Capitals of the 50 American States

The United States Today – States 50

Today, the 50 states constitute the country. The continent, located between Canada and Mexico, is made up of 48 states. This area is called the contiguous United States. Non-contiguous states include Hawaii, an island in the Pacific Ocean, and Alaska, a vast region connected to Canada’s west coast. The eastern state has a city that serves as the political capital.

Choice of state capitals

The choice of the capitals of the United States followed little uniform reasoning, some being the most populous cities in the state and others being located in the center. In other cases, the seats of state government are neither economically important nor well located. So how did lawmakers decide which cities would become the state capital? The answer: it depends, each state has a unique history.

Voters have often lobbied their politicians to have their hometowns distinguished as the capital. The belief behind this was that capital status would stimulate economic growth or encourage settlement. History has shown that this theory is not always the case. Other capitals of the United States were chosen while the country was still concerned about the British attacks. They chose geographically protected cities in the event of war. Dover, established in 1777, from Delaware is a perfect example. Politicians chose Dover for New Castle, an important port city that could be easily attacked by approaching ships. Other capitals, such as Trenton in New Jersey and Tallahassee in Florida, were chosen because they were the first state settlements. These capitals already had a large population and had already played an important role in the history of the country. Many capitals which today seem strangely located or sparsely populated were once very important cities for trade and industry.

Given that so many capitals do not have the most powerful state economies, what are their roles today?

Roles of State Capitals

Today, the capitals of the United States are important as the center of state government. Legislation is written, argued, voted and adopted in capitals. Among the most populous state capitals are Phoenix, Arizona; Indianapolis, Indiana; Austin, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; and Boston, Massachusetts.

Phoenix, first called Pumpkinville, was first established as an agricultural center in 1867 and was established as a city in 1881. The economy experienced significant growth after the construction of the railway during the same decade. The population increased, the municipal government was organized and the state capital was transferred from Prescott to Phoenix in 1889. Today it is the most populous state capital of the country and is home to universities, hospitals, banks and a large airport.

Indianapolis, the second most populous city, has always played an important role in the development of Indiana. Founded as the capital in 1825, the city was originally founded in 1816 and is inspired by Washington, the national capital. Again, the 1850 railroad helped this economy grow and prosper. His access to the railroad also made him a critical actor during the civil war, when he joined the North. This city also established a banking sector at the beginning of its development. Today, it continues to be the economic and cultural center of the state.

Least populated state capitals

The least populated capitals in the United States are Montpelier, Vermont; Pierre, South Dakota; Augusta, Maine; Frankfort, Kentucky; and Helena, Montana.

Montpelier, Vermont currently has a population of approximately 7.705, making it the state’s least populated capital. It was the first settlement in Vermont and was named in honor of a French city to recognize the French for their support during the American Revolution. Today, this city is both the state capital and the county seat. People commute every day for work and on a regular Monday afternoon, as many as 21,000 could be within the city limits. Besides public administrative functions, higher education also plays an important role in the economy and the city hosts colleges 3 and university 1.

For an overview of all the capitals of the United States and their year of establishment, a list is published below.

Capitals of the United States

Rank	State / district	Capital	Capital since
1	Alabama	Montgomery	1846
2	Alaska	Juneau	1906
3	Arizona	Phoenix	1889
4	Arkansas	Little rock	1821
5	California	Sacramento	1854
6	Colorado	Denver	1867
7	Connecticut	Hartford	1875
8	Delaware	Dover	1777
9	Florida	Tallahassee	1824
10	Georgia	Atlanta	1868
11	Hawaii	Honolulu	1845
12	Idaho	Wooded	1865
13	Illinois	Springfield	1837
14	Indiana	Indianapolis	1825
15	Iowa	Monks	1857
16	Kansas	Topeka	1856
17	Kentucky	Frankfort	1792
18	Louisiana	Red Stick	1880
19	Maine	Augusta	1832
20	Maryland	Annapolis	1694
21	Massachusetts	Boston	1630
22	Michigan	Lansing	1847
23	Minnesota	St.Paul	1849
24	Mississippi	Jackson	1821
25	Missouri	Jefferson City	1826
26	Montana	Helena	1875
27	Nebraska	Lincoln	1867
28	Nevada	Carson city	1861
29	New Hampshire	Concorde	1808
30	New Jersey	Trenton	1784
31	New Mexico	Santa fe	1610
32	New York	Albany	1797
33	North Carolina	Raleigh	1792
34	North Dakota	Bismarck	1883
35	Ohio	Columbus	1816
36	Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	1910
37	Oregon	Salem	1855
38	Pennsylvania	Harrisburg	1812
39	Rhode Island	Providence	1900
40	Caroline from the south	Columbia	1786
41	South Dakota	Pierre	1889
42	Tennessee	Nashville	1826
43	Texas	Austin	1839
44	Utah	Salt lake city	1858
45	Vermont	Montpellier	1805
46	Virginia	Richmond	1780
47	Washington	Olympia	1853
48	West Virginia	Charleston	1885
49	Wisconsin	Madison	1838
50	Wyoming	Cheyenne	1869