When did Hawaii become a state?

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What Year Did Hawaii Become A US State and More Fun Facts about Hawaii

QUESTION

When did Hawaii become a state?

ANSWER

Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959.

The capital of Hawaii is Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.  Oahu has the largest population of any of the Hawaiian islands, but it is not the largest island.  The largest Hawaiian island is the Big Island of Hawaii, the second largest is Maui, and the third-largest is Oahu.  The other Hawaiian islands that tourists often visit are Kauai, Lanai, and Molokai. There are over a hundred other Hawaiian islands that are all too small for people to live on or tourists to visit.

Hawaii became a state following a referendum on June 27th, 1959 where Hawaii and all-island groups voted at least 93% in favor of statehood (proposition 1), relinquishing all land claims and disputes to the United States (proposition 2), and full consent to terms of the Admission Act (proposition 3).

territory of Hawaii official ballot 1959

The population of the state of Hawaii is about 1.4 million people.  About 70% of those people, or about 1 million, live on the island of Oahu.  Maui has about 155,000 residents. The Big Island of Hawaii has about 185,000, Kauai has about 66,000, Molokai has about 7400, and Lanai has about 3200. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, the population of the whole state was only 622,000.

Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959, only seven months before Hawaii became the 50th state.

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So, when did Hawaii become a state?  

In 1959. In order for any territory to become a new state, it has to be approved by a two-thirds majority of both the House and the Senate of the U.S. Congress, and then the president has to sign the enabling act.

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Click on Cool things to do in Hawaii, or Fun Places to stay in Hawaii.

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