The United States is a diverse country where every state has its own culture, history, and quirks — and some of those quirks are actually quite bizarre. That said, here’s one weird, obscure, or intriguing fact about every US state that might just blow your mind:
1.
Alabama — Sure, this state is well-known for its college football, but it’s also known for snails! Alabama has 210 species of freshwater snails, making it the home of the most diverse snail species in the world.
2.
Alaska — Poison ivy and poison oak simply do not exist in Alaska. In fact, Alaska and Hawaii are the only two states where those plants don’t exist. Rather, Alaska has other plants that can cause skin reactions, like cow parsnip and devil’s club.
3.
Arizona — Except for the Navajo Nation, Arizona hasn’t observed daylight savings time since 1968 due to the hot temperatures.
4.
Arkansas — It’s illegal to mispronounce Arkansas. The name of the state was given by the Quapaw tribe, some of the original residents. There’s no criminal penalty for pronouncing it wrong, but it’s written in state law, so don’t even try that “Ar-kansas” nonsense.
5.
California — In Blythe, California, wearing cowboy boots is illegal unless you own two cows. The gatekeeping is so real.
6.
Colorado — After trying to host the Olympics for decades, Colorado declined to host the 1976 Winter Olympics in Denver after its citizens voted against it. They thought hosting the games would be too costly, bring up the city’s population, and create pollution. Colorado is the only state in history to reject having the Olympics there.
8.
Delaware — Due to the many marshes, bays, and streams, Delaware has more shoreline than Guam and the US Virgin Islands combined, with 381 miles.
9.
Florida — We all know that strange things come out of Florida, but did you know that the Everglades is the only place in the entire world where crocodiles and alligators coexist? Pretty iconic, if you ask me.
10.
Georgia — In 2004, one of the largest hogs was found in Alapaha, Georgia. It was estimated to weigh about 800 pounds and was around eight feet long. The locals call it “Hogzilla.“
11.
Hawaii — You can mail a whole coconut from Hawaii without needing to wrap or box it up. It has to be an older, dried-up coconut, but you can write a message or paint a picture on it, and the postal office will deliver it.
12.
Idaho — There’s a tree at the Brundage Mountain Ski Resort in McCall, Idaho, that skiers throw their bras onto while on the chairlift. The tree is formally known as the Centennial Tree, but locals know it as the Brundage Bra Tree.
13.
Illinois — In Vandalia, Illinois, there’s a fire-breathing dragon. Yup, you read that right. The metal Kaskaskia Dragon was built in 1995 and is 35 feet long. If you drop a “dragon coin” into a slot, it’ll torch out some wicked propane-fueled fire.
14.
Indiana — It’s against the law to catch fish with dynamite, firearms, a crossbow, and even your bare hands.
15.
Iowa — The world’s largest truck stop resides in Walcott, Iowa, and is called Iowa 80. The stop was established in 1964 and has a whole lot of amenities like a laundry room, a workout room, a barbershop, a dog washing area, and, among other things, a movie theater.
16.
Kansas — Dodge City, Kansas, is considered the windiest city in the United States due to its location on the Great Plains, with average winds of 14 mph. Chicago could never.
17.
Kentucky — There’s a three-mile-wide crater in Kentucky that was caused by a meteor around 300 years ago. So what did Kentucky do? Decide to build a town in it. Yep, Middlesboro, KY is the only town constructed entirely inside a meteor crater.
19.
Maine — Billboards have been banned in Maine since the 1970s to preserve the beauty and scenic views of the state.
20.
Maryland — The NFL team, the Baltimore Ravens, was named after Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “The Raven.” The famous author is buried in Baltimore.
21.
Massachusetts — The lake with the longest name in the world is in Webster, MA, and it’s called Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.
22.
Michigan — A popular urban legend in Michigan revolves around the Melon Heads, which are apparently described as small humanoids with big, bulbous heads who come out of hiding and attack people.
23.
Minnesota — Minnesota is the largest turkey-producing state. On average, farmers raise 40–42 million turkeys, more than California’s population.
24.
Mississippi — The state’s official state drink is milk. Simple and humble.
25.
Missouri — The US government keeps about 1.4 billion pounds of cheese in converted limestone mines in Springfield, MO. Many people refer to it as the “cheese caves,” and they’re perfectly kept at 36 degrees Fahrenheit.
26.
Montana — The largest snowflake ever recorded was found in Montana in 1887. Allegedly, the diameter was 15 inches.
27.
Nebraska — In 2019, Nebraska dropped a new state tourism slogan: “Honestly, it’s not for everyone.” The phrase has since been retired, but I’m sure many people appreciated how candid it was.
29.
New Hampshire — New Hampshire was initially named North Virginia. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a South Virginia and East Virginia at some point in time.
30.
New Jersey — Though it may seem out of place, New Jersey’s official state dance is the Square Dance.
31.
New Mexico — New Mexico hosts the world’s largest hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque each year.
32.
New York — After Albert Einstein died, his eyes (and brain!) were stolen. Einstein’s eyes were illegally given to his eye doctor, and they’ve been preserved in a safety deposit box in New York since.
33.
North Carolina — This is one of the only places in the world where carnivorous plants like the Venus Flytrap grow in the wild.
36.
Oklahoma — Tattoos weren’t legal in Oklahoma until 2006. Prior to the law change, tattoos had been banned and illegal since 1963.
37.
Oregon — Every year, November 12 marks Exploding Whale Day, an unofficial holiday during which Oregonians remember the infamous dead sperm whale that washed ashore in Florence, OR in 1970. What did Oregon’s Highway Division think was the best course of action to remove the carcass? Use dynamite and blow the whale up.
38.
Pennsylvania — If you don’t know, Pennsylvania has two NFL teams: the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Well, in 1943, the two teams were facing a player shortage because a little something called WWII was happening, so many men were serving the country. To solve this issue, the two teams combined and played in the league as The Steagles.
39.
Rhode Island — At one point in time, Hasbro’s Mr. Potato Head was the face of Rhode Island tourism. In 2000, the state began placing statues of Mr. Potato Head around the state to greet visitors. The government at the time even held a mock swearing-in ceremony to name the iconic potato as Rhode Island’s “official travel ambassador.”
41.
South Dakota — Mashed potato wrestling contests are a yearly event in Clark, SD. Yep, you read that right. People can sign up to get into a ‘wrestling ring’ filled with instant mashed potatoes and wrestle an opponent.
42.
Tennessee — You can find an exact-size replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, TN. Oh, and there’s also a replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, TN.
43.
Texas — Because the state didn’t like the idea of the federal government overseeing energy and electricity, Texas is the only state with its own power grid.
45.
Vermont — Before becoming part of the US, Vermont was its own independent country from 1777–1791.
46.
Virginia — There’s a local law in Norfolk, VA that prohibits people from spitting on seagulls. Honestly? Good.
48.
West Virginia — There are several places in West Virginia named after international cities, like Shanghai, Vienna, Cairo, Berlin, and more. There are also a few unusually named towns, like Paw Paw, Nutter Fort, and Man.
49.
Wisconsin — In the historical sense, did you know that the term “cheesehead” was initially used by Germans during WWII against the Dutch? Then, in the ’80s, Illinoisans started using the name to insult Wisconsinites over their sports teams. Now, Wisconsinites are proud to be cheeseheads.
Honestly, I’m still thinking about Hogzilla. What’s a weird, obscure, or interesting fact about the state you live in? Let us know down in the comments!
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