US State Capitals and Their Most Interesting Facts

Louisiana State Capitol, Baton Rouge 2018

What state capitals were named after presidents? Which capital is the least populated in the United States? Learning about capital cities can be very patriotic – and interesting! Keep reading to learn these fascinating facts and many more.

Most Interesting Facts About Each State Capital

See if you can name the smallest U.S. capital by land size. What about the largest U.S. city that doesn’t have a professional sports team? You’ll know a lot more about capital cities that begin with A, B, or C after reading these fun facts.

Facts About State Capitals: A-C

Capital City	State	Most Interesting Fact
Albany	New York	Albany began as a fort in 1614 and is the oldest continually occupied European settlement in the U.S.
Annapolis	Maryland	At 6.7 square miles, Annapolis is the smallest U.S. capital by land size.
Atlanta	Georgia	Atlanta is the largest capital by metropolitan population (5.9 million).
Augusta	Maine	Augusta is home to Fort Western, the oldest wooden fort in the United States (built in 1794).
Austin	Texas	Austin is the largest U.S. city that doesn’t have a professional sports team.
Baton Rouge	Louisiana	At 450 feet tall, Baton Rouge’s capitol building is the tallest in the country.
Bismarck	North Dakota	Bismarck has the lowest average winter temperature of all state capitals (even Juneau).
Boise	Idaho	Boise is home to the largest population of Basque Americans in the U.S. (15,000).
Boston	Massachusetts	Boston is home to the country’s first public beach (Revere Beach), first lighthouse (Little Brewster Lighthouse), first college (Harvard) and first subway (Tremont Street Subway).
Carson City	Nevada	Carson City is the smallest metropolitan statistical area (#366 out of 366) in the country.
Charleston	West Virginia	The first U.S. museum (Charleston Museum, est. 1773) and theater (Dock Street Theatre, est. 1736) are located in Charleston.
Cheyenne	Wyoming	Located only eight miles north of the Colorado border, Cheyenne is one of the furthest U.S. capitals from its own state’s geographic center.
Columbia	South Carolina	Columbia was the first U.S. city named after Christopher Columbus, and it was almost named Washington instead.
Columbus	Ohio	Nearly half of all Americans live within 500 miles of Columbus, including those living in Chicago, New York City, and Atlanta.
Concord	New Hampshire	Concord was named for the “concord,” or harmony, after a boundary dispute between the neighboring towns Rumford and Bow.

Facts About State Capitals: D-J

It’s fascinating to learn what famous state capitals were almost named, or what historical events first occurred there. Check out these interesting facts about state capitals that begin with D, F, H, I, and J.

Capital City	State	Most Interesting Fact
Denver	Colorado	Although Denver is exactly one mile high, it is not the U.S. capital with the highest elevation. (Santa Fe and Cheyenne are higher.)
Des Moines	Iowa	Des Moines was originally named “Fort Raccoon” after the Raccoon River.
Dover	Delaware	Dover differed from the rest of Kent County regarding slavery, and the city was an important stop on the Underground Railroad.
Frankfort	Kentucky	Frankfort was the only Union capital that was overtaken and occupied by the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War.
Harrisburg	Pennsylvania	Harrisburg is home to the Rockville Bridge, which was built in 1902 and is the longest stone arch bridge in the world.
Hartford	Connecticut	Teddy Roosevelt took the first presidential automobile ride in history on the streets of Hartford in 1902.
Helena	Montana	Helena was originally named “Last Chance Gulch” as a small mining town. It almost became “Crabtown” or “Pumpkinville” before being named after Saint Helena in Minnesota.
Honolulu	Hawaii	Honolulu has the highest average annual temperature of any U.S. state capital.
Indianapolis	Indiana	Indianapolis is the largest U.S. city that is not on a navigable river.
Jackson	Mississippi	Jackson is the only U.S. capital built on top of a volcano. The Jackson Volcano is located under the Mississippi Coliseum.
Jefferson City	Missouri	Jefferson City was laid out by Daniel Morgan Boone, son of famous pioneer Daniel Boone.
Juneau	Alaska	Geographically, Juneau is the largest state capital at 2,716 square miles.

Facts About State Capitals: L-R

What is the most populous state capital? Which city is home to the oldest capital building? Keep reading to learn all about state capitals from L - R in the alphabet.

Capital City	State	Most Interesting Fact
Lansing	Michigan	Lansing was the birthplace of Oldsmobile in 1897, eleven years before the Ford Motor Company created the Ford Model T.
Lincoln	Nebraska	Lincoln was named after President Abraham Lincoln in 1867, only two years after he was assassinated.
Little Rock	Arkansas	The capital building in Little Rock finished construction in 1842, making it the oldest capital building in the country.
Madison	Wisconsin	Madison is the only U.S. state capital built on an isthmus.
Montgomery	Alabama	Montgomery was the first U.S. city with an electric streetcar system known as “the Lightning Route.”
Montpelier	Vermont	With a population of 7,800, Montpelier is the least populated state capital.
Nashville	Tennessee	Nashville’s Centennial Park contains the only replica of the Greek Parthenon, which houses the tallest enclosed sculpture in the Western Hemisphere (Athena Parthenos)
Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	Oklahoma City is the most recently founded state capital (1910).
Olympia	Washington	Olympia is the northernmost state capital in the contiguous U.S.
Phoenix	Arizona	Phoenix is the most populous state capital (1.6 million).
Pierre	South Dakota	Pierre is the only U.S. capital without access to an expressway.
Providence	Rhode Island	The first planned American act of the Revolutionary War occurred in Narragansett Bay in Providence.
Raleigh	North Carolina	Raleigh is the home of the first historically black university in the South, Shaw University.
Richmond	Virginia	Richmond served as the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

State Capitals: S-Z

They may be last, but they’re certainly not least! Here you’ll find the oldest state capital, the only non-captured Confederate capital, and the westernmost United States capital. Check out these amazing facts:

Oregon State Capitol building in Salem 2012

Capital City	State	Most Interesting Fact
Sacramento	California	Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in the state of California (1850).
Saint Paul	Minnesota	St. Paul has more shoreline along the Mississippi River (26 miles) than any other American city. St. Paul and Baton Rouge are the only U.S. capitals on the river itself.
Salem	Oregon	Salem is the second-most populous city in Oregon after Portland.
Salt Lake City	Utah	Salt Lake City is the only U.S. capital with three words in its name.
Santa Fe	New Mexico	Santa Fe is the oldest state capital (founded in 1610), and also the highest U.S. capital at 7,000 feet above sea level.
Springfield	Illinois	Springfield became the third capital of Illinois thanks to the work of Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Springfield from 1837 to 1861.
Tallahassee	Florida	Tallahassee was the only state capital of the Confederacy not to be captured or burned during the Civil War.
Topeka	Kansas	Topeka is the closest state capital to the geographic center of the U.S. (which is two miles north of Lebanon, Kansas).
Trenton	New Jersey	Trenton was the U.S. Capital for the last two months of 1784.

More Facts About Capitals

If you need more historical knowledge in your day, here are some additional facts about U.S. state capitals. You’ll learn which states do not have access to the interstate highway system and where you’ll find the only royal palace in the United States.

There are four state capitals named after American presidents: Jackson (Mississippi), Jefferson City (Missouri), Lincoln (Nebraska), and Madison (Wisconsin).
The four state capitals not served by the United States interstate highway system are Dover (Delaware), Jefferson City (Missouri), Juneau (Alaska), and Pierre (South Dakota). Even though Honolulu (Hawaii) is not physically connected to the continental highway system, its interstate highways are built to the same standards.
The only royal palace in the United States is in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Alaska has more miles of coastline than all other states combined (6,640 miles).
There are 24 state capitals west of the Mississippi River, and 26 capitals east of the river.
Even though Washington D.C. is the nation’s capital, it is not located in a state and is not represented by the U.S. Congress.

America the Beautiful

The true beauty of America lies in its diversity. Having fifty states united in one country makes for a very interesting history! If you’d like to write more about the United States, check out a list of words that describe America. Now that you know about the U.S. capitals, make sure you know the difference between capital and capitol.