Public land states are those created from the Northwest Territory ceded to the U.S. from Great Britain after the Revolutionary War; the Louisiana Purchase; and the western territories acquired from Mexico after the end of the Mexican War.
[2] Private land states include the original 13 states that achieved independence after the American Revolution, as well as the states of Vermont and Texas (which were both sovereign republics at the time of their admission to the Union), Kentucky and Tennessee (both ceded from lands claimed by the original states of Virginia and North Carolina, respectively), Maine and West Virginia (carved directly from the original states of Massachusetts and Virginia), and Hawaii.
[3] The Bureau of Land Management divides public land states into two groups, Eastern and Western, whose records are maintained separately.
The Eastern public land states are defined as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin, while the Western public land states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
[4] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.