Do You Know All 50 State Slogans? The Full License-Plate List
Each of the 50 states has a slogan associated with it, which you'll often find on license plates. Does your state have a fitting moniker? See the list!
State Slogans at a Glance
- Oldest still in use: Virginia’s “Old Dominion,” dating to King Charles II in 1660.
- Most contested: Florida (“Sunshine State”), California (“Golden State”), New York (“Empire State”), all earned via tourism boards and license-plate history.
- Most literal: Idaho (“Gem State”), Nevada (“Silver State”), Montana (“Treasure State”), all named for actual mineral deposits.
- Most mysterious: Indiana (“Hoosier State”), origin of the word “Hoosier” still genuinely unknown after 200 years.
- Two-slogan states: Wyoming carries both “Equality State” and “Cowboy State.”
Here’s a list of the fifty state slogans associated with each U.S. state, many of which appear on license plates. Do you think your state has a fitting slogan?
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, most state slogans (technically state nicknames) were popularized by 19th- and early-20th-century tourism boards, news columnists, and license-plate designers, not by formal legislation. A handful are constitutional (“Virginia, Old Dominion”). The rest are folklore that stuck.
The 50 States’ Slogans
- Alabama, Yellowhammer State
- Alaska, The Last Frontier
- Arizona, The Grand Canyon State
- Arkansas, The Natural State
- California, The Golden State
- Colorado, The Centennial State
- Connecticut, The Constitution State
- Delaware, The First State
- Florida, The Sunshine State
- Georgia, The Peach State
- Hawaii, The Aloha State
- Idaho, The Gem State
- Illinois, The Prairie State
- Indiana, The Hoosier State
- Iowa, The Hawkeye State
- Kansas, The Sunflower State
- Kentucky, The Bluegrass State
- Louisiana, The Pelican State
- Maine, The Pine Tree State
- Maryland, The Old Line State
- Massachusetts, The Bay State
- Michigan, The Great Lakes State
- Minnesota, The North Star State
- Mississippi, The Magnolia State
- Missouri, The Show Me State
- Montana, The Treasure State
- Nebraska, The Cornhusker State
- Nevada, The Silver State
- New Hampshire, The Granite State
- New Jersey, The Garden State
- New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment
- New York, The Empire State
- North Carolina, The Tar Heel State
- North Dakota, The Peace Garden State
- Ohio, The Buckeye State
- Oklahoma, The Sooner State
- Oregon, The Beaver State
- Pennsylvania, The Keystone State
- Rhode Island, The Ocean State
- South Carolina, The Palmetto State
- South Dakota, Mount Rushmore State
- Tennessee, The Volunteer State
- Texas, The Lone Star State
- Utah, The Beehive State
- Vermont, The Green Mountain State
- Virginia, The Old Dominion State
- Washington, The Evergreen State
- West Virginia, The Mountain State
- Wisconsin, The Badger State
- Wyoming, The Equality State or The Cowboy State
Five State Slogans With Surprising Origins
| State and nickname | Where it came from |
|---|---|
| Missouri, The Show Me State | Usually credited to Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver, who told a Philadelphia club in 1899: “I’m from Missouri. You have to show me.” The phrase was already circulating in the 1890s, so he probably popularised it rather than coined it |
| Oklahoma, The Sooner State | From the “sooner clause” of the Indian Appropriation Act of March 2, 1889. When the Land Run opened at noon on April 22, some settlers had already slipped across the line. It began as an accusation of cheating and was later worn with pride |
| Utah, The Beehive State | Deseret means honeybee in the Book of Mormon. The beehive became the emblem of the provisional State of Deseret in 1848 and stayed on the state seal at statehood in 1896, standing for industriousness |
| Indiana, The Hoosier State | Nobody actually knows. The Indiana Historical Bureau lists several theories; one traces it to hoozer in the Cumberland dialect of England, from Anglo-Saxon hoo, meaning high or hill, and so a hill dweller |
| North Carolina, The Tar Heel State | From the tar, pitch and turpentine the state produced from its longleaf pines. A Civil War story, told rather than documented, has North Carolina troops holding their ground as though they had tar on their heels |
Make it a game. This is also a great list with which to quiz your kids, friends, and other family members.
Ever wonder how many of these state slogans and nicknames originated? Read about it here.
Frequently Asked Questions About State Slogans
Are state slogans the same as state mottos?
Not quite. A state motto is a formal Latin or English phrase adopted by the legislature (Michigan’s “Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice”). A state slogan or nickname is informal and usually marketing-driven (“The Great Lakes State”). License plates almost always carry the slogan, not the motto.
Which states have officially adopted their slogan?
Most states have adopted their nickname or slogan by statute or proclamation at some point, even if the phrase started informally. Connecticut formally adopted “The Constitution State” in 1959; Texas adopted “The Lone Star State” much earlier through state symbol legislation.
What does “Hoosier” actually mean?
Genuinely nobody is sure. The word has been used for Indiana residents since at least the 1830s, but historians have not settled on whether it came from a Cumberland-dialect English word, an Anglo-Saxon root, a contractor named Hoosier on the Ohio River, or some other source. It is the only state slogan whose own state cannot definitively explain.
Why is New York called the Empire State?
The nickname is generally credited to George Washington, who is said to have referred to New York as “the seat of empire” because of its strategic and economic importance. The phrase was already in common use by the 1820s and was adopted formally in the 19th century.
Has any state changed its slogan?
Yes. New Hampshire’s license plates carried “Live Free or Die” (the state motto) for decades; Idaho switched from “Famous Potatoes” to “Scenic Idaho” and back; Connecticut moved from “The Nutmeg State” to “The Constitution State.” Tourism boards drive most of the changes.
Why does Wyoming have two slogans?
“Equality State” refers to Wyoming being the first U.S. state or territory to grant women the right to vote (1869). “Cowboy State” captures the cattle-ranching heritage and the bucking-horse logo on the license plate. Wyoming uses both at official discretion.
What’s the most disputed state slogan?
“The First State” (Delaware) is sometimes argued by Pennsylvania, which seated its delegates earlier; “The Constitution State” is claimed by Connecticut and contested in spirit by Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Florida and California have competed for “Sunshine” branding in tourism for over a century.
For more state-and-region reading, see our favorite fish by region guide, the Kentucky Derby, and the year without a summer.
This article was published by the Staff at FarmersAlmanac.com. Any questions? Contact us at questions@farmersalmananac.com.
- Farmers' Almanac Staff
- Farmers' Almanac Staff
- Farmers' Almanac Staff
- Farmers' Almanac Staff
No where will you find on an Alabama license plate ‘Yellowhammer State. Since the 1950s the slogan on the plate is Heart of Dixie.
These aren’t slogans. They’re nicknames. For example, New Hampshire is the Granite State but it’s slogan is Live Free Or Die.
Wait these aren’t slogans these are official nicknames. Illinois is the prairie State but it’s slogan is land of Lincoln.
I love it here my people do to so
cool
He stupid
Texas=The No Grid State
North Carolina is also First in Freedom
Nebraska=The give us three we’ll set you free State.
Nebraska=Why go to the Penn when you can send your best friend.
I.O.W.A.=Idiots Out Wandering Around