Chihuly Garden by Richard Ricciardi (CC BY-NC-ND)
America is no longer the world's manufacturing powerhouse, but that doesn't mean we don't still make things. While it seems we mostly make entertainment and gourmet foods these days, each state retains and exhibits its unique personality through the products and industries it exports. In this list, we'll run through at least one unexpected product from each state you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else (and some are great for all-American gifts).
Though they're not making many more today, Alabama, and specifically NASA's Space Flight Center in Huntsville, is responsible for designing and assembling the Saturn V rocket, deployed in every Apollo mission and to date the only launch vehicle to take humans beyond low Earth orbit. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville now holds one of only three Saturn Vs on display throughout the world, while Alabama has since produced other leaps in technological progress, such as the Super Soaker.
Alaska's biggest attraction is its untamed, frontierlike wilderness, which is also where it's most distinct souvenirs are sourced from. The Winking Moose, for example, is a Fairbanks-based fashion accessory retailer whose earrings, Christmas ornaments, necklaces, pins, and other trinkets are made from real moose feces — dried and odorless, of course. If scat-based jewelry isn't your thing, however, there are also skincare products made from glacial mud and horizontal ulu knives, a traditional Inuit and Unangan tool used for everything from hunting to igloo-building.
Related: DIY in the USA: Tools That Are Still Made in America
Tucson's own SynCardia Systems produce the Total Artificial Heart, the first and only FDA-approved heart replacement. The pump is surgically installed to circulate blood and replace damaged ventricles, namely as an interim life-saving measure until patients can secure an available donor heart. On the lighter side, you can also buy Arizona-sourced emu oil, extracted from the flightless bird's feathers and used for diverse topical applications such as lip balm, sunburn, soap, and body lotion.
Dan's Whetstone is a Hot Springs-based business that makes good use of Arkansas's many ancient quarries and other geological features. Since 1976, it's been cutting and finishing microcrystalline quartz Novaculite, also called Arkansas stone, into various grades and types of whetstone, used for sharpening any knife you might imagine — while also expanding its line to include more than 300 products, such as sandstone coasters, also sourced straight from America's Natural State.
There's no shortage of products that have been made in the Golden State, including the nation's most famous wine and technology brands, but Green Toys is one company that feels both timeless and contemporary. Its 100% recycled toys reflect the state's eco-friendly reputation while also looking classically simple, whether it's a tugboat or jump rope. California is also notable for still boasting a large number of textile mills. Customers can still find domestically sourced options for all kinds of products, including luxury bedding.
From its 20,000-square-foot facility in Colorado Springs, Tumbleweed Tiny House custom designs picture-perfect tiny abodes doubling as recreational vehicles from locally sourced parts and accessories. It seems the Rocky Mountain state has become something of a hub for alternative living accommodations, since it's also home to Freedom Yurt Cabins (also in Colorado Springs), the Colorado Yurt (and teepee) Co. in Montrose, and Growing Spaces, which builds geodesic gardening domes, in Pagosa Springs.
Hole-filled Wiffle balls and the lightweight yellow bats they come with have been empowering children's playtime and reducing injuries on the ballfield since 1953, and to this day are still produced where they were invented, in Shelton. Elsewhere, the state's "Silver City" of Meriden is home to several craftsmen and companies continuing the regional tradition of producing high-end pewter and silver housewares.
Another major contributor to the Apollo missions' success, ILC Dover has been the primary supplier of spacesuits for NASA for more than 50 years, with astronauts at the International Space Station currently sporting its hermitically sealed apparel. For those who aren't planning any interstellar travel but still want to enjoy something made in Delaware, there's RAPA Scrapple, whose Bridgeville plant churns out heaps of the mid-Atlantic meatloaf-like delicacy, made from pork scraps, cornmeal, and wheat flour, among other things.
Related: DIY in the USA: Tools That Are Still Made in America
St. Augustine is distinguished both as America's oldest continuously inhabited city and the world's foremost producer of datil peppers. One purveyor of this spicy capsicum variety is the family-owned Old St. Augustine Gourmet, whose datil-based products include hot sauces, salsas, and seasoning mixes. The Sunshine state is also now home to the nation's only fully-integrated cane sugar company, Florida Crystals, whose production of organic sweetener now exceeds 7 million tons annually.
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Though more famous for peaches and pecans — not to mention Coca-Cola — Georgia also keeps the rest of the nation supplied with Vidalia onions. This distinctly sweet onion has historic roots in the town of Vidalia, where deliberate cultivation began in the 1930s, evolving into a state-regulated trademark and Georgia's state vegetable by 1990. Now, enthusiasts can even order ahead to receive their cut of the next spring's Vidalia harvest.
Most things made in Hawaii wouldn't qualify as "unexpected," since they almost perfectly adhere to the state's stereotype as a laidback island paradise, whether it's surfboards, tropical fruit jams, or natural suntan lotion. There is, however, the pineapple wine varietals from MauiWine, which flaunts vineyard tradition to suit its tropical climate. Another island souvenir to consider would be the "wearable wood" products from Calabash, which include jewelry, wallets, backpacks, and baseball caps.
Idaho has more than famous potatoes going for it — for example, there's the state gem, star garnet, which are purplish-red jewels that reflect four-ray stars and are commonly found in the sediment of local streams. These unique stones are rarely found at malls or other outlets but reserved for gem and mineral collections or custom-made jewelry, some of which you can purchase at Stewart's Gem Shop in Boise.
Illinois is home to many manufacturers, but only the Lake Forest-based Solo Cup can claim ownership of the nation's most iconic house party utensil. Sales of the cups number in the billions annually. Many famous food brands such as Quaker Oats and Vienna Sausages are also headquartered and produced there, along with the NFL-aligned sports apparel company Riddell.
Autocar lays claim to being the Western hemisphere's oldest surviving motor vehicle manufacturer, with corporate and manufacturing now based in Hagerstown. Responsible for building America's first truck in 1899, today Autocar has survived through production of custom-engineered, heavy-duty trucks for "vocational applications." That means that even if you've never driven in one, chances are you've at least heard an Autocar collecting your trash in the morning.
A dead ringer for Santa Claus, Kaleidoscope Factory founder Leonard Olson hand makes wooden kaleidoscopes of various shapes and sizes at The Kaleidoscope Factory in Pocahontas, Iowa. Visitors can watch Olson demonstrate how to make one in just a quarter of an hour, or browse through his in-house produced cribbage boards, puzzles, pull toys, toy cars, and more.
Native Kansas clays are dug and processed into mugs, vases, and serving ware by Elk Falls Pottery, a family-owned ceramics store using techniques indebted to early American stoneware. For something a little more edible from Kansas, you might try Becky's Bierocks, a service that makes and ships meat-filled bread pockets of Eastern European origin across the nation.
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You probably don't think of busting a move when you think of Kentucky, but the state nonetheless produces 90% of the nation's disco balls at the Omega National Products plant in Louisville. Other items manufactured throughout the state include 3M Post-It notes, Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil, and the professional boxing rings used at venues such as Madison Square Garden.
New Orleans-based artist Jean-Marcel St. Jacques made his name cobbling together "wooden quilts," salvaging wood leftover from Hurricane Katrina to help restore his family's historic home. He's not the only one in the Big Easy's artistic community who's transformed the wreckage of this natural disaster into art, as the authentically timeworn frames and mosaic boxes from Bergeron Woodworks demonstrate. Otherwise, most of Louisiana's proudest products are edible, from alligator boudin sausages and king cake to Tabasco and Creole spice mixes.
The forests and Atlantic shores that dominate Maine's natural landscape also seem to dominate its production output. You can find sustainable tote bags and wallets made with recycled racing sails from Sea Bags and Flowfold, respectively; locally harvested kelp in edible and topical forms from Heritage Seaweed; sturdy dollhouses of pine, ash, and birch wood from Elves and Angels; and reliable outdoor gear from L.L. Bean.
You can't experience Maryland without the seafood, but it can be hard for non-residents to get their hands on Chesapeake Bay crab rather than the cheaper competition sourced from Mexico and China. Luckily, there's Angelina's of Maryland, whose steamed crabs, crabcakes, crab soups, and other products are made with 100% domestic USA-sourced blue crab, averaging 75% or more from Maryland specifically. It also sells and ships Smith Island Cake, a regional and multilayered dessert delicacy.
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The Zildjian cymbals employed by symphony orchestras and rock 'n' roll bands alike have a rich history dating back to the 17th century Ottoman empire. Used in military parades and religious ceremonies, the pure-toned cymbals were produced by the same family by order of the Sultan from 1618 to the early 20th century, when Aram Zildjian fled the Armenian genocide and continued the family trade to further acclaim in Massachusetts. Today its cymbals are made at a factory in Norwell.
Petoskey stone is not actually a stone, but a form of fossilized coral unique to the northern shores of Michigan's Great Lakes, and it's one among many geological features transformed into wearable jewelry by Twisted Crystal in Mackinaw City, along with the state gem Isle Royale Greenstone. Other Michigan-made items, perhaps unsurprisingly, provide comfort and recreation in cold conditions, whether it's the Boss Snowplow line, Iverson's old-fashioned wooden snowshoes, or Stormy Kromer's cozy headwear.
St. Louis Park-based Nordic Ware has been responsible for many cookware innovations in its more than 70 years in business, including the first Bundt cake pan and automated food rotators for microwaves. On top of a reputation for durability, Nordic is also one of the only American cookware companies with products still made in America, resulting in more local jobs and a smaller carbon footprint.
Cotton is an icon in the Deep South states such as Mississippi, for better and worse. On the better side, the local industry gets a decorative boost from Little Bales of Cotton, which sells miniature cotton bales, wreaths, and footstools, as well as tees made from the historic Delta crop. A more recognizable Mississippi brand, particularly for cooks, is Viking, which introduced the first professional-grade home range in 1987 and continues to manufacture top-of-the-line commercial and personal appliances from its Greenwood plant.
We've all heard the debate between New York and Chicago-style pizzas, but what about St. Louis-style pizza? The main qualifier for this city's pie is the use of Provel cheese, a melt-able processed blend of cheddar, swiss, and provolone also used on salads, sandwiches, and pastas, but rarely found outside St. Louis — unless purchased and shipped through one of its independent markets, of course.
During the reservation era, star quilts replaced painted buffalo hides as a symbolic gift among Native Americans of the northern plains to honor loved ones for special or sad occasions. Today Debbie Desjarlais makes cards honoring the complex and beautiful quilts sewn throughout Montana. Other Montana-based companies draw on their abundant ranchlands and natural resources to produce high-quality leathers, handcrafted woodworks, and mountain huckleberries prepared in every imaginable way.
Though its residents may have invented ski lifts, strobe lights, and Kool-Aid, Nebraska doesn't manufacture too much of interest these days, excepting agricultural products and furniture pieces made from reclaimed barn wood. One original creation that's still made in the cornhusker state is Dorothy Lynch Salad Dressing, a sweet and tangy condiment invented by its namesake in late '40s St. Paul, of which every bottle is now produced in the tiny hamlet of Duncan.
Plantworks International is the company responsible for outfitting some of Las Vegas's most notable casinos and other attractions with faux-horticultural arrangements — though if it's doing the work right, you probably haven't noticed. Its inherently fire retardant and warrantied artificial plants and topiaries have a large audience across the rest of North America, particularly in commercial buildings, as well.
Inspired by the spiny cockleburs he encountered trekking through the Swiss Mountains, George de Mestral invented the hook and loop fasteners we better know by the brand name Velcro, with corporate and production headquarters now in Manchester. If you've ever witnessed firefighters in action or the workings of a fast food kitchen, you've also probably encountered other Granite State innovations without realizing it, such as Globe Manufacturing's fire suits and Pitco Frialators' fryers, respectively.
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The home of Thomas Edison is no stranger to innovation and industry, but one of the oldest manufacturing companies still up and running therein manufactures something timelessly simple — pencils. General Pencil has been making No. 2 pencils and other writing implements in Jersey City since 1889. On the high-tech side, Paterson's Crown Roll Leaf is notable for creating the holographic watermark images used as verification measures on most state licenses and other forms of ID.
Wings of Enchantment is Albuquerque's local leader in butterfly farming, offering adult butterfly releases to commemorate special occasions as well as educational resources take-home kits for children to experience the caterpillars' transformative life-cycle in full. Other unique New Mexico products include metal and stone works inlaid with local turquoise gems or dinosaur bone; biscochitos, the official state cookie; and hatch chile everything.
There are more and more companies these days making recycled materials a major part of their brand, but few are more attention-grabbing than Liberty United. The NYC-based company collaborates with law enforcement in high crime neighborhoods to remove illegal firearms from the street and convert them into artist-designed rings, necklaces, bracelets, and other jewelry. Each product still bears the serial number of the gun it was made from, and proceeds go directly to anti-gun violence programs around the country.
The exodus of manufacturing to cheaper foreign shores may have decimated the textiles industry in North Carolina, but at least one company still keeps its business close to where its cotton is grown. Based in Greensboro, Mindful Supply Co.'s supply chain is contained entirely within the Carolinas, supporting local farmers, millers, and artisans to make men's and women's apparel with outdoorsy designs to match the eco-friendly production process.
You won't find North Dakota paddlefish on many supermarket shelves or dinner menus, but the primitive-looking creatures produce a unique roe when they come to spawn at the Missouri and Yellowstone River's confluence each May. North Star Caviar is the nonprofit venture responsible for processing the eggs into reportedly aftertaste-free caviar for sale around the world, with partial proceeds going back to the state's fish and game department for paddlefish research.
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The 21st century's mobile living trends have been kind to Airstream, the nation's most iconic trailer manufacturer. Today, it's headquartered in Jackson Center, where visitors can tour its facility and see space-age recreational vehicles being built. Other big-name brands still produced in Ohio include Brillo's steel wool pads and the Step2 playsets that have been foundational to many a childhood.
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Oklahoma's Round House is the largest manufacturer of USA-made jeans and overalls, named for the "round house" railway repair station with whose workers their denim workwear first gained a following back in 1903. Most other Okie exports fit into the food and beverage category, including leading biscotti brand Nonni's and non-grape fruit wine varietals from Nuyaka Creek.
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The segmented plastic jump ropes employed by many, if not most, sports teams and public schools come straight from the Olympic Jump Rope factory in Bandon, on the southern Oregon coast. Originally designed by a schoolteacher, now the jump ropes can be ordered in multiple lengths and customized with different color varieties.
Pennsylvania manufacturing has brightened many a childhood through brands such as Crayola crayons and K'Nex construction sets, which still base their production in Bethlehem and Hatfield, respectively. Still other brands produced in the state remain relevant well into adulthood, such as Pyrex glassware and Zippo lighters.
Del's Frozen Lemonade has been a Rhode Island summer specialty since 1948, with the cooling citrus slush also earning a following at outdoor events and other retailers in 20 states across the country. The state also has a rich history of grain milling and textiles, and shoppers can still enjoy their lingering spoils through Kenyon's Grist Mill, which sells locally grown grains such as Island Flint corn and clam cake mixes, and Colonial Mills, which sells in braided rugs and baskets.
If you'd like to visit a tea plantation, you can either book a plane to Asia, Africa, or South America, or stop by the Charleston Tea Plantation, the only grower of its kind on this continent. In the gift shop and online it sell teabags and loose leaves for popular varietals such as Earl Grey and "Charleston breakfast," as well as body products that make use of the tea tree's topical benefits. Often cited as one of the South's best and most charming destinations, Charleston is also a hub for sweetgrass basketry, a handicraft of African origin produced for centuries using locally harvested bulrush. These cultural souvenirs can be admired at the Smithsonian or purchased from the Gullah weavers themselves at the Charleston City Market.
Hot-air ballooning was all but forgotten when Ed Yost and several other General Mills employees started Raven Industries in 1956. In 1960, they launched their first manned effort — a Mylar and nylon envelope attached to a one-man seat — and jumpstarted the modern recreational and commercial ballooning industry. Today the technology company is a leader in stratospheric balloon research, working with NASA, Google and the US military on near space applications.
Founded in South Pittsburg in 1896, Lodge Cast Iron is one of America's oldest cookware companies, manufacturing heavy duty pots, pans, and Dutch ovens with as much durability as the company itself. Tennessee also boasts a couple major food brands between Bush's Baked Beans and the space age marshmallow sandwich Moon Pie, as well as the Hatch Show Print, a popular Nashville shop selling retro Music City concert posters and other handmade prints.
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Marshall Pottery has been America's largest manufacturer of terra cotta pots since 1895, employing East Texas red clay and skilled potters for its appealingly simple planters. Less unexpectedly, the Lone Star state has multiple choice options for outdoors cook stoves and barbecue equipment as well as handmade leather goods such as baseball mitts and riding saddles.
Chef Shamy is a family-owned, Utah-based company specializing in gourmet butters infused with garlic, onion, honey, and other sweet and savory seasonings, which many Americans (as well as South Koreans) might be acquainted with through their local Costco.
While well-known for its farm-fresh food products, from Ben & Jerry's ice cream to King Arthur Flours, Vermont also makes productive use of local timber forests. In some cases, the northern hardwoods are applied for classic purposes, such as the Windsor heirloom chairs from Sawyer Made, while in others they find more niche uses, such as the Swedish-originated, bocce-esque lawn game V:King produced in Shelburne.
Yama Mountain Gear designs and builds tents, tarps, backpacks, and other trekking essentials in a Charlottesville workshop within a stone's throw of the Appalachian Trail and other wilderness entry-points. It's far from the only made-in-Virginia outdoor outfitter. For beverages unique to the state, there's the James River Distillery, which makes, among other liquors, a spin on Scandinavian aquavit that's steeped in local oyster shells from the Rappahannock River.
Like most major cities, Seattle has thriving communities corresponding to almost every artistic medium, but it particularly stands apart for the amount of glass blown sculptures on offer. Even if you can't spring for a piece from Dale Chihuly, the chief progenitor of the city's glass art, many studios throughout the city and surrounding Puget Sound islands boast beautiful and functional pieces for sale year-round, while Glassybaby specializes in multicolored glass votives.
West Virginia has made major contributions to America's folk and country music genres since their inception, but the dulcimer is one historic Appalachian instrument that never quite caught on the same as the banjo or fiddle. Nonetheless, it has a following, and numerous native woodworkers, including Jim Good of Charleston's Mastertone Dulcimers, have made this oddly shaped stringed instrument their stock in trade.
Firl Industries owns a 10,000-square-foot factory in Fond du Lac, where it manufactures vinyl, canvas, and metal supplies for use by professional firefighters and amateur outdoorsmen. Some of its products include hydrant covers, decontamination tanks, shop curtains, tents, awnings, and canvas log carrier bags. Food-wise, beyond Wisconsin's famous cheese industry, the town of Racine has something of a national monopoly on Danish Kringles, a traditional spiced holiday cake.
Wyoming's abundant wildlife helps furnish many companies and entrepreneurs with unique products, such as the deer and bull elk's antlers repurposed for chandeliers, end tables, and other pieces of furniture from the Antler Workshop & Gallery in Dubois. Still others make a living outfitting campers with the gear they'll need to experience all that untamed wilderness, such as the canvas tarps and teepees of Sheridan Tent & Awning.
