Where does your state get its nickname(s) from?

[Guangxi]

i have heard the nation-state of ireland called Bull Island.
probably in honour of our main export.

 

[Paradigne]

The Lone Star State.... I never really cared much for the history but I have a general idea. They just got it from our flag, right? The flag displays a single, five-point white star on a field of blue with an upper white horizontal stripe and a lower red horizontal stripe.

Pretty much, but Texas wanted to be part of the US, so they put the star on our flag hoping tht the US would add us to theirs...

They were trying (still might be) to change it to 'The Friendship State' but that would suck. Heck one of the most popular sayings I know is: Welcome to Texas now leave.

 

[StarWorms]

Yorkshire - the shire of York
Gloucestershire - the shire of Gloucester

Simple.

 

[Swedishguy]

New York is the Empire State because New York City was such an awesomely powerful city (and still is).

I thought it was more referred as the "Big apple", but I might be wrong.

 

[bhsup]

The "Big Apple" only refers to New York City itself, not the State. According to the musical Evita, it can also refer to Buenos Aires.

 

[downtown]

Fascinatingly enough, it's the only empire in the history of the world to be more evil than the Soviet Union.

Nah, just the Yankees.

 

[amadeus]

No, just Bloomberg.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Nah, the whole city is the most prideful place on earth. Having grown up in New York (I refuse to ever use the ridiculous phrase "New York State") I can attest to this.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

Michigan:
Great Lake State - the obvious one
-You are never more than 6 miles from an inland lake or more than 85 miles from a Great Lake.
Wolverine State - this one has competing theories
-During the "Toledo War" between the territory of Michigan and the State of Ohio (an 1835 land dispute over Toledo) it is reputed that the Ohioans tried to describe the Michiganians as bloodthirsty as Wolverines.
-Some say that native indians disliked the way the settlers were taking the land and said they were acting as greedy and gluttonous as a Wolverine.
Neither one was a compliment. That's why we wear the name with pride.

 

[cegman]

Wisconsin- Dairy State. Happy cows come from where they can graze and aren't being force fed all year round.

 

[aronnax]

The Lion City, The Gilbratar of the East and most famous, the FINE city