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U.S. States ‑ Stories

Stretching more than 3,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, the United States of America is comprised of 50 states, each with its own state capital, traditions and history.

Diamondhead coastline, Oahu, Hawaii

Hawaii’s Long Road to Becoming America’s 50th State

Hawaii became part of the union more than six decades after an illegal coup ousted the Native Hawaiian monarchy.

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The Cannonball Loop. (Credit: Action Park)

The Rise and Fall of Action Park—New Jersey’s Most Dangerous Water Park

New Jersey’s Action Park quickly earned the infamous nickname “Accident Park.”

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(Credit: Found Image Holdings/Getty Images)

Why are Indiana residents called “Hoosiers”?

A little more than a decade after Indiana joined the Union on December 11, 1816, newspapers began to refer to the residents of the newly admitted state as “Hoosiers.” (Alternate spellings included “Hooshers” and “Hooshores.”) The unusual nickname appeared in print as early as 1832 and gained popular usage the following year after publication of […]

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9 Things You May Not Know About California

Explore nine surprising facts about California, which achieved statehood 165 years ago this week.

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bourbon, alcohol, kentucky

How Kentucky Became the World’s Bourbon Capital

Find out how Kentucky became the center of the world’s production of the distinctive corn‑based, barrel‑aged whiskey.

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Monument marking the graves of the victims of the Goliad Massacre.

The Goliad Massacre—The Other Alamo

Although overshadowed by the fall of the Alamo, the Goliad Massacre claimed the lives of twice as many Texas rebels.

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2013 Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania

Groundhog Was Once on Punxsutawney’s Menu

More than a century ago, Punxsutawney residents relied on groundhogs for more than just weather forecasts. They ate them as well.

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HUNGRY America's State Foods

America’s State Foods

Did you know that New York has a state muffin and that Jell‑O is the state snack of Utah?

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Why is New York City nicknamed the “Big Apple”?

New York state is America’s top apple grower, after the state of Washington, but New York City’s nickname has nothing to do with fruit production. In fact, the Big Apple moniker first gained popularity in connection with horseracing. Around 1920, New York City newspaper reporter John Fitz Gerald, whose beat was the track, heard African‑American […]

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Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, in the lower Shenandoah Valley.

8 Things You May Not Know About West Virginia

Learn eight surprising facts about America’s 35th state.

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Two cowboys round up cattle on a cattle drive late in the day in 1996 on the Double Mountain River Ranch outside Raton, Texas.

9 Things You May Not Know About Texas

Explore nine things you may not know about the Lone Star State.

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Original model for the Jefferson State seal. dating to 1941. It's painted on the back of a gold miner's pan. Part of the collection of the Siskiyou County Museum. (Photo by Sarah Goodyear/NY Daily News via Getty Images)

5 Would‑Be U.S. States

From Franklin to Absaroka, a number of upstart territories just missed out on statehood at various points in U.S. history.

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