State identities are something I really
appreciate, even if I don’t know the reason behind half of their claims to
fame. There are fifty states with unique identities and some of those are as
different as can be—almost as if the states themselves were on different continents.
I live in the Northwest and the five northwestern states would seem to have
strong similarities because of their shared geography, but in reality, all five
of those states even have their own internal divisions because of geography.
Washington is the evergreen state because of
its vast evergreen forests, yet if you are in the Columbia Basin you would be
hard pressed to even find a tree, let alone an evergreen tree. Oregon is the
beaver state and the only reason I think that might be the case is because of
early trappers. It is also famous for the Columbia River (Oregon being a
supposed early name of that river) yet the Columbia only flows along its
northern border with Washington. Probably its greater fame should be from all
of its berries and fruits and abundant farmland in the Willamette River valley
that requires little to no irrigation—a rarity in the vast arid lands of the
west.
My own Idaho is the gem state because of its
mining history and the gems such as the star garnet that are found here. Yet it
is probably best known for its potatoes, and I personally think it should be
well known for its abundant forests as the most wooded of the eleven contiguous
western states. But sometimes the secrets a state holds are just as much a part
of its identity as are those aspects of fame.
Of course, Montana is known for its copper and mountains and Wyoming for its cowboys. Massachusetts is the Bay State, Vermont is the Green Mountain State. Alaska is the last frontier and Hawaii is the Aloha State. Ohio is the Buckeye state and I don’t even know what that means. I have been to all fifty of the states and each holds a unique identity. I love them all but of course I have my favorites and they are all right around Idaho where I live. I enjoy each state’s claim to fame and I appreciate their unique identities that help to form our e pluribus unum.
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