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EspañolLIST OF CAPITALS IN THE UNITED STATES
This is a 'list of current and former national and subnational capital cities in the United States', which includes the legislature or seat of government of all states, territories, colonies, or kingdoms that are or were located in the United States, organized by current U.S. state location.
The city chosen to be capital for a given region may change from time to time, typically during rapid population growth or time of governmental instability caused by local war. When territories were divided up into smaller states, especially during the 19th century, new capitals within the new boundaries needed to be chosen.
| Contents |
| Current capitals |
| National capital |
| State capitals |
| Insular area capitals |
| Former national capitals |
| Former state capitals |
| See also |
| External links |
| References |
Current capitals
National capital
'Washington, D.C.' has been the national capital of the United States since 1800.
State capitals
:''For the former capitals of U.S. states, see Former state capitals, below.''
:''For additional information on the states, see U.S. state.''
The current roster of state capitals of the United States has not changed since 1910, when Oklahoma City replaced Guthrie as the capital of the State of Oklahoma. Four states were granted statehood after 1910 (Arizona and New Mexico in 1912 and Alaska and Hawaii in 1959), but the capital of each of these four states had been the capital of the preceding territory since before 1910. It is unlikely that any of the current state capitals will change in the near future, due to the considerable cost of moving government operations.
In 34 of the 50 U.S. states, the state capital is currently not the state's most populous city.
The dates listed in the following table indicate the year since which the current capital has ''continuously'' served as the sole capital. In nine states, as noted below, the current capital had served as capital previously, but one or more other cities were capital in the interim.
| State | Date of statehood | Capital | Capital since | Most populous city? | Population | Notes on current capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1819 | Montgomery | 1846 | No | 200,127 | |
| Alaska | 1959 | Juneau | 1906 | No | 30,987 | |
| Arizona | 1912 | Phoenix | 1889 | Yes | 1,475,834 | The largest capital city in the U.S. |
| Arkansas | 1836 | Little Rock | 1836 | Yes | 184,564 | |
| California | 1850 | Sacramento | 1854 | No | 467,343 | Supreme Court is headquartered in San Francisco |
| Colorado | 1876 | Denver | 1867 | Yes | 566,974 | Denver City served as the capital of the Colorado Territory 1861-1862 and 1867-1876. |
| Connecticut | 1788 | Hartford | 1875 | No | 124,397 | Hartford also served as the capital 1639-1686 and 1689-1700, and as the co-capital with New Haven 1701-1875. |
| Delaware | 1787 | Dover | 1777 | No | 32,135 | |
| Florida | 1845 | Tallahassee | 1824 | No | 156,612 | |
| Georgia | 1788 | Atlanta | 1868 | Yes | 483,108 | |
| Hawaii | 1959 | Honolulu | 1845 | Yes | 371,657 | |
| Idaho | 1890 | Boise | 1865 | Yes | 216,248 | |
| Illinois | 1818 | Springfield | 1839 | No | 111,454 | |
| Indiana | 1816 | Indianapolis | 1825 | Yes | 791,926 | |
| Iowa | 1846 | Des Moines | 1857 | Yes | 194,163 | Burlington served as the territorial capital from 1838-1846. Iowa City served as the capital from 1846-1857. |
| Kansas | 1861 | Topeka | 1856 | No | 122,327 | |
| Kentucky | 1792 | Frankfort | 1792 | No | 27,741 | |
| Louisiana | 1812 | Baton Rouge | 1880 | No | 224,097 | Baton Rouge also served as the capital 1849-1862. |
| Maine | 1820 | Augusta | 1832 | No | 18,560 | Augusta was officially capital from 1827 but the legislature did not sit there until 1832. |
| Maryland | 1788 | Annapolis | 1694 | No | 36,217 | |
| Massachusetts | 1788 | Boston | 1630 | Yes | 596,368 | |
| Michigan | 1837 | Lansing | 1847 | No | 119,128 | Lansing is the only state capital that is not also the county seat of the county in which it is situated. |
| Minnesota | 1858 | Saint Paul | 1849 | No | 287,151 | |
| Mississippi | 1817 | Jackson | 1821 | Yes | 184,256 | |
| Missouri | 1821 | Jefferson City | 1826 | No | 39,636 | |
| Montana | 1889 | Helena | 1889 | No | 25,780 | |
| Nebraska | 1867 | Lincoln | 1867 | No | 225,581 | |
| Nevada | 1864 | Carson City | 1861 | No | 57,701 | |
| New Hampshire | 1788 | Concord | 1808 | No | 42,221 | |
| New Jersey | 1787 | Trenton | 1784 | No | 84,639 | |
| New Mexico | 1912 | Santa Fe | 1610 | No | 70,631 | El Paso del Norte served as the capital of the Santa Fé de Nuevo Méjico colony-in-exile during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680-1692. |
| New York | 1788 | Albany | 1797 | No | 95,993 | |
| North Carolina | 1789 | Raleigh | 1794 | No | 359,332 | |
| North Dakota | 1889 | Bismarck | 1883 | No | 55,532 | |
| Ohio | 1803 | Columbus | 1816 | Yes | 730,657 | |
| Oklahoma | 1907 | Oklahoma City | 1910 | Yes | 541,500 | |
| Oregon | 1859 | Salem | 1855 | No | 149,305 | Salem first served as the capital in 1851, but Corvallis was briefly the capital in 1855. |
| Pennsylvania | 1787 | Harrisburg | 1812 | No | 48,950 | |
| Rhode Island | 1790 | Providence | 1900 | Yes | 176,862 | Providence also served as the capital 1636-1686 and 1689-1776. It was one of five co-capitals 1776-1853, and one of two co-capitals 1853-1900. |
| South Carolina | 1788 | Columbia | 1786 | Yes | 122,819 | |
| South Dakota | 1889 | Pierre | 1889 | No | 13,876 | |
| Tennessee | 1796 | Nashville | 1826 | No | 607,413 | Nashville also served as the capital 1812-1818. |
| Texas | 1845 | Austin | 1839 | No | 709,893 | |
| Utah | 1896 | Salt Lake City | 1858 | Yes | 181,743 | |
| Vermont | 1791 | Montpelier | 1805 | No | 8,035 | |
| Virginia | 1788 | Richmond | 1780 | No | 195,251 | |
| Washington | 1889 | Olympia | 1853 | No | 42,514 | |
| West Virginia | 1863 | Charleston | 1885 | Yes | 52,700 | Charleston also served as the capital 1870-1875. |
| Wisconsin | 1848 | Madison | 1838 | No | 221,551 | |
| Wyoming | 1890 | Cheyenne | 1869 | Yes | 55,362 |
Insular area capitals
An insular area is United States territory that is neither a part of one of the fifty states nor a part of the District of Columbia, the nation's federal district. Only five of the fourteen insular areas are populated; these are listed here. There are three additional freely associated states (Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau) and five additional disputed areas claimed by the United States and other nations; see Insular area for details.
| Insular area | Date | Capital | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Samoa | 1899 | Pago Pago | 1899 | Capital ''de facto'' of the Territory of American Samoa. |
| Fagatogo | 1967 | Capital ''de jure'' of the Territory of American Samoa. | ||
| Guam | 1898 | Hagåtña | 1668 | Capital of the Territory of Guam. |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 1947 | Saipan | 1668 | Capital of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. |
| Puerto Rico | 1898 | San Juan | 1521 | Capital of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 1917 | Charlotte Amalie | 1871 | Capital of the United States Virgin Islands. |
Former national capitals
===United States of America
From 1765 to 1800, Congress met in numerous locations; therefore, the following cities can be said to have once been the United States capital[1]:
;Stamp Act Congress
★ New York City, New York: October 1765
;First Continental Congress
★ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: September 5 1774 to October 24 1774.
;Second Continental Congress
★ Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: May 10 1775 to December 12 1776
★ Henry Fite House - Baltimore, Maryland: December 20 1776 to February 27 1777
★ Pennsylvania State House - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: March 4 1777 to September 18 1777
★ Court House - Lancaster, Pennsylvania: September 27 1777 (one day)
★ Court House - York, Pennsylvania: September 30 1777 to June 27 1778
★ Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: July 2 1778 to March 1 1781
;Articles of Confederation
★ Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: March 1 1781 to June 21 1783
★ Nassau Hall - Princeton, New Jersey: June 30 1783 to November 4 1783
★ Maryland State House - Annapolis, Maryland: November 26 1783 to August 19 1784
★ French Arms Tavern - Trenton, New Jersey: November 1 1784 to December 24 1784
★ City Hall (Federal Hall) - New York, New York: January 11 1785 to Autumn 1788
;Constitution
★ New York City, New York: March 4 1789 to August 12 1790
★ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: December 6 1790 to May 14 1800
★ Washington, D.C.: November 17 1800 to present
★ Leesburg, Virginia: September 1814 - When Washington was sacked by the British during the War of 1812 the government with its records and documents, including the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, fled to Virginia and took refuge in the vicinity of Leesburg
===Vermont Republic
Before joining the United States as the fourteenth state, Vermont was an independent republic known as the Vermont Republic. Two cities served as the capital of the Republic:
★ Westminster, 1777
★ Windsor, 1777-1791
===Kingdom and Republic of Hawaii
Prior to becoming a territory of the United States in 1898, Hawaii was an independent nation. Two cities served as its capital:
★ Lāhainā. Served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, 1820–1845.
★ Honolulu
★
★ Served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, 1845–January 17 1893.
★
★ Served as the seat of the Provisional Government of Hawaii after the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, January 17 1893–July 4, 1894.
★
★ Served as the capital of the Republic of Hawaii when it was established on July 4 1894 until the Republic was annexed by the United States on July 7 1898 under the Newlands Resolution to become the Territory of Hawaii.
===Republic of Texas
Before joining the United States under the Texas Annexation in 1845, Texas was an independent nation known as the Republic of Texas. Seven cities served as its capital:
★ Washington (now Washington-on-the-Brazos), 1836
★ Harrisburg, 1836
★ Galveston, 1836
★ Velasco, 1836
★ Columbia, 1836
★ Houston, 1837–1839
★ Austin, 1839–1845
===California Republic
Before being annexed by the United States in 1846, California was an independent republic known as the California Republic. The California Republic was never recognized by the United States which maintained that the U.S. Military Government of California headquartered at Monterey was the legitimate government of the region. There was one ''de facto'' capital of the California Republic:
★ Sonoma, 1846
===Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America had three capitals during its existence.
The Confederate constitutional convention was held in Montgomery, Alabama in December of 1860 because it was the largest and most influential city in the geographic center of the original seven Confederate states (South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas) that planned to secede from the Union.
The first Confederate capital was established on February 4, 1861 in Montgomery and remained there until it was moved to Richmond after Virginia joined the Confederacy on May 23, 1861.
As the Army of Northern Virginia was pushed farther south and Richmond fell under the Federal guns in early 1865, the Confederate government fled using the only viable railroad line available on April 2, 1865 to Danville, VA.
The C.S.A. state capitals remained the same as when each state seceded from the Union. Some of the capitals were moved temporarily in an effort to stay ahead of the advancing Federals. As Confederate areas were occupied, the US Army established military districts to govern each area. These military districts often shifted as the war progressed and even after the war concluded through the end of Reconstruction.
Following the surrender of General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in Appomattox, Virginia, which ended the American Civil War on April 9, 1865, the eleven southern states that seceded from the the United States of America to create the C.S.A., gradually had their Senators and Representatives recognized and seated by Congress starting with Tennessee on July 24, 1866, then Arkansas on June 22, 1868, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina on June 25, 1868, then Alabama on July 14, 1868, then Virginia on January 26, 1870, then Mississippi on February 23, 1870, then Texas on March 30, 1870 and finally Georgia on July 15, 1870.
There is some disagreement over whether this recognition by Congress is what determines the status of 'statehood'. The US Supreme Court decision in Texas v. White raises questions on this point where the court ruled that Texas never left the Union, and essentially that once a territory is admitted and recognized as a state, it is in perpetuity a state in the Union.
★ Montgomery, Alabama, February 4 1861 - May 29 1861
★ Richmond, Virginia, May 6 1861 (declared) – April 3 1865
★ Danville, Virginia, April 3 1865 - April 10 1865
Former state capitals
Most of the original Thirteen Colonies had their capitals occupied or attacked by the British during the American Revolution. State governments operated where and as they could. The City of New York was occupied by British troops from 1776 to 1783. A similar situation occurred during the War of 1812, during the American Civil War in many Confederate states, and during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680-1692 in New Mexico.
Twenty-two state capitals have been a capital longer than their state has been a state, since they served as the capital of a predecessor territory, colony, or republic. Boston, Massachusetts, has been a capital city continuously since 1630, making it the longest-running U.S. capital. Santa Fe, New Mexico, has been a capital city the longest having become capital in 1610 and interrupted only by the Pueblo Revolt of 1680-1692. Boston, Santa Fe, and Annapolis are the only three U.S. cities that have been capitals for more than 300 years.
★ The state and its current capital are shown in 'bold'.
★ The year listed for each capital is the starting date; the ending date is the starting date for the successor unless otherwise indicated.
★ The year in which statehood was granted is shown in 'bold'.
See also
★ List of historical national capitals (e.g. of the United States)
★ List of countries with multiple capitals
★ Historic regions of the United States
★ Political divisions of the United States
★ Territorial evolution of the United States
External links
★ Capitals of Alabama
★ Florida Facts - The Capitol
★ The Capitalization of Georgia
★ The State Houses of Louisiana
★ Las Vegas: Nevada's Next State Capital?
★ New Hampshire Senate for Kids - Capitals
★ ''Handbook of Texas Online'' – Capitals
★ Colonial Capitals of the Dominion of Virginia
★ Utah History To Go - Utah's Capitols
References
1. The Nine Capitals of the United States. United States Senate Historical Office. Accessed June 9, 2005. Based on Fortenbaugh, Robert, ''The Nine Capitals of the United States'', York, PA: Maple Press, 1948.
2. Capitals of Alabama. Alabama Department of Archives and History. Updated October 29, 2001. Accessed June 9, 2005.
3. Frequently Asked Questions About Alaska. Statewide Library Electronic Doorway. Updated September 21, 2004. Accessed June 9, 2005; based on Alaska Blue Book 1993-94, 11th ed., Juneau, Department of Education, Division of State Libraries, Archives & Museums. ExploreNorth: The History of Sitka. Department of Community and Economic Development, Alaska Community Database Online. Accessed June 9, 2005.
4. Capitals before the Capitol. Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. Accessed June 9, 2005.
5. Educational Materials: Facts. Arkansas Secretary of State. Accessed June 9, 2005. Washington State Park 19th century village in SW Arkansas. Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, Confederate Capital Old Division of State Parks. 2003. Accessed June 9, 2005.
6. California's Legislature, , Brian S., Ebbert (Chief Editor), State of California, ,
7. Early Capitol and Legislative Assembly Locations Colorado State Archives, Colorado State Capitol Virtual Tour. Updated June 20, 2003. Accessed June 9, 2005.
8. Florida State History. Florida Division of Historical Resources.
9. Jackson, Edwin L. Story of Georgia's Capitols and Capital Cities. Carl Vinson Institute of Government. University of Georgia. 1988
10. Chronological History of Idaho. Idaho Office of the Governor. Created 2000. Accessed June 9, 2005.
11. Past Capitols; based on Illinois Bluebook, 1975-1976. Created March 5, 2005. Accessed June 10 2005.
12. Sabin, Henry. Making of Iowa, chapter 24: Locating a Capital. Originally published 1900 by A. Flanagan Co. of Chicago and New York; published online by Iowa History Project, posted August 25, 2004. Accessed June 10, 2005.
13. Harding, Eldon. Stories from the Kansas State Capital: Choosing a Capital City--Why Topeka?. Kansas State Historical Society. April 2001. Accessed June 10, 2005.
14. Kentucky's State Capitols. Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Accessed July 24, 2006.
15. Note: The Louisiana Capitals information may be incorrect or incomplete. See http://www.state.la.us/about_history2.htm and elsewhere.
16. Students Questions Frequently Ask. Maine State Senate. Accessed June 10, 2005.
17. Historical Chronology. Maryland State Archives. Accessed July 24, 2006.
18. Michigan in Brief State of Michigan. Updated March 7, 2005. Accessed June 10 2005.
19. Saint Paul's 150th birthday. City of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Accessed June 9, 2005.
20. Bunn, Mike and Clay Williams, Capitals and Capitols: The Places and Spaces of Mississippi's Seat of Government. Mississippi History Now. Mississippi Historical Society Online. Posted September 2003. Accessed June 10, 2005.
21. Lambert, Kirby. Montana's crown jewel of architecture: The Montana state capitol Montana: The Magazine of Western History, Montana Historical Society. Summer 2002. Accessed June 10, 2005.
22. Rocha, Guy Nevada State Archives Historical Myth a Month: Myth #28, Las Vegas: Nevada's Next State Capital. Updated July 14, 2003. Accessed June 9, 2005; originally published as Sierra Sage, Carson City/Carson Valley, Nevada. May 1998 edition.
23. New Hampshire Senate Page For Kids. New Hampshire General Court. Accessed June 9, 2005. New Hampshire History in Brief. New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Created 1989. Accessed June 9, 2005.
24. Oregon Legislative Assembly History. Oregon State Archives. Accessed July 24, 2006.
25. The History of Pennsylvania's Capital. Pennsylvania Department of Education. Accessed July 24, 2006.
26. Capital Cities. Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. 2002. Accessed March 12, 2006.
27. Early History of Montpelier, Vermont. Vermont Historical Society. Accessed June 9, 2005; adapted from Esther Munroe Swift, Vermont Place-Names: Footprints of History, 1977, 1996, and Montpelier Heritage Group, Three Walking Tours of Montpelier, Vt., 1991.
28. About Our Capital. Virginia General Assembly. Accessed July 20, 2006.
29. The History of Olympia. City of Olympia. Accessed June 9, 2005.
30. Cravens, Stanley H. "Capitals and Capitols in Early Wisconsin". Wisconsin Blue Book, 1983-1984 edition.
31. Saban, Mary Thompson, Wyoming Sage: Brief History of Wyoming. Updated January 172004. Accessed June 10, 2005.
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