How Much does US Tap Water Cost?
Tap water in the United States costs about $0.01 US Dollars — 1 penny — for 5 gallons (20 liters). Bottled water costs anywhere from 240 to 10,000 times more than water from the tap. For the price of an…
State Symbols
How Many Zip Codes are in the United States?
The number of zip codes in the United States periodically changes as the U.S. Post Office finds it necessary to add new codes in response to increasing mail volume. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources, there are…
How Big Are the States in America?
The 50 US states have drastically different sizes. Alaska — the largest state by physical size — is about 425 times bigger than the smallest, Rhode Island. The three largest states — Alaska, Texas, and California — make up about…
Why Is Wisconsin Called the Badger State?
Unlike most of the other states that are named after animals, the nickname for the state of Wisconsin is not due to the animal it is named after being abundant in its territorial borders. One of the state nicknames of…
Why Is West Virginia Called the Mountain State?
West Virginia has three acknowledged nicknames, but only one of them, "The Mountain State," is official, following adoption by state lawmakers. The nickname comes from the fact that the state is home to a section of the Allegheny Mountains. The…
Why Is Vermont Called the Green Mountain State?
Vermont is widely known as the “Green Mountain State” for a couple of different reasons, but the biggest one usually has to do with the story of how the state came to be called “Vermont” in the first place. The…
Why Is Illinois Called the Prairie State?
Illinois is called the prairie state because the state has an abundance of prairie grasses. The nickname for Illinois probably dates back to around 1842, maybe even earlier. Before the first European settlers came to Illinois, the state was mostly…
Why Is Boston Called “Beantown”?
The origin of Boston’s predilection for beans and its eventual Beantown nickname can be traced to even before the city was founded on 17 September 1630. The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony, an English establishment set up in North America in…
What Percent of the US Population Do Teachers Comprise?
According to the Occupational Employment Statistics Survey, there are approximately 2.3 million teachers working at the elementary and middle school level in the US in 2008. When census information includes pre-schools, high schools, special education teachers and college instructors, the…
What Is the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge?
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was completed in New York City in 1964. It connects Brooklyn to Staten Island, and was the first bridge to connect the borough of Staten Island to the rest of New York City. It takes its name…