Geography is definitely not my strong suit.  Give me a map of the United States with only the state outlines on it and ask me to fill in the names of the states and I get about 60% of them.  That was a failing of my Catholic school education.  We studied the basics:  reading, writing, arithmetic, spelling /grammar and catechism.  You don't see see science or history or geography in that list, do you?  I am proud as a peacock that I have finally mastered which way is north, south, east and west!  Most of my life I would have to say when told to go north, is that a left or a right?   

I recently saw a reference to Montana as the Treasure State.  That is such a wonderful way to think about your state.  That made me curious about all the other states.  What are their nicknames?  Well, here they are and it was all very enlightening for me.  

http://www.50states.com/nickname.htm

Capital Cities & Nicknames

Alabama	Montgomery	Yellowhammer State
Alaska	Juneau	The Last Frontier
Arizona	Phoenix	The Grand Canyon State
Arkansas	Little Rock	The Natural State
California	Sacramento	The Golden State
Colorado	Denver	The Centennial State
Connecticut	Hartford	The Constitution State
Delaware	Dover	The First State
Florida	Tallahassee	The Sunshine State
Georgia	Atlanta	The Peach State
Hawaii	Honolulu	The Aloha State
Idaho	Boise	The Gem State
Illinois	Springfield	Prairie State
Indiana	Indianapolis	The Hoosier State
Iowa	Des Moines	The Hawkeye State
Kansas	Topeka	The Sunflower State
Kentucky	Frankfort	The Bluegrass State
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	The Pelican State
Maine	Augusta	The Pine Tree State
Maryland	Annapolis	The Old Line State
Massachusetts	Boston	The Bay State
Michigan	Lansing	The Great Lakes State
Minnesota	St. Paul	The North Star State
Mississippi	Jackson	The Magnolia State
Missouri	Jefferson City	The Show Me State
Montana	Helena	The Treasure State
Nebraska	Lincoln	The Cornhusker State
Nevada	Carson City	The Silver State
New Hampshire	Concord	The Granite State
New Jersey	Trenton	The Garden State
New Mexico	Santa Fe	The Land of Enchantment
New York	Albany	The Empire State
North Carolina	Raleigh	The Tar Heel State
North Dakota	Bismarck	The Peace Garden State
Ohio	Columbus	The Buckeye State
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	The Sooner State
Oregon	Salem	The Beaver State
Pennsylvania	Harrisburg	The Keystone State
Rhode Island	Providence	The Ocean State
South Carolina	Columbia	The Palmetto State
South Dakota	Pierre	Mount Rushmore State
Tennessee	Nashville	The Volunteer State
Texas	Austin	The Lone Star State
Utah	Salt Lake City	The Beehive State
Vermont	Montpelier	The Green Mountain State
Virginia	Richmond	The Old Dominion State
Washington	Olympia	The Evergreen State
West Virginia	Charleston	The Mountain State
Wisconsin	Madison	The Badger State
Wyoming	Cheyenne	The Equality or Cowboy State