state abbreviations?

Question

is it just a coincidence that the abbreviations of the states are made by taking the first and last letter?
CO-Colorado
VA-Virginia
or is this just a random coincidence?
or are there rules and that is why some states don't follow it?
NY New York
UT-Utah
just a random thought!

Answer 1

You will see by checking this list out, below, that the government had to deal, not only with the 50 states, but with some other locations, as well, and it became difficult to make combinations of two letters, but the U.S. Postal System in 1963 came up with this list to replace the older three-letter abbreviations. The abbreviations are not random. Granted, they are not entirely perfect, but they actually put a lot of thought in to the final selections. Because they are used by the U.S. Postal System, the two-letter system is mandatory for the states, territories and Pacific islands using the Postal System. However, many people still use the traditional abbrviations for just about every other use.

Now, with the Internet expanding everywhere, if you have to type in your address, you will usually be given two spaces to write in your state's name, or you get to pick from a list of the states and territories, and you still end up with the U.S. Postal System's designations.

Alabama (AL), Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AR), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Delaware (DE), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Hawaii (HI), Idaho (ID), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Maine (ME), Maryland (MD), Massachusetts (MA), Michigan(MI), Minnesota (MN), Mississippi (MS), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), Nebraska (NE), Nevada (NV), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New Mexico (NM), New York (NY), North Carolina (NC), North Dakota (ND), Ohio (OH), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), South Dakota (SD), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Vermont (VT), Virginia (VA) , Washington (WA), West Virginia (WV), Wisconsin (WI), Wyoming (WY)

In addition to the states, the government also gave two-letter designations to the following, which are also serviced by the U.S. Postal System:

American Samoa (AS)
Federated States of Micronesia (FM)
Guam (GU)
Marshall Islands (MH)
Northern Mariana Islands (MP)
Palau (PW)
Puerto Rico (PR)

I hope this helps you out. The designations are not random, and which two letters each state has is not up to the individual state. HOWEVER, the individual person using the mailing system can choose to write out the full name of the state, as always, or select the two-letter abbreviation, or even the old three (or more) letter abbreviations.

Answer 2

State Abbreviations Massachusetts

Answer 3

Old State Abbreviations

Answer 4

Just one observation: The link provided by YAHZMIN contains the correct abbreviations. Except in the case of the State of Baja California. Here's the story: The official name of the State is Baja California. Not Baja California NORTE. The name was changed decades ago, but for some reason people that live in Mexico City (which is where the federal government is), still add the word NORTE (north) The correct abbreviation is B.C., not BCN. I should know, since I've lived in this State all my life.

Answer 5

Dunno, but;
Minnesota = MN
Montana= MT
Michigan= MI
Maryland= MD
Massachusetts = MA
and Texas is = TX
I think it is just a contraction of the three letter system we used to use. For the sake of brevity, and laziness.

Ok, just asked a postal worker friend.
Standardization. With the three letter system there were just too many variables, or combinations. Humans would understand the abbreviation but the new computer systems couldn't. Now that tech has advanced considerably, they probably could, but we have this system now.

I hope that helps.

Answer 6

Mississippi and Michigan start with mi, but only one uses those letters. There are others like this as well.

Answer 7

The answer above mine is great... but they left out a huge one. Washington DC's abbreviation is DC. Just thought I'd add my two cents.

Answer 8

Ma-massachusetts!

Answer 9

NO... Mississippi is MS.... Missouri is MO... Montata MT...Kentucky KY...etc. etc:
Check it out: http://www.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/abbreviations.html#states

Answer 10

Looking for a good answer on this too