What is the oldest US state?

The story behind the answer

Delaware is considered the oldest U.S. state because it was the first to ratify the U.S. Constitution, on December 7, 1787—earning the nickname “The First State.” In U.S. history, “oldest state” typically refers to the first to become a state under the Constitution, not the earliest colony.

Context helps: Virginia hosted the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown (1607), but it wasn’t the first to ratify. Rhode Island actually ratified last in 1790, and Maine didn’t become a state until 1820 (separating from Massachusetts). To remember it, think “Delaware = Day One” of the new federal Union, or “December Delaware”—the first to sign on in December 1787.