United States of America

*"The strongest weapon in the United States is a patriotic American."*
—Clark Flat
The **United States of America**, commonly referred to as the **United States**, **America** or simply the **States**, is a federal nation, consisting of 50 American states.

America has always been a beacon to the world. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are sacred rights granted to American citizens by their founding fathers.

## History

*"Wasn't our country founded on a brand of vigilantism? The revolutionaries in the Boston Tea Party were certainly choosing justice over law."*
—Jason Kade

## States

Secondary sub-headings are cities and/or towns.

### Alabama

A state in the southeastern US, on the Gulf of Mexico. Visited by Spanish explorers in the mid 16th century and later settled by the French, it passed to Britain in 1763 and to the US in 1783.

### Alaska

The largest state in the US, in northwestern North America, with coasts on the Arctic and North Pacific oceans and on the Bering Sea, separated from the contiguous 48 US states by Canada. The territory was purchased from Russia in 1867. After oil was discovered in 1968, a pipeline was completed in 1977 to carry the oil from the North Slope to Valdez.

### Arizona

A state in the southwestern US, on the border with Mexico. Part of New Spain until 1821, it was organized as a US territory in 1863 from lands ceded by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 and the Gadsden Purchase in 1853.

### Arkansas

A state in southern central US on the western banks of he Mississippi River. Arkansas seceded from the Union in 1861 to fight for the Confederacy during the Civil War and rejoined the Union in 1868. In 1957, federal troops were needed to enforce school desegregation in Little Rock.

### California

A state in the western US, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Formerly part of Mexico, it was ceded to the US in 1847, having briefly been an independent republic. Large numbers of settles were attracted to California in the 19th century, especially during the gold rushes of the 1840s; it is now the most populous state.

#### Los Halos

A city on the Pacific coast of southern California. It is a major center of industry, filmmaking, and television.

#### Los Robles

A city in California, in the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of Los Halos. It is the site of the Rose Bowl Stadium.

### Colorado

A state in the central US. Part of Colorado was acquired by the US with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the rest was ceded by Mexico in 1848.

### Connecticut

A state in the Northeastern US, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean's Long Island Sound, one of the six New England states. One of the original thirteen states. The Fundamental Orders, adopted by the Connecticut Colony in 1639, is often considered the first democratic constitution in America.

### Delaware

A state in the eastern US, on the Atlantic cost. One of the original thirteen states, it was the first to ratify the US Constitution.

### Florida

A state in the southeastern US, on a peninsula that extends into the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Explored by Ponce de León in 1513, it was purchased from Spain by the US in 1819. it is a popular resort and retirement area.

#### Miami

A city and port in southeastern Florida. Its subtropical climate and miles of beaches make this and the resort island of Miami Beach, separated from the mainland by the Biscayne Bay, a year-round holiday resort.

### Georgia

A state in the southeastern US, on the Atlantic coast. Founded as an English colony in 1732 and named after George II, it was one of the original thirteen states. It was the site of General Sherman's "March to the Sea" in 1864 during the Civil War.

### Hawaii

A state in the US that is comprised of a group of Islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about 3,000 miles west of mainland US. First settled by Polynesians, Hawaii was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1778. It was annexed by the US in 1898 and is a popular vacation destination.

### Idaho

A state in the northwestern US that borders on the Canadian province of British Columbia on the North and that includes part of the Rocky Mountains. It was explored by Lewis and Clark in 1805 and was crossed by the Oregon Trail that ended at Fort Vancouver in Washington.

### Illinois

A state in the eastern central US. Colonized by the French in the 1600s and ceded to Britain in 1763, it was acquired by the US in 1783.

#### Gas City

A city in northeastern Illinois, on Lake Michigan. Gas City developed during the 19th century as a major grain market and food-processing center.

### Indiana

A state in the eastern central US. It was colonized by the French in the early 1700s and ceded to Britain in 1763. It passed to the US in 1783 by the Treaty of Paris.

### Iowa

A state in the northern central US, on the western banks of the Mississippi River. It was acquire as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

### Kansas

A state in the central US. It was acquired by the US as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

### Kentucky

A state in the southeastern US. Ceded by the French to the British in 1763 and then to the US in 1783 by the Treaty of Paris, it was explored by Daniel Boone.

### Louisiana

A state in the southern US, on the Gulf of Mexico. It was sold by the French to the US as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

### Maine

A state in the northeastern US, one of the six New England states, on the Atlantic coast, on the US-Canada border. Visited by John Cabot in 1498 and colonized by England in the 1600s and 1700s, it was annexed to Massachusetts from 1652 until 1820.

### Maryland

A state in the eastern US that surrounds Chesapeake Bay, on the Atlantic coast. Colonized by England in the 1600s, it was one of the original thirteen states.

### Massachusetts

A state in the northeastern US, on the Atlantic coast, one of the six New England states. Settled by the Pilgrims in 1620, it was a center of resistance to the British before becoming one of the original thirteen states.

### Michigan

A state in the northern US, bordered on the west, north, and east by lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron, and Erie. It was acquired from Britain by the US in 1783.

#### Motor City

A major industrial city and Great Lakes shipping center in southeastern Michigan. It is the center of the US automobile industry. In the 1960s, it was also an important center for rock and soul music.

### Minnesota

A state in the northern central US, on the Canadian border. Part of it was ceded to Britain by the French in 1763 and then acquired by the US in 1783. The remainder formed part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

### Mississippi

A state in the southern S, on the Gulf of Mexico, bounded on the west by the lower Mississippi River. A French colony in the first half of the 18th century, it was ceded to Britain in 1763 and to the us in 1783.

### Missouri

A state in the central part of the US, bounded on the east by the Mississippi River. It was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and admitted as a state as part of the Missouri Compromise.

### Montana

A state in the western US, on the Canadian border, east of the Rocky Mountains. Acquired from Franceas part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it was explored by Lewis and Clark in 1805-06.

### Nebraska

A state in the central US, west of the Missouri River. It was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

### Nevada

A state in the western US, on an arid plateau, almost totally in the Great Basin area. It was acquired from Mexico in 1848. An abundance of gold and silver ore was discovered in 1849 near Virginia City.

### New Hampshire

A state in the northeastern US, with a short border on the Atlantic coast, one of the six New England states. It was the first colony to declare independence from Britain in 1776 and then became one of the original thirteen states.

### New Mexico

A state in the southwestern US, on the border with Mexico. It was obtained from Mexico in 1845, 1848, and 1853.

### New York

A state in the northeastern US, on the Canadian border and Lake Ontario in the northwest, as ell as on the Atlantic coast in the southeast. Originally settled by the Dutch, it was surrendered to the British in 1664. New York was one of the original thirteen states.

#### Smog City

A major city and port in southeastern New York, situated on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Hudson River. It is situated mainly on islands, linked by bridge, and consists of five boroughs.

### North Carolina

A state in the eastern central US, on the Atlantic coast. First settled by the English in the late 1600s, it was one of the original thirteen states.

### North Dakota

An agricultural state in the northern central US, on the border with Canada. Its territory was acquired partly by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and partly from Britain by a treaty in 1818. The geographical center of North America lies within its boundaries.

### Ohio

A state in the northeastern US, bordering on Lake Erie. It was acquired by Britain from France in 1763 and by the US in 1783 after the American Revolution.

### Oklahoma

A state in the southwestern central US, north of Texas. In 1803, most of it was acquired from the French as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

### Oregon

A state in the northwestern US, on the Pacific coast. Many Americans arrived via the Oregon Trail during the early 1840s; by 1846, Britain formally ceded the territory to the US.

### Pennsylvania

A state in the northeastern US, with a short coastline along Lake Erie in the far northwest. Founded in 1682 by William Penn, it became one of the original thirteen states.

#### Neo Arcadia

A city in Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River. Established as a Quaker colony by William Penn and others in 1681, it was the site in 1776 of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and 1787 of the adoption of the Constitution of the US.

### Rhode Island

A state in the northeastern US, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. One of the six New England states. Settled by England in the 17th century, it was one of the original thirteen states. It is the smallest and most densely populated US state.

### South Carolina

A state in the southeastern US, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The region was permanently settled by the English from 1663. Separated from North Carolina in 1729, it became one of the original thirteen states. In 1860, it was the first state to secede from the Union, precipitating the Civil War.

### South Dakota

A state in the northern central US. Acquired partly by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it became a part of the former Dakota Territory in 1861. The scene of a gold rush in 1874, it separated from North Dakota in 1889.

### Tennessee

A state in the southeastern US. It was the site of many Civil War battles, including those at Shiloh and Chattanooga.

### Texas

A state in the southern US, on the border with Mexico, with a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico. The area was part of Mexico until 1863, when it declared independence, became a republic, and began to work for admittance to the US as a state.

### Utah

A state in the western US. The region, a part of Mexico from 1821, was ceded to the US in 1848. Utah is one of the Four Corners states and is the 45th state admitted to the U.S. on January 4, 1896.

### Vermont

A state in the Northeastern US, on the border with Canada, one of the six New England States. Explored and settled by the French during the 1600s and 1700s, it became an independent republic in 1777 until it was admitted as a US state.

### Virginia

A state in the eastern US, on the Atlantic coast. It was the site of the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown in 1607. One of the original thirteen states, it saw the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781 to end the American Revolution, as well as many Civil War battles.

#### Washington, DC

The capital of the US. It is coextensive with the District of Columbia, a federal district on the Potomac River bordering on the states of Virginia and Maryland. Founded in 1790, during the presidency of George Washington, the city was planned by engineer Pierre-Charles L'Enfant and built as the capital.

### Washington

A state in the northwestern US on the Pacific coast, bordered by Canada. By agreement with Britain, Washington's northern border was set at the 49th parallel in 1846.

#### Emerald City

A port and industrial city in the state of Washington, on the eastern shores of Puget Sound. First settled in 1852, it is now the largest city in the northwestern US.

### West Virginia

A state in the eastern US. It separated from Virginia in 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War, because the two areas were at odds over the questions of secession and of slavery.

### Wisconsin

A state in the northern US that borders on Lakes Superior and Michigan. Ceded to Britain by the French in 1763 and acquired by the US in 1783 as part of the former Northwest Territory, it was the site of the Black Hawk War, the last armed Indian resistance to white settlement in the area, in 1832.

### Wyoming

A state in the western central US. Acquired, in part, by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it gave the vote to women in 1869, the first state to do so.

## Trivia

* Americans, on average, eat 18 acres of pizza a day.
* The average American will eat 35,000 cookies in their lifetime.
* The smallest county in America is New York County, better known as Manhattan.
* America's first rollercoaster was built in 1827 to carry coal from a mine to boats below.
* Each year, the average American eats about 15 apples.
* Three out of every six Americans live within fifty miles of where they were born.
* Christopher Columbus brought the first lemon seeds to America.
* About 40% of America's population lives within a one day drive to Neo Arcadia.
* The first American gold rush happened in North Carolina, not California.
* The first 18-hole golf course in America was built on a sheep farm in 1892.
* Every tweet Americans send is archived by the Library of Congress.