One weird thing you never knew about your home state
Madeline Diamond
Chickens outnumber people in Delaware.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang
- You probably learned most basic facts about your home state in school, but there are also many more peculiar facts that you don't know.
- For example, there are more barrels of bourbon in Kentucky than people.
- New York was the first state in the US to require cars to use license plates.
You probably know the official bird or motto of your home state. But there are many more (often strange) facts about each of the 50 states that may surprise you.
From Kentucky having more barrels of bourbon than humans to Alabama being home to a store that sells your lost luggage to strangers, keep reading for one weird thing you probably didn't know about every state.
ALABAMA: There's a store in Alabama that sells unclaimed baggage.
The Unclaimed Baggage Center is located in Scottsboro, Alabama.
Shutterstock
You can learn more about it here.
ALASKA: Alaska has more coastline than any other state.
The Alaskan coastline totals over 6,000 miles.
Shutterstock / Richard A McMillin
Source: Infoplease
ARIZONA: The bolo tie is the official state neckwear of Arizona.
It's held the official position since 1971.
aastock/Shutterstock
Source: NPR
ARKANSAS: The most valuable diamond ever discovered in the US was found in Arkansas.
The diamond (not the one pictured), valued at $1 million, was found at Arkansas Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Crater of Diamonds State Park/AP
Source: Mining.com, CNN
CALIFORNIA: California is the only state that has hosted both the summer and winter Olympics.
Los Angeles will host the summer Olympics again in 2028.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Source: Olympic Games
COLORADO: There has never been a US president or vice president born in Colorado.
Denver, the capital of Colorado.
Andrew Zarivny/Shutterstock
Source: The Washington Post
CONNECTICUT: The first phone book in the US was printed in New Haven in 1878.
The first phone book included only 50 names.
Michal Mrozek/Shutterstock
Source: The Smithsonian
DELAWARE: Chickens outnumber people 200-to-1 in Delaware.
Delaware's human population is just over 970,000.
REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang
Source: NewsWorks
FLORIDA: It is illegal to spread a loved one's ashes at Disney World (although many people try).
The Haunted Mansion is a popular location for this activity.
Park Troopers/Unsplash
Source: ABC News
GEORGIA: There were four other state capitals before Atlanta.
Atlanta.
SeanPavonePhoto / iStock
Savannah, Augusta, Louisville, and Milledgeville are the state's previous capitals.
Source: Georgia Encyclopedia
HAWAII: Hawaii has the highest life expectancy out of any state, with 81.3 years of age.
Beautiful aerial view of spectacular Na Pali coast, Kauai, Hawaii.
MNStudio/Shutterstock
Source: SeniorLiving.org
IDAHO: At 7,993 feet deep, the Snake River in Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America.
This river is deeper than the Grand Canyon.
Robert Crum/Shutterstock
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
ILLINOIS: The state is home to the world's largest bottle of "catsup."
It is 170 feet tall.
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
Source: Time
INDIANA: Wabash, Indiana, was the first US city to use electric street lights.
The first street lights were introduced in 1880.
Take Photo/Shutterstock
Source: Indiana Public Media
IOWA: Pigs outnumber the human population in Iowa about 7-to-1.
Pig farming is a huge industry in Iowa.
Alexander Raths/Shutterstock
Source: NPR
KANSAS: Helium was discovered in Kansas.
Two chemistry professors made the discovery in 1905.
jakkapan21/ iStock
Source: American Chemical Society
KENTUCKY: There are more barrels of bourbon than people in Kentucky.
Barrel.
Reuters/Rick Wilking
There are approximately 6.7 million barrels of bourbon in the state compared to a population of around 4.4 million people.
Source: Cincinnati
LOUISIANA: Milk is the official state drink of Louisiana.
It's been the official beverage of the state since 1983.
NaturalBox/Shutterstock
MAINE: Portland, Oregon, is actually named after Portland, Maine.
A lighthouse in Portland, Maine.
Shutterstock
Source: Boston Magazine
MARYLAND: The first Ouija board was invented in Maryland.
The spooky board was created in Baltimore, Maryland.
Couperfield/Shutterstock
Source: The Baltimore Sun
MASSACHUSETTS: Both volleyball and basketball were invented in the state.
The Boston Celtics.
Maddie Meyer/Getty
Source: Springfield College, Boston Magazine
MICHIGAN: No matter where you are in the state, you'll never be more than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes.
Lake Michigan.
Shutterstock
Source: The Smithsonian
MINNESOTA: Minnesota has more golfers per capita than any other state.
There is a huge golfing population in Minnesota.
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Source: Golf.com
MISSISSIPPI: Barq's Root Beer was invented in Biloxi.
The first Barq's Root Beer was bottled and sold in 1898.
Tochanchai/Shutterstock
Source: Barq's
MISSOURI: The first successful parachute jump from a moving plane (what we now call skydiving) was completed in Missouri.
The daring jump was made in 1912.
Mauricio Graiki/Shutterstock
Source: St. Louis Magazine
MONTANA: The coldest recorded temperature in the lower 48 states occurred in Montana. It was a freezing -70°F at Rogers Pass.
Alaska has only beaten this record temperature once.
Galyna Andrushko/Shutterstock
Source: Utah State University
NEBRASKA: Kool-Aid is the official state soft drink of Nebraska.
It's been the official beverage since 1998.
dcwcreations/Shutterstock
NEVADA: Nearly half of all the wild horses in the US are in Nevada.
Many of these horses are part of the Virginia Range herd in western Nevada.
James Marvin Phelps/Shutterstock
Source: The Smithsonian
NEW HAMPSHIRE: The state fruit of New Hampshire is the pumpkin.
The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival is a popular event every fall.
Romiana Lee/Shutterstock
Source: New Hampshire Government
NEW JERSEY: During the Revolutionary War, more battles were fought in New Jersey than in any other colony.
The Battle of Monmouth was one notable battle that took place in New Jersey.
Kevin M. McCarthy/Shutterstock
Source: The State of New Jersey
NEW MEXICO: The city of Santa Fe is 7,000 feet above sea level, making it the state capital with the highest elevation in the country.
Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Shutterstock
Source: Santa Fe Tourism
NEW YORK: New York was the first state to require license plates on cars.
New York City traffic.
Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock
Source: Time
NORTH CAROLINA: North Carolina produces the most sweet potatoes out of all the 50 states.
Sweet potatoes from the state make up about 60% of the country's supply.
iStock / juliedeshales
Source: North Carolina Sweet Potatoes
NORTH DAKOTA: Rugby, North Dakota, is home to the geographical center of North America.
There's a monument dedicated to the exact spot.
Sue Smith/Shutterstock
Source: City of Rugby
OHIO: Ohio has the only state flag in the US that isn't rectangular.
This type of flag is called a burgee.
NASS
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
OKLAHOMA: There are more man-made lakes in Oklahoma than in any other state.
Lake Texoma is partly in Oklahoma and partly in Texas.
Donna Beeler/Shutterstock
Source: NPR
OREGON: Portland, Oregon, is home to more breweries than any other city in the world.
There are 58 breweries in the city of Portland, alone.
Joshua Rainey Photography/Shutterstock
Source: Forbes
PENNSYLVANIA: The first gas station in the US opened in 1913 in Pittsburgh.
Gas at this station first sold for 27 cents per gallon.
AP/Damian Dovarganes
Source: The Post Gazette
RHODE ISLAND: The first polo match held in the US was played in Rhode Island in 1886.
The match was played in the ritzy resort town of Newport, Rhode Island.
Kento35/Shutterstock
Source: Newport Polo
SOUTH CAROLINA: Georgia may be well known for its peaches, but more peaches are actually produced in South Carolina.
South Carolina calls itself "the tastier peach state."
Ian Baldwin/Unsplash
Source: Post and Courier
SOUTH DAKOTA: Up until its closure in 2002, the Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, was the largest and deepest gold mine in all of North America.
Homestake Mine in 1900.
History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Source: Science Magazine
TENNESSEE: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the US.
This park beats out the Grand Canyon for most visitors.
Sean Pavone / Getty
Source: National Geographic
TEXAS: Dr Pepper was invented in Texas in 1885.
Dr Pepper has been a popular soft drink for over a century.
Andrey Ch/Shutterstock
Source: Dr Pepper Museum
UTAH: Utah is the only state in the US where every county includes a part of a national forest.
Dixie National Forest.
Thierry Guinet/Shutterstock
Source: State of Utah
VERMONT: Vermont produces an average of 1.2 million gallons of maple syrup every year.
That's more than New York and Maine's totals combined.
iStock
Source: New York Post
VIRGINIA: The first college fraternity was founded in the College of William & Mary in 1776.
The campus of William & Mary.
Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
WASHINGTON: Washington produces six out of every 10 apples consumed in the US.
The apple is also the official state fruit.
Shutterstock
Source: Washington Apple Commission
WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia's name was almost "Kanawha."
The name was discussed at a delegate convention in 1861 before the name "West Virginia" was officially selected in 1862.
LesPalenik/Shutterstock
WISCONSIN: The QWERTY keyboard was invented in Wisconsin.
The keyboard that's still used today was created in 1873.
ArthurStock/Shutterstock
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
WYOMING: Wyoming was the first state in the country to have a female governor.
Wyoming.
Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock
Nellie Tayloe Ross was elected in 1925 after her husband died before finishing his term as governor.
Source: The University of Wyoming
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