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STATE INFORMATION
Many websites which provide state information contain core
information which is standard: state flag, motto, name origin (and nickname), geographic
information, constitution, population data, state government profile, state bird,
state song, state flower, etc.
In the annotations accompanying the sites listed below, this information will be
referred to as "basic state information."
Business Filings
Databases, Updated
Maintained by Kathy Biehl for the Law Library Resource Xchange,
LLC
Part of the "Research Roundup" series
Directory of links to state agencies responsible for business/corporate
filings
"Unless otherwise stated each database ... is free"
Excellent annotations accompany each link
"Research Roundup Archives" links to other "Research Roundup" reports
on business and legal issues
Other sites provide links to similar information, but the quality
of the annotations sets this site apart
FindLaw: State Resources
Sponsored by FindLaw
Provides access to state-based legal and governmental
information
Links to state data by primary materials (cases,
codes, regulations), state government information, associations/bars, courts, law
schools and related material
Also links to state attorneys, statutes, constitutions
Searchable by keyword
One of the best sites for a state's legal information
combined with other state government links
50states.com: States & Capitols
Created by Roy Weber; sponsored by Pike Street
Industries, Inc.
Browse each state in over 50 categories including
basic state information, links to largest cities' homepages, public records, state
tax forms, tourism, unclaimed funds, vital records
Over 21,000 links
Also includes directories for city guides, colleges/universities,
newspapers, sports teams, white pages/yellow pages
Great source for quick information; especially
useful for topics not often covered by other states sites
50 States of the U.S.A.
This site is a sub-page from "Teacher Oz's Kingdom
of History," created and maintained by Tracey Osborn
This sub-page provides a wealth of information
on almost every aspect of the 50 states
"General State Information" links general state
sites and sites for state information by topic: state name origins/symbols/flags,
etc.; geographic information (maps, distances, latitude/longitude); demographics
(population/statistics/rankings); government (state government/law/elections); state
news and city information
"Specific States" links to basic state information
about individual states; additional links for a state vary from state-to-state (for
example, Rhode Island has 7 links, while California has 32); additional links may
be cultural, genealogical, historical or municipal
Comprehensive, with many more esoteric links than
general state sites; excellent for research for all levels; map links and demographic
links are especially useful; fascinating and easy-to-navigate
Full-Text State Statutes and
Legislation on the Internet
Sponsored by Prairienet
One of the earliest legal/governmental sites for
state information, this page links to full-text constitutions, statutes (a.k.a.
codes), legislation (bills, amendments), session laws (enacted laws), administrative
rules
"This page avoids links to court decisions, federal
materials, materials that are not full-text, single-topic sites (such as a state's
computer laws), and materials that require fees for access"
Comprehensiveness of a state's links vary from
state-to-state
Very useful for the topics which it covers, especially
for the legislative process
Governing: State Government
Links
Sponsored by "Governing," a monthly publication
for state and local government officials; published by Congressional Quarterly,
Inc.
"GovLinks" links to federal/state/local sites and
to associations/organizations for the following categories: development/land use,
environment/waste management, policy/politics, public education, public safety,
technology/e-government, transportation, state-based research organizations
Also includes a directory of over 100 sites for
interstate/multistate commissions/ authorities and professional organizations for
state officials (includes such esoterica as the "Association of State Dam Safety
Officials")
One of the best sites for links to state government
information and organizations; the link to state-based research organizations is
especially useful
Guide to State Statistical
Abstracts
Sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau
Compiled from an appendix in the Statistical Abstract
of the United States, this site lists the latest available state statistical abstracts
since 1995
Links to 32 online sources; provides contact information
and/or print product information for the remainder
The nature of statistical abstract links differs;
some are links to stand-alone state statistical agencies, but many link to state
university sites for business/economic development research or state planning agencies
"All sources contain statistical tables on a variety
of subjects for the state as a whole, its component parts, or both"
Best direct source for official state statistical
information gathered in one place
Law by Source State Law Collection
Sponsored by Cornell University Law School's Legal
Information Institute (LII)
State-by-state links to constitutions, statutes,
pending information, judicial opinions, regulation, additional collections of state
legal resources (state government homepage, bar associations, LII American Legal
Ethics Library, attorneys general sites)
Also provides links to states' business/financial
laws, commercial code, evidence, matrimonial/family/health laws, probate
May be browsed by jurisdiction, state statutes
by topic, uniform law locators
In keeping with the LII's standards of high-quality,
easy-to-navigate legal resource pages, this site is one of the best places to begin
any sort of state legal research
NACo National Association of Counties Homepage
"The only national organization that represents
county government in the United States"
Links to county websites and legislative concerns,
programs/projects, governmental/organizational resources
Provides information about membership and services
of NACo, publications, conferences, events
Also links to websites for such "issues areas"
as economic/community development, emergency management, environmental concerns,
public lands, public safety, sustainable communities
One of the best, most comprehensive sites for all
types of county information; for best results, search using the "Site Map"
National Governors Association (NGA)
The mission of the NGA is "... to support the work
of the governors by providing a bipartisan forum to help shape and implement national
policy and to solve state problems"
Provides information about the policy positions,
programs, resources and services of the NGA
The website's best feature is "The Center for Best
Practices," a clearinghouse for information designed to aid governors in developing
policy and avoiding pitfalls, so that governors can be "... better prepared to react
to emerging issues"
"The Center" provides its own research reports,
links to federal/regional government agencies and relevant policy analysis documents
from other sources; provides resources for dozens of specific issues on the following
topics: economy/technology, education, workforce development, social services, health,
homeland security, energy, the environment and other issues
Also offers up-to-date state news, legislative
updates, and "About the Governors" (websites, contact information, speeches, etc.)
Free NGA monthly e-mail update
Complements "StatesNews" website
Excellent, well-organized approach to complex issues;
one of the best sources for research on issues facing states, from the executive
perspective
Public Records Online
Sponsored by NETR Real Estate Research and Information
"An information portal to official state websites,
and those Tax Assessors' and Recorders' offices that have developed websites for
the retrieval of available public records over the Internet"
Official state websites link to local/municipal
records for deeds, parcel maps, GIS maps, tax data, ownership information; when
local/municipal data is not available, the site links to local/municipal home pages
(where available)
Records' availability varies according to local/municipal
site development
Includes "help" function for navigating the site
and newsletter mail list
Great source for real estate and tax records
Search Systems
Sponsored by Pacific Information Resources, Inc.
Proves links to over 39,000 "searchable public
record databases"
Links are organized by state, U.S. territory; also
includes some international sites
Type of record information provided includes state
government contact information, business incorporation, court records, unclaimed
property and more (Note: most states provide links for the verification of professional/occupational
licenses)
Availability of different categories of records
differs from state-to-state
Excellent; especially useful for links not often
accessible from other public records websites
SHG Resources (State Handbook & Guide)
Sponsored by "State House Girls," an organization
devoted to "... organizing topics of interest to women"
This site provides numerous links to various issues
(domestic violence, census information, people locators, traffic); its applicability
to this guide, however, is in its governmental links
"State Resource" links to 11 sub-directories; one
of these, "Government Agencies," links to 40 categories of links for state government
activities/services, from "aging services" to "vital statistics and records"
"State Pages" provides basic state information;
also links to a state's colleges/universities, media outlets, as well as personal
interest sites (entertainment, money, finance, shopping, etc.)
Despite this site's general nature, the "Government
Agencies" directory alone makes it worthwhile, since it is one of the most comprehensive
topic-specific directories of state services
State and County QuickFacts
Sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau
Great source for "quick, easy access to facts about
people, business, and geography"
"QuickFacts" tables are summary profiles showing
frequently requested data items from various Census Bureau programs. Profiles are
available at the national, state, and county level."
Links to other Census Bureau sites of related interest
Not comprehensive, but one of the best sites for
quick, basic census data
State and Federal E-Government
in the United States, 2002
Compiled by Darrell M. West, Department of Political
Science, Brown University
This comprehensive report on state/federal e-government
resources in 2002 analyzes and ranks the progress of e-government resources in the
following areas: overview of e-government's role in state/ federal online resources,
services provided, privacy/security, disability access, foreign language access,
e-mail responsiveness, overall state/federal ranking
Does not link to state homepages
Excellent; covers every base; thorough analysis
of this burgeoning governmental resource
State Capital
Links
Sponsored by StateScape
Links to the following government information for
each state: full texts for bills, legislature homepage, information about legislature
members
This site is one of the best sites for direct access
to fundamental legislature links in one place
State Government and Politics
Maintained by Grace York for the University of
Michigan Documents Center (UMDC)
One of the most comprehensive and best sites for
state governments, state legislatures, public policy, local governments
Includes a wide variety of topics including elections,
statistics, advocacy groups, think tanks, state government associations
Excellent annotations accompany most links
Browsable only
As with all UMDC sites, this one is very well-organized,
thorough and easy-to-navigate
Excellent; a "must" for anyone interested in state
government research
State Government Finances
Sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau
"Provides a comprehensive summary of annual survey
findings for state governments"
Data is displayed in "Summary Tables" (US and states),
"Ranking Table" (total and per capita revenue and expenditure amounts), "Lottery
Table" (income and apportionment of state lottery funds)
"Technical Documentation" provides an "... explanation
of the source and limits of data, file layouts and content"
Links to additional, related Census Bureau sites
(link from "Site Map"): "Census of Governments," "Public Employment & Payroll" (all
government levels), "Public Employee Retirement Systems" (state and local), "Tax
Collection" (state and local), "Federal Expenditures"
Best direct official source for state government
finance and related topics
State Government Tax Collections
Sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau
"Provides a summary of taxes collected by state
for up to 25 tax categories"
Data is displayed in "Summary Tables" (US and states),
"Ranking Table" (by total state tax), "Flat Data File" (tax item data for each state)
"Technical Documentation" provides an "explanation
of the source and limitations of data, file layouts and content," and provides a
link to "definitions and explanations of the various tax codes"
Links to additional, related Census Bureau sites
(link from "site map"): "Census of Governments," "Public Employment & Payroll",
"Finance" (state and local,) "Public Employee Retirement Systems" (state/local levels),
"Public Elementary/Secondary Education Finances" (state level,) "Federal Expenditures"
Best, direct, official source for state taxation,
and related topics
State Health Facts Online
Sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation
This site's mission is to provide "... the latest
state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage,
access, financing and state legislation"
"50 State Comparisons" allows the user to compare
data on the following: demographics and the economy, health status, health coverage
and the uninsured, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, health costs and budgets, managed
care and health insurance, providers and service use, women's health, minority health,
HIV/AIDS
"50 State Comparisons" may be keyword searched
as well as browsed
"Individual State Profiles" provide single-state
data for each category listed in "50 State Comparisons;" also links to the state
government's home page, legislature, Medicaid agency and Department of Insurance
US health data profile also included
"Resources" provides access to a topics list, publications,
glossary, e-mail update service
All sources for data are identified (many are federal
government sites)
One of the best if not the best health
research sites for US states; comprehensive, easy-to-navigate; excellent in all
respects
State
Resource Center
Sponsored by LexisOne
"State Resource Center" is comprised of two directories,
the "State Resource Center" and the "Legal Web Site Directory
The first section of the "State Resource Center""General
State Resources" links to state constitutions, state court directories, and
state/national resources (annotated links to some of the best legal state/national
sites)
The second sectionlinks to individual statesincludes
the following: state home pages (with links to Census sites), statewide offices,
legislative branches, judicial branches, executive branches, rules of courts/forms,
boards/commissions, regional/county links, libraries; also links to U.S. territories
"Legal Web Site Directory" links to 18 categories
of legal information: "Most Visited Sites" include judicial courts/decisions, practice
areas, code/statutes, legal/business/government forms, legal journals/law reviews,
bar resources
Excellent source for extensive direct links to
a wealth of state and legal sites; easy-to-navigate
Stateline.org
Sponsored by the Pew Center on the States, University
of Richmond
"Founded in order to help journalists, policy makers
and engaged citizens become better informed about innovative public policies"
"State News Roundup" provides access to current
news and policy developments from all state capitals
"States" provides links to governor and legislatures;
also provides data on budgets/taxes, crime/prisons, environment, income/poverty,
insurance/accidents, population
Also provides a mechanism which allows comparisons
with other states
"My Stateline" is a news alert service which allows
users to be updated on the latest news/issues for their state (registration required,
but it's free)
Allows state-specific and issue-specific searching
Archives past news items
Excellent; one of the best resources for current
information on states' news/policies
Stately Knowledge
Sponsored by the Internet Public Library, Youth
Division
Provides basic state information for all states
Useful for brief profiles of states; not for in-depth
research
StateNews
Sponsored by the Council of State Governments (CSG)
"A non-partisan, nonprofit organization", the CSG
promotes and facilitates co-operation on issues affecting state government among
states, multi-state associations and "regional co-operative ventures"
Provides information about CSG's policy positions,
programs, products/services, publications, membership information
Provides links to four regional offices (Eastern,
Midwest, South, West)
Much of the information available on this site
is free; some research data ("STARS: State Archives and Research Service Database")
is available to only to members; public employees qualify for free membership, others
must have a paid membership
Provides policy sub-pages for agriculture, conflict
management, public safety/justice, health, homeland security, the environment
Currently featured topics include "Elections 2002,"
"Internet Privacy Online Clearinghouse," "Driver's License Integrity," "Health Literacy,"
"Annual State Trends and Leadership Forum"
Complements "National Governors Association" website
Excellent source of state news/trends; although
its target audience is state officials, much of the information provided is useful
to anyone interested in state government issues and programs
Topical Index:
State Statutes on the Internet
Sponsored by Cornell University Law School's Legal
Information Institute (LII)
Provides links to state laws in 38 subject categories,
from agriculture to water codes
Includes links to state constitutions, legislative
information, judicial opinions and other sources of state legal resources
In keeping with the LII's standards of high-quality,
easy-to-navigate legal resource pages, this site is one of the best places to begin
any sort of state legal research
U.S. States: The 50 States
Sponsored by Infoplease.com
Click on a state on a US map to link to basic state
information (in 15 categories) for that state
Also links by topic for the following: state maps
(many are printable), flags, state trivia, regions, travel and climate (includes
landmarks, national park system information, mileage between cities), government
(federal/state links, postal codes)
Level of information at this site is comparable
to almanac data; very useful for what it covers, but not for in-depth research
Websites discussed on this page are for informational purposes only. Johnson & Wales University Library is not responsible for the accuracy, content, or stability of any websites linked to this page.
Compiled by Rick Keogh
6/03; updated 10/03; links last checked 10/07
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