1. Texas
   California
2. Oklahoma
   New Mexico

The name "Texas" comes from the word "teysha," used by Native American tribes like the Hasinais and Caddo, located in east Texas. The word translates into English as "friends" and was often used as a form of greeting by the tribes.

1. Florida
   California
2. Oregon
   New York

Florida is known for its resorts and beautiful beaches, but the state is also one of the most damaged during hurricane season. The state's hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Oddly, Florida is damaged by hurricanes more often in even years.

1. Wisconsin
   Colorado
2. Michigan
   Utah

Michigan is not one single landmass; it is actually divided into two peninsulas, separated by Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Michigan is the only U.S. state that features such geography. Detroit, Michigan, is known as the car capital of the world.

1. Arkansas
   Oklahoma
2. Kansas
   Kentucky

Arkansas is home to the only active diamond mine in the United States, located at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Pike County, Arkansas. The mine currently lets tourists dig for diamonds during their visit, and those tourists can keep any diamonds they find.

1. New Mexico
   Nebraska
2. Nevada
   Delaware

It was the discovery of silver, not gambling, that caused a significant population increase in Nevada, beginning in 1859. The silver deposit was found at Comstock Lode, marking the first time such a deposit of silver was found in the United States.

1. Kentucky
   Ohio
2. North Carolina
   West Virginia

Virginia was split during the start of the Civil War on whether to secede from the Union or not, with those in the west favoring the North. When their counterparts in the east united with the South, West Virginia split off to form a new state.

1. Mississippi
   Tennessee
2. Kentucky
   Ohio

To find the inventors of Mountain Dew, a soda connoisseur has to look no further than Tennessee, where the Hartman brothers concocted the mixture to make the taste of moonshine more bearable. Pepsi later bought the recipe from the brothers and started making Mountain Dew.

1. Utah
   Colorado
2. California
   Louisiana

Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, two of Hollywood's biggest stars, went on to become governors of California. Both actors served two terms, and Reagan's time as governor would help him prepare for his successful presidential run in 1980.

1. Nebraska
   New Mexico
2. Mississippi
   Louisiana

Louisiana was acquired from France during the 1803 purchase of the Louisiana Territory for $15 million. The purchase doubled the size of the United States and set the stage for expansion to the West Coast.

1. Hawaii
   Alaska
2. Rhode Island
   Florida

Moose are among the most beloved animals in Alaska, which is why they are protected by the law in certain situations. One strange law to protect moose states that it's illegal to give them alcohol in Fairbanks. Apparently, that was a problem they were facing in the Alaskan wilderness.

1. New York
   California
2. South Carolina
   Virginia

New York City is often mistaken as the capital of New York, but the state's actual capital is Albany. The city has been the capital of New York since 1797, mainly because of its location on the Hudson River, which made it a significant trading post for most of its history.

1. Rhode Island
   Hawaii
2. New Mexico
   Oklahoma

Eight main islands plus many smaller ones make up the state of Hawaii. The capital of Hawaii, Honolulu, is located on the third largest of these islands, Oahu. In fact, the majority of the population of Hawaii lives on this island, and its environment makes it a huge tourist destination each year.

1. Mississippi
   Lousiana
2. Arkansas
   Alabama

While Montgomery is the capital and Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama, Huntsville might be the most famous city in the state. That's because Huntsville is home to the Marshall Space Flight Center, where the Saturn V rocket was built to send astronauts to the moon.

1. Maine
   Massachusetts
2. New Hampshire
   Ohio

Massachusetts is filled with history, particularly in Boston, the capital of the state. Boston is home to the Red Sox, an MLB team that plays in the oldest stadium in the majors, Fenway Park.

1. Montana
   North Dakota
2. Washington
   Iowa

Before it was admitted as a state in 1889, Washington was part of a territory acquired from the British in 1846. The state received its name from the first president of the United States, George Washington, making it the only state to be named after a president.

1. Utah
   Kansas
2. Idaho
   Colorado

Colorado is the highest state in the nation, with the entire elevation of the state being at least 3,315 feet above sea level. The lowest point in the state is where the Arikaree River runs through Yuma County, Colorado.

1. Virginia
   South Carolina
2. Indiana
   New Jersey

Virginia lays claim to Jamestown, the first permanent settlement established by the English in North America. The settlement was formed in 1607 by John Smith, although early problems resulted in a significant population decrease until tobacco made the colony profitable.

1. Pennsylvania
   Delaware
2. Virginia
   Maryland

Delaware did not receive a National Monument until 2013, which made it the last state to be honored with a monument, despite being the first state added to the Union. The monument, known as the First State Monument, was dedicated by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

1. Montana
   Massachusetts
2. Maryland
   Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home to the Hershey Company, located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1894, Hershey is one of the top chocolate producing companies in the world and makes a variety of products aside from its signature candy bar.

1. Utah
   Oregon
2. Idaho
   Nevada

One of the most unique and beautiful parts of Oregon's outdoor environment is Crater Lake, which was formed nearly 7,000 years ago after a volcano collapsed. The lake is around 2,000 feet deep, making it the deepest lake in the United States.

1. Illinois
   Indiana
2. Ohio
   Wisconsin

Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, is known for its many brewers, earning the nickname Brew City and a baseball team called the Brewers. Brewing companies that were founded in Wisconsin include Miller Brewing Company and Pabst Brewing Company, two of the most popular brewers in America.

1. Maine
   Nebraska
2. Maryland
   Kentucky

Lincoln, Nebraska, was once called Lancaster until the capital of the state was moved from Omaha to Lincoln. The proposal referred to Lincoln as "Capital City" because officials thought some voters who were loyal to the South wouldn't want to move the capital to a place named after Abraham Lincoln.

1. Vermont
   Montana
2. New Hampshire
   Rhode Island

Before Vermont became the first state admitted to the Union after the 13 colonies, it was its own country known as the Vermont Republic. The country started in 1777 and went as far as to establish its own currency before it became part of the United States.

1. South Dakota
   New Jersey
2. Utah
   Montana

With 60% of its population identifying as Mormon, Utah is one of the most homogenous states when it comes to religion. In comparison, only about 2% of the overall U.S. population is Mormon.

1. South Dakota
   Kentucky
2. Wyoming
   Vermont

Wyoming can lay claim to setting many firsts, particularly for women in the United States. For example, the state granted women the right to vote in 1869, well before the passage of the 19th Amendment. It also had the country's first female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross, who served in the position from 1925 until 1927.

1. Idaho
   Maine
2. New Jersey
   South Dakota

Atlantic City is easily identified as the center of gambling in New Jersey, but it's also the location of the first Miss America pageant. The pageant was held in 1921 on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. The first winner was Margaret Gorman, a 16-year-old from Washington, D.C.

1. Oklahoma
   Indiana
2. North Carolina
   Kentucky

Daniel Boone, the legendary frontiersman, was an important figure in Kentucky history. In 1775, he made his way through the Appalachian Mountains to establish Boonesborough, Kentucky, an early settlement west of the Appalachians. His actions led thousands of Americans to settle Kentucky at the end of the 18th century.

1. Iowa
   North Dakota
2. Indiana
   Oklahoma

Prior to becoming a state in 1907, Oklahoma was divided into the Indian Territory and the Oklahoma Territory. The Indian Territory is the area where thousands of Native Americans from the east were relocated under the Indian Removal Act.

1. North Dakota
   Montana
2. Idaho
   Iowa

With a name derived from a Spanish word meaning "mountain," Montana certainly has plenty of mountain ranges to enjoy. The highest peak in Montana is Granite Peak, located in the Beartooth Mountains, with an elevation of over 12,000 feet.

1. Maine
   North Carolina
2. Mississippi
   Indiana

First known as "Brad's Drink," Pepsi was created in New Bern, North Carolina. The drink was introduced by Caleb Bradham in 1893 at his drugstore. Because he believed it aided digestion, he renamed it Pepsi, after an enzyme called pepsin, derived from a Greek word that means "digestion."

1. Minnesota
   Massachusetts
2. Maine
   Rhode Island

Concentrations of water, like lakes, bays and inlets, make up about one-third of Rhode Island, making the state even smaller in terms of livable land. For people who enjoy the shoreline, there's plenty of it in Rhode Island — 384 miles of shoreline, in fact.

1. Nevada
   New Mexico
2. North Dakota
   Arizona

Meteor Crater, located in Arizona, is the site where astronauts trained in preparation for their landing on the moon during the Apollo missions. The crater was created an estimated 50,000 years ago by an iron meteorite.

1. Idaho
   South Dakota
2. Mississippi
   Iowa

Known as the Gem State, Idaho is home to dozens of gemstones, including the extremely rare star garnet. There are only two places in the world where the star garnet can be found: Idaho and India.

1. Kansas
   South Dakota
2. Idaho
   Iowa

Kansas was key to the slave state versus free state debate before the Civil War. During this time, residents debated whether Kansas would allow slavery or not, and the turmoil leading up to the vote led to several violent clashes that became known as Bleeding Kansas.

1. Ohio
   Indiana
2. South Carolina
   Minnesota

South Carolina played a pivotal role in the Civil War, beginning on December 20, 1860, when it became the first state to secede from the Union. Then, in April of 1861, the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina.

1. Indiana
   Illinois
2. Ohio
   Massachusetts

Designed by John Eisenmann, the Ohio flag is the only state flag that's not shaped like a rectangle. Instead, the flag has a swallowtail silhouette. Seventeen stars symbolize Ohio's position as the 17th state admitted to the U.S.

1. Maryland
   New Jersey
2. New Hampshire
   North Carolina

The famous American writer Edgar Allan Poe was a resident of Baltimore, the largest city in Maryland, where he died in 1849. To honor his legacy in the city, the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL were named after his poem, "The Raven."

1. Kentucky
   Missouri
2. Mississippi
   Nebraska

Missouri and Tennessee are tied with one another for having the most state borders with other states. Aside from bordering Tennessee, Missouri borders Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

1. Massachusetts
   Maine
2. Connecticut
   New Hampshire

Calling itself the Constitution State, Connecticut lays claim to being the first place in history to have a written constitution, known as the Fundamental Orders. These orders established rules for the government in the Connecticut Colony in 1639.

1. Georgia
   Alabama
2. Mississippi
   Tennessee

Looking to help prisoners who couldn't pay their debts, James Oglethorpe founded Georgia in 1732 as a felon colony. This new colony was viewed as an opportunity for these prisoners to start a new life, as they had no support back in England.