What is the proper way to abbreviate a state?

According to the Chicago Stylebook, state’s names should be completely spelled out (not abbreviated) when they stand alone and preferably (with the exception of DC) when a city precedes them. For example, I visited South Carolina over spring break.

Should I use U.S. or USA?

USA is an abbreviation for the United States of America. US tends to be the more popular way to abbreviate United States. Both of these abbreviations can serve as either adjectives or nouns. However, some style guides prefer United States as the noun form and US as the adjective form.

Can you abbreviate states in letters?

Always lowercase the word state in constructions such as, “the state of Michigan.” In general, the construction the “state of” is unnecessary and should not be used, except as a nonspecific reference to the government of a state or in cases such as “state of Washington” or “state of New York,” to distinguish between …

Is the abbreviation for Florida FL or FLA?

Postal abbreviations for states/territories

State/Territory	1831	June 1963
Delaware	De.	DEL
District of Columbia	D. C.	DC
Florida	Fl. T.	FLA
Georgia	Ga.	GA

How do you write Washington DC in Chicago style?

Use commas: Washington, D.C., was built on what was essentially swampland. This recommendation holds true when you use the abbreviations recommended by the US Postal Service and now preferred by Chicago: To me, Washington, DC, is first and foremost the home of the Smithsonian.

How do I abbreviate United States?

United States can be abbreviated as “U.S.” when it is used as an adjective. Examples: U.S. population and U.S. Census Bureau.

Do you say states or US?

“The States” refers to the collection of states, “The US” refers to the states that are united, or, more loosely, to the union of States.

How do you abbreviate Texas?

State Abbreviations

State	Abbreviation	Zip Code Abbreviation
Tennessee	Tenn.	TN
Texas	Texas	TX
Utah	Utah	UT
Vermont	Vt.	VT

How do you abbreviate California?

TWO-LETTER STATE AND TERRITORY ABBREVIATIONS

STATE(TERRITORY)	STATE(TERRITORY)
California	CA	MI
Colorado	CO	MN
Connecticut	CT	MS
Delaware	DE	MO

Does CA stand for California or Canada?

Relatively often, given that “CA” is the official ISO 3166-1 (alpha-2) code for Canada, and is also the official TLD for Canada ( . ca ).

When did states go to 2 letter abbreviations?

October 1963
To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. The Department provided an initial list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations.

How do you abbreviate NC?

Two-Letter State Abbreviations

ALABAMA	AL
NORTH CAROLINA	NC
NORTH DAKOTA	ND
NORTHERN MARIANA IS	MP
OHIO	OH

What state abbreviation is mn?

Minnesota
State and Territory Abbreviations

State	Standard	Postal
Massachusetts	Mass.	MA
Michigan	Mich.	MI
Minnesota	Minn.	MN
Mississippi	Miss.	MS

How do you write Washington, D.C. as city and state?

Hi birzo, it is not a state, the District of Columbia is a federal district which was specially designated to be the capital, and Washington is the city inside. It is written Washington, D.C. with comma and periods.

How do you abbreviate United States in Chicago style?

Chicago style is USA (without periods), but we also accept both US and U.S. Other authoritative style manuals and dictionaries vary in their recommendations.

Is it correct to say United States of America?

The United States, or the United States of America in full, takes a singular verb because the term designates a single country rather than a collection of states. The expression these United States appears occasionally in American publications, but this plural form is not recommended in formal writing.

Do you write out United States in AP style?

AP Style holds that you should use periods in the abbreviation for United States within text. It is U.S. (with periods). In headlines, however, the abbreviation has no periods. It is US (with no periods).

How do you abbreviate Iowa?

Eight states are never abbreviated in text though; Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah.

How do you abbreviate Illinois?

Two-Letter State Abbreviations

ALABAMA	AL
ILLINOIS	IL
INDIANA	IN
IOWA	IA
KANSAS	KS

What are state abbreviations?

You can download this list in many popular formats such as Excel or PDF. State abbreviations are useful if you live in the United States. They are used to identify states on maps, in postal addresses, and in other contexts. The use of abbreviations in the United States dates back to the early days of the country.

Which states are not abbreviated?

States with five or fewer letters are never abbreviated in traditional abbreviations. These states are Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah. Alaska and Hawaii are also never abbreviated in traditional abbreviations, although they are abbreviated in USPS abbreviations (AK and HI).

Should I use postal abbreviations for state names?

In most cases, postal abbreviations are appropriate and well understood. There are situations, however, in which it’s correct to spell out state names. The decision will depend on the context of your writing and on the style guide you’re following.

Do all states have different abbreviations for name codes?

Each state has its own unique shortened name codes used in written documents and mailing addresses. The state abbreviations are always in the same format: two letter abbreviations where both letters are uppercase and no periods or spaces between each letter. This format is the official USPS postal abbreviation.