Which state was admitted first?

Delaware, on December 7, 1787, was the first state to ratify the Constitution and is nicknamed 'The First State'. The reference lists all 50 in order of admission, ending with Hawaii in 1959.

What is California's state motto?

California's motto is 'Eureka', Greek for 'I have found it', a reference to the discovery of gold. Its flag shows a grizzly bear, a red star, and a red stripe on a white field.

Why are some flags described as recently redesigned?

Several states have modernised their flags. Mississippi adopted a magnolia design in 2020, Minnesota and Utah adopted new flags around 2024, replacing older seal-on-blue or busy heraldic designs.

Are the mottoes official?

Yes. The mottoes listed are the official state mottoes, many of which are in Latin. A few states historically used more than one motto, in which case the most commonly cited official version is shown.

What does 'admitted to the Union' mean?

It is the date a territory formally became a US state. For the original thirteen it is the date they ratified the Constitution; for later states it is the date Congress granted statehood.

US State Flag & Motto Reference

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Every state’s flag, motto, and birthday

Each US state has an official flag and motto, and a date it joined the Union. This reference brings all three together for all 50 states, ordered from Delaware (the first state, 1787) to Hawaii (the last, 1959). It is handy for quizzes, trivia, design research, or just settling which state outranks another in age.

How it works

The dataset is a curated offline table of all 50 states. Typing in the search box filters every entry whose name, motto, flag description, or admission date matches your text — so you can search a state (Texas), a motto word (liberty), or a flag feature (bear). Leaving the box empty lists all 50 in order of admission.

Notes and example

State mottoes are frequently in Latin: New Hampshire’s English “Live Free or Die” is famous, but most others borrow classical phrases — California’s Eureka, Kansas’s Ad astra per aspera, Maine’s single word Dirigo. Flag design has been modernised in several states recently: Mississippi adopted a magnolia flag in 2020, and Minnesota and Utah introduced cleaner designs around 2024, moving away from the “seal on a blue bedsheet” pattern that long dominated American vexillology.