Welcome to Indiana, the Crossroads of America! Indiana is one of just a handful of states that have neither a state mammal nor state fish. Is that lame, or is it a nice switch from the growing number of states with bloated symbols rosters? (Continued below)
| Nicknames & Slogans | |||
| Nicknames | The Hoosier State | ||
| Symbols of State | |||
| Motto | The Crossroads of America | 1937 | > |
| Song | On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away | 1913 | > |
| EcoSymbols | |||
| Flower | peony (Paeonia) | 1957 | > |
| (former) | zinnia (Zinnia) | 1931 | |
| (former) | tulip tree blossom (Liriodendron tulipifera) | 1923 | |
| (former) | carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) | 1913 | |
| Tree | tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) | 1931 | > |
| Bird | cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1933 | > |
| Mammal | [none] | ||
| Fish | [none] | ||
| Insect | Say’s firefly (Pyractomena angulata) | 2018 | > |
| Rock | limestone | 1971 | > |
| Fossil † | American mastodon (Mammut americanum) | 2022 | > |
| Soil | Miami (unofficial)  |
> | |
| River | Wabash River | 1996 | |
| Cultural Symbols | |||
| Pie | sugar cream pie | 2009 | > |
| Snack | popcorn grown in Indiana | 2021 | > |
| Beverage | water | 2007 | > |
| Sagamore of the Wabash Award | Sagamore of the Wabash Award | > | |
| Poem | Indiana | 1963 | > |
| Language | American Sign Language | 1995 | > |
| Language | English  |
1984 | > |
| Rifle | Grouseland rifle | 2012 | > |
| Aircraft | Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt | 2015 | > |
Indiana’s state bird is the cardinal, which represents several other states. Is there nothing special about Indiana?
Well, Indiana is the only state besides Pennsylvania and Tennessee with a firefly lighting up its state symbols. It also calls the American mastodon its state fossil.
However, Indiana’s most iconic symbol may be the nickname Hoosier State. No one even knows exactly what it means. And you’ll never guess what Indiana’s official state beverage is.
If you think state flags and flowers are nothing more than trivia, guess again. A thorough exploration of the more than 1,500 items adopted as state symbols embraces geography, history, and psychology.
You have found the best state symbols website, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The introduction above is adapted from Geobop’s State Symbols and My State Symbols Book, by far the biggest and most detailed state symbols references ever. You can learn still more about the symbols of the 50 states in the books Flag Quest and Grading the States. (Learn more about them here.)
After you spend some time exploring your favorite state’s symbols, you can come back here and tell us what you think about them.
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