MARYLAND'S PRIDE AND JOY

The Donald makes it official, official, official! Maryland's Nana Meriwether is the new Miss USA, ascending to the title after last month's crowning of Miss USA Olivia Culpo as Miss Universe 2012. With Nana, Maryland can finally claim a legitimate Miss USA title. Maryland suffers the dubious distinction of having been the state with the "Miss USA for Just One Day," Leona Gage, who was crowned Miss USA 1957 on July 17, 1957 and dethroned/disqualified a day later (she was married, which was, and still is, a violation of the pageant's rules).  After Leona and before Nana, the closest Maryland has ever come to the Miss USA title was in 1968, with first runner-up Paulette Reck.

Maryland's official seal includes a queen wearing a crown.
Not many state seals depict a queen wearing a crown.
Just saying.

More on Maryland! According to Wikipedia, Maryland is the 9th smallest state by area, but the 19th most populous and the 5th most densely populated of the 50 United States (Remember, Maryland's neighbor, the District of Columbia, is not a state). The state was named after Queen Henrietta Maria, hence the crown on the state seal. Also, among all 50 states Maryland has the highest median household income, making it the wealthiest state in the USA.

Congrats to Nana!