Western State Nicknames Trivia Quiz

Alaska's official state nickname is "The Last Frontier." The moniker reflects the vast, pristine northern wilderness. The state has also been mockingly called "Seward's Folly," after the Secretary of State William Seward, who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, which was seen as folly at the time, before gold was discovered.

Alaska became the 49th state on January 3rd, 1959. It is the largest state in area. The northern reaches of the state are above the Arctic Circle. Alaska is home to Denali National Park, with the tallest mountain in North America, along with the vast Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Many Alaskans take offense at calling Alaska a frontier, implying a rugged, uninhabited wilderness. The land had been inhabited by native peoples for over ten thousand years before European settlement.

Hawaii adopted "The Aloha State" as the official "State popular name" via legislation in 1959, the same year that it became a state.

"Aloha" in the Hawaiian language is often interpreted as meaning both hello and goodbye. But the word has a more significant meaning, used as a term for mutual understanding, love and compassion.

The state contains eight major inhabited islands, along with numerous minor islands along the archipelago. The Big Island of Hawaii hosts Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which is home to Mauna Loa as well as Kilauea, which is considered the world's most active volcano.

The state of Washington has been nicknamed "The Evergreen State." The state is rich with coniferous forests, leading to Washington's nickname. Washington is home to the temperate rainforests of Olympic National Park along the Pacific coast, the towering Mount Rainier, as well as Mount Saint Helens.

Oregon's unofficial nickname is "The Beaver State." The state has a deep association with the animal, as the official state animal is the beaver, and a beaver appears on Oregon's state flag. The nickname originated in the days when Oregon and the Pacific Northwest was largely associated with the fur trade. By the end of the 19th century, the beaver was close to extinction due to hunting for fur. But now, beavers can be found in almost every state, not just Oregon. Beavers are the second largest living rodent.

Oregon is home to incredible natural landscapes, which many beavers may consider home. Mount Hood is the tallest mountain in Oregon. The state is home to the mountains of the Coast Range and the Cascades, which hosts Mount Hood, a stratovolcano and the tallest mountain in Oregon. Oregon is also home to Crater Lake National Park, a pristine lake in a volcanic caldera, also the deepest lake in the United States.

California is popularly nicknamed "The Golden State," which was officially adopted in 1968. California has long held an association with gold, from the fields of golden poppies to the California Gold Rush of 1848. The San Francisco Bay Area is home to the NBA's Golden State Warriors, and Golden Gate Bridge is a California icon.

Aside from being the most populous state, California is home to a wealth of natural beauty. It hosts several National Parks, including Yosemite and Redwood National and State Parks. California is also home to Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, as well as Death Valley, which, below sea level, is the lowest point.

Nevada's unofficial state nickname is "The Silver State." The state's association with silver is largely due to the Comstock Lode, a bonanza of silver ore that was discovered in 1859 near Virginia City, Nevada. The silver discovery was a step that led to the creation of Nevada as a separate territory, splitting the former Utah Territory.

Nevada is home to Great Basin National Park, which hosts Wheeler Peak, the tallest mountain in the state. Great Basin National Park is also home to bristlecone pine, among the oldest known non-clonal species, which can live to be several thousand years old.

Arizona's official state nickname, "The Grand Canyon State," was adopted by law in 2011. Previously, the state was popularly but unofficially known as "The Grand Canyon State," but also as "The Copper State" and "The Valentine State," the former due to the wealth of copper mined in Arizona, and the latter due to the fact that it was admitted to the Union on February 14th, 1912.

Carved over the course of millions of years by the Colorado River, the majestic Grand Canyon stretches across the northwest corner of the state of Arizona from Utah to California. It is often considered to be one of the natural wonders of the world. The canyon is over 1,850 meters (6,000 ft) deep, as wide as 29 km (18 miles) and 446 km (277 miles) in length. It is no wonder that Arizona's nickname honors the natural wonder.

Utah is popularly nicknamed "The Beehive State." The beehive is the official state symbol, adopted by law in 1959. The beehive has been a Utahn symbol since Utah Territory was established and settled by Mormons in the 19th century. The beehive has been depicted on the Utah state seal since 1896, and one has appeared on the newly adopted Utah state flag in 2018. The beehive symbolizes industriousness and the hard work ethic of Utah's people.

Like much of the American West, Utah is home to breathtaking landscape, including its five National Parks: Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef National Parks. Northern Utah is home to the Great Salt Lake. With nearby ski resorts such as Park City, Salt Lake City was home to the Winter Olympics in 2002.

Idaho's unofficial state nickname is "The Gem State," a moniker that has been used for the territory since before Idaho was even a state. Though mostly debunked, there is a legend that the name Idaho originated from a phrase translated as "Gem of the Mountains" in a local native language. Regardless, Idaho is rich in a variety of gemstones. The official Idaho state gemstone is the star garnet.

Idaho is home to several National Monuments, including Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Craters of the Moon is a wondrous alien landscape of a vast lava field, lava tubes and volcanic mounds. Many geologists theorize that the hotspot of the massive Yellowstone supervolcano was underneath the Snake River Plain and Craters of the Moon 10-11 million years ago, while gradually migrating east to the current location in Yellowstone National Park. Gemstones often form from volcanoes, so the volcanism of Idaho helped to contribute to it becoming known as "The Gem State."

Montana is known as "The Treasure State." In 1865, a design proposal was submitted for the territorial seal, which later became the state seal. The design contained a banner with the words "Oro y Plata," Spanish for "Gold and Silver," and the nickname Treasure State evolved from that. Montana is also unofficially known as "Big Sky Country."

Montana is home to Glacier National Park, which straddles the US-Canada border. On the Canadian side is Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. Combined, the two are known as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The rugged mountains, glaciers, and pristine wilderness is certainly a natural treasure.

Wyoming is known as "The Equality State." The state proudly holds the distinction of being the first state to give women the right to vote, which led to the nickname. Equal rights were enshrined in Wyoming's original constitution when it became a state. The state's motto is "Equal Rights."

While Wyoming is the least populous state, it is home to some of the most incredible landscape in the country, through Yellowstone National Park and the adjacent Grand Teton National Park. Yellowstone National Park is mainly in Wyoming, but also stretches into parts of Idaho and Wyoming. The Yellowstone Caldera is considered to be a supervolcano, one of the world's few. A major supervolcanic eruption could cause catastrophic damage to much of the American West. Based on historical frequency, Yellowstone is due for a major eruption. The volcanic activity is the source of Yellowstone's famous geysers, including Old Faithful.

Colorado is known as "The Centennial State," since it was granted statehood in 1876, one hundred years after the Declaration of Independence, the United States' centenary.

The state of Colorado is mostly famous for its Rocky Mountain ski resorts, such as Aspen, Breckenridge and Telluride. Colorado is home to Rocky Mountain National Park, northwest of Denver. But the state is more than just the Rocky Mountains. The eastern half of the state is in the high Great Plains, while Great Sand Dunes National Park in the southern part of the state contains the continent's largest sand dunes.

New Mexico is nicknamed "The Land of Enchantment." The moniker became official in 1999, but the phrase dates back to 1906. The state tourism bureau used "The Land of Enchantment" for decades before the nickname's official adoption.

New Mexico certainly boasts an enchanting landscape. The geographically diverse state ranges from White Sands National Park in the southeast, to Carlsbad Caverns, to the plentiful ski resorts high in the mountains, such as Taos.

Texas is known as "The Lone Star State." The nickname is a tribute to the Lone Star flag, which was the national flag of the Republic of Texas as an independent nation, and continued to be the Texas state flag after Texas became the 28th state. The nickname became legal via legislation passed in 2015. Texas is the largest state in the contiguous US, but a distant second to Alaska. Texas has long been a Lone Star, with a proud, singular identity.

With its size, Texas is quite geographically diverse. The Texas Gulf Coast in the eastern part of the state is reminiscent of the bayous of neighboring Louisiana. Just north of Houston is the coniferous forest of the Woodlands. The state stretches into the Great Plains, the tablelands of the Llano Estacado, and the oil-rich Permian Basin. Despite the cultural association with oil, Texas is among the largest green energy producers for domestic electricity, with wind farms stretching for endless miles across West Texas. In the southwest corner of the state is Big Bend National Park, mountains and canyonlands carved by the Rio Grande.

Oklahoma is known as "The Sooner State." Oklahoma Territory had been designated as tribal lands, or "Indian Territory," but the federal government forcibly took even more land from the native peoples. The new acquisitions became known as the "Unassigned Lands." The government gave prospective settlers the right to stake claims to tracts of the available two million acres, officially starting at noon on April 22nd, 1899. Many people illegally jumped the gun ahead of the official time, and they became derisively known as "Sooners." The name Sooner soon became a mark of pride among Oklahomans.

It would be mistaken to think of Oklahoma as nothing but endlessly flat farmland and wheatfields. Oklahoma is home to multiple protected wilderness areas, including the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in the southwestern part of the state, and the Ouachita Mountains, shared with Arkansas to the east.