a character variable with values alabama,
alaska, arizona, arkansas, california,
colorado, connecticut, delaware, dist of columbia,
florida, georgia, hawaii, idaho, illinois,
indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, louisiana,
maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan,
minnesota, mississippi, missouri, montana,
nebraska, nevada, new hampshire, new jersey,
new mexico, new york, north carolina, north dakota,
ohio, oklahoma, oregon, pennsylvania, rhode
island, south carolina, south dakota, tennessee,
texas, utah, vermont, virginia, washington,
west virginia, wisconsin, and wyoming