The most comprehensive and up-to-date reference work available on U.S. states, this book is designed to serve the needs of students, researchers, and the general public seeking historical and current statistical information on individual American states. This edition includes a new section that covers the Formation of the States, to allow students and researchers to follow how each state was formed, in an historical context. Researchers will be able to follow the shape of the United States from the colonial period to the present, as territories were purchased, and states were created. This new section, plus additional information added to each state chapter, allows the user to get a real sense of the United States, the physical boundaries of each state, how it was shaped, and explore the political impacts of each state as it was created. Each state chapter opens with basic data on population, geography, history, and other facts, complete with the state flag and seal. A brief history of the state emphasizes the events and forces that have worked to make it what it is today and includes a map of the its physical features. Additional historical facts are summarized in an up-to-the-minute Timeline, followed by detailed Notes for Further Study. The Survey Says feature shows how the state ranked in more than 30 interesting and important areas-best for families, job growth, and transportation, for example. Every state chapter also contains a list of its counties, with population and area, along with a list of the state's largest cities and towns plus over 50 statistical tables with data on Demographics, Vital Statistics, Economy, Land and Water, Health and Medical Care, Housing, Education, Transportation, and Travel, Crime and Law Enforcement, Government and Finance, and Politics. The State-by-State Comparisons and Rankings section offers tables on topics such as most energy per capita, highest percentage of residents without health insurance, and more.