This swap has two tiers. so everyone can participate, even if you don't wish to send an item to a swap partner. Here's how it will work:
Tier One - Join the contest by posting a fun fact about your city or state in the thread, then choose a number between 1 and 50, for the Fifty Nifty United States, and PM me with your choice. Each contestant will be eligible to receive the grand prize, which is a handmade stars and stripes lap quilt, 34 x 38 inches, which I will send to the contestant who chooses the winning number. In case of two entries with the same number, the earlier entry will be awarded the number. Please be sure that you PM me with a current address when you send in your chosen number.
Tier Two - Everything in Tier One, but for those who also wish to swap a patriotic-themed item or items. These can be handmade or purchased, and you will not be sending to the same person who is sending to you unless only two people sign up. What you send can be fun or serious, pretty or useful - you decide. I am going to set a $15 upper limit for this swap, but don't feel like you have to hit that upper limit.
Signups open June 1st and will continue until June 14th. Swap partners will be assigned on the 16th , and I ask that you mail ( and give the tracking number) by the 23rd so that your gift will hopefully be received before July 4th.
The winning number for the quilt will be announced on June 16th. . Depending on interest, consolation prizes may be awarded.
If you have any questions, please PM me. Let's have fun with this and learn lots of fun facts while we celebrate our Fifty Nifty United States.

Melanie
 

I'm in for tier 1~~ will PM info and guess to you~~ 

College Station, also known as The Heart of Aggieland, is located in central Texas. Right in the middle of what is referred to as the "Texas Triangle," Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston, making us accessible to over 14 million Texans within less than a four-hour drive.

Home to Texas A&M University, one of the largest and oldest universities in the United States, known for its rich traditions and strong emphasis on research and service. It is the second-largest university in the U.S. by enrollment, with over 70,000 students. (new record #s set each fall) The campus spans over 5,200 acres. 

I'm in Tier 1.  I will PM my address and number.

Poulsbo, WA is west of Seattle on the Olympic peninsula.  "Poulsbo" is a misspelling of the word Paulsbo, which means fjord in Norwegian.  Poulsbo was founded by Norwegians and still has a tight bond with Norway. On October 22, 1975, King Olav V of Norway visited Poulsbo as part of the celebration of the 150 years of immigration to the United States.  His son, Harald, visited in 1995.

During King Harald and Queen Sonja's visit in 1995, my youngest son, then aged 4, and the rest of his preschool offered flowers to the royal couple. 

A funny aside, there is a road in Poulsbo, leading out of town and closer to the water called Finn Hill Road.  That's because the Finnish people weren't allowed to settle in Poulsbo proper but were put "out on the hill".   I drive that road twice daily during my commute.

ETA: Finally fixed my spelling error! 

I'm in for Tier 1 - I will PM my address and guess --

I currently live in Upper Chichester, PA -

“Chichester Liberty” was established in 1683 by William Penn. Upper Chichester Township separated from Lower Chichester Township in 1759. The Upper Chichester area was claimed both by the Swedes (1643) and by the Dutch (1654), but both nations were primarily interested only in trading with Lenape. The first evidence of European occupation in Upper Chichester dates to Penn’s grants under his 1681 charter from King Charles II. The “First Purchasers” under Penn’s authority were fourteen English and Welshmen, most of them Quakers.

I was born and raised in Sharon Hill, PA -

A community less than a square mile in size, Sharon Hill came into its own in the 19th century. The surroundings were mostly undeveloped until 1872, when the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad ran its rails through the area. A few homes and farms dotted the landscape, and there were two passable roads. One main thoroughfare, known earlier as the Queen's Highway and now as Chester Pike, ran through the entire length of the town. With the arrival of the railroad, a town plan was developed and Sharon Hill added a few stores and businesses to its landscape. Affluent Philadelphians built their mansions along Chester Pike, and churches and schools soon followed. In 1890, Sharon Hill was incorporated as a borough when it separated from Darby Borough.

Both Upper Chichester and Sharon Hill are in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and are suburbs of Philadelphia.  Sports play a very significant role in the culture of the city and the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Philadelphia sports fans are considered to be some of the most knowledgeable fans in sports, and are known for their extreme passion for all of their teams. Philadelphia's passionate and knowledgeable fans, combined with the number and extensive history and tradition of the city's teams have many times led the city to be described as the nation's best sports city.

I will do the Tier 1. 

Wake Forest, NC "Up until 1956 Wake Forest University used to be located in Wake Forest. The Reynold’s family, who owned Reynolds Aluminum Rental Cigarettes bought the university and moved it to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The old campus is still standing in downtown Wake Forest. However, it is now a baptist seminary." 

Arnold Palmer attended the school when it was in Wake Forest as did Carroll O'Connor and Jess Helms, I'm sure there are more notable names but I remember those. 

Here are the swap pairings for Tier 2.  Remember that your gift can be homemade or purchased, and that the $15 limit I suggested was the UPPER limit -don't feel like you have to spend that much by any means. I will send each of those involved a PM with the correct address for your swap partner, but will not include the whole list. If you want to send to more than your swap partner, I can provide the necessary addresses upon request.

Here's the list:

Melanie sends to Patrice

Connie sends to Jeanne

Towana sends to Kathy

Olie sends to Melanie 

Kathy sends to Connie

Jeanne sends to Towana

Patrice sends to Olie

Here's my fun fact: I'm a fifth generation Texan, and we Texans are a very patriotic bunch, if our town names are any indication; there are Texas towns named Old Glory, Liberty, Independence, Lexington, Concord, Yorktown, Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and Lafayette.   Happy 4th of July to all! 

I would like to participate in both tiers pretty please. :)

Will send my number guess separately.

Centralia IL- Famous for making Country Bob's sauce that is wonderful to use on almost any kind of meat. They also sell unique marinades and bbq sauces and etc. I will say the bbq sauce is wonderful and comes in many varieties.

 along with Melanie; I'm also a fifth generation Texan & all those generations were born & raised in the same county within 8 miles of where my 4th Great Grandpa brought his family to Tejas in Nov 1821 (still under Spanish rule). My daughter, grand daughter & now great grand daughter also born and raised in this county, on the same farmstead established in 1922 by my grandparents, where my dad was born and all our generations after him, including my great grand is our 8th generation Texan and proud to keep our roots running deep in Brazos county, Texas~ 

you can tell; Melanie and I are into genealogy with our loud and proud Texas heritage. 

Welcome Connie. 

Tier 1 - Illinois is nicknamed the "Prairie State".  The name Illinois comes from the Native American tribe living on the land when the area was first explored by Europeans.  Much of Illinois was once covered in prairie grass, earning the state its nickname.  llinois is known as the "Land of Lincoln" because Abraham Lincoln lived and worked there for many years.  The state bird is the Northern Cardinal, and the state flower is the Violet,.  

Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry contains the world’s largest pinball machine and a miniature castle.  The state’s official snack food is popcorn, which can be served Chicago-style—that’s a mixture of cheese-covered and caramel-covered popcorn!  Route 66, the "Main Street of America," begins in Chicago at Grant Park.  Chicago’s downtown area is known as “The Loop,” which refers to the area encircled by the Chicago Transit Authority’s elevated (‘L’) train tracks.

I will do Tier 2.  

I'm in for tier 1 and tier 2

I was born and raised in Texas....

Just a few tidbits about Texas

The deadliest natural disaster in American history occurred in Texas, The Galveston Hurricane of 1900, it is estimated to have killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people

Margaritas were invented in Texas in the 1930s

Bracken Cave outside San Antonio is home to the world's largest colony of bats

Texas is home to a German dialect spoken only in Texas

The most populous city in Texas is Houston, yea, I live in Cypress, a suburb of Houston….Stay off the highways…

Texas also has the second largest canyon in the USA, Palo Duro Canyon it is 120 miles long, 20 miles wide, and up to 800 feet deep. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was filmed there. It is beautiful to see.

Also home to NASA, great place to visit if you are into space stuff. I loved it. There are more than 2,000 aerospace establishments located in Texas

Two Presidents were actually born in Texas, Eisenhower and Johnson, but the Bush family got here as quick as they could 

Texas is the only state in the contiguous United States to have its own separate electrical grid, May God help us.....

It is rumored that Texas sits directly on top of hells gates and that is why is is so hot and humid here. really the humidity can sometimes take your breath away....  I know there are fellow Texans here that can attest to that...

OlieAnn~~ my Nana use to say; Woo, it's so humid today that you could swim in it~ 

I'm really enjoying learning about everyone's state from their posts.  More "real" than just reading in a book. 

Here is a fact about Philadelphia, PA that I was not aware of:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has the highest density of haunted houses and hence it is also considered one of the most haunted cities in the U.S.

Nancy D., Your Nana was right, It gets so humid sometimes, we have to swim to our car.....

I'll play.

 I live in central colorado. Park county is where the real South Park is. My county is about 2,211 square miles. Elevations range from around 8,000 ft to 14,268 ft. The majority of the county is US Forest, wilderness and BLM land. We have 2 stoplights in the whole county and 2 incorporated towns. There was a lot of mining and my great great grandfather came from Cornwall to work the mines in 1871. I an 4th generation Colorado born. 

I will do Tier 1

I grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts. It one time it was the shoe capital of the country. Many she factories and employed a lot of people.Over time the shoe factories moved over seas. Employment has always been an issue since that transition..  When I was growoing up in Brockton 60's and 70's there were many Irish and Italians that moved out Boston. Lots of great restaurants.

Brockton is a boxing city World Heavy Weight  champion Rocky Marciano is from Brockton as well as Marvin Hagler World MIddleweight champion. The high school teams are called Boxers.

When I was in school Brockton High School was the largest high school east of the Mississippi. I graduated with over 1200 students. So many different classes we had to choose from.

The City has deteriorated over time. Lots of crime, shootings and murder. I still have found memories of growing up there.

I live in Missouri right now.  Missouri is the birthplace of the famous poet, Langston Hughes and one of the cities used to be the lead and zinc capital of the world.  

Here's a Pennsylvania fun fact ---

The smiley face emoticon was invented in Pittsburgh by Carnegie Mellon University Professor Scott Fahlman on September 19, 1982.

Lisa, you take that back! 

Everyone knows Forrest Gump invented it!  

after our supper tonight the chat turned to what we were eating and how it began, San Antonio, Texas facts; 

A man named Charles Doolin in 1932 invented a new chip; Fritos in his mom's kitchen. His mom in 1949 had a cookbook with a recipe for Frito Pie and the rest is history. We love frito pie and eat it all sorts of ways including the original way; crush fritos in their small bag, top with Tx chili (no beans) & shredded cheese and dig in. 

hahaha, Ani. 

I had never heard of Frito Pie, Nancy.  Great serving size and no paper plates!

oh Lisa~ they come in all kinds of ways and our family calls it 'bumping it up'~    like nachos in Tx~ they come with any add on/topping you can imagine but the pie is the same; tx chili & shredded cheese then add to your hearts content~   Hubby does slice pickled jalapenos, sour cream and a shake of hot sauce. The grands top theirs with sliced black olives & ranch~ and yes, here at county fairs it's now called a 'walk about Frito Pie' (up to now with that trending, we never thought it was easy walking food) so easy to eat and walk to see everything!   For teens in the family they would ask for a Frito Pie bar; where there would be 10-14 add ons/bump ups. 

My mom loved hers with nacho doritos instead of fritos, I've had it with Funyuns, ranch doritos, cheetos, you get the idea~~ whatever chip you prefer at the moment. Easy, simple and very tasty to your own desire! Easy clean up too~ 

It also depends where you are. I've heard of fritos pie but there is a another version around here called "walking taco". Very similar but they use taco seasoning in the bag.