States depicted in white should be considered ungrouped, and should not be considered grouped together. Color selection for the various groups is arbitrary.
A little hard to tell with this resolution: Massachusetts and North Dakota form a group unto themselves (I didn’t want to use solid black for a group color). Also just a little hard to tell: Rhode Island is solid blue, like groupmate Wisconsin; Delaware is white and therefore ungrouped.
Of the non-state territories, only the District of Columbia would be grouped if it were a state, and if so it would belong in the group that includes its neighbor, Maryland.
Michigan, Maine, *AND* Nevada?
Colorado and Utah are together rather than Colorado and Wyoming?
Most importantly, North and South Dakoka are in entirely different groups?
Grah.
Something to do with animal husbandry?
Iowa and Illinois.
Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, and Montana.with New Mexico, Nevada, and North Carolina.
Alabama and Arkansas.
West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Hmmmm.
Hmmm. Because some are definitely unique and some are in clearly defined groups, I’m guessing it has to a law of some kind, either with gradations such as taxes or permutations such as marriage. Since the groupings are so scattershot, I’m guessing it’s a law without a huge amount of cultural resonance, such as abortion or guns.
I’m stumped, as always.
My first guess would be something having to do with alcohol sales (the combo of where and when), but I can’t see any state being ‘uncategorized’ in that regard.
South Carolina and Pennsylvania would be the same color if so, and no way Utah and Colorado could be.
Let’s take some of the fun out of it:
Washington, Pennsylvania
Nevada, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Minnesota, Michigan, Arkansas,Alabama, North Carolina, Maine
Alaska, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota
Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas
North Dakota, Massachusetts
Iowa, Illinois, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut (And Washington DC)
Missouri, Virginia
Wisconsin, West Virginia, New York, Vermont, Rhode Island
Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee
Florida, South Carolina
Ungrouped (and my assumption is that “ungrouped” means “their own category”… that is, they’d get their own unique color): Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Delaware, New Hampshire.
Of this, the only groups that make sense to me are Purple, Brown, and *MAYBE* Pink… as such, this tells me that it ain’t geographically based at all… and if that wasn’t enough to make the point, North Dakota is in the same bucket as Massachusetts and South Dakota is in the same bucket as Utah.
North Dakota, Massachusetts
Boston and Bismarck.
Missouri, Virginia
Jefferson City and Jefferson’s birthplace.
Pennsylvania has a Fort Washington State park, and a county (and city) named Washington. I don’t think Washington state returned the favor however. 🙁
Politically? I don’t know.
Jaybird’s interpretation of “ungrouped” is correct.
I think I finally got one of these:
State tree species:
Cottonwood: Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming
Dogwood: Missouri, Virginia
Elm: Massachusetts, North Dakota
Hemlock: Pennsylvania, Washington
Maple: New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Oak: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey
Palm: Florida, South Carolina
Pine: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina
Spruce: Alaska, Colorado, South Dakota, Utah
Tulip Tree: Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee
And here I thought I had stumped you all. I guess I’ll have to branch out further in my research.
Good job.
Well, it only took 60.
Also, I’m assuming pun intended on “branch” out.