Teacher Guide to 50 States of America
Here are some interesting facts about the 50 states of America:
Alabama had the first Mardi Gras in the United States of America. It was held, as it is now in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
Alaska was purchased in 1867 for two cents an acre, or a total of $7,200,000.
The USS Arizona, a battleship, was named after the state. It launched from the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1915.
Sam Walton started his first Walmart store in Bentonville, Arkansas.
California turkey breeders raise more turkeys than any other state in the United States of America.
Denver, Colorado, is home of the first cheeseburger.
The first telephone directory was printed in New Haven, Connecticut and it only had fifty names in it.
Descendants of the Nanticoke Indians hold a Pow Wow every September in Delaware, to celebrate their heritage.
The city with the highest number of lightning strikes per person is Clearwater, Florida.
The "City of Savanna", named after the city in Georgia, was the very first steamship to make it across the Atlantic.
Hawaii includes eight islands - Hawaii, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Maui, Oahu, Kauai and Niihu.
You are not allowed, in Idaho, to give someone a box of candy that is heavier than fifty pounds.
The first skyscraper in the world was built in Chicago, Illinois, in 1885. The Raggedy Ann doll was created in 1914 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The city of Burlington, Iowa boasts the crookedest street in the United States of America, according to Ripley's Believe it or not.
In Cawker City, Kansas, there is a 38-foot ball of twine that is still growing.
Mammoth cave in Kentucky is the longest cave in the world.
Louisiana is the only state in the united States of America that doesn't have counties. It has parishes.
In Wilton, Maine, there is a cannery that cans dandelion greens as their only product.
Friendship International Airport in Maryland opened in 1950. It is now known as Baltimore/ Washington International Airport.
Boston, Massachusetts built the very first subway system to be used in the United States of America, in 1897.
Michigan is quite often called the "Wolverine State", but there aren't any wolverines in Michigan anymore.
Mall of America, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, covers 9.5 million square feet, or roughly 78 football fields.
Petal, Mississippi is the home of the International Checkers Hall of Fame.
Warsaw, Missouri holds the record for both the coldest AND the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the state - -40F and 118F, respectively.
In Montana, each average square land mile contains 3.3 deer, 1.4 pronghorn antelope and 1.4 elk.
Nebraska's rivers run for more miles than those of any other state in the United States of America.
In 1999, the state of Nevada had over 200,000 slot machines, which works out to one for every ten residents of the state.
The highest wind speed ever recorded at ground level was measured at Mount Washington, New Hampshire.
The winds were three times faster than most hurricane-force winds. New Jersey "boasts" more car thefts than anywhere else in the United States of America.
More cars are stolen in Trenton, NJ than in New York City and Los Angeles put together.
The Navajo reservation in New Mexico covers fourteen million acres.
The very first capital of the United States of America was New York City, New York.
George Washington took the first ever oath of office there in 1789.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts was founded in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
In 1987, a bill making English the official state language was passed, in North Dakota.
Cleveland, Ohio had the first traffic light, in 1914. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma hosts the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
The state flag of Oregon shows a beaver on the back. It's the only state flag that has a separate design on the back.
The first stadium for baseball was built in 1909 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The oldest carousel in the United States of America is located in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
There is only one covered bridge still in use in South Carolina. It was built in 1909 and is located in Campbell.
The potato capital of South Dakota is in the town of Clark, which also holds a Mashed Potato Wrestling match every year.
In Shelby County, Tennessee, there are more horses per person than anywhere else in the U.S.
The King cattle Ranch, located in Texas, is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island.
The town in the middle of the state of Utah is Levan.
This is navel spelled backwards, because of its central location. The only capital in the United States of America without a McDonald's restaurant is Montpelier, Vermont.
The Pentagon, in Alexandria, Virginia, has almost 68,000 MILES of telephone lines internally.
The state of Washington is the home for many Internet companies, such as Classmates.com and Amazon.com.
The first Mother's Day ever was celebrated in 1908, in Grafton, West Virginia.
The largest water park in the country is Noah's Ark, located in the Wisconsin Dells.
The first state that allowed women to vote was Wyoming.
Related Teacher Resources That Are Worth A Look:
- 50 States
- American Folklore
- America's Story
- Edible State Map
- Fifty States of the US
- Geography of the 50 States
- Hooray For Our State