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State nicknames

Posted by Smokey Stover on February 06, 2004

In Reply to: State nicknames posted by Bruce Kahl on February 06, 2004

: : "Show Me State", "Granite State" etc. are used a lot in TV weather reports and at primary election time and numerous other times and places. There must be 50 of them and they are all a little bit annoying.

: : This nicknaming must have started early. Where? And Why?

: I guess you could start your quest at the link below.

It's likely that state nicknames have taken a variety of paths from casual reference to official recognition, but a large factor is the desire of state legislatures to provide slogans, state nicknames, state birds, state flowers, state songs and the like so that the members may make speeches, and perhaps honor friends and constituents as well. I think my favorite state nickname is "The Sooner State" (v. Oklahoma in the link above), explained facetiously by some wag as meaning "I'd sooner be somewhere else." SS

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