15 Government Instagrams to Follow

Government can be beautiful. Yea, I know. There are lot of things you call government–tough, innovative, bureaucratic, dedicated–but beautiful is rarely the adjective of choice.

Instagram is changing that. Since GSA negotiated a government-compatible Terms of Service agreement with Instagram in mid-2013, agencies have been flocking to the platform to show the beauty of government. And they’re not the only ones. State and local governments are also capturing their work, jazzing it up with a snazzy filter, and showing it off to their constituents.

Below are my top 15 government Instagrams to follow. Check them out. Follow them. Love them.

Federal

The White House – An easy way to keep up with the President, foreign policy initiatives, and domestic issues

A photo posted by The White House (@whitehouse) on Nov 11, 2014 at 2:30pm PST

Department of the Interior – And if you you can’t get enough pictures of purple mountains’ majesty, check out individual national park instagram accounts like Yosemite and Glacier

  A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on Nov 11, 2014 at 2:21pm PST

NASA – Because space.

  A photo posted by NASA (@nasa) on Nov 11, 2014 at 10:24am PST

TSA – A fun blend of the things they find in people’s luggage, puppies who help fight crime, and PSAs for travelers

A photo posted by TSA (@tsa) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:55pm PST

Department of Defense – An awe-inspiring look at U.S. forces, missions, and war-fighting technology

  A photo posted by U.S. Dept. of Defense (DOD) (@deptofdefense) on Nov 11, 2014 at 5:01pm PST

State

Ohio Department of Natural Resources – State history and nature combined!

A photo posted by Ohio Dept of Natural Resources (@ohiodnr) on Sep 9, 2014 at 9:56am PDT

North Carolina Department of Transportation – Learn how roads are made (and other cool stuff).

  A photo posted by North Carolina Department of Transportation (@ncdotcom) on Jul 7, 2014 at 8:37am PDT

Library of Virginia – Even if you don’t want to read books, you can look at pretty pictures of them.

A photo posted by Library of Virginia (@libraryofva) on Nov 11, 2014 at 10:24am PST

Texas Parks and Wildlife – Texas is pretty, y’all.

A photo posted by @texasparkswildlife on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:30am PDT

Maryland State Archives – A showcase of Maryland history, as well as a look into the state’s archival systems

A photo posted by Maryland State Archives (@marylandstatearchives) on Oct 10, 2014 at 2:14pm PDT

Local

Office of the Mayor of the City of Chicago – An easy way to keep track of Mayor Emanuel and any other civic event in Chicago

  At the groundbreaking of the Wrigley Field Renovation project this morning.   A photo posted by @chicagosmayor on Oct 10, 2014 at 8:57am PDT

New York City Department of Transportation – Planes, trains, and automobiles. This instagram has it all.

Beautiful sky over the #brooklynbridge this evening, and as a plus traffic looks to be moving well on the East River and the FDR in lower Manhattan A photo posted by NYC DOT (@nyc_dot) on Nov 11, 2014 at 1:44pm PST

Portland Police Department – A public safety Instagram with a sense of humor

A photo posted by Portland Police (@portlandpolice) on Jun 6, 2014 at 12:15pm PDT

Morgantown City Hall – West Virginia, take me home.

A photo posted by MorgantownCityHall (@morgantown_wv) on May 5, 2014 at 1:25pm PDT

The City of Detroit  – A perfect mix of civic highlights and shots of Motor City

Mayor Mike Duggan talking to a Detroit resident about the Side Lot Sale #scenefromDetroit #DetroitLandBank   A photo posted by City of Detroit (@cityofdetroit) on Nov 11, 2014 at 10:07am PST

Do you know of any other amazing government instagrams worth following? Let us know in the comments section below!