Wyoming: The Equality State

• Alternate Nickname: The Cowboy State
• Capital: Cheyenne
• Major Cities:
• Casper
• Laramie
• Major Geographical Features
  • Green River
  • Snake River
  • North Platte River
  • Bighorn River
  • Yen River
  • Rockie Mountains
  • Great Plains
  • Black Hills
  • Laramie Mountains
  • Bighorn Mountains
  • Wind River Range
• National Parks:
• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Teton National Park
• 1803: The United States gains most of present-day Wyoming in the Louisiana Purchase
• 1869: First place in the United States to allow women the right to vote
• 1872: Yellowstone becomes the first national park in the United States
• 1890: Wyoming becomes the 44th state
• Motto: "Equal Rights"
• Name Meaning: "Valleys and Mountains" (a Native American dialect)
• Products
  • Coal
  • Cattle
  • Uranium
• Wyoming produces the second most wool in the United States
• 9th largest state by area but the least populated state
• First state with a female governor
• Its two national parks see 4 million visitors each year
• Yellowstone Lake is the highest altitude lake in the United States
• Famous People
  • Buffalo Bill

Idaho: The Gem State

• Capital: Boise
• Major Cities:
  • Coeur d'Alene
  • Pocatello
  • Idaho Falls
  • Moscow
• Major Geographical Features
  • Pend Oreille Lake
  • Bitterroot Range
  • Salmon River Mountains
  • Salmon River
  • Snake River
• National Parks: Yellowstone National Park
• Early 1800's: Lewis and Clark explore the area of present-day Idaho
• 1860: Mormon's settle at Franklin
• 1890: Idaho becomes the 43rd state
• Motto: "It Endures Forever"
• Various Possible Name Meanings:
  • It was made up by a Congressman
  • "Land of Many Waters" in Nez Perce language
  • "Enemy" in Plains Apache language
• 10 national forests cover 20.4 million acres
• Hells Canyon is the deepest canyon in North America (at its deepest, it is 7900 ft.)
• America's longest Main Street is in Island Park, Idaho (33 miles)
• Famous People Born in Idaho
  • Sacagawea
  • Chief Joseph
  • Sarah Palin

Delaware: The First State

• Alternate Nickname: Diamond State
• Capital: Dover
• Major Cities: 
• Wilmington
• New Castle
• Major Geographical Features
  • Delaware River
  • Delaware Bay
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Delmarva Peninsula
  • Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
• National Park: none
• 1631: The Dutch settle on Delaware
• 1638: New Sweden (later the colony of Delaware) is established
• 1682: Control of Delaware passes to William Penn
• 1787: Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the Constitution
• Motto: "Liberty and Independence"
• Name Meaning: Named for Lord De La Warr (Colonial governor of Virginia)
• Delaware does not have any farms
• Least amount of counties (3)
• Henry Hudson discovered the Delaware Bay
• Wilmington is the chemical capital of the world
• 2nd smallest state by area
• Lowest mean elevation in the United States (60 feet above sea level)

Nebraska: The Cornhusker State

• Alternate Nicknames
• Beef State
• Treeplanter State
• Capital: Lincoln
• Major Cities
• Omaha
• Grand Island
• North Platte
• Major Geographic Features
• Missouri River
• Platte River
• The North and South Platte Rivers converge in Nebraska to form the Platte River
• Badlands
• Sand Hills
• Great Plains
• Nebraska is not home to any national parks
• 1803: The United States gains control of present-day Nebraska with the Louisiana Purchase
• 1854: The Kansas-Nebraska Act provides the format of governing the Nebraska Territory through popular sovereignty
• 1865: The Transcontinental Railroad passes through Omaha
• 1867: Nebraska becomes the 37th state
• Nebraska is the only state with a unicameral legislature
• Nebraska has one house of representatives and no state senate
• Motto: "Equality before Law"
• Official Drink: Kool-Aid
• 1927: Kool-Aid was created in Hastings, Nebraska
• Name Origin
• Oto Indian language for "Flat water"
• Hebron, Nebraska is home to the world's largest porch swing
• 95% of the state is farms and ranches
• More than 33% of the state's population lives in Omaha and Lincoln
• Famous People
• Gerald Ford
• Malcolm X
• Buffalo Bill

Virginia: Old Dominion

• Alternate Nicknames: Mother of Presidents
• Capital: Richmond
• Major Cities:
  • Alexandria
  • Arlington
  • Charlottesville
  • Virginia Beach
  • Norfolk
• Major Geographical Features
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Chesapeake Bay
  • Potomac River
  • James River
  • Shenandoah River
  • Blue Ridge Mountains
• National Parks: Shenandoah National Park
• 1607: Jamestown becomes the 1st permanent British settlement in the Americas
• 1781: Lord Cornwallis surrenders to George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia
  • Ends the American Revolution
• 1788: Virginia becomes the 10th state
• 1861: Virginia becomes the 8th state to secede from the Union
  • Richmond was the capital of the Confederate States of America
• 1865: Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia
  • Ends the American Civil War
• Motto: "Thus always to tyrants"
• Name Meaning: Named after Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen
• Industries
  • Coal
  • Tobacco
  • Dairy
  • Government
    • Virginia borders the District of Columbia
    • Both the FBI and the CIA are headquartered in Virginia
• Arlington National Cemetery is located in Virginia
• Famous People
  • Louis and Clark
  • Richard Byrd
  • Edgar Allen Poe
  • Booker T. Washington
  • George Washington
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • James Madison
  • James Monroe
  • William Henry Harrison
  • John Tyler
  • Zachary Taylor
  • Woodrow Wilson

Nevada: The Silver State

• Other Nicknames:
• Sagebush State
• Battle-Born State
• Capital: Carson City
• Major Cities
• Las Begas
• Reno
• Elko
• Ely
• Winnemucca
• Major Geographical Features
  • Sierra Nevada Mountains
  • Mojave Desert
  • Colorado River
  • Lake Mead
  • Lake Tahoe
  • Pyramid Lake
  • Toiyabe Mountains
  • Monitor Mountains
  • Schell Creek Mountains
  • Humboldt River
• National Parks: Great Basin National Park
• 1848: The United States gains control of Nevada through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• 1859: Gold and silver are discovered in the Comstock Lode
• 1864: Nevada becomes the 36th state
• 2002: Gambling adds $9 billion to Nevada's economy
• Motto: "All for our country"
• Name Meaning: "Snow-Capped" (Spanish)
• The Hoover Dam on the Colorado River creates Lake Mead
• Industries
  • Tourism
  • Gambling
  • Nevada's largest industry
  • Mining
  • Agriculture
• Nevada has the highest marriage rate... due to couples' eloping to Las Vegas to be married by Elvis...
• Interestingly, Nevada also has the highest divorce rate...
• Driest state in the Union
• Lake Mead is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world
• 87% of Nevada is owned by the federal government
• Nevada is the fastest growing state by population
• The population has doubled since 1980

South Carolina: The Palmetto State

• Capital: Columbia
• Major City: Charleston
• Major Geographical Features
  • Blue Ridge Mountains
  • Piedmont (Mountains)
  • Savannah River
  • Broad River
  • Pee Dee River
  • Atlantic Ocean
• National Parks: Conagree National Park
• 1566: Settled by the Spanish
• 1670: Charles Town settlement established (presently Charleston)
• 1740: Oldest formal gardens established
• 1788: Became 8th state
• 1830: 1st US steam locomotive built for railroad use built in South Carolina
• 1840: 1st American library housed in a separate building at the University of South Carolina
• 1860: 1st state to secede from Union
• 1861: Battle of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor begins Civil War
• Mottoes:
  • "Prepared in Mind and Resources"
  • "While I breathe, I hope"
• Name Meaning: Named for Charles I of England
• Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island are popular golf and beach resorts
• Products
  • Tobacco
  • Cotton
  • Peaches
    • South Carolina produces the second most number of peaches, behind California
• Columbia is sometimes considered the "Earthquake City"
• Famous People
  • Andrew Jackson

Connecticut: The Constitution State

• Nicknames:
•  Nutmeg State
• Constitution State
• Connecticut was the first colony to have a constitution: The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
• Capital: Hartford
• Major Cities:
  • New Haven
  • Bridgeport
  • Waterbury
  • Stamford
• Major Geographical Features
  • Housatonic River
  • Connecticut River
  • Mystic Seaport
  • Thames River
  • Taconic Range
  • Long Island Sound
  • Connecticut Valley Lowlands
  • Thimble Islands
• National Parks: none
• 1614: The Netherlands claims modern-day Connecticut
• 1788: Connecticut becomes the 5th state
• Motto: "He who transplanted still sustains"
• Name Meaning: "Place of Long Tidal River" in Mohegan (a Native American dialect)
• New London is the home of the Coast Guard Academy
• 1/2 of George Washington's troops were from Connecticut
• Hartford is considered the insurance capital of the United States
• Famous People
  • Ethan Allen
  • Benedict Arnold
  • PT Barnum
  • George W. Bush
  • Charles Goodyear
  • Nathan Hale
  • Katharine Hepburn
  • JP Morgan
  • Harriet Beecher Stowe
  • Ralph Nader
  • Noah Webster

North Carolina: The Tar Heel State

• Alternate Nickname: Old North State
• Capital: Raleigh
• Major Cities:
  • Charlotte
  • Winston-Salem
  • Fayetteville
  • Greensboro
  • Durham
• Major Geographical Features
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Cape Hatteras
  • Atlantic Coastal Plains
  • Appalachian Mts.
  • Smoky Mts.
  • Blue Ridge Mts.
  • Roanoke River
  • Mt. Mitchell
• National Parks: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  • 9 million visitors per year
• 1585: 1st colony at Roanoke established
  • 1st attempt to colonize America by English-speaking people
• 1789: North Carolina becomes the 12th state
• 1861: Last state to secede from the Union
• 1903: The Wright Brothers make the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk
• Motto: "To be rather than to seem"
• Name Meaning: Named after Charles I of England
• Industries:
  • Tobacco
  • Sweet Potatoes
    • Largest producer of sweet potatoes in the United States
  • Bricks
  • Furnature
  • Textiles
  • Cigarettes
  • Tourism
    • $12 billion per year
    • 44 million tourists per year
• Research Triangle
  • Durham (Duke University), Chapel Hill (University of North Carolina), Raleigh (North Carolina State University)
  • Many university and research programs in this triangle
• 3 capital buildings, 2 permanent capitals (Raleigh and New Bern)
• Famous People
  • Andrew Jackson
  • Andrew Johnson
  • James K. Polk
  • Arnold Palmer

Illinois: The Prairie State

• Alternate Nickname: Land of Lincoln
• Capital: Springfield
• Major Cities:
  • Chicago
  • Peoria
  • Moline
  • Decator
• Major Geographical Features
  • Lake Michigan
  • Mississippi River
  • Illinois River
  • Wabash River
  • Ohio River
  • Shawnee Hills
• National Parks: none
• 1673: Present-day Illinois explored by Louis Jolliet and Fr. Jacques Marquette
• 1803: Lewis and Clark stay at Ft. Massac in southern Illinois
• 1818: Illinois becomes the 21st state
• 1871: Great Chicago Fire destroys the city
• 1974: Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) opens as the world's tallest building in Chicago
  • Now it is the tallest building in the United States
• Motto: "State Sovereignty, National Unity"
• Name Meaning: French spelling of the Native Americans from this area
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world
• Abraham Lincoln is buried in Sprinfield
• Chicago is the 3rd largest city in the United States (Largest in the Midwest)
• Kaskaskia Island is the only part of Illinois west of the Mississippi River
• Industries
  • Agriculture (especially corn)
  • Manufacturing
• Home Insurance Building (Chicago) was the 1st metal-frame skyscraper
• 80% Farmland
• 1/4 of Illinois' population is in Chicago
• No other US city moves more freight by train and truck than Chicago
• Famous People
  • Walt Disney
  • Ronald Reagan
  • Hillary Rodham Clinton
  • Ernest Hemingway
  • Carl Sandburg
  • Robin Williams
  • Harrison Ford
  • Shel Silverstein
  • William Jennings Bryan
  • Ray Bradbury

North Dakota: The Peace Garden State

• Alternative Nicknames
  • Sioux State
  • Flickertail State
• Capital: Bismarck
• Major Cities:
  • Minot
  • Grand Rapids
  • Fargo
• Major Geographical Features
  • Great Plains
  • Badlands
  • Red River
  • Missouri River
  • Red River Valley
  • Lake Sakakawea
• National Parks: Theodore Roosevelt National Park
• 1889: North Dakota becomes the 39th state
• 1932: Peace Garden established to celebrate relations between Canada and the United States
• 2013: North Dakota has the fastest growing economy in the United States due to a recent discovery of oil and natural gas
• Motto: "Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable"
• Name Meaning: "Friends" in Sioux
• Industries
  • Wheat
  • Rye
  • Barley
• Rugby, North Dakota is the geographic center of North America
• North Dakota is 90% farms, making it the most rural state
• Home to 365 commonly seen songbird species
• Writing Rock is a glacial boulder with undated Native American writing on it
• Famous People
  • Sacajawea
  • Lawrence Welk

New Hampshire: The Granite State

• Capital: Concord
• Major Cities:
  • Portsmouth
  • Manchester
  • Nashua
• Major Geographical Features
  • White Mountains
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Merrimack River
  • Connecticut River
  • Lake Winnipesaukee
  • Mt. Washington
• National Parks: none
• 1623: New Hampshire's first settlers settle near Portsmouth and Dover
• 1719: 1st potato grown in the United States
• 1775: New Hampshire becomes the 1st colony to declare its independence from Great Britain
• 1776: New Hampshire becomes the 1st state to vote for the Declaration of Independence
  • The two preceding facts contribute to New Hampshire's hosting of the 1st presidential primary each election year
• 1788: New Hampshire becomes the 9th state
• 1833: 1st free public library in Peterborough
• 1905: President Teddy Roosevelt organizes and end to the Russo-Japanese War in Portsmouth
  • Only state to host a formal conclusion to a foreign war
• Motto: "Live Free or Die"
• Name Meaning: Name honors the English colony of Hampshire
• Industries
  • Dairy
  • Apples
  • Maple Syrup
  • Granite
• Mt. Washington holds the world record for the highest recorded wind speeds
• 1 of 2 states without personal income and general sales tax
• Famous People
  • Franklin Pierce
  • Alan Shepard
  • Salmon P. Chase
  • Daniel Webster

Louisiana: The Pelican State

• Alternate Nicknames:
  • Sportsman's Paradise
  • Creole State
  • Sugar State
• Capital: Baton Rouge
• Major Cities:
  • New Orleans
  • Shreveport
  • Lafayette
  • Lake Charles
• Major Geographical Features
  • Mississippi River
  • Red River
  • Sabine River
  • Atchafalaya River
  • Lake Pontchartrain
  • Gulf Coastal Plain
  • Gulf of Mexico
  • Driskill Mountains
  • Sabine Lake
  • Grand Lake
  • White Lake
  • Vermillion Bay
  • Atchafalaya Bay
  • Pearl River
  • Ouachita River
• National Parks: none
• 1803: Present-day Louisiana acquired through the Louisiana Purchase
• 1812: Louisiana becomes the 18th state
• 1815: The War of 1812's final battle takes place at New Orleans
• 1861: Louisiana secedes from the Union
• 2005: Hurricane Katrina leads to a 53% decrease in New Orleans' population
• Motto: "Union, Justice, and Confidence"
• Name Meaning: Honors King Louis XIV of France
• Industries
  • Cotton
  • Sugarcane
  • Petroleum
  • Minerals
  • Fishing
  • Tourism
• World's longest bridge (24 miles) crosses Lake Pontchartrain
• Bayous and marshes house alligators, muskrat, opossum, raccoon, mink and pelicans
• New Orleans holds a famous Mardi Gras celebration each year
• Louisiana is the only state with parishes instead of counties
• New Orleans is susceptible to flooding as part of the city lies below sea level
• Greatest concentration of oil, natural gas plants, and petrol-chemical facilities in the Western Hemisphere
• More than 40% of United States exports go through Louisiana
• Longest coastline (15,000 miles) in United States
• Home to 41% of nation's wetlands
• Ranks 4th in oil in the United States
• Ranks 2nd in natural gas in the United States
• New Orleans is the nation's busiest port
• Famous People
  • Louis Armstrong
  • Terry Bradshaw
  • Ellen DeGeneres
  • Clyde Drexler
  • Randy Jackson
  • Karl Malone
  • Archie Manning
  • Peyton Manning
  • Eli Manning
  • Tim McGraw
  • Bill Russell
  • Reese Witherspoon
  • The Robertson Family (Phil, Kay, Willy, Jase, Si)

New Jersey: The Garden State

• Capital: Trenton
• Major Cities:
  • Camden
  • Atlantic City
  • Jersey City
  • Newark
  • Patterson
  • Elizabeth
• Major Geographical Features
  • Kittatinny Mountains
  • Piedmont Plateau
  • Pine barrants
  • Cape May
  • Delaware Bay
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • New York Bay
  • Hudson River
  • Delaware River
• National Parks: none
• 1618: New Jersey established as a Dutch colony
• 1664: Becomes an English colony
• 1787: New Jersey becomes the 3rd state
• 1776: George Washington crosses the Delaware River to attack the British at Trenton on Christmas Day
• 1858: Modern paleontology begins in Haddonfield with an almost complete skeleton fossil
• Motto: "Liberty and Prosperity"
• Name Meaning: Named After the Chanel isle of Jersey
• Industries:
  • Chemicals
  • Phamaceuticals
    • 12% of New Jersey's jobs
  • Nursery Plants
  • Machinery
  • Oil Refinery
  • Tourism
  • Electrical Items
• Most densely populated state
• Atlantic City and Jersey City are known for gambling and casinos
• 57% forest or farms
• Famous People
  • Jon Bon Jovi
  • Frank Sinatra
  • Bruce Springsteen
  • Antonin Scalia
  • Paul Simon
  • Martha Stewart
  • Joe Theismann
  • John Travolta
  • William Carlos Williams

Hawaii: The Aloha State

• Capital: Honolulu
• Major City: Hilo
• Major Geographical Features
  • Oahu
  • Maui
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Hawaii
  • Mauna Kea
  • Mauna Loa
• National Parks:
  • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
  • Haleakala National Park
• 1778: James Cook first visits Hawaii which he named the Sandwich Islands
• 1894: The people overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic in Hawaii
• 1898: Hawaii is annexed by the United States
• 1941: Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor
• 1959: Hawaii becomes the 50th state
• Motto: "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness"
• Name Meaning: "Homeland" in Hawaiian
• The 122 islands were formed by volcanic activity
• For more on volcanic island formation, please read "Ring of Fire" and "Island Devours its Neighbor"
• Industries:
  • Pineapples
  • Tourism
• The Island of Hawaii is the largest in the United States
• The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters
• 75% of the population lives on Oahu
• Mauna Kea is the world's largest mountain
• Famous People
  • Barack Obama

New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment

• Capital: Santa Fe
• Major Cities:
  • Albuquerque
  • Los Alamos
  • Roswell
  • Las Cruces
• Major Geographical Features
  • Colorado Plateau
  • Zuni Mountains
  • Black Mountains
  • San Andres Mountains
  • Sangre del Cristo Mountains
  • Great Plains
  • Rio Grande
  • Pecos River
• National Park: Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• 1848: Western New Mexico is granted to the United States as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• 1853: Gadsden Purchase enlarges the territory
• 1912: New Mexico becomes the 47th state
• 1945: The 1st atomic bomb is tested at White Sands near Alamogrodo
• Motto: "It grows as it goes"
• Name Meaning: Named for the nation of Mexico
• Industries
  • Cattle
  • Mining
• Santa Fe is the oldest and highest elevated capital city in the United States
• The Pecos River is a Yazoo tributary
• The Chapel at San Miguel Church in Santa Fe is the oldest church in the United States
• Zia Sun symbol on New Mexico's flag reflects the philosophy of the Zia people
• 5th largest state by area
• 36th largest state by population (1/2 of this population is Hispanic)
• Most of New Mexico's population lives along the Rio Grande
• Famous People
  • Neil Patrick Harris
  • Billy the Kid

Colorado: The Centennial State

• Capital: Denver
• Major Cities:
  • Colorado Springs
  • Boulder
  • Aspen
  • Pueblo
  • Aurora
• Major Geographical Features
  • Colorado River
  • Rio Grande
  • Arkansas River
  • South Platte River
  • North Platte River
  • Rocky Mountains
  • Colorado Plateau
  • Pikes Peak
  • Mt. Elbert
• National Parks:
  • Great Sand Dunes National Park
  • Rocky Mountain National Park
  • Mesa Verde National Park
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• 1806: Zebulon Pike explores modern Colorado
• 1848: Modern day Colorado is acquired by the United States in the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo
• 1859: Gold is discovered at Cherry Creek, thus sparking the Colorado Gold Rush
• 1876: Colorado becomes the 38th state
• 1999: The infamous school shooting at Columbine High School
• 2012: Shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado
• 2012: Colorado becomes one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana
• Motto: "Nothing without providence"
• Name Meaning: "The color red" in Spanish
• Colorado has the most peaks over 14,000 feet
• Famous People
  • Tim Allen
  • John Kerry

Arizona: The Grand Canyon State

• Capital: Phoenix
• Major Cities:
  • Tuscon
  • Yuma
  • Flagstaff
  • Douglas
  • Tempe
  • Glendale
  • Mesa
• Major Geographical Features
  • Colorado River
  • Gila River
  • Grand Canyon
  • Sonoran Desert
  • Colorado Plateau
  • Mogollon Rim
  • Vermillion Cliffs
  • Painted Desert
• National Parks:
  • Grand Canyon National Park
  • Petrified Forest National Park
• 1848: The northern two-thirds of Arizona acquired through the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
• 1854: The southern third of Arizona acquired through the Gadsden Purchase
• 1912: Arizona becomes the 48th state
• Motto: "God Enriches"
• Name Meaning: "Silver-Bearing" in a Spanish interpretation of an Aztec word
• Formerly the Copper State
• The Grand Canyon is one mile deep, 200 miles long
• Hoover Dam: Highest concrete dam in the United States
• Largest Native American population
• The London Bridge is now located in Lake Havasu City
• Does not observe daylight savings time
• Famous People
  • Geronimo
  • Cesar Chavez

Kansas: The Sunflower State

• Alternate Nicknames:
  • Jayhawk State
  • Breadbasket of America
• Capital: Topeka
• Major Cities:
  • Wichita
  • Kansas City
  • Dodge City
• Major Geographical Features
  • Flint Hills
  • Red Hills
  • Smokey Hills
  • Arkansas River
  • Kansas River
  • Missouri River
  • Saline River
• National Parks: none
• 1803: Present-day Kansas is acquired through the Louisiana Purchase
• 1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act allows Kansans to choose to legalize slavery in the territory
• 1854-1861: "Bleeding Kansas" so-called because of violent clashes between abolitionists and slavery advocates
• 1861: Kansas becomes the 34th state
• 1930s: Dust Bowl causes a major drought in Kansas and other Great Plains states
• Motto: "To the stars through difficulties"
• Name Meaning: "People of the South Wind" in Sioux
• Industries
  • Cattle
  • Wheat
  • Aircraft
  • Natural Gas
• Lebanon, Kansas is the geographic center of the 48 contiguous states
• Argonia, Kansas was the first city to elect a female mayor
• 1st state to include the prohibition of alcohol in its constitution
• Holcomb, Kansas was the main setting for Truman Capote's In Cold Blood
• Famous People
  • Amelia Earhart
  • Walter Percy Chrysler
  • Barry Sanders

Tennessee: Volunteer State

• Capital: Nashville
• Major Cities:
  • Memphis
  • Chattanooga
  • Knoxville
• Major Geographical Features
  • Mississippi River
  • Cumberland River
  • Tennessee River
  • Cumberland Plateau
  • Great Smoky Mountains
• National Parks: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• 1796: Tennessee becomes the 16th state
• 1891: Tennessee becomes the 9th state to secede from the Union
• Motto: "Agriculture and Commerce"
• Name Meaning: An unknown Cherokee word
• Tennessee Valley Authority, which built roads and dams to provide hydroelectric power in the area, was created under President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal
• Nashville is the country music capital of the world
• Graceland in Memphis was Elvis Presley's home
• Grand Ole Oprey in Nashville is the world's longest running live radio show
• The population of Tennessee is mostly urban
• Famous People
  • Davy Crockett
  • Al Gore
  • Andrew Jackson
  • Andrew Johnson
  • James K. Polk
  • Kenny Chesney
  • Aretha Franklin
  • Morgan Freeman
  • Dolly Parton
  • Pat Summitt
  • Justin Timberlake