With Indiana sticking to it’s Honest-to-Goodness slogan to replace “Restart your Engines”, I thought I’d take a look at which states had the best and worst slogans and put together our list of the 5 best and worst state slogans.
The 5 Best Slogans
5. North Dakota – “Legendary”
I’m giving this one props for being the one of only two states in the country to have just 1 word (most use an average of 3 or 4) in their slogan. Rhode Island has “Unwind”, which is uninspiring. I don’t know that I buy into North Dakota’s “legendaryness”, but I’ll give credit for whoever managed to get that through committee.
4. New Jersey – “Come see for yourself”
Given all the knocks against New Jersey, this is a pretty solid and very Jersey-esque slam back at critics.
3. Montana – “Big Sky Country”
Most of the midwest could be considered “big sky” because of its flat nature, but Montana seized it and made it theirs. Now when someone says it, no one thinks of anything but Montana.
2. Virginia – “Virginia is for Lovers”
This grew out of a former campaign called “Virginia is for history lovers”.
1. Texas – “Don’t Mess with Texas”
This was originally a campaign slogan used for an anti-littering campaign that grew into something to represent the whole state. However, this slogan has been increasingly replaced with the much less poignant, “It’s like a whole other country”.
I’ll give an honorable mention to Colorado’s “Enter a Higher State”, thanks to their recent legalization of marijuana and Michigan’s “Great Lakes, Great Times”.
The 5 Worst Slogans
5. Illinois – “Mile After Magnificent Mile”
A committee got a hold of this one.
4. Wisconsin – “Stay Just a Little Bit Longer”
This smacks of begging people to stay.
3. Washington – “SayWa”
Uh, okay?
2. Oklahoma – “Native America”
This strikes me as completely tone deaf and uncouth.
1. Connecticut – “Full of Surprises”
No it isn’t. I’ve been there. I assure you it’s not.
I’ll give an honorable mention to Idaho’s “Great Potatoes, Tasty Destinations”. It’s a weird thing to promote, but I guess you go to war with the army you have.
Hawaii’s is kinda weird, too. “The Islands of Aloha”, or put another way, “The Islands of Hello”?
I guess in this company, Honest-to-Goodness Indiana isn’t that bad. And has anyone mentioned to South Dakota and South Carolina that they’re basically the same state?
The Full Alphabetical List of US State Slogans
Here is a list of all the states and current (as of May 2014) slogans:
Alabama – Share the Wonder
Alaska – Beyond Your Dreams, Within Your Reach
Arkansas – The Natural State
California – Find Yourself Here
Colorado – Enter a Higher State
Connecticut – Full of Surprises
Delaware – It’s Good Being First
District of Columbia – The American Experience
Florida – Visit Florida
Georgia – Georgia on My Mind
Hawaii – The Islands of Aloha
Idaho – Great Potatoes. Tasty Destinations.
Illinois – Mile After Magnificent Mile
Iowa – Life Changing
Indiana – Honest to Goodness Indiana
Kansas – Kansas, as Big as You Think
Kentucky – Unbridled Spirit
Louisiana – Fall in Love with Louisiana All Over Again
Maine – It Must be Maine
Maryland – Seize the Day Off
Massachusetts – Make it Yours
Michigan – Great Lakes, Great Times
Minnesota – Explore Minnesota
Mississippi – Feels Like Coming Home
Missouri – Where the Rivers Run
Montana – Big Sky Country
Nebraska – The Good Life
Nevada – Wide Open
New Hampshire – You’re Going to Love it Here
New Jersey – Come See For Yourself
New Mexico – Land of Enchantment
New York – I Love New York
North Carolina – A Better Place to Be
North Dakota – Legendary
Ohio – So Much to Discover
Oklahoma – Native America
Oregon – We Love Dreamers
Pennsylvania – State of Independence
Rhode Island – Unwind
South Carolina – Smiling Faces. Beautiful Places.
South Dakota – Great Faces. Great Places.
Tennessee – The Stage is Set For You
Texas – IT’s Like a Whole Other Country
Utah – Life Elevated
Vermont – Vermont, Naturally
Virginia – Virginia is For Lovers
Washington – SayWa
West Virginia – Open for Business
Wisconsin – Stay Just a Little Bit Longer
Wyoming – Like No Place on Earth
