Answers to the License Plate Challenge, Part 2

• Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but it actually has quite a few more than that. Exactly how many depends on what you count. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says there are roughly 11,840 named lakes larger than 10 acres within the state. 
• One of North Dakota's nicknames is the Rough Rider State. There is a state park with the same name, as well as a statewide award given to distinguished North Dakotans. 
• Georgia is known as the Peach State. Two other states produce far more peaches than 3rd place Georgia, but peaches have been a big part of the culture of Georgia since the state's early success in the commercial peach industry. Peaches are the state fruit of Georgia. 

• Pennsylvania was called the Keystone State all the way back at the time of the 13 Colonies. It was geographically in the center and key to the development of the United States. 
• Wisconsin is known as America's Dairyland. It is the largest producer of cheese in the nation and the second-highest producer of milk. 
• Idaho is the Spud State. It is famous for its potatoes - it even says so on the license plates! 

• Oregon is home to beautiful Crater Lake. It is the deepest lake in the United States, formed within a collapsed caldera. It is famous for its striking blue color and exceptional clarity.
• Hawaii was the last state to join the Union. It became the 50th state on August 21, 1959, just seven months after Alaska. 
• Vermont is the Green Mountain State. The name Vermont literally means "green mountains" from the French "les monts vert."

• North Carolina is the Tar Heel State. Once used as a derogatory term, it became the nickname for the University of North Carolina in 1893 and has been embraced by the state ever since. 
• Nevada is known as the Battle Born State because it was added to the Union in 1864, during the Civil War. 
• Wyoming is called the Equality State. In 1869, Wyoming became the first state in the US to permanently guarantee women the right to vote and hold office. Wyoming had the first female governor, the first female jurors, the first female bailiff, and the first town governed entirely by women. 

• Kansas is known as the Sunflower State. The sunflower grows in every county in Kansas and is the official state flower. 
• Ohio is the Buckeye State. The buckeye is the state tree, but the nickname goes back earlier than that. Residents of Ohio have been called Buckeyes since at least 1840, when William Henry Harrison's campaign team handed out souvenirs made from buckeye wood.
• Maine is home to the stunning Acadia National Park, considered the Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast. It's regularly among the top 10 most visited national parks. 

• John Denver's 1971 song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" popularized the phrase "Almost heaven, West Virginia" and has become an official anthem of the state. The lyrics talk about the beauty and warmth of "the place where I belong."
• New York is known as the Empire State. It is thought to have first honored the state's wealth and resources, particularly after the completion of the Erie Canal.