Descriptions of each U.S. State history, economy, climate, geography, fun facts, and points of interest; also six links to more information.
History: Before the Dutch explored Connecticut, the region was inhabited by multiple Native American tribes. Connecticut was later settled permanently by English Puritans from Massachussetts, beginning in 1633. From its onset, Connecticut had a great deal of political independence based on a democratic principle of government based on the will of the people. Connecticut is […]
History: California was first explored and settled by the Native Americans many thousands of years ago. European exploration started in 1542, with Cabrillo claiming the land for Spain. But settlement did not start until 1769, when the first mission were founded by Spanish priests in San Diego. California was part of New Spain until 1821, […]
History: Wyoming was inhabited by several Native American tribes, such as the Crow, Lakota, Arapaho, and Shoshone, for thousands of years. The Spanish explored and claimed only the southwestern part of the state to become part of New Spain, and later Mexico in 1821. After the Mexican-American War in 1848, the area was ceded to […]
History: For thousands of years before European exploration, Indigenous peoples (Native Americans) settled and lived in the region of present-day Nebraska. The later tribes included the Omaha, Missouria, Ponc, Pawnee Otoe, and Sioux. In the 1690s to 1720s, both Spain (coming up from the south) and France (coming down from the north) fought for control […]
History: There is significant evidence of Native Americans being in Oregon starting about 15000 years ago. Later tribes included the Chinook, Bannock, Klamath, Klickitat, Nez Perce, Tekelma, and Umatilla. Oregon was sighted by ships of both Spanish (Juan Cabrillo) and English (Francis Drake) explorers in the 1500s. However, it was French fur trappers who settled […]
History: Maine was originally settled by Algonquian-speaking Native Americans. This includes tribes such as Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Penobscot, Androscoggin, and Kennebec, which later formed the Wabanaki Confederacy. First European contact was about 1200 by small groups of Norwegian settlers, well before the voyages of Columbus. Major European settlements were by the French in 1604 and the […]
History: Though Hernando de Soto was among the early European explorers to visit the territory in the mid-16th century, it was a Frenchman, Henri de Torti, who in 1686 founded the first permanent settlements. In 1803, the entire area was acquired by the U.S. as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Arkansas became the 25th state […]
History: For thousands of years, Arizona was home to several Native American tribes, such as the Hohokan, Mogollon, Navajo, Apache, and Puebloan. Many of the ancient pueblos or cliffside dwellings, still exist and can be visited today. Arizona was first discovered and explored by Marcos e Niza, a Spanish Franciscan priest, in 1539. Ten missions […]
History: Alaska was occupied by various native tribes (indigenous peoples) for many thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. Many historians believe that Alaska was where people first traveled from Asia into the Americas, by way of the Bering Strait land bridge. The Russians were the first Europeans to occupy and settle the area […]
History: In 1702, the first European settlement was founded by the French at Fort Louis de la Mobile. The British were in control of the region from 1763. After the American Revolution, by the Treaty of Paris, they had to cede most of the Alabama region to the United States. Alabama became a state on […]
