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About Our 50 United States
Have you ever wondered which States are the largest or what their Nicknames and Mottos are? Do you know the order that each State entered the Union?
We hope the following information will help answer some of your questions. The states are introduced largest to smallest.
| State Rank |
State Name |
Square Miles |
Nickname(s) | Motto(s) | Admission to U.S. Union |
| 01 | Alaska | 570,374 | The Last Frontier | "North to the Future" | January 3, 1959 (49th) |
| 02 | Texas | 261,914 | Lone Star State | "Friendship" | December 29, 1845 (28th) |
| 03 | California | 155,973 | The Golden State | "Eureka" | September 9, 1850 (31st) |
| 04 | Montana | 145,556 | Treasure State; Big Sky Country |
Oro y plata (latin "Gold and silver") |
November 8, 1889 (41st) |
| 05 | New Mexico | 121,365 | Land of Enchantment / Tierra del Encanto | Crescit eundo (latin "It grows as it goes") |
January 6, 1912 (47th) |
| 06 | Arizona | 113,642 | The Grand Canyon State; The Copper State |
Ditat Deus (latin "God enriches") |
February 14, 1912 (48th) |
| 07 | Nevada | 109,806 | Silver State (official); Sagebrush State; Battle Born State |
"All For Our Country" | October 31, 1864 (36th) |
| 08 | Colorado | 103,729 | The Centennial State | Nil sine numine (latin "Nothing without God's Will") |
August 1, 1876 (38th) |
| 09 | Wyoming | 97,105 | Equality State; Cowboy State |
"Equal rights" | July 10, 1890 (44th) |
| 10 | Oregon | 96,003 | Beaver State | Alis volat propriis (latin "She flies with her own wings") (changed in 1957 by Oregon Legislature to "The Union") |
February 14, 1859 (33rd) |
| 11 | Idaho | 82,751 | Gem State; Spud State |
Esto perpetua (latin "Let it be perpetual") |
July 3, 1890 (43rd) |
| 12 | Utah | 82,168 | Beehive State | "Industry" | January 4, 1896 (45th) |
| 13 | Kansas | 81,823 | The Sunflower State | Ad Astra per aspera (latin "To the stars through hardships") |
January 29, 1861 (34th) |
| 14 | Minnesota | 79,617 | North Star State; Land of 10,000 Lakes; The Gopher State |
L'Étoile du Nord (french "The Star of the North". ) |
May 11, 1858 (32nd) |
| 15 | Nebraska | 77,122 | Cornhusker State | "Equality before the law" | March 1, 1867 (37th) |
| 16 | South Dakota | 75,898 | The Mount Rushmore State (official); The Sunshine State |
"Under God the people rule" | November 2, 1889 (40th) |
| 17 | North Dakota | 68,994 | Peace Garden State; Roughrider State; Flickertail State; Norse Dakota |
"Liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable"; "Strength from the soil" |
November 2, 1889 (39th) |
| 18 | Missouri | 68,898 | The Show Me State | Salus populi suprema lex esto (latin "Let the good of the people be the supreme law" or "The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law") |
August 10, 1821 (24th) |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 68,679 | Sooner State | Labor omnia vincit (latin "Labor conquers all things") |
November 16, 1907 (46th) |
| 20 | Washington | 66,582 | The Evergreen State | Alki (Chinook Wawa: "Eventually", or "Bye and bye") |
November 11, 1889 (42nd) |
| 21 | Georgia | 57,918 | Peach State; Empire State of the South |
"Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation" | January 2, 1788 (4th) |
| 22 | Michigan | 56,809 | The Wolverine State; The Great Lakes State; The Automotive State; Water-Winter Wonderland |
Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice (latin "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you") |
January 26, 1837 (26th) |
| 23 | Iowa | 55,875 | The Hawkeye State; The Tall Corn State |
"Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain" | December 28, 1846 (29th) |
| 24 | Illinois | 55,593 | Land of Lincoln; The Prairie State |
"State sovereignty, national union" | December 3, 1818 (21st) |
| 25 | Wisconsin | 54,314 | Badger State; America's Dairyland |
"Forward" | May 29, 1848 (30th) |
| 26 | Florida | 53,997 | The Sunshine State | "In God We Trust" | March 3, 1845 (27th) |
| 27 | Arkansas | 52,075 | The Natural State (current); The Land of Opportunity (former) |
Regnat Populus (latin "The People Rule") |
June 15, 1836 (25th) |
| 28 | Alabama | 50,750 | Yellowhammer State; Heart of Dixie |
Audemus jura nostra defendere (latin "We Dare Defend Our Rights" or "We Dare Maintain Our Rights") |
December 14, 1819 (22nd) |
| 29 | North Carolina | 48,718 | Tar Heel State; Old North State |
Esse quam videri (latin "To be, rather than to seem") |
November 21, 1789 (12th) |
| 30 | New York | 47,223 | The Empire State | Excelsior (latin "higher", "superior", "lordly") |
July 26, 1788 (11th) |
| 31 | Mississippi | 46,914 | The Magnolia State; The Hospitality State |
Virtute et armis (latin "By Valor and Arms") |
December 10, 1817 (20th) |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | 44,820 | Keystone State; Quaker State; Coal State; Oil State |
"Virtue, Liberty and Independence" | December 12, 1787 (2nd) |
| 33 | Louisiana | 43,566 | Bayou State; Child of the Mississippi; Creole State; Pelican State; Sportsman's Paradise; Sugar State |
"Union, justice, and confidence"; "Union, justice et confiance"; "Lunyon, justis et confyans" |
April 30, 1812 (18th) |
| 34 | Tennessee | 41,200 | Volunteer State | "Agriculture and commerce" | June 1, 1796 (16th) |
| 35 | Ohio | 40,953 | The Buckeye State; "Birthplace of Aviation"; "The Heart Of It All" |
"With God, all things are possible" | March 1, 1803 (17th, declared retroactively on August 7, 1953) |
| 36 | Kentucky | 39,732 | Bluegrass State | "United we stand, divided we fall" | June 1, 1792 (15th) |
| 37 | Virginia | 39,598 | Old Dominion; Mother of Presidents |
Sic Semper tyrannis (latin "Thus ever [or always] to tyrants.") |
June 25, 1788 (10th) |
| 38 | Indiana | 35,870 | The Hoosier State | "The Crossroads of America" | December 11, 1816 (19th) |
| 39 | Maine | 30,865 | The Pine Tree State | Dirigo (latin "I direct" or "I lead") |
March 15, 1820 (23rd) |
| 40 | South Carolina | 30,111 | The Palmetto State | Dum spiro spero (latin "While I breathe, I hope"); Animis opibusque parati (latin "Ready in soul and resource") |
May 23, 1788 (8th) |
| 41 | West Virginia | 24,087 | Mountain State | Montani Semper Liberi (latin "Mountaineers are Always Free") |
June 20, 1863 (35th) |
| 42 | Maryland | 9,775 | Old Line State; Free State |
Fatti maschii, parole femine (Italian "Manly deeds, womanly words.") |
April 28, 1788 (7th) |
| 43 | Vermont | 9,249 | The Green Mountain State | "Freedom and Unity" Before Statehood Known as "The Vermont Republic" |
March 4, 1791 (14th) |
| 44 | New Hampshire | 8,969 | The Granite State | "Live Free or Die" | June 21, 1788 (9th) |
| 45 | Massachusetts | 7,838 | Bay State | Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem (latin "By the sword she seeks peace under liberty") |
February 6, 1788 (6th) |
| 46 | New Jersey | 7,418 | Garden State | "Liberty and prosperity" | December 18, 1787 (3rd) |
| 47 | Hawaii | 6,423 | The Aloha State | Ua Mau ke Ea o ka 'Âina i ka Pono (Hawaiian "The life (sovereignty) of the land is perpetuated in (by) righteousness,") Before Statehood Known as "The Territory of Hawaii" |
August 21, 1959 (50th) |
| 48 | Connecticut | 4,845 | The Constitution State; The Nutmeg State |
Qui transtulit sustinet (latin "He who transplanted sustains", also "He Who Transplanted Still Sustains" or "He Who Transplanted Continues to Sustain") |
January 9, 1788 (5th) |
| 49 | Delaware | 1,955 | The First State; The Small Wonder; Blue Hen State |
"Liberty and Independence" | December 7, 1787 (1st) |
| 50 | Rhode Island | 1,045 | The Ocean State; Little Rhody |
"Hope" | May 29, 1790 (13th) |
