Idaho's state seal is the only one in the U.S. designed by a woman. Emma Edwards Green entered a statewide competition for the honor in 1891 by using only her initials.

Maine is bordered by New Hampshire to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and northwest, respectively. It is the only U.S. state to border only one other state.

Most of Alaska is surrounded by water. To the north and northwest, respectively, are the Beaufort Sea and the Chukchi Sea, both of which merge into the Arctic Ocean. To the southeast is the Gulf of Alaska, which blends into the Pacific Ocean. The Bering Sea is to the southwest.

Vermont not only takes its state nickname ("The Green Mountain State") from the mountains, it is named after them. The French Monts Verts or Verts Monts is literally translated as "Green Mountains".

Two-thirds of the state's population lives in the New York metropolitan area, including nearly 40% on Long Island.

Ronald Reagan has the distinction of being the only U.S. president born in Illinois, but three other presidents have been elected while living in Illinois: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama.

The Ohio Burgee is a triangular swallowtail flag, the only non-rectangular U.S. state flag. Its red, white, and blue elements symbolize the state's natural features and order of admission into the Union.

North Carolina has led the nation in sweet potato production since 1971, producing nearly three times as many sweet potatoes annually (1.7 billion pounds) as California (629 million pounds), the second highest producing state.

In Boston, Cheers fans can visit the real-life bar that inspired the setting of the iconic sitcom. After scouting several locations in the city, the Bull & Finch tavern in Beacon Hill was eventually chosen by the show's producers. In 2002, the establishment officially changed its name to "Cheers", the place "where everybody knows your name".

So many songs have been written about Tennessee that it has 10 official state songs, including "A Tennessee Bicentennial Rap: 1796-1996", which was designated the state's "Official Bicentennial Rap" song in 1996.