Tell us about your state/province

[4badcats]

Originally Posted by Moz

And it seems like EVERYONE lives in Ontario!

They certainly do - my lovely grandma, auntie, and cousins live in Ontario too

This is a brilliant thread - I have learned loads of things!!

I live in Cheshire, which is...................

very green
has lots of farms (cattle and sheep)
home to lots of famous English soccer players and music stars
the biggest UK salt producing area (yeah, not very exciting, I know!!!!)
home to cheshire cheese
and the cheshire cat!
home to the Rolls Royce car!!

We have awful weather though!!!!

 

[marie-p]

I bet not too many people share a province with me...

QUEBEC

- the largest province in Canada
- the second in population
- the majority of people here speak French (the only province in Canada where that's the case)
- so far, Quebec has held two referendums asking people if they wanted to separate from Canada (in 1980 and 1995), "No" won both times, but in 95 it was a VERY close race.
- the major federal party representing Quebec is the "Bloc Quebecois" which actually advocates for Quebec to separate (in which case they'd all be out of a job

)
- the largest city is Montreal and the Capital is Quebec City
- according to my high school history books, "Quebec" is an Indian word that means "where the river gets narrower". Quebec City is located where the Lawrence river gets narrower. The province was eventually named after the city.
- Quebec used to be called "Lower Canada" and before that "New France" (ok, the borders have changed... but close enough!)
- Quebec produces a lot of hydro electricity, and exports lots of it to the US
- Home of the "Poutine" and birthplace of Celine Dion and Cirque du Soleil (

to all three!)

That's all I can come up with off the top of my head.

 

[chrissyr]

Maryland

Flower: Black-eyed susan
Bird: Baltimore Oriole
Highest Point: Backbone Mountain; 3,360 feet
Lowest Point: Bloody Point Hole 174 feet below sea level
Motto: "Fatti maschii parole femine," loosely translated "manly deeds, womanly words," but more accurately translated as "strong deeds, gentle words."
Nickname: Old Line State, Free State
Origin of state's name: Named to honor Henrietta Maria, wife of England's King Charles I
Population: 5,296,486
Song: Maryland, My Maryland
Tree: White Oak
Gem: Tourmaline
Crustacean: Maryland blue crab
Sport: Jousting
Boat: Skipjack
State Animal: Thoroughbred Horse
State Dog: Chesapeake Bay Retriever
State Insect: Baltimore Checkerspot
State Cat: Calico Cat
State Fish: Striped Bass
State Reptile: Diamondback Terrapin
State Dinosaur: Astrodon johnstoni
State Beverage: milk

 

[lokismum]

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Ontario!!

-Ontario is one of the provinces in Eastern Canada

-It is the second-largest province.

-Quebec is east, Manitoba is west, Great Lakes are south, Hudson Bay and James Bay are north.

-Ontario's capital city is Toronto. Toronto has a large financial district and the stock exchange.

-Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is in southern Ontario.

-flower - Trillium, tree - Eastern White Pine, bird -Common Loon

-The Iroquoians called Ontario "Kanadario" meaning "sparkling water."

-Ontario's motto is "Loyal she began, loyal she remains".

Ontario here too! Plus we have fabulous skiing and wonderful beaches!

 

[lionessrampant]

Originally Posted by ChrissyR

Maryland

Flower: Black-eyed susan
Bird: Baltimore Oriole
Highest Point: Backbone Mountain; 3,360 feet
Lowest Point: Bloody Point Hole 174 feet below sea level
Motto: "Fatti maschii parole femine," loosely translated "manly deeds, womanly words," but more accurately translated as "strong deeds, gentle words."
Nickname: Old Line State, Free State
Origin of state's name: Named to honor Henrietta Maria, wife of England's King Charles I
Population: 5,296,486
Song: Maryland, My Maryland
Tree: White Oak
Gem: Tourmaline
Crustacean: Maryland blue crab
Sport: Jousting
Boat: Skipjack
State Animal: Thoroughbred Horse
State Dog: Chesapeake Bay Retriever
State Insect: Baltimore Checkerspot
State Cat: Calico Cat
State Fish: Striped Bass
State Reptile: Diamondback Terrapin
State Dinosaur: Astrodon johnstoni
State Beverage: milk

So, I've uncovered that among other things, Illinois has no state dog or cat.

But that's ok.

Also, our official state sport is politics.

And there's not much south of I-80.

 

[dragoriana]

This is very boring but here you go

Melbourne:
is the only city in the world that has five international standard sporting facilities (including three with retractable roofs) on the fringe of its central business district.

is home to eight of Australia's top ten spenders on research and development (R&D) including Australia's largest, Telstra and Ericsson. In addition, Melbourne boasts Ericsson's 42nd Precinct, one of only three Ericsson R&D centres in the world.

famous tramway system is the largest outside the European continent and the fourth largest in the world. It stretches along 244 kilometres (152 miles) of track, and has 450 trams.

The Welcome Stranger - the world's largest alluvial gold nugget weighing approximately 70 kilograms (154.3 pounds) - was discovered in Ballarat, (one hour's drive from Melbourne) in 1869.

The National Gallery of Victoria has the world's largest stained glass ceiling - 51 metres (167.3 feet) long by 15 metres (49.2 feet) wide.

Luna Park, in Melbourne's bayside suburb of St Kilda, is the world's oldest amusement park under private management.

Observation Deck is in the Rialto, the tallest office building in the Southern Hemisphere (well it was till last year when the Eureka tower also in Melbourne was completed, but my mum worked in the Rialto so im happy

). It stands on 75 huge concrete caissons (legs) attached to rock 20m (66 feet) below the ground.

is the capital city of Victoria, Australia. Covering an area of 7,280 sq kilometre, it is home to 3.2 million people from diverse backgrounds and interests.

has also fostered Sister City relationships with 5 other cities in the world. The relationships are built to transcend political boundaries and celebrate and ethnic difference. The City of Melbourne's sister cities are Osaka (Japan), Tianjin (China), Thessaloniki (Greece), Boston (USA) and St Petersburg (Russia).




you can tell i know nothing and it looks like ive been doing research for a school essay lol. is that enough?

 

[Moz]

Originally Posted by gemlady

http://www.cityofgreensburg.com/photo.html
It's not close to me but here are pics!

I'm trying to figure out how a tree is growing from the top of the building!

 

[ollyextra05]

Originally Posted by lionessrampant

It's flat.

The end

Seriously, though:
Population: 12,419,293; 5th most populous
5 largest cities: Chicago, Rockford, Aurora, Naperville, Peoria
Motto: "State Sovereignty, national Union"
Slogan: "Land of Lincoln"
Nickname: "Prairie State"
Bird: Cardinal
Animal: White-tailed deer
Flower: Purple violet (aren't all violets purple just in terms of nomenclature?)
Insect: Monarch Butterfly

Um...yeah. Illinois is boring.

 

[icklemiss21]

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Ontario!!
-Ontario is one of the provinces in Eastern Canada
-It is the second-largest province.
-Quebec is east, Manitoba is west, Great Lakes are south, Hudson Bay and James Bay are north.
-Ontario's capital city is Toronto. Toronto has a large financial district and the stock exchange.
-Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is in southern Ontario.
-flower - Trillium, tree - Eastern White Pine, bird -Common Loon
-The Iroquoians called Ontario "Kanadario" meaning "sparkling water."
-Ontario's motto is "Loyal she began, loyal she remains".

Has the most expensive house in Canada (worth $45million) (according to Forbes)
land: 894,639 square kilometres (344,092 square miles)
water: 177,398 square kilometres (68,490 square miles), including 250,000 lakes and about one-third of the world's fresh water.
The flag of Ontario is the Red Ensign. It includes the Union Jack, representing Ontario's ties to Great Britain, and the Coat-of-Arms of the Province.
Official Gem: Amethyst, the rich purple semi-precious stone, is the official gem of Ontario. Large deposits are found in Northwestern Ontario.

 

[auntsewissa]

Virginia

*Has the great state slogan "Virginia is for Lovers!"
*Virginia was named for England's "Virgin Queen," Elizabeth I.
*The major cash crop of Virginia is tobacco

*Jamestown was the first English settlement in the U.S. It was also the first capital of Virginia.
*We are still a Commonwealth
*Virginia is known as "the birthplace of a nation".
* Eight United States Presidents were born in Virginia: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson.
*Seven Presidents are buried in Virginia: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Tyler, Taft and Kennedy.
*The present state capital in Richmond was also the capital of the Confederacy.
*The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg is the second oldest in the United States, it was founded in 1693.
*The State flower is not really a flower, but the blossom of the dogwood tree, which is also the state tree.
*The Blue Ridge Mountains are located in Virginia. (Which is where I live!)
*The Pentagon building in Arlington is the largest office building in the world.
*The first Thanksgiving in North America was held in Virginia in 1619.
*The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is the world's largest bridge-tunnel complex.
* Waynesboro was the site of the last major battle of the Civil War in central
Virginia, the Battle of Waynesboro in 1865 between Generals Jubal Early and Philip Sheridan. (That's my town!)
*The tomb of the Unknown Soldier is in Arlington National Cemetery.
*Virginia has been dubbed the "Internet Capital of the world".
*The first peanuts grown in the United States were grown in Virginia.
*Known as "Old Dominion"

 

[pipersjo]

Originally Posted by LoveMyBabies

Connecticut!

--Connecticut was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution.

--Residents of Connecticut are sometimes referred to as Nutmeggers or Yankees.

--We don't call them subs or heroes or hoagies...we call them grinders!

--The name "Connecticut" originates from the Mohegan Indian word "Quinnehtukqut" meaning "Long River Place" or "Beside the Long Tidal River."

--Connecticut's official nickname, adopted in 1959, is "The Constitution State"

--According to Webster's New International Dictionary, 1993, a person who is a native or resident of Connecticut is a "Connecticuter"

--As of 2005, Connecticut has an estimated population of 3,510,297

--Homes in southwestern Connecticut on the fringes of the New York City metropolitan area are quite expensive. Many towns have median home prices over $500,000, with some more desirable homes exceeding $1 million. Connecticut has the most million-dollar homes in the northeast, and the second most in the nation after California.

I'm from CT origonally (sp?) and I probably would have done better doing CT rather than WV. Of course, I've lived in WV for 11 years so I probably should know more about it. I geuss I will have to add to what I already out to make my adopted state sound better!

West Virginia...

...State flower: rhododendron
...State tree:Sugar Maple
...State colors: Gold and Blue!
...State animal: Black Bear
...State butterfly: Monarch
...WV state motto: "Montani semper liberi"--Mountaineers are always free
...and we can't forget, after our motto especially, WVians are very proud and really hate anyone to make fun of the state (they hate it when I crack jokes about WV since I've only lived here 11 years)
...oh, and WV is not Western Virginia. I have been asked many times if I lived in the Western part of Va. *sigh* I guess people don't remember their geography

 

[cinder]

OREGON say OREGUN not OREGONE

Oregon was admitted as a state on Valentine's Day, 1859. (33rd state)

The state motto is "She Flies With Her Own Wings". (does that make any sense to you?)

State animal is the beaver. (hence, the beaver state)
State fish, the chinook salmon.

Oregon's land area is ranked 10th in size in the U.S.

Crater Lake National Park is Oregon's only National Park.

Lots of good outdoor stuff to do here, but no roller coasters.

 

[catlover19]

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

-Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is in southern Ontario.

Isn't Ottawa in northern Ontario? Unless I really just don't know anything.

 

[sibohan2005]

I can't put it better than Wikipedia.com

Official languages: English (de facto)
Flower: White Trillium
Tree: Eastern White Pine
Bird: Common Loon
Capital: Toronto
Largest city: Toronto

Area
Total 1,076,395[1] km²
- Land: 917,741[1] km²
- Water (% of total) 158,654[1] km² (14.8%)
Ranked 4th

Population
- Total (2006) 12,686,952
- Density Ranked 1st 13.93/km²

Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st)

The province consists of three main geographical regions:

the thinly populated Canadian Shield in the northwestern and central portions which covers over half the land area in the province, though mostly infertile land, it is rich in minerals and studded with lakes and rivers; sub-regions are Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Ontario.
the virtually unpopulated Hudson Bay Lowlands in the extreme north and northeast, mainly swampy and sparsely forested; and
the temperate, and therefore most populous region, fertile Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Valley in the south where agriculture and industry are concentrated. Southern Ontario is further sub-divided into four regions; Southwestern Ontario (parts of which formerly referred to as Western Ontario), Golden Horseshoe, Central Ontario (although not actually the province's geographic centre) and Eastern Ontario.

Bruce peninsula.Despite the absence of any mountainous terrain in the province, there are large areas of uplands, particularly within the Canadian Shield which traverses the province from northwest to southeast and also above the Niagara Escarpment which crosses the south. The highest point is Ishpatina Ridge at 693m above sea level located in Northeastern Ontario.

The Carolinian forest zone covers most of the southwestern section, its northern extent is part of the Greater Toronto Area at the western end of Lake Ontario. The most well-known geographic feature is Niagara Falls, part of the much more extensive Niagara Escarpment. The Saint Lawrence Seaway allows navigation to and from the Atlantic Ocean as far inland as Thunder Bay in Northwestern Ontario. Northern Ontario occupies roughly 85% of the surface area of the province; conversely Southern Ontario contains 94% of the population.

Point Pelee National Park is a peninsula in southwestern Ontario (near Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan) that extends into Lake Erie and is the southernmost extent of Canada's mainland. Pelee Island in Lake Erie extends slightly further. Both are south of 42°N – slightly further south than the northern border of California.

 

[sibohan2005]

Originally Posted by catlover19

Isn't Ottawa in northern Ontario? Unless I really just don't know anything.

Ottawa is in eastern ontario near the Quebec border (I live in Ottawa)

 

[loreye]

Nova Scotia!

from the latin New Scotland

One of Canada's Maritime Provinces. We cling to Canada by a thread.

One of the four founding provinces in the canadian federation in 1867

Capitol city is Halifax, founded in 1749.

A bunch of political stuff I don't care about. . . We have the highest unemployment in Canada (we can blame most of that on Cape Breton, right?)

We recently were given Sunday shopping (boooo!) after a long fight, much voting, and large corporations finally taking it to court. So basically the government caved under the pressure and allowed it, even though the majority was against it, and now the malls are closing at 6pm on saturday so they can be open on sunday, so if I want to go to the mall after 6pm I can't, I have to wait until sunday even though I am against sunday shopping.

Sorry, I rant. but I don't agree, if the province was so divided, then the malls should still be open full hours on saturday for those of us who enjoy going out on a saturday night to shop.

 

[candlemaven]

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Firsts:

Hospital, Library, Zoo, Newspaper, Nation's Capitol, all motion-picture theater, television broadcast, radio broadcast, educational public-television station, paper mill, druggist, locomotive for railroad use, high-speed multi-lane highway - the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Banana Split, electronic computer built, commercial use of computer, cable television, educational public television station, government low-interest, long term business financing program

Nickname: Keystone State - During colonial times Pennsylvania was the middle colony of the original 13 colonies. It held the colonies together like the "keystone" in a window or door arch.

Background: Pennsylvania was settled in 1643. Philadelphia was our state capital during the Revolutionary War and York was the first capital of the United States.

State name’s meaning: Penn’s Woods (after Admiral William Penn's father)

Motto: Virtue, Liberty and Independence

Important Documents: Several important documents were written in Pennsylvania ~
The Constitution of the United States
The American Declaration of Independence
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Flower: Mountain Laurel

Tree: Hemlock

Bird: Ruffed Grouse

Animal: Whitetail Deer

Insect: Firefly

Dog: Great Dane

Beverage: Milk

Fish Brook Trout

Fossil: Phacops Rana

Ship: United States Brig Niagara


Famous People from PA
Louisa May Alcott, novelist;
John Barrymore, actor;
Donald Barthelme, author;
Stephen Vincent Benet, poet and story writer;
Daniel Boone, frontiersman;
Ed Bradley, TV anchorman;
James Buchanan, President;
Alexander Calder, sculptor;
Mary Cassatt, painter;
Henry Steele Commager, historian;
Bill Cosby, actor;
Jimmy & Tommy Dorsey, band leaders;
W.C. Fields, comedian;
Stephen Foster, composer;
Robert Fulton, inventor;
Alexander Haig, ex-Secretary of State;
H.J. Heinz, executive;
Milton Hershey, Chocolate executive;
Lee Iacocca, auto executive;
Reggie Jackson, baseball player;
Gene Kelly, dancer and actor;
Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco;
Gelsey Kirkland, ballerina;
S.S. Kresge, merchant;
Mario Lanza, actor and singer;
George C. Marshall, 5-star general;
George McClellan, general;
Margaret Mead, anthropologist;
Andrew Mellon, financier;
Tom Mix, actor;
Arnold Palmer, golfer;
Robert E. Peary, explorer;
Betsy Ross, flagmaker;
B.F. Skinner, psychologist;
John Sloan, painter;
Wil Smith, actor;
Jean Stapleton, actress;
Gertrude Stein, author;
James Stewart, actor;
Sharon Stone, actress;
John Updike, novelist;
Honus Wagner, baseball player;
Fred Waring, band leader;
Ethel Waters, singer and actress;
August Wilson, poet, writer, and playwright;
Duchess of Windsor (Wallis Warfield);
Andrew Wyeth, painter

Sources:
http://sites.state.pa.us/kids/facts&figures.htm
http://pavisnet.com/pafact/

 

[salemwitchchild]

Kentucky Facts
State Capital
Frankfort became the capital in 1792 after pledging more manpower toward the construction of a statehouse than any other city. During the Civil War, Frankfort was the only Union capital occupied by Confederate troops.

Frankfort is located astride a double curve in the Kentucky River in the central portion of the state and is known for having one of the most beautiful capital buildings in the country. Frankfortâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s population is slightly less than 30,000.

Agriculture
Kentucky had 84,000 farms in 2005, according to the Kentucky field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Kentucky farm size averaged 164 acres.

In 2004, Kentucky set a record for farm income with $4.13 billion. Horses were the leading source of farm income for Kentucky farmers, followed by broilers, cattle, tobacco, soybeans and corn. Kentucky is home to some of the worldâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s leading thoroughbred farms and thoroughbred auctions.

Kentucky still leads the nation in burley tobacco production, even though the federal tobacco price support program was discontinued in 2005. The state is second in the U.S. in total tobacco production and is in the top 20 in corn, soybeans, winter wheat, hay, barley and sorghum.

Kentucky is the leading beef cattle state east of the Mississippi River and is eighth in the nation overall. Kentucky is seventh in broilers and in the top 20 in goats, dairy cows, swine and chickens other than commercial broilers. For more information about Kentucky agriculture, visit the Kentucky Department of Agriculture web site.

Symbols & Traditions
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Kentucky is one of four states to call itself a "commonwealth." In 1792 when Kentucky became the 15th state - the first on the western frontier - both "commonwealth" and "state" were used. Commonwealth, meaning government based on the common consent of the people, dates to the time of Oliver Cromwell's England in the mid-1600s. The other U.S. commonwealths, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, were originally British colonies. Kentucky, once part of Virginia, chose to remain a commonwealth when it separated from Virginia.

Bluegrass State
Bluegrass is not really blue - it's green - but in the spring, bluegrass produces bluish-purple buds that, when seen in large fields, give a rich blue cast to the grass. Early pioneers found bluegrass growing on Kentucky's rich limestone soil and traders began asking for the seed of the "blue grass from Kentucky." The name stuck and today Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State.

State Seal
The official insignia was authorized in 1792, six months after Kentucky became a state. The motto is believed to be from "The Liberty Song," popular during the American Revolution, and a favorite of Isaac Shelby, Kentucky's first governor.

Kentucky Flag
The state seal imprinted on a field of navy blue was approved by the General Assembly in 1928. The original flag is displayed in Frankfort at the Kentucky History Center.

State Flower - Goldenrod
The golden plumes of this wildflower line Kentucky's roadsides in the fall. Native to all of Kentucky, 30 of nearly 100 species of this herb are found here.

State Bird - Cardinal
The pleasant melodies of this red crested song bird are heard year round in Kentucky. The male boasts a vivid red plumage; the female is light brown with red highlights.

State Horse - Thoroughbred
The first thoroughbred was brought to Lexington in 1779, and a 1789 census showed even more horses than people. Horses are a multibillion dollar industry in Kentucky. Central Kentucky's bluegrass region has the world's greatest concentration of thoroughbred breeding farms. More registered thoroughbred foals are produced here than any other state - more than 10,000 were foaled in 2000.

State Wild Animal - Grey Squirrel
State Butterfly - Viceroy Butterfly
State Fish - Kentucky Bass
State Gemstone - Fresh Water Pearl
State Fossil - Brachiopod
State Tree - Tulip Tree
Sometimes called the tulip poplar, it is not a poplar at all, but a member of the magnolia family. It can grow up to 145 feet and live for 200 years. It blossoms in May with yellow-green flowers resembling tulips.

State Song - "My Old Kentucky Home" Stephen Collins Foster - 1853.
State Bluegrass Song - "Blue Moon of Kentucky" Bill Monroe - copyright 1947.

http://kentucky.gov/Portal/Category/fac_facts