# US States Quiz **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 9, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307 "2004-10-09T01:18:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/21 "2004-10-09T08:07:24Z")
What? I thought I was above mistakes like that. At how many points do exactly three states meet? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/22 "2004-10-09T08:09:18Z")
Figures I’d have a post sitting for ten solid minutes while I looked at a few maps for that last bit, then totally ignore the antecedent for the fifth question. Three states meet at: ID/OR/WA NV/OR/CA CA/NV/AZ and so on. There are several. I count 40 at least. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/23 "2004-10-09T08:26:08Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m going to say Oklahoma. I was thinking it was Oklahoma too. But then I checked and Oklahoma borders New Mexico, which was still a territory when Oklahoma became a state. As for Maine (and Vermont for that matter) I think any state which borders Canada can’t be said to be surrounded by other states. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/24 "2004-10-09T16:09:57Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > Here’s a few questions concerning the states of the United States. > > And no fair googling these answers. > > 1. Of the 48 continental United Staes, what was the longest gap between states being admitted to the Union? Wyoming and Arizona > [@](#): > > 1. Two states (not including the 13 original colonies and Alaska and Hawaii) were admitted that (at the time of admission) did not touch any other state. Which two? California and Louisiana > [@](#): > > 1. Only one state was completely surrounded by other states when admitted, Name it. Oklahoma > [@](#): > > 1. Which two states were admitted on the same day? North and South Dakota > [@](#): > > 1. Which two other states were admitted in the same month? Maine and Missouri ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/25 "2004-10-09T16:11:18Z")
Well, I didn’t see the rephrasing. The same month as North & South Dakota were Washington and (I think) Montana ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/26 "2004-10-12T02:20:36Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > Here’s a few questions concerning the states of the United States. > > And no fair googling these answers. > > 1. Of the 48 continental United Staes, what was the longest gap between states being admitted to the Union? > > 2. Two states (not including the 13 original colonies and Alaska and Hawaii) were admitted that (at the time of admission) did not touch any other state. Which two? > > 3. Only one state was completely surrounded by other states when admitted, Name it. > > 4. Which two states were admitted on the same day? > > 5. Which two other states were admitted in the same month (as the two states in the above question)? Answers: 1. Missouri and Arkansas (almost 15 years) 2. California and Louisiana For those of you who guess Washington, Oregon was admitted before it. 1. West Virginia (because it split off of Virginia) 2. North and South Dakota In fact, when Benjamin Harrison signed them, he covered the tops and mixed them up so no one knows for sure which one actually became a state first! 1. Montana and Washington November 1889. This month saw the most states acheive statehood. December 1787 was the second when the first three states (Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey) ratified the constitution. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/27 "2004-10-12T02:39:23Z")
How close are NY and Ohio? There is that little bit of Pennsylvania separating the two. ---
**Author:** ![deadeyesdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@deadeyesdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deadeyesdad)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/28 "2004-10-12T03:02:07Z")
> [@iampunha](#): > > I was actually thinking Virginia and Pennsylvania, unless someone’s aware of a place where they touch. Back in the day before WVA; VA and PA shared a border. But now out on I-70 at Hancock, Maryland is about as wide as the Interstate. ---
**Author:** ![deadeyesdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@deadeyesdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deadeyesdad)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/29 "2004-10-12T03:25:31Z")
Finishing my thought. VA is about 20 miles south of there(Hancock). So my guess as to states that do not share a common border and are the nearest is Maryland and New Jersey just south of Newark Delaware. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/30 "2004-10-12T06:29:18Z")
There is exactly one US state, no part of which has ever been under a foreign (ie non-USA) flag (we’re discounting Amerind rulership for the purposes of the question). Which? ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/31 "2004-10-12T13:25:28Z")
When I taught a travel-agent training class, this was my favorite question; in four parts… Which US state is the westernmost? The southernmost? The northernmost? The easternmost? No fair looking at a map to get the answers. And the answers never failed to get a response of “No way!” (or semething like that). ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/32 "2004-10-12T13:47:10Z")
> [@GrizzRich](#): > > When I taught a travel-agent training class, this was my favorite question; in four parts… > > Which US state is the westernmost? > The southernmost? > The northernmost? > The easternmost? > > No fair looking at a map to get the answers. > And the answers never failed to get a response of “No way!” (or semething like that). The westernmost? Alaska The southernmost? Hawaii The northernmost? Alaska The easternmost? Alaska ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/33 "2004-10-12T13:57:11Z")
People keep guessing for some reason, but the longest gap between the admission of states is the gap between Arizona (1912) and Alaska (1956?). 49 of the states are named for native words or existing places. One state, however, is a completely made-up name that does not derive from an actual term. What is it? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/34 "2004-10-12T14:00:37Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > 49 of the states are named for native words or existing places. One state, however, is a completely made-up name that does not derive from an actual term. What is it? Seven are named after people, and all of these except one after kings and queens of England: the Carolinas, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/35 "2004-10-12T14:33:32Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Seven are named after people, and all of these except one after kings and queens of England: the Carolinas, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Isn’t **Louis** iana named after a person? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/36 "2004-10-12T14:42:50Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Isn’t **Louis** iana named after a person? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/37 "2004-10-12T14:53:34Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > :smack: At least I didn’t start with “ummm”. 😉 For what it’s worth, I have no idea what the answer to **RealityChuck** ’s question is. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/38 "2004-10-12T15:04:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Seven are named after people, and all of these except one after kings and queens of England: the Carolinas, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Washington? > [@](#): > > One state, however, is a completely made-up name that does not derive from an actual term. What is it? I seem to remember that California is a made-up word. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/39 "2004-10-12T15:07:18Z")
California? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307/40 "2004-10-12T15:07:19Z")
But thinking a little more, I remember hearing the same thing about Idaho. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-quiz/268307.md?page=3)