1. Hawaii
   Alaska
2. Texas
   Montana

Fewer than one million people live in this interesting state, which happens to be the only one that doesn't apply state sales or individual income taxes. Alaska is home to the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet. Now named Denali, the peak used to be Mount McKinley.

1. Iowa
   Nevada
2. Montana
   California

Iowa officially joined the union and became a recognized state in 1846. The Eastern Goldfinch is the state bird. It's nicknamed the Hawkeye State, which also happens to be the mascot of one the state's largest universities. The state is bordered by rivers on both the eastern and western sides.

1. Maine
   Florida
2. Michigan
   Nevada

While Las Vegas has the highest population in the state and attracts the most out-of-state tourism, Nevada's capital is Carson City. The state has no major sports teams. With more than 300 hot springs, Nevada has more springs than any other state. It's also the driest state, receiving an average of just 9.5 inches of rainfall each year.

1. South Carolina
   South Dakota
2. Ohio
   Maryland

The seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, was from South Carolina, which was also the first state to secede from the Union and where the first battle of the Civil War took place. The state is also home to the first-ever museum in the U.S.

1. Pennsylvania
   Illinois
2. Alabama
   Washington

Actor Channing Tatum is from Alabama as are singers Nat King Cole and Lionel Richie. Alabama is also the state where the first-ever 911 call took place.

1. Indiana
   Vermont
2. Georgia
   Alabama

Current Vice President Mike Pence held the Indiana Governor's Seat from 2013 until 2017. Out of all the cities in the world, Wabash, Indiana, was the first one to ever be electrically lighted.

1. South Dakota
   Washington
2. Florida
   Nebraska

Nebraska's state motto is: "Equality before the law." It's the only state with a unicameral legislative system, which means it has one chamber rather than both a House and Senate.

1. West Virginia
   Rhode Island
2. Washington D.C.
   Wyoming

Also known as the Ocean State, Rhode Island has no major sports teams and a population of just over one million residents. There are only five counties in the entire state. Rhode Island is not much larger than 1,000 square miles.

1. Oregon
   Texas
2. California
   Hawaii

California has a population nearing 40 million residents and is nicknamed the Golden State. The state is also home to the first-ever McDonald's.

1. Maine
   New Jersey
2. Utah
   Louisiana

Out of the 50 states, Louisiana is the only one that follows the Napoleonic Code rather than English Common Law. Napoleon's legal system was developed based on common sense and influenced by Roman law, whereas English Common Law is based primarily on legal theories and principles.

1. Texas
   New Mexico
2. Oregon
   Arkansas

Dubbed the "Land of Enchantment," New Mexico lawmakers do not receive salaries. It's the only state to do this, but legislators are offered substantial pensions in return for their service.

1. Alaska
   Texas
2. Hawaii
   Canada

Texas was the first state to ever execute someone by lethal injection. Nicknamed the "Lone Star State," it was its own sovereign nation between 1836 and 1845. Texas entered the union in 1845.

1. Arizona
   Oregon
2. Montana
   South Dakota

Arizona is most famous for being home to Grand Canyon National Park. At the bottom of the Grand Canyon, there is a small village named Supai where mail is delivered by donkey.

1. Wisconsin
   Iowa
2. Kansas
   Massachusets

Kansas is nicknamed the "Sunflower State." It has no major sports teams and the majority of the state is plains and farmland.

1. New Hampshire
   New York
2. Mississippi
   Tennessee

With a state motto of "Live Free or Die," New Hampshire is serious about justice. The state is home to the first-ever U.S. free public library funded by taxes. New Hampshire is also the location of the first primary election for every presidential election cycle.

1. North Carolina
   New Mexico
2. Delaware
   South Dakota

According to South Dakota's state motto, "Under God the people rule," so it must be true... Its state song is "Hail! South Dakota." The "Coyote State" is also home to Mount Rushmore.

1. Idaho
   Minnesota
2. Arkansas
   Missouri

In Arkansas, "The People Rule," or at least according to the state motto they do. The "Natural State" is home to the first-ever Walmart store and will go down in history as the first state to elect a female senator.

1. Kentucky
   Ohio
2. Vermont
   Virginia

The Bluegrass State has a noble motto, claiming "United We Stand, Divided We Fall." The state is home to the Kentucky Derby, which is the oldest annual horse racing event in the country.

1. Manhattan
   Michigan
2. Hawaii
   New Jersey

Home to Atlantic City, New Jersey is referred to as the "Diner Capital of the World." There is a 15-foot-tall statue of a tooth located in Trenton, the State's capital.

1. Oklahoma
   Minnesota
2. Tennessee
   Georgia

Nicknamed the "Volunteer State," Tennessee is home to Dollywood, Graceland, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and Beale Street Historic District. Graceland, Elvis Presley's former home, is located in Memphis.

1. Montana
   Colorado
2. Washington
   Illinois

Colorado is home to "The Mile High City" (Denver), named as such because it sits exactly one mile (5,250 feet) above sea level. In 2012, Colorado became one of the first states to legalize recreational adult-use cannabis/marijuana.

1. Ohio
   Virginia
2. Washington
   Maine

In 1912, L.L. Bean started up in Freeport, Maine. The Pine Tree State has a population of around 1.4 million strong and no major sports teams.

1. Virginia
   Tennessee
2. Utah
   Montana

Home to the largest salt water lake in the entire Western Hemisphere, Utah is one of just two states that prohibits all forms of gambling. This could potentially be explained by the 62 percent of residents who identify as Mormon or are part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

1. Delaware
   Rhode Island
2. New Jersey
   Connecticut

Nicknamed the "First State," Delaware's motto is "Liberty and Independence." There are just three counties in the entire state, and it's one of five states that do not levy a sales tax.

1. Massachusetts
   Pennsylvania
2. Georgia
   New York

New Ashford, MA, is home to the one-room schoolhouse where the first woman ever voted in a national election. The state is also where Martha's Vineyard can be found.

1. Washington
   Ohio
2. Nebraska
   North Dakota

In Sioux, Dakota means "ally" or "friend." Around 750,000 people live in North Dakota.

1. New York
   Virginia
2. Maine
   Florida

Nicknamed the "Mother of Presidents," Virginia has no major sports teams, but has been home to eight presidents. It's also home to the largest office space in the world, the Pentagon, located in Arlington.

1. West Virginia
   Connecticut
2. North Dakota
   New Hampshire

Home of the first-ever public pay phone, the Constitution State has a population around 3.5 million strong. Connecticut has no major sports teams, but it has seven Division I schools.

1. Virginia
   Massachusetts
2. Maine
   Maryland

Maryland has a unique motto, "Manly deeds, womanly words." The state is home to Annapolis, the prestigious U.S. Naval Academy.

1. Hawaii
   Montana
2. North Carolina
   Colorado

Around 10 million people live in the Tar Heel State, with a motto that reads: "To be, rather than to seem." Krispy Kreme Doughnuts originally started out in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1937.

1. Maine
   West Virginia
2. Ohio
   Vermont

Vermont's state motto, "Freedom and Unity," is something Ben and Jerry's, a company known for its ethical employment practices, can likely get behind, as they got their start in an old gas station located in Burlington, VT. The state's largest city has a population of fewer than 43,000 residents.

1. Mississippi
   Tennessee
2. Florida
   Washington

The Sunshine State's motto also appears on U.S. currency, "In God We Trust." Around 20 million people populate Florida. Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Orlando are the highest populated cities in the state.

1. Wisconsin
   Michigan
2. Ohio
   Washington

Another state with a uniquely interesting motto, Michigan's reads "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you." It's nicknamed the "Wolverine State" and has more lighthouses than any other state, coming in at around 150.

1. Ohio
   Illinois
2. Pennsylvania
   Kentucky

Ohio's motto is "With God, all things are possible." The Buckeye State is home to the first-ever U.S. traffic signal system and soccer-specific stadium.

1. Texas
   California
2. Utah
   Washington

The largest man-made island in the world, named Harbor Island, is located in Seattle's Duwamish Waterway. Seattle is also home to the first-ever Starbucks.

1. Ohio
   Kentucky
2. Georgia
   Illinois

Georgia's state motto is "Wisdom, justice,and moderation." Whether or not the Peach State government abides by this is debatable. In 1836, Georgia became the state with the first-ever women's college in the world, called Wesleyan College.

1. Wyoming
   Wisconsin
2. Michigan
   Minnesota

The largest shopping mall in the U.S., The Mall of America, is located in Bloomington, Minnesota. Dubbed the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," the state actually has nearly 12,000 lakes.

1. Oklahoma
   Wyoming
2. Nebraska
   Michigan

There are upwards of 200 man-made lakes in Oklahoma, making it the state with the most artificial lakes in the U.S. Oklahoma is where the shopping cart and original parking meter were invented.

1. Arizona
   Colorado
2. West Virginia
   Montana

The Mountain State's motto is"Mountaineers are always free," but its highest peak measures in at just 4,863 feet and there are no national parks. West Virginia's population is coming up on 2 million residents, with the highest concentration of people living in Charleston, the state capital.

1. Ohio
   Idaho
2. Montana
   Nebraska

In 1955, Arco, Idaho, became the first city in the entire world to use atomic energy for lighting. Idaho's gorgeous Shoshone Falls is 45 feet taller than Niagara Falls.

1. Mississippi
   Indiana
2. Arkansas
   Missouri

The Show-Me State's motto is "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law." Whether or not they follow this motto is debatable. There are upwards of 6,000 caves throughout MO.

1. Pennsylvania
   Wyoming
2. Washington
   Colorado

Pennsylvania is host to the Little League World Series every year. With 17 championships, Taiwan has the most wins.

1. Nebraska
   Utah
2. Wyoming
   Alabama

In 1869, Wyoming gave women the right to vote, becoming the first state to do so and earning the nickname, "The Equality State." Wyoming is home to the majority of Yellowstone National Park.

1. Alaska
   Canada
2. Puerto Rico
   Hawaii

The Aloha State is home to Nobel Prize winner and 44th U.S. President, Barak Obama. Along with Arizona, Hawaii does not observe Daylight Savings Time.

1. Mississippi
   Georgia
2. Utah
   Nevada

With a population of nearly 3 million residents, the Magnolia State is where the first-ever human lung transplant took place (1963). Greenwood, Mississippi, has been dubbed the "Cotton Capital of the World."

1. Iowa
   Idaho
2. Oregon
   Utah

The Beaver State is home to the deepest lake in the U.S., measuring in at maximum depth of nearly 2,000 feet. Oregon was the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide.

1. Indiana
   Ohio
2. Michigan
   Wisconsin

Wisconsin's state beverage is milk and its state domestic animal is the dairy cow. The Badger State's unofficial nickname is the "Dairy State." The blender was born in Wisconsin, which also happens to be the home of the Hamburger Hall of Fame.

1. Indiana
   Illinois
2. Ohio
   Georgia

The Prairie State, also known as the Land of Lincoln, is home to one of the largest cities in the U.S., Chicago, which is commonly called the Windy City. Illinois is also home to the world's first-ever sky scrapper, which was just 10 stories at the time (1885).

1. Wyoming
   Arkansas
2. Montana
   Alaska

The first woman to ever be elected to the House of Representatives, Jeannette Rankin, was voted in by the people of Montana. The state is notorious for its extreme temperature swings, with the largest swing coming in at 103 degrees, going from -54 to 49 degrees in 24 hours.

1. Nebraska
   Maryland
2. New York
   Indiana

With a population nearing 20 million people, New York is allotted 29 Electoral College votes. The state is home to the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Broadway, Times Square, and is ground zero for the World Trade Center terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.