List of U.S. state capitals
This is a list of United States state capital cities. Each has a capital building that acts as the center of government for its state. The capital city with the fewest people is Montpelier, Vermont,[1] while the capital city with the most people is Phoenix, Arizona.
The dates listed in the following table indicate the years it has continuously served as the state's sole capital. Most states have changed their capital city at least once. In the case of the thirteen bottom states, "statehood" in the table refers to its date of ratification of the United States Constitution.
State | Abr. | State-hood | Capital | Capital since | Area (mi²) | Population (2018) | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City | Metropolitan | Rank in state | Rank in US | |||||||
Alabama | AL | 1819 | Montgomery | 1846 | 159.8 | 198,218 | 373,903 | 2 | 119 | |
Alaska | AK | 1959 | Juneau | 1906 | 2716.7 | 31,275 | 2 | Largest capital by municipal land area. | ||
Arizona | AZ | 1912 | Phoenix | 1889 | 517.6 | 1,660,272 | 4,857,962 | 1 | 5 | Largest capital by population. |
Arkansas | AR | 1836 | Little Rock | 1821 | 116.2 | 193,524 | 699,757 | 1 | 117 | |
California | CA | 1850 | Sacramento | 1854 | 97.9 | 508,529 | 2,345,210 | 6 | 35 | |
Colorado | CO | 1876 | Denver | 1867 | 153.3 | 716,492 | 2,932,415 | 1 | 19 | |
Connecticut | CT | 1788 | Hartford | 1875 | 17.3 | 124,775 | 1,212,381 | 3 | 199 | |
Delaware | DE | 1787 | Dover | 1777 | 22.4 | 36,047 | 162,310 | 2 | Longest-serving capital in terms of statehood. | |
Florida | FL | 1845 | Tallahassee | 1824 | 95.7 | 181,376 | 367,413 | 7 | 125 | |
Georgia | GA | 1788 | Atlanta | 1868 | 133.5 | 498,044 | 5,949,951 | 1 | 37 | Largest capital by metropolitan area population. |
Hawaii | HI | 1959 | Honolulu | 1845 | 68.4 | 359,870 | 953,207 | 1 | 56 | |
Idaho | ID | 1890 | Boise | 1865 | 63.8 | 205,671 | 616,561 | 1 | 103 | |
Illinois | IL | 1818 | Springfield | 1837 | 54.0 | 116,250 | 210,170 | 6 | 221 | |
Indiana | IN | 1816 | Indianapolis | 1825 | 361.5 | 867,125 | 2,004,230 | 1 | 16 | |
Iowa | IA | 1846 | Des Moines | 1857 | 75.8 | 203,433 | 569,633 | 1 | 105 | |
Kansas | KS | 1861 | Topeka | 1856 | 56.0 | 127,473 | 230,870 | 4 | 193 | |
Kentucky | KY | 1792 | Frankfort | 1792 | 14.7 | 25,527 | 70,758 | 14 | ||
Louisiana | LA | 1812 | Baton Rouge | 1880 | 76.8 | 225,374 | 830,480 | 2 | 99 | |
Maine | ME | 1820 | Augusta | 1832 | 55.4 | 19,136 | 117,114 | 8 | ||
Maryland | MD | 1788 | Annapolis | 1694 | 6.73 | 38,394 | 7 | Smallest capital by land area. | ||
Massachusetts | MA | 1788 | Boston | 1630 | 89.6 | 694,583 | 4,628,910 | 1 | 21 | Longest continuously serving capital. |
Michigan | MI | 1837 | Lansing | 1847 | 35.0 | 114,297 | 464,036 | 5 | 226 | |
Minnesota | MN | 1858 | Saint Paul | 1849 | 52.8 | 285,068 | 3,348,659 | 2 | 67 | |
Mississippi | MS | 1817 | Jackson | 1821 | 104.9 | 173,514 | 567,122 | 1 | 134 | |
Missouri | MO | 1821 | Jefferson City | 1826 | 27.3 | 43,079 | 149,807 | 15 | ||
Montana | MT | 1889 | Helena | 1875 | 14.0 | 28,190 | 74,801 | 6 | ||
Nebraska | NE | 1867 | Lincoln | 1867 | 74.6 | 258,379 | 302,157 | 2 | 72 | |
Nevada | NV | 1864 | Carson City | 1861 | 143.4 | 55,274 | 6 | |||
New Hampshire | NH | 1788 | Concord | 1808 | 64.3 | 42,695 | 146,445 | 3 | ||
New Jersey | NJ | 1787 | Trenton | 1784 | 7.66 | 84,913 | 366,513 | 10 | ||
New Mexico | NM | 1912 | Santa Fe | 1610 | 37.3 | 75,764 | 183,732 | 4 | Longest-serving capital. | |
New York | NY | 1788 | Albany | 1797 | 21.4 | 97,856 | 857,592 | 6 | ||
North Carolina | NC | 1789 | Raleigh | 1792 | 114.6 | 403,892 | 1,130,490 | 2 | 43 | |
North Dakota | ND | 1889 | Bismarck | 1883 | 26.9 | 61,272 | 108,779 | 2 | ||
Ohio | OH | 1803 | Columbus | 1816 | 210.3 | 892,553 | 2,078,725 | 1 | 14 | |
Oklahoma | OK | 1907 | Oklahoma City | 1910 | 620.3 | 649,021 | 1,396,445 | 1 | 27 | Shortest-serving current state capital. |
Oregon | OR | 1859 | Salem | 1855 | 45.7 | 154,637 | 390,738 | 3 | 149 | |
Pennsylvania | PA | 1787 | Harrisburg | 1812 | 8.11 | 49,528 | 647,390 | 9 | ||
Rhode Island | RI | 1790 | Providence | 1900 | 18.5 | 178,042 | 1,600,852 | 1 | 130 | |
South Carolina | SC | 1788 | Columbia | 1786 | 125.2 | 129,272 | 767,598 | 2 | 191 | |
South Dakota | SD | 1889 | Pierre | 1889 | 13.0 | 13,646 | 8 | |||
Tennessee | TN | 1796 | Nashville | 1826 | 525.9 | 691,243 | 1,903,045 | 1 | 24 | |
Texas | TX | 1845 | Austin | 1839 | 305.1 | 964,254 | 2,168,316 | 4 | 11 | Largest capital by population to not be the most populated city in its state. |
Utah | UT | 1896 | Salt Lake City | 1858 | 109.1 | 186,440 | 1,087,873 | 1 | 124 | |
Vermont | VT | 1791 | Montpelier | 1805 | 10.2 | 7,855 | 6 | Smallest capital by population. | ||
Virginia | VA | 1788 | Richmond | 1780 | 60.1 | 204,214 | 1,208,101 | 4 | 104 | |
Washington | WA | 1889 | Olympia | 1853 | 16.7 | 46,478 | 234,670 | 24 | ||
West Virginia | WV | 1863 | Charleston | 1885 | 31.6 | 51,400 | 304,214 | 1 | Smallest capital by population to also be the most populated city in its state. | |
Wisconsin | WI | 1848 | Madison | 1838 | 68.7 | 233,209 | 605,435 | 2 | 82 | |
Wyoming | WY | 1890 | Cheyenne | 1869 | 21.1 | 59,466 | 91,738 | 1 |
List Of U.S. State Capitals Media
The Second Continental Congress and the Congress of the Confederation met at Independence Hall at various times between 1775 and 1782, and the U.S. Congress met at the adjacent Congress Hall in the 1790s.
Federal Hall memorial in New York City: in an earlier building on this site, the United States Congress convened for the first time under the United States Constitution in 1789 and George Washington was sworn in as the first president
The west front of the current United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Honolulu twice served as the national capital of Hawaii and is now the state capital.
The Navajo Nation Council Chamber in Window Rock, Arizona is the center of government for the Navajo Nation
The New Echota Council House (since reconstructed)
Stadt Huys, the original city hall of Albany, New York and meeting place of the Albany Congress in 1754.
The original of Todd's Bear Flag, photographed in 1890
References
- ↑ "Montpelier Vermont Lodging Real Estate History Vermont Living Magazine". 10 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07.