If you're from the state of Mississippi, you're from the 20th state of the Union. Mississippi became a state in 1817, and since then, it has become known as The Hospitality State because of the friendliness and southern charm of its residents. That's a great reason to brag about being from Mississippi by adding this State Rocker to the sleeve of your jacket. The Mississippi Patch measures 4 by 1.75 inches and can be sewn or ironed on to your clothing. It's also a good way of cheating if you can't remember how many ss or is are in the state's name!
Mississippi gets its name from the Mississippi River, which makes up the state's western boundary. Its name comes from the Ojibwe tribe's word for Great River'. The state has many forests along the Mississippi, although it used to have many more before the cotton industry took off and they were cleared for farm land. While cotton is still grown in the state, it has been replaced by catfish. Mississippi's catfish farms provide a large amount of catfish consumed in the U.S.
Mississippi is also sometimes called the Magnolia State because its state symbol is the magnolia grandiflora tree. The flag incorporates part of the flag used by the South in the Civil War plus three bars of blue, white, and red. This reflects the state's southern heritage; however, this was not the flag used when Mississippi seceded. That flag was the Bonnie Blue Flag, which featured a large magnolia tree on it. In 2001, there was actually an attempt to change the state flag, removing the stars and bars of the Confederacy and replacing them with a circle of stars. However, the measure failed.
