About This Quiz
Ever since the intention was first declared to form a more perfect union, America has been a work in progress.Â
One of the great mechanisms by which forward progress is achieved, or, depending on the issue, thwarted, is the federal model of American government, whereby the country is formed of autonomous states that write their own laws, while also agreeing to the primacy of the federal government's law. This is what Supreme Court Justice, Louis Brandeis, called the "laboratories of democracy," in which states may try "novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country."
As it is with the law, so it is with economics, infrastructure, architecture, art, literature, science and more. While from the outside, U.S. states seem pretty interchangeable, from the inside, it's very clear that each state has its own approach to all of these things. States are even generally topographically different, at least on a regional level. You'd never mistake a Great Plains state for New England or the Deep South.Â
Let's see how well you can distinguish these frustrating, fabulous and forever-changing laboratories of democracy by taking this quiz!
Wyoming is a beautiful mountain state whose national parks are national treasures. It is also the least populous state in the country.
There's a North Carolina and a South Carolina. Tennessee was once part of the former. Both Carolinas became states in 1776.
Chicago is known sometimes as America's Second City. This, of course, is why the famous comedy club in Chicago is also called "The Second City." The nickname actually comes from the battle to host the World's Fair: Columbia Exposition. They beat New York, despite their "second city" status.
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Missouri is a Midwestern state on the banks of the Mississippi River. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is a world-famous landmark that was recently renovated and expanded at the cost of $176 million.
Seas are rising, and not evenly; in some areas, due to gravity and thermal expansion, which means warming water, water levels are going up an inch per year. Most of Florida's critical coastal infrastructure will need to be rebuilt if the trend is not halted.
Hawaii is the most westerly state and is noted for its beautiful climate. It also has a lot of military bases, as it provides the main strategic position for control over the Pacific.
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Nevada's economy is largely centered on vices: legal gambling and prostitution. Only seven of the top twenty employers in the state aren't associated with casinos or gambling. If you want to feel a little better, two school districts are the top two employers in the state.
Pennsylvania is known as the Keystone State and is a microcosm of the United States; it has multiple types of industries and is relatively culturally diverse.
Georgia has 159 counties and is known for its delicious peaches! Georgia was one of the original Thirteen Colonies. Georgia was first inhabited by Mound Builders, pre-Columbian indigenous tribes.
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Washington State is known for its tech sector and aerospace industry. Seattle boasts the famous Space Needle, built in 1962, which was constructed to be able to withstand a 9.0 earthquake.
Kentucky is known for Bourbon and Churchill Downs, home of the world-famous Kentucky Derby. Bluegrass music is also from Appalachia, of which Kentucky is part of.
Arkansas has the honor of hosting the headquarters of Walmart. This is due in part to its relatively central position from which the whole continental U.S. is easily reached.
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Formerly part of North Carolina, Tennessee is now its own state and is noted for its vibrant musical culture. Nashville is known as Music City, and is also home to the Grand Ole Opry.
Utah is home to some amazingly flat areas, such as the Bonneville Salt Flats, but it is also very mountainous. A slot canyon is one that is much narrower than it's walls are tall.
Minnesota has a lot of lakes; more than 10,000. It's also home to some of the oldest rocks and minerals on earth. They're 3.6 billion years old, which is only 20% younger than the planet itself.
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Crater Lake is in a volcanic caldera and also happens to be the deepest lake in the United States. The state is also home to numerous volcanoes.
Ohio is an industrial state where manufacturing is now giving way to a knowledge economy. There is also plenty of farming. Also, buckeye candies are peanut butter and chocolate. What more could you want?
Alaska is the biggest and most northerly state. It has an immense coastline, as it has the ocean on three sides.
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New York City has a population of over eight million, making it the most populous city in the U.S. However, by landmass, New York State is in the middle of the pack.
The mountainous state, Idaho, is the biggest potato grower of all the states! Idaho boasts dozens of mountain ranges, as well. For non-locals, if you pronounce their capital, Boise, as "boy-zee," they'll know you're not from there. They pronounce it "boy-see."
California's smart incentives mean it may be one of the first states to be all renewable-powered. It has the fifth-biggest economy in the world and the biggest population of the U.S. states.
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In 1886, South Carolina had the largest earthquake to ever hit the Southeast U.S. It was a magnitude 7.2 and killed dozens of people.
South Dakota gets a lot of tourism for its size, thanks to Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. The Mashed Potato Wrestling Contest is more of a local affair.
Arizona's mild winters keep its average down, but it has the hottest summers; enough to melt roads and render airplanes unable to fly in the thin air. Arizona is home to Grand Canyon National Park.
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Virginia was one of the main providers of presidents in the early days of the Union. These include George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Oklahoma was geographically at the end of the Trail of Tears, where native tribes were forcibly removed from ancestral land in other parts of the country and sent there. The Comanche were originally from Oklahoma and Texas.
Minnesota is a beautiful state, but the winters there are brutal. Stock up on supplies, and learn to ice skate. For reference, the average January high temperature in International Falls, Minnesota is 15 degrees F.
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North Dakota produces not only a lot of sunflowers, but also soybeans and honey. Nearly 90% of the state's land area is taken up by farms and ranches.
Montana is the largest of the states that include the Rockies, but there aren't many people there (it's technically the 8th least populous state in the country!) It is also the largest landlocked state.
West Virginia is among the ten smallest states by land area. It boasts many forests and mountains, including one of the most popular sections of the Appalachian Trail, a 2,200 miles thru-hike.
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Alabama is a Deep South state. It is one of the Gulf states, enjoying a beautiful coastline. Alabama is also the name of the indigenous people and language of the region.
Maryland's stupendously high household income (median $80,000+) is more than 20K above the national median. It's largely a product of its proximity to the capital in Washington D.C.
Nebraska has "the Unicameral," a single chamber legislature that is nonpartisan. This means the elections are also nonpartisan, although each candidate's political leanings are publicly known.
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All four of these answers are huge wind exporters now, but Texas has the edge. Wind energy in these states is already cheaper than running an EXISTING coal or nuclear plant, with prices set to undercut remaining fossil fuels within 25 years. Wind turbine tech is the fastest-growing job type in the U.S., and it pays very nicely. In some states, former coal miners can get free training to become wind turbine techs!
The capital city of New Mexico, Santa Fe, is at an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level. Denver, Colorado is the second-highest at 5,280 feet, earning it the nickname "The Mile High City."