States of the West USA (With Hints)

Mountain

The state's name may derive from an O'odham phrase, 'alĭ ṣonak', meaning 'small spring' - which actually referred to a small area in what is Sonora, Mexico.

This is named after the Spanish for "Red River", the Rio ________, one of the principle rivers, which carries red silt.

The state could be named after politician George M Willing's friend Ida (he pretended it was a Shoshone term meaning 'the sun comes from the mountains', but this was a lie).

The name comes from the Spanish word for mountain (not so different sounding from the English).

The Spanish exploring this region called it 'Snowy' because of the snow on the mountains. (Snowdrops are named after the Latin word, Galanthus nivalis.)

Mēxihco is the Nahuatl term for the heartland of the Aztec Empire, and Spanish explorers used the word to name the area where this state is: 'Nuevo México'.

This could come from the Apache name 'Yuttahih', meaning 'those that are higher up': the state has high mountainous areas.

Back in Pennsylvania, a valley was named after the Munsee word 'xwé:wamənk', meaning 'at the big river flat'. For reasons I don't understand, the valley name was transferred to this state. (Try to pay no attention to the 'x').

Pacific

The name originally came from the language of the Aleut people, and meant 'the object to which the action of the sea is directed'. It was then used by the Russian colonists of the area.

The name of this state may link to a mythical island paradise in Spanish tradition. They gave the name 'Las Californias' to Baja California and to Alta California (a region now crossing many US states).

This is the name of this state's largest island. It is similar to the words for 'homeland' in various Polynesian languages.

This likely has origins in Spanish, and it could refer to the herb which grows in the south of the region.

This is named after the first US president.