Do You Know the Official Symbol for Every State?
If you live in a state in America, there's a good chance you know maybe the state flower and bird, and you for sure know if the state has a nickname, but did you also know that many states have some unusual official symbols of the state that go along with the more traditional ones. These odd symbols can range from everything from insects to dances, to beverages to amphibians to constellations.
We're talking official legislation here, not just the unofficial association of cheese and Wisconsin. These odd things from a state drink (a lot of places picked milk) to state soil or even fabric have all gone through legislation and passed a Governor's desk to merit this official designation. So we're celebrating the unusual accomplishments and we've found the oddest state symbol in each state across America. Read on to find out what makes the list in your home state.
State Folk Dance: Square Dance
Those of us over a certain age are likely to know the square dance as a mandated gym class activity, and many states have deemed this the official dance. But in Alabama it is really celebrated and, per an order of the Governor in 2018, there is an entire week in August that’s proclaimed Square Dance Week. So grab your partner and swing her around.
State Marine Mammal: Bowhead Whale
It probably comes as no surprise that the Moose is the official land mammal of Alaska, but the Bowhead Whale was declared the state’s marine mammal in 1983.
State Drink: Lemonade
A fairly recent addition to the list, a high school student petitioned to have a state drink and in 2019, lemonade became the official drink of Arizona.
State Fruit & Vegetable: Pink Tomato
While there's always a debate on if the tomato is a fruit or vegetable, in Arkansas it gets to be both. The state also has an official grape (the Synthiana), an official grain (rice) and an official soil (Stuggart soil series).
State Fabric: Denim
According to the Library of California, Denim has been a part of the state's history since the Gold Rush Era, when it was used in San Francisco (by Levi Strauss) to make working people's clothes.
State Pet: Colorado Shelter Pets
Colorado and a few other states have made their state pet shelter animals, a strong reminder to adopt and not shop... because look at those little faces.
State Ship: The USS Nautilus
Built in Connecticut, the ship was the world's first nuclear powered submarine, launched in 1954. The ship is currently docked in Groton and available to visit.
State Tall Ship: Kalamar Nyckel
This sailing vessel was built in Sweden, but famed for carrying settlers to North America in 1638 to establish new Sweden. When the ship isn't at sea, it is docked near Wilmington.
State Marine Mammal: Manatee
These adorable water dwellers, sometimes known as sea cows, were designated as the state's marine mammal back in 1975. Though the state also has an official saltwater mammal, the dolphin and both saltwater fish (sailfish) and Freshwater fish (the largemouth bass).
State Vegetable: Vidalia Sweet Onion
Georgia is known for peaches, but if you've ever snacked on a delicious bloomin' onion, you can thank the state for the delicious Vidalia Sweet Onion. This veggie was named after the town in Georgia where they were first grown, and much like Champagne only being called Champagne if it is from that region in France, only a select group of counties in the state are allowed to officially call their onions by the Vidalia name.
State Individual Sport: Surfing
With its glorious weather, Hawaii appreciates outdoor sports so much that it not only has an official individual sport with surfing, but has also declared outrigger canoe paddling as the official team sport of the state.
State Fruit: Wild Huckleberry
Idaho is famed for their state vegetable, the potato, but their state fruit is the blueberry like wild huckleberry.
State Snack Food: Popcorn
Elementary students from Joliet petitioned to have popcorn made the official snack food back in 2003, and they won.
State River: Wasbash River
The 503-mile long river that passes through a lot of the state, eventually flows into the Ohio river.
State Rock: Geode
These rocks, which have beautiful and colorful quartz designs inside, were made the state rock in 1967.
State Red Wine Grape: Chambourcin
In 2019, the state declared the Chambourcin their official red wine grape, and the Vignoles became the official white wine grape.
State Sports Car: Corvette
The Chevrolet vehicle has been manufactured in Bowling Green since the 1980s, making it the state's official sports car. Also, the state has an official game: Cornhole.
State Dog: The Catahoula Leopard Dog
This striking pooch is a cross of the domestic dog the Indians of the Catahoula Lake region raised and a Spanish dog that came through the area in the 1500s.
State Treat: Whoopie Pie
This delicious sweet has been reportedly baked in the state of Maine since the 1920s, and consists of two delicious chocolate cakes with a creamy white filling sandwiched in the middle. If you don't like sweet stuff, you might be more inclined to try Maine's official state drink, Moxie soda, which has a bitter and acquired taste.
State Dessert: Smith Island Cake
This treat features very thin layers of cake and filling, and seems like a challenge they'd give on the Great British Bake Off, but it is known specialty of the Smith Island residents. Another fun fact? The state sport is jousting!
State Historical Rock: Plymouth Rock
Not only does the state have an official rock, the Roxbury Puddingstone, but it also has a historical rock. This one from Plymouth is not exactly where the Pilgrims landed in 1820, but is a commemorative marker of that event. There is also Dighton Rock, which has been designated the State Explorer Rock.
State Stone: Petoskey Stone
These patterned stones are the fossilized remains of coral. So cool the state designated this the official stone back in 1965.
State Muffin: Blueberry muffin
At the request of a class of third graders, this bill was introduced to celebrate the blueberry muffin and passed in 1988. They've also got a state mushroom, the morel.
State Toy: Teddy Bear
The teddy bear has ties to Mississippi dating back to President Theodore Roosevelt (aka Teddy) who went on a bear hunt and refused to shoot a bear that had been trapped. The state deemed the famous snuggly stuffy it's official state toy in 2002.
State Dessert: Ice Cream Cone
The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis was the birthplace of this sweet treat. Thanks, St. Louis! It became the state dessert in 2008, and is way more fun than the state's official exercise of jumping jacks.
State Animal: Grizzly Bear
The Grizzly, also known as the North American brown bear, became the state animal back in 1982.
State Soft Drink: Kool-Aid
Milk is the official state beverage, but the fun fruit-flavored drink was made the state soft drink in 1998. Kool-Aid was created in Hastings back in 1927 by Edwin E. Perkins.
State Animal: Desert Bighorn Sheep
These horned creatures became the official animal of Nevada in 1973.
State Dog: Chinook
The working sled dog is the only breed to have originated in New Hampshire.
State Microbe: Streptomyces griseus
The microbe was discovered in soil in NJ in 1916, but in 1943, researchers at Rutgers University used it to create the antibiotic streptomycin that helped cure tuberculosis.
State Cookie: Biscocchito
Sometimes spelled Bizcochito, this flower shaped anise cookie was made the official state cookie in 1989. New Mexico also has an official state tie with the Bolo tie, and a the state aircraft is the Hot Air Balloon.
State Snack: Yogurt
Not a surprise that the apple is the state fruit and the apple muffin is the state muffin, it is the Big Apple after all. But it might be a surprise to find out that in 2014, yogurt because the official state snack.
State Carnivorous Plant: Venus Flytrap
The state flower is the Dogwood, but they also made a special category for this fly-eating plant that will kill and eat the pest. In addition, North Carolina apparently likes niche categories as they have an official red berry, the strawberry and the blue berry, the blueberry.
State Equine: Nokota horse
These beautiful wild horses, which may be descendants of Sitting Bull's ponies roam free through Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
State Beverage - Tomato Juice
Tomatoes have only been the state fruit officially since 2009, but tomato juice has been the official beverage of Ohio since 1965.
State Meal: Chicken-fried steak, barbequed pork, fried okra, squash, cornbread, grits, corn, sausage with biscuits and gravy, black-eyed peas, strawberries, and pecan pie
In 1988, declared April 19 to be Oklahoma Meal Day. The state meal consists of yummy local faves that reflect the culture and history of the state.
State Crustacean: Dungeness crab
A fourth grade class petitioned the legislature in 2009 to get the Dungeness crab made the official state crustacean.
State Dog: Great Dane
These hunting and working dogs have been a favorite since the frontier days, and Pennsylvania founder William Penn had a pet Great Dane.
State Appetizer: Calamari
Home to the biggest squid-fishing fleet on the East Coast, Rhode Island made this tasty app part of its state official symbols in 2014.
State Hospitality Beverage: Tea
The state has an official beverage of milk, but they also have a hospitality beverage with tea. Fancy.
State Musical Instrument: Fiddle
The fiddle, or the violin, was named the state's musical instrument in 1989.
State Wild Animal: Raccoon
While the state has an official amphibian (the Tennessee Cave Salamander) and horse (Tennessee Walking Horse) and reptile (Eastern Box Turtle), the adorable little trash panda joined the list as the official wild animal 1971.
State Food: Chili
Texas has a state pepper, the jalape?o, that is a perfect partner for the state's official food, chili.
State Astronomical symbol: Beehive cluster
The state emblem is the beehive, and the starry Beehive cluster, nestled inside the constellation of Cancer is one of the official state symbols. They also weirdly have a state cooking pot, the dutch oven.
State Mammal: Morgan Horse
This horse breed originated in Vermont and became the state mammal in 1961.
State Salamander: Red Salamander
The little reptile is the official state salamander, while the Eastern Garter Snake holds the title of the Virginia State Snake.
State Endemic Mammal: Olympic Marmot
There are some other species of marmots in the world, but this specific variety only resides in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington.
State Reptile: Timber Rattlesnake
This venomous reptile has brown or black chevron-shaped markings and lives in the rocky mountain areas of West Virginia.
State Dairy Product: Cheese
Wisconsin is known for cheese, so it makes sense that the state declared cheese the official dairy product in 2017.
State Dinosaur: Triceratops
There's fossil evidence of this horned dino roaming through Wyoming. Also, the state sport is the rodeo.
Do You Know the Official Symbol for Every State?
If you live in a state in America, there's a good chance you know maybe the state flower and bird, and you for sure know if the state has a nickname, but did you also know that many states have some unusual official symbols of the state that go along with the more traditional ones. These odd symbols can range from everything from insects to dances, to beverages to amphibians to constellations.
We're talking official legislation here, not just the unofficial association of cheese and Wisconsin. These odd things from a state drink (a lot of places picked milk) to state soil or even fabric have all gone through legislation and passed a Governor's desk to merit this official designation. So we're celebrating the unusual accomplishments and we've found the oddest state symbol in each state across America. Read on to find out what makes the list in your home state.
Did you know some states have official dances? Constellations?
Solve the daily Crossword
