	Gerald R. Ford
	Lucretia Garfield	James A. Garfield
	Julia Grant	Ulysses S. Grant
	Florence Harding	Warren G. Harding
	Anna Harrison	William Henry Harrison
	Caroline Harrison	Benjamin Harrison
	Lucy Hayes	Rutherford B. Hayes
	Lou Hoover	Herbert Hoover
	Rachel Jackson	Andrew Jackson
	Martha Jefferson	Thomas Jefferson
	Eliza Johnson	Andrew Johnson
	Lady Bird Johnson	Lyndon B. Johnson
	Jacqueline Kennedy	John F. Kennedy
	Harriet Lane	James Buchanan
	Mary Todd Lincoln	Abraham Lincoln
	Dolley Madison	James Madison
	Ida McKinley	William McKinley
	Elizabeth Monroe	James Monroe
	Pat Nixon	Richard M. Nixon
	Michelle Obama	Barack Obama
	Jane Pierce	Franklin Pierce
	Sarah Polk	James K. Polk
	Nancy Reagan	Ronald Reagan
	Edith Roosevelt	Theodore Roosevelt
	Eleanor Roosevelt	Franklin D. Roosevelt
	Helen Taft	William Howard Taft
	Margaret Taylor	Zachary Taylor
	Bess Truman	Harry S. Truman
	Melania Trump	Donald Trump
	Julia Tyler	John Tyler
	Letitia Tyler	John Tyler
	Hannah Van Buren	Martin Van Buren
	Martha Washington	George Washington
	Edith Wilson	Woodrow Wilson
	Ellen Wilson	Woodrow Wilson

State maps, flags, and seals

The table provides a list of state maps, flags, and seals.

State maps, flags, and seals
state	map	flag	seal
United States
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

State nicknames and symbols

The table provides a list of state nicknames and symbols.

State nicknames and symbols
¹Species not designated.
²Game bird; some states have also designated a representative game bird.
³Waterfowl; some states have also designated a representative waterfowl.
⁴Raptor; Idaho has designated a state raptor.
⁵Wildflower; some states have designated representative wildflowers, particularly when the official state flower is a cultivated or nonnative variety.
state	state tree	state bird	state flower	state nickname(s)	motto
United States	--	bald eagle	rose¹	--	In God We Trust
Alabama	southern longleaf pine	yellowhammer; wild turkey²	common camellia; oak-leaf hydrangea⁵	Cotton State; Yellowhammer State; Heart of Dixie	We Dare Defend Our Rights
Alaska	Sitka spruce	willow ptarmigan	alpine forget-me-not	The Last Frontier	North to the Future
Arizona	palo verde	Coues's cactus wren	saguaro cactus blossom	Grand Canyon State	Ditat Deus (God Enriches)
Arkansas	pine¹	northern mockingbird	apple blossom	The Natural State; Land of Opportunity	Regnat Populus (The People Rule)
California	coast redwood; giant sequoia (both known as California redwood)	California valley quail	California poppy	Golden State	Eureka (I Have Found It)
Colorado	Colorado blue spruce	lark bunting	white-and-lavender columbine	Centennial State	Nil Sine Numine (Nothing Without Providence)
Connecticut	white oak	American robin	mountain laurel	Nutmeg State; Constitution State	Qui Transtulit Sustinet (He Who Transplanted Still Sustains)
Delaware	American holly	blue hen chicken	peach blossom	First State; Diamond State	Liberty and Independence
District of Columbia	scarlet oak	woodthrush	American Beauty hybrid rose	--	Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All)
Florida	sabal palm (cabbage palmetto)	northern mockingbird	orange blossom; coreopsis^{1, 5}	Sunshine State	In God We Trust
Georgia	live oak	brown thrasher	Cherokee rose; azalea^{1, 5}	Empire State of the South; Peach State	Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation
Hawaii	kukui (candlenut)	nene (Hawaiian goose)	yellow hibiscus	Aloha State	Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono (The Life of the Land Is Perpetuated in Righteousness)
Idaho	western white pine	mountain bluebird; peregrine falcon⁴	Lewis's mock orange ('Syringa')	Gem State	Esto Perpetua (Let It Be Perpetual)
Illinois	white oak	northern cardinal	violet¹	Prairie State; Land of Lincoln	State Sovereignty, National Union
Indiana	tulip tree (yellow poplar)	northern cardinal	peony¹	Hoosier State	Crossroads of America
Iowa	oak¹	eastern goldfinch	wild prairie rose	Hawkeye State; Corn State	Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain
Kansas	eastern cottonwood	western meadowlark	common sunflower	Sunflower State; Jayhawker State	Ad Astra Per Aspera (To the Stars Through Difficulties)
Kentucky	tulip tree (yellow poplar)	northern cardinal	goldenrod¹	Bluegrass State	United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Louisiana	bald cypress	eastern brown pelican	southern magnolia; Louisiana iris⁵	Pelican State; Creole State; Sugar State	Union, Justice, Confidence
Maine	eastern white pine	black-capped chickadee	white pine cone and tassel	Pine Tree State	Dirigo (I Direct)
Maryland	white oak	Baltimore oriole	black-eyed Susan	Free State; Old Line State	Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine (Manly Deeds, Womanly Words)
Massachusetts	American elm	black-capped chickadee; wild turkey²	mayflower (trailing arbutus)	Bay State; Old Colony State	Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem (By the Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty)
Michigan	white pine	American robin	apple blossom; dwarf lake iris⁵	Wolverine State; Great Lake State	Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice (If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You)
Minnesota	red, or Norway, pine	common loon	pink-and-white lady's slipper	North Star State; Gopher State; Land of 10,000 Lakes; Land of Sky-Blue Waters	L'Étoile du Nord (The North Star)
Mississippi	southern magnolia	northern mockingbird; wood duck³	southern magnolia	Magnolia State	Virtute et Armis (By Valor and Arms)
Missouri	flowering dogwood	eastern bluebird	hawthorn blossom¹	Show Me State	Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto (The Welfare of the People Shall Be the Supreme Law)
Montana	ponderosa pine	western meadowlark	bitterroot	Treasure State; Big Sky Country	Oro y Plata (Gold and Silver)
Nebraska	eastern cottonwood	western meadowlark	giant goldenrod	Cornhusker State; Beef State	Equality Before the Law
Nevada	single-leaf piñon; bristlecone pine	mountain bluebird	sagebrush	Sagebrush State; Silver State; Battle Born State	All for Our Country
New Hampshire	white birch	purple finch	purple lilac; pink lady's slipper⁵	Granite State	Live Free or Die
New Jersey	red oak	eastern goldfinch	blue violet	Garden State	Liberty and Prosperity
New Mexico	two-needle piñon	roadrunner	yucca flower¹	Land of Enchantment	Crescit Eundo (It Grows As It Goes)
New York	sugar maple	eastern bluebird	rose¹	Empire State	Excelsior (Ever Upward)
North Carolina	pine¹	northern cardinal	flowering dogwood	Tar Heel State; Old North State	Esse Quam Videri (To Be Rather Than To Seem)
North Dakota	American elm	western meadowlark	wild prairie rose	Flickertail State; Sioux State; Peace Garden State; Rough Rider State	Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable
Ohio	Ohio buckeye	northern cardinal	scarlet carnation; white trillium⁵	Buckeye State	With God, All Things Are Possible
Oklahoma	eastern redbud	scissor-tailed flycatcher; wild turkey²	Oklahoma hybrid rose; American mistletoe; Indian blanket⁵	Sooner State	Labor Omnia Vincit (Labor Conquers All Things)
Oregon	Douglas fir	western meadowlark	Oregon grape	Beaver State	She Flies With Her Own Wings
Pennsylvania	eastern hemlock	ruffed grouse	mountain laurel	Keystone State	Virtue, Liberty, and Independence
Rhode Island	red maple	Rhode Island Red chicken	blue violet	Little Rhody; Ocean State	Hope
South Carolina	sabal palm (cabbage palmetto)	Carolina wren; wild turkey²; wood duck³	yellow jessamine; Canada goldenrod⁵	Palmetto State	Animis Opibusque Parati (Prepared in Mind and Resources)
South Dakota	Black Hills spruce	ring-necked pheasant	American pasqueflower	Mount Rushmore State; Coyote State; Sunshine State	Under God the People Rule
Tennessee	tulip tree (yellow poplar)	northern mockingbird; bobwhite quail²	iris¹; purple passionflower⁵	Volunteer State	Agriculture and Commerce
Texas	pecan	northern mockingbird	bluebonnet¹	Lone Star State	Friendship
Utah	blue spruce	California seagull	sego lily	Beehive State	Industry
Vermont	sugar maple	hermit thrush	red clover	Green Mountain State	Freedom and Unity
Virginia	flowering dogwood	northern cardinal	flowering dogwood	Mother of Presidents; The Old Dominion	Sic Semper Tyrannis (Thus Always to Tyrants)
Washington	western hemlock	willow goldfinch	coast rhododendron	Evergreen State; Chinook State	Alki (By and By)
West Virginia	sugar maple	northern cardinal	great laurel	Mountain State	Montani Semper Liberi (Mountaineers Are Always Free)
Wisconsin	sugar maple	American robin	wood violet	Badger State; America's Dairyland	Forward
Wyoming	eastern cottonwood (plains subspecies)	western meadowlark	Indian paintbrush	Equality State	Equal Rights