state names

Spell out state names in the body of a story, whether used alone or in conjunction with a city or town: The Golden Gate Bridge is in San Francisco, California.

Use two-letter postal codes (NC, OH, FL) only when a full address is being used as a mailing address.

In sentence usage, spell out the name of the city and state rather than abbreviate.

Do not capitalize the word “state.” The state of Texas is the second-most populous after the state of California.

Use a comma after names of states and nations used with city names: His journey will take him from College Station, Texas, to Fargo, North Dakota, and back.