Connecticut 5/1788

popular name: Constitution State or Nutmeg State

etymology: The Algonquin and Mohican Indian word for "long river place."

capital: Hartford

motto: He who transplanted still sustains

flower: Mountain Laurel

tree: White Oak

bird: Robin

Maine 23/1820

popular name: Pine Tree State

etymology: Originally a French territory, Maine was the ancient French word for "province."
It is also believed that it refers to the mainland, as distinct from the many
islands off the state's coast.

capital: Augusta

motto: I Direct

flower: White Pine Cone

tree: Eastern White Pine

bird: Black-capped chickadee

Massachusetts 6/1788

popular name: Bay State or Old Colony

etymology: The name of the Indian tribe that lived near Milton, meaning "large hill place."

capital: Boston

motto: By the Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty

flower: Arbutus or Mayflower

tree: American Elm

bird: Chickadee

New Hampshire 9/1788

popular name: Granite State

etymology: Captain John Mason named this colony for his home county in England in 1629.

capital: Concord

motto: Live Free or Die

flower: Purple Lilac

tree: White Birch

bird: Purple Finch

New Jersey 3/1787

popular name: Garden State

etymology: Named after the Isle of Jersey in England by John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret.

capital: Trenton

motto: Liberty and Prosperity

flower: Bogbice (Purple) Violet

tree: Red Oak

bird: Eastern Goldfinch

New York 11/1788

popular name: Empire State

etymology: Named after the Duke of York who received a patent to the region from his
brother Charles II of England.

capital: Albany

motto: Excelsior, Ever Upward!

flower: Rose

tree: Sugar Maple

bird: Bluebird

Pennsylvania 2/1787

popular name: Keystone State

etymology: Named after the colony's founder, the Quaker William Penn, meaning "Penn's woods.

capital: Harrisburg

motto: Virtue, Liberty and Independence

flower: Mountain Laurel

tree: Hemlock

bird: Ruffed Grouse

Rhode Island 13/1790

popular name: Ocean State or Little Rhody

etymology: Possibly named by Giovanni de Verrazano, who charted an island about the size of
an island of the same name in the Mediterranean. Another theory suggests it was
named Roode Eylandt by Dutch explorer Adrian Block because of its red clay.

capital: Providence

motto: Hope

flower: Violet

tree: Red Maple

bird: Rhode Island Red

Vermont 14/1791

popular name: Green Mountain State or Four Season State

etymology: It is believed Samuel de Champlain coined the name from the French words vert
(green) and mont (mountain).

capital: Montpelier

motto: Freedom and Unity

flower: Red Clover

tree: Sugar Maple

bird: Hermit Thrush