1. North Carolina
   Vermont
2. Alabama
   Virginia

Here's the first of our fun facts: The Green Mountain State of Vermont commenced its remote-worker program on January 1, 2019. Folks who work for out-of-state firms would be eligible for a $10,000 stipend to move to the state.

1. Nebraska
   Rhode Island
2. Iowa
   South Dakota

In 1948, Polish-American sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski had just $174 to his name when he made an agreement with Native Americans to work on the Crazy Horse Monument in South Dakota. Ziolkowski's son Casimir began helping him dynamite the mountain when Casimir was seven years old.

1. Connecticut
   Iowa
2. Maine
   Arkansas

Maine is known for having lots of pine trees. Dubbed the Pine Tree State, Maine's conifers have long bolstered the state's economy by establishing the basis for thriving paper-mill manufacturing and shipbuilding companies.

1. Mississippi
   Florida
2. Utah
   Kentucky

Amateur athletes of all ages and skill levels from across the Commonwealth of Kentucky converge to participate in the Bluegrass State Games. Thousands compete in assorted Olympic-style events at the Bluegrass State Games every year.

1. Idaho
   Nebraska
2. Montana
   Wisconsin

A songwriter for some of country music's biggest acts, like Trisha Yearwood and Vince Gill, calls the state of Montana home. Greek-born Billings resident Kostas is originally from Thessaloniki. He and his parents emigrated to Montana in 1957.

1. Mississippi
   Montana
2. Alaska
   California

William Seward, who was Secretary of State during Abraham Lincoln's administration, convinced the U.S. Congress to purchase the state of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The Bishop House in Sitka, Alaska is the region's oldest example of Russian colony-style architecture.

1. New York
   Oklahoma
2. Delaware
   California

Delaware is home to innovative science firms, like the Incyte Corporation, which was awarded U.S. patent 8,889,697 for "metabolites of the janus kinase inhibitor" in 2014. JAK inhibitors are medications for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and other diseases.

1. Florida
   New Mexico
2. Washington
   Maryland

Maryland has been a staunch pro-English state for many years. A 2005 state poll revealed that 83 percent of Maryland residents favored making English the state's official language. However, in 2015, Fredrick County veered from the consensus with the repeal of an English-only 2012 ordinance.

1. South Dakota
   New Hampshire
2. Missouri
   Illinois

In 1785, Vermont granted Dartmouth College of New Hampshire 23,000 acres of land in the town of Wheelock, which was named for Eleazar Wheelock, who founded the Ivy League school in 1769. For at least 50 years, Dartmouth College has offered any child from the community tuition-free admittance, provided their family makes less than $100,000 a year.

1. Delaware
   New Hampshire
2. Wyoming
   Missouri

The Show-Me state of Missouri is home to the Show Me Center, which is located on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. The versatile center opened its doors in 1987 and has hosted a wide range of events, including rodeos and music concerts, sometimes simultaneously.

1. West Virginia
   Washington
2. Virginia
   Vermont

The Evergreen State Fair in Washington state started as the Snohomish County Fair in the mid-1890s when it was held in the city of Snohomish at Avenue D and Tenth on only 8 acres of land. Since 1949, the fair has run for a span of 12 festive days and attracts approximately 330,000 visitors each year.

1. Maine
   Pennsylvania
2. Kentucky
   Washington

Not-so hush contention has brewed over Pennsylvania's nickname, which has long been "The Keystone State." In 2002, one Minnesota columnist penned a veiled call-to-arms suggesting that his state might commandeer the motto, after Pennsylvania replaced the slogan with a website on its license plate.

1. Alaska
   Colorado
2. West Virginia
   Wisconsin

"The West Virginia Hills" is the name of West Virginia's state song that was written in 1938. During West Virginia's 150th anniversary year, the song was recited as a sing-along at certain points across the state's mountain-rail routes.

1. Nevada
   Michigan
2. Oklahoma
   Illinois

The U.S. state of Nevada ratified its name in 1861, and it's derived from Spanish language to mean "snow-capped." Nevada was admitted into the Union in 1864 as the 36th U.S. state. The official flower of the state is the sagebrush.

1. Maryland
   Wyoming
2. Kansas
   Oregon

In 2001, the state of Wyoming said "no" to a New Mexico university's logo that Deputy Secretary of State Pat Arp insisted was too similar to Wyoming's cowboy logo. A few years prior, Wyoming strong-armed McNeese State University in Louisiana to alter its cowboy logo for similar reason.

1. Michigan
   Nevada
2. Utah
   North Dakota

One of North Dakota's nickname is "The Flickertail State," named for the Richardson's ground squirrel that habitually flicks its tail before burrowing underground. Other ground squirrels native to North Dakota are the prairie dog and the striper.

1. Florida
   Maine
2. New Mexico
   Iowa

New Mexico has used "The Land of Enchantment" as a byword for over 60 years, and in 1999, it was made the state's official nickname. It's also gone by The Land of Sunshine, The Land of the Heart's Desire and The Cactus State.

1. Louisiana
   Alabama
2. Idaho
   New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey's Schools Superintendent announced the "One Newark" school reorganization plan in 2013 as a solution to the city's ailing school system. The program was met with substantial opposition from the community, which called for local, as opposed to unified, control of schools.

1. New York
   Alabama
2. Colorado
   New Jersey

When Comic-Con touched down in the Big Apple in October 2015, area hotels scrambled to benefit from the anticipated deluge of attendees. One popular New York hotel chain offered free professional face-painting as part of an enticing package to help prep enthusiastic guests for the big event.

1. Michigan
   South Carolina
2. North Carolina
   Rhode Island

A mild interstate clash dubbed "Mittengate" erupted on social media in 2011. Michigan, also known as "The Mitten State," claimed ownership of the mitten logo after tourism executives in Wisconsin launched a winter ad campaign using mitten symbolism.

1. Hawaii
   Illinois
2. Minnesota
   Oregon

Illinois is serious about bees and the honey they bring. Several associations and organizations in the state, including Cook-DuPage Beekeepers Association, Honey Open Class and Lincoln Land Beekeepers Association, have been dedicated to sustaining the animals for many years.

1. Kansas
   Delaware
2. Wyoming
   Connecticut

The Nutmeg State Games is Connecticut's local version of the Olympic Games that the state organizes for residents. One of its missions is to help "in the development of physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle in its participants ..."

1. New Mexico
   Texas
2. Kansas
   Georgia

Go Topeka is a civic organization formed in 1982 to "provide a thriving business climate" for Shawnee County and Topeka residents. The group was formed after a 600-employee company left Topeka, devastating the area economically.

1. Washington
   California
2. South Carolina
   Nevada

South Carolina shares its nickname with a Civil War ship: Palmetto State was 150 feet long and equipped with four massive guns. The gunboat was christened on October 11, 1862 in Charleston at Marsh Wharf.

1. Oregon
   Connecticut
2. Utah
   Michigan

Oregon manufacturer Crimson Trace Inc. was awarded US Patent # 9,322,617 for its "laser sight for rocket launcher." Co-inventors James McDonald and Scott Hartley of Wilsonville designed the invention "for rocket launchers and other large weapons, particularly reusable laser sighting devices."

1. Iowa
   Mississippi
2. Virginia
   Wisconsin

The Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition has existed for 69 years and is open to all college art students in the state. The competition receives over 900 submissions every year. Out-of-state jurors select 100 to 200 works to include in a month-long exhibition.

1. Washington
   Nevada
2. New Mexico
   Rhode Island

"The Providence Journal" published a March 2003 article about Little Rhody Egg Farms, a 60-year-old Rhode Island company that sent an egg to be styled by an artist and inspected by the American Egg Board before it was shipped to Washington D.C. for an Easter display at the White House.

1. Utah
   Florida
2. Alaska
   Pennsylvania

In 2007, Florida Senator Tony Hill entreated the state's musicians and music teachers to replace the state song that had been around since 1935. Hill explained that the lyrics for "Old Folks at Home," or "Swanee River," written in 1851, were too insensitive to the state's present-day inhabitants.

1. Utah
   Maryland
2. Missouri
   Nevada

Beehive symbolism found in Utah's state seal and flag is borrowed from Mormon culture. The religion esteems the beehive as a symbol of the Kingdom of God. Mormon leader Brigham Young referred to his home as the Beehive House.

1. Wyoming
   Washington
2. Delaware
   Arkansas

The black bear was a symbol for the state of Arkansas starting in the 19th century; however, at the beginning of the 20th century, the animal was almost wiped out in the state. At the start of the 21st century, populations of Arkansas black bears have increased.

1. Idaho
   West Virginia
2. Oregon
   Iowa

United States Attorney General and Iowa native Matthew Whitaker played football for University of Iowa. Whitaker is famous within Iowa for catching an unlikely touchdown pass in a 1990 game against Illinois.

1. Michigan
   Virginia
2. Minnesota
   Hawaii

Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper editor Virginius Dabney authored many books about Virginia's notables and the state's rich history. Dabney's books include "Liberalism in the South," "Virginia: The New Dominion" and "Richmond: The Story of a City."

1. Wisconsin
   Idaho
2. Mississippi
   Iowa

Idaho is dubbed the "Gem State" for good reason: Hundreds of various minerals can be sifted from all over the state. Annually, thousands of people flock to the Southeast Idaho Gem and Mineral Show, where precious stone collectors show off their finds.

1. Virginia
   Arkansas
2. Connecticut
   Alabama

The state of Alabama spans 52,423 square miles. The first recorded exploration of the territory by European settlers occurred in 1539 when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto set foot on land that was inhabited by Creek, Chickasaw and Choctaw Indian nations.

1. Wisconsin
   Utah
2. Florida
   New Hampshire

"The Badger State" is Wisconsin's unofficial nickname, though it does not actually pay tribute to the nocturnal creature. Instead, the name recognizes early miners who imitated the animal when they sought shelter underground during the winter months in the state's southwestern region.

1. Nevada
   Mississippi
2. Louisiana
   South Carolina

Louisiana's official nickname is "The Pelican State" due in large part to the plenitude of brown pelicans in the state. The pelican, which is also the state bird, was symbolized in early seals and documents of the state. The bird is featured on the Great Seal of Louisiana and state flag.

1. Illinois
   Nebraska
2. Maryland
   Delaware

Nebraska was the 37th state to release a commemorative coin in the 50 State Quarters Program in 2006. Nebraska's coin design is of pioneers and Chimney Rock, which is a famous landmark in western Nebraska.

1. Alaska
   Kentucky
2. Minnesota
   Washington

Minnesota acquired the nickname "The Gopher State" from a cartoon that ridiculed the "Five Million Loan Bill" presented before the Minnesota State Legislature in February 1858.

1. Washington
   Hawaii
2. Missouri
   Kansas

War hero and former Hawaii senator Daniel Inouye witnessed the Pearl Harbor attack in the state as a teenager. Inouye was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and he was the first Japanese-American ever elected to Congress.

1. North Carolina
   Maryland
2. Michigan
   Vermont

Once a thriving multi-billion-dollar industry in North Carolina, tobacco is not the commodity it used to be for the state. Tobacco no longer fuels the growth of state industries like pharmaceuticals and auto parts.