Lists

The Best Country Songs About Each State

This article was originally published in 2015.

Over the course of country music history, each state has been immortalized in songs, some better than others.

No place inspires us quite like our home states can. Sometimes we love them, sometimes we hate them; sometimes we just can't wait to get out of them. Some states had too many songs to choose from (Texas, Carolina, Georgia) others had too few, but here are the best country songs for each state.

Alabama

"Sweet Home Alabama" - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Could it really be anything else? While more southern rock than country, this might be the most well-known song on this list.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Angel From Montgomery" - John Prine
  • "Alabama Pines" - Jason Isbell
  • "Florence, Alabama" - Joe Fletcher

Alaska

"North to Alaska" - Johnny Horton

A quintessential gold rush song released with the movie of the same name. Also a No. 1 single for Horton.

Arizona

"Take it Easy" - The Eagles

This song is so famous that there is a statue "standin' on the corner in Winslow, Arizona."

Honorable mentions:

Arkansas

"Arkansas Traveler" - Pete Seeger

The state song for almost 20 years, "Arkansas Traveler" has several versions with different lyrics. Pete Seeger breathes a humorous life into it.

Honorable mention:

  • "Annabelle (Arkansas is Callin' You)" - Hot Apple Pie

California

"Sunset Boulevard" - Charlie Robison

Because "Sunset Boulevard" is a heartbreaking piece about dreams that are never realized. And because "California Stars" is already on everyone's list.

Colorado

"Rocky Mountain High" - John Denver

John Denver's 1975 hit "Rocky Mountain High" is easily the most iconic song about the state.

Connecticut

"Rockin' the Zydeco World" - River City Slim & the Zydeco Hogs

The most unexpected piece on the list, "Rockin'" is a zydeco track from the north. It features callouts to towns and cities in Connecticut.

Delaware

"Hotel Song" - Josh Ritter

While not technically about Delaware, the singer does catch sight of his new crush's license plate as she drives away and sighs "Oh, it must be gorgeous there."

Florida

"Margaritaville" - Jimmy Buffett

Florida: [insert Jimmy Buffett song here] But really, is there any song that is more symbolic of the mythology that Buffett has created about the Key West lifestyle?

Honorable mention:

  • "Grapefruit, Juicy-Fruit" - Jimmy Buffett

Georgia

"Georgia on my Mind" -Willie Nelson

Not only is Willie Nelson's song the best song about Georgia, it's also one of the best songs in history. Ray Charles' version may even outdo Willie's.

Honorable mentions:

  • "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" - Reba McEntire
  • "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Charlie Daniels Band

Hawaii

"Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian" - John Prine

Prine's tongue-in-cheek jaunt features licks straight from the island's beaches and a significant smattering of the Hawaiian language. Just be careful who you sing it to.

Honorable mention:

Idaho

"Idaho" - Reckless Kelly

The Braun brothers of Texas country (Reckless Kelly, Mickey & the Motorcars) were born and raised in Idaho, and aren't shy to get nostalgic about its beauty.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Idaho" - John Ritter

Illinois

"Get Your Kicks on Route 66" - Asleep at the Wheel

Route 66 starts in Chicago. 'Nuff said.

Honorable mention:

Indiana

"Small Town" - John Mellencamp

Mellencamp's ode to small-town America could apply anywhere, but he wrote it about his hometown in Indiana.

Iowa

"Iowa" - Dar Williams

Dar Williams taunts us with the voluptuous hills of Iowa as she chases what it seems cannot be caught.

Honorable mention:

  • "It Sure Can Get Cold in Des Moines" - Tom T. Hall

Kansas

"Kansas City Star" - Roger Miller

Roger Miller will not abandon Kansas City, which has made him a star, despite Omaha's better offer. This song could be read as satirical.

Honorable mention:

  • "Wichita Lineman" - Glen Campbell

Kentucky

"Blue Moon of Kentucky" - Bill Monroe

A country standard, this classic from Bill Monroe is the official State Bluegrass Song of Kentucky, the home of bluegrass music.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Blue Kentucky Girl" - Emmylou Harris
  • "Paradise" - John Prine
  • "Kentucky Rain" - Elvis Presley

Louisiana

"Amos Moses" - Jerry Reed

Louisiana simply has too much good music to choose just one song. On the other hand, "Amos Moses" is simply too much fun not to choose to represent the bayou mentality.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Louisiana Saturday Night" - Mel McDaniels
  • "Jambalaya" - Hank Williams
  • "Adalida" - George Strait
  • "City of New Orleans" - Willie Nelson

Maine

"We Can't Make it Here" - James McMurtry

When James McMurtry penned this song, Maine had just lost 30,000 jobs to outsourcing. Maine was also McMurtry's biggest market once upon a time.

And, most importantly, because Tim McGraw's "Portland, Maine" should not be any state's best song.

Maryland

"Streets of Baltimore" - Tompall and the Glasser Brothers

Several country greats, including Charlie Pride and Gram Parsons, have recorded this country classic about a blue-collar guy who loses his darling to the allure of Baltimore.

Honorable mention:

Massachusetts

"Please Come to Boston" - Dave Loggins

Dave Loggins is best remembered for this hit song, in which he tries to convince his lover to move to Boston, Denver and Los Angeles, respectively. Loggins said the song was mostly true, all except for the lover. She was imaginary.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Boston" - Kenny Chesney
  •  "Alice's Restaurant" - Arlo Guthrie
  • "Whoever's in New England" - Reba McEntire

Michigan

"Saginaw Michigan" - Lefty Frizzell 

Lefty Frizzell's tune about two Michigan newlyweds and their cruel father is one of country music's best story songs.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Pretty Girl From Michigan" - The Avett Brothers

Minnesota

"Minneapolis" - Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams pretty much has the perfect voice to suggest the winters of Minneapolis. Oh, and her broken heart.

Mississippi

"Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" - Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn

Covering not just one, but two states, Twitty and Lynn's duet is a country classic.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" - Ray Stevens
  • "Mississippi Cotton Pickin' Town" - Charlie Pride
  • "Down in Mississippi" - Sugarland
  • "Mississippi Delta Blues" - Jimmie Rodgers

Missouri

"All the Spirits of St. Louis" - Johnny Paycheck

The title is a play on the name of the first plane to fly nonstop from New York to Paris, but the song is about Paycheck's epic bender in Missouri's biggest city.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Missouri" - Merle Travis
  • "Frankie and Johnny" Jimmie Rodgers

Montana

"Montana Cowgirl" - Emmylou Harris

A good old romp about a girl who has traveled away and is called back by her homeland.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Big City" - Merle Haggard
  • "Montana Rodeo - Chris LaDoux

Nebraska

"Omaha" - Waylon Jennings

Nobody can make regret sound so much like heartbreak as Waylon Jennings. In the song, nowhere else Jennings travels is quite so good as Omaha.

Nevada

"Ooh, Las Vegas" - Gram Parson

Gram Parsons sings about the traps and temptations of Sin City in this standout track from his landmark solo album, Grievous Angel.

New Hampshire

"Down the River" - The Dusty Gray Band

The Dusty Gray Band is 100% downhome country rock and roll from New Hampshire. Try not to tap your foot along to "Down the River."

New Jersey

"Walk Through the Bottomland" - Lyle Lovett

Lyle Lovett, backed by Emmylou Harris, sings of a love affair between a New Jersey girl and a cowboy in this cut from Lovett's classic album Pontiac. 

New Mexico

"South of Santa Fe" - Brooks & Dunn

It doesn't get much more country than "South of Santa Fe." The desolation of the song matches the landscape of New Mexico perfectly.

Honorable mention:

  • "New Mexico" - Johnny Cash

New York

"New York, New York" - Ryan Adams

There are about a million songs about New York, but Ryan Adam's is pure celebration. The fact that the video was released, coincidentally, on 9/11 just adds to its ethos.

Honorable mention: 

  • "Rhinestone Cowboy" - Glenn Campbell

North Carolina

"Wagon Wheel" - Old Crow Medicine Show 

Wagon Wheel is one of the most popular American songs of the 21st century, and it's reference to hitchhiking through Raleigh has made it a huge hit among North Carolina State students.

SEE ALSO: Learn more about the origins of Wagon Wheel

North Dakota

"North Dakota" - Chris Knight

In typical Knight fashion, "North Dakota" chronicles living in the state, then introduces a healthy dose of heartbreak.

Honorable mentions:

  • "North Dakota" - Lyle Lovett
  • "Parachute" - Harbor Hills

Ohio

"Look at Miss Ohio" - Gillian Welch

With one of the simplest, catchiest, and yet somehow still haunting, hooks of all time (Oh, me, oh, my, oh, would you look at Miss Ohio), this song is yet another about a dissatisfied youth.

Oklahoma

"Okie from Muskogee" - Merle Haggard

"Okie" walks the line between being an honest celebration of the simplicity of Oklahoma living and a biting satire of it. All while also being an anti-war protest song.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Boys from Oklahoma" - Cross Canadian Ragweed
  • "Choctaw Bingo" - James McMurtry
  • "Tecumseh Valley" - Townes Van Zandt

Oregon

"Portland, Oregon" - Loretta Lynn & Jack White

The song that put the sloe gin fizz on the map, and firmly established it as being Portland's own.

Pennsylvania

"The Weight" - The Band

Nazareth, in this case, is not Israel but Pennsylvania. It's located about four miles east of Bethlehem.

Rhode Island

"Sweet Rhode Island Red" - Ike & Tina Turner

The singer in this song never makes it to Rhode Island, but she is named after its most famous bird.

South Carolina

"Carolina" - Corey Smith

Corey Smith sees reminders of his old flame wherever he looks in South Carolina. He's reminded of her in the Hartwell Bridge and the cobblestones of Charleston.

Honorable mention: 

  • "South Carolina Low Country" - Josh Turner

South Dakota

"Rapid City, South Dakota" - Dwight Yoakam

This song, written by Texas country lyricist Kinky Friedman, paints a picture of the sleepy life in Rapid City during the winter.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Rocky Racoon" - The Beatles
  • "Deadwood, South Dakota" - Nanci Griffith

Tennessee

"Tennessee Waltz" - Patsy Cline

Written in 1946 and originally performed by Patti Page, the Tennessee Waltz is the most iconic country song about the Volunteer State. Patsy Cline's version is the best.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Walking in Memphis" - Mark Cohn
  • "Tennessee Jed" - Levon Helm
  • "Tennessee Stud", "Nashville Sucks" - Cory Morrow

Texas

"Songs about Texas" - Pat Green

It would be foolish to try and choose one song to represent Texas. So instead here is a song that pays tribute to all the rest of the songs that pay tribute to Texas.

Honorable mentions: All the rest.

Utah

"Utah Trail" - Tex Ritter

Song, film, ideology; "Utah Trail" is what Western used to mean.

Honorable mention:

  • "Salt Lake City" - Hank Williams, Jr.

Vermont

"Moonlight in Vermont" - Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson does a beautiful rendition of this old standard about the Green Mountain State.

Virginia

"Shenandoah Valley Breakdown" - Traditional

"Shenandoah Valley Breakdown" is what music from Appalachia is all about.

Honorable mentions:

  • "Sunday in the South" - Shenandoah
  • "Carry Me Back to Virginia" - Old Crow Medicine Show

Washington

"Talkin' Seattle Blues" - Todd Snider

"Talkin' Seattle" is pretty much a rundown of everything Washington, from Ichiro (when he was Washington) to the Space Needle. Oh, and Kurt Cobain.

West Virginia

"Take Me Home, Country Roads" - John Denver

Was there ever a song that made you want to go home more than this one? A warm-hearted sing-along that belongs completely to West Virginia.

Wisconsin

"Milwaukee, Here I Come" - Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton

You could work in a brewery in Milwaukee, or you could chase Grand Old Opry stars in Nashville. Either way, you're going to be drinking.

Wyoming

"The Beaches of Cheyenne" - Garth Brooks

The protagonist in this song is able to haunt Cheyenne, where her man died in a rodeo, while simultaneously haunting California, where she committed suicide. 

Creepy.

Honorable mention:

  • "I Can Still Make Cheyenne" - George Strait

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