Which state capital is the only one located on an island?
Honolulu
Juneau
Providence
Annapolis
Honolulu, located on the island of Oahu, is the only U.S. state capital situated on an island and the most isolated capital city in the world.
What state capital sits at the highest elevation of 6,448 feet above sea level?
Denver
Salt Lake City
Santa Fe
Carson City
Santa Fe, New Mexico’s capital, is the highest state capital in the United States, known for its distinctive adobe architecture and art scene.
Which state capital was named after Benjamin Franklin in 1845?
Jefferson City
Franklin
Frankfort
Montgomery
Frankfort, Kentucky’s capital, was named after an event where pioneers killed several Native Americans at a ford in the Kentucky River – the ‘Frank’s Ford’.
What’s the only U.S. state capital that borders another country?
Augusta
Juneau
Olympia
Montpelier
Juneau, Alaska’s capital, borders British Columbia, Canada, and is the only U.S. state capital that borders a foreign country.
Which state capital was the first to be powered entirely by renewable energy in 2015?
Sacramento
Salem
Burlington
Austin
Burlington, Vermont’s largest city (though not its capital), became the first U.S. city to run on 100% renewable energy, using biomass, hydro, wind, and solar power.
What state capital was originally named ‘La Ciudad de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís’ in 1610?
Sacramento
Santa Fe
Phoenix
Austin
Santa Fe, founded in 1610, is the oldest state capital in the United States and was originally named ‘The City of Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi’.
Which state capital has the smallest population (7,855 as of 2020)?
Augusta
Pierre
Montpelier
Helena
Montpelier, Vermont’s capital, is the least populous state capital in the U.S. and the only state capital without a McDonald’s restaurant.
What state capital was named after a French explorer who discovered the area in 1673?
Boise
Des Moines
Pierre
Lansing
Des Moines was named after the Des Moines River, which was named by French explorers after the Moingonas tribe who lived along its banks.
Which state capital building has a 24-karat gold-covered dome using 12 ounces of gold?
Denver
Sacramento
Boston
Salt Lake City
The Colorado State Capitol in Denver features a dome covered in real gold leaf, commemorating Colorado’s Gold Rush era.
What state capital was moved four times before settling in its current location in 1910?
Columbus
Oklahoma City
Phoenix
Atlanta
Oklahoma’s capital moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City in 1910 after a controversial election and state-wide vote.
Which state capital was purposely planned and designed by Thomas Jefferson using a grid pattern in 1785?
Indianapolis
Richmond
Frankfort
Columbus
Richmond, Virginia’s capital, was designed by Thomas Jefferson using a grid pattern similar to Philadelphia’s layout, making it one of America’s earliest planned capital cities.
What state capital was designed by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the same architect who designed Washington, D.C.?
Albany
Richmond
Columbia
Indianapolis
Albany, New York’s capital, was partially designed by L’Enfant in 1789, though much of his original plan was never implemented.
Which state capital building contains a ‘whispering gallery’ where whispers can be heard 100 feet away?
Sacramento
Springfield
Hartford
Boston
The Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford features a unique acoustic phenomenon in its dome where whispers can be heard clearly across the room.
What state capital was founded by fur traders in 1764 and named after a French word meaning ‘wooded’?
Baton Rouge
St. Paul
Boise
Pierre
Boise, Idaho’s capital, comes from the French ‘boisé,’ meaning wooded, as French-Canadian fur trappers named it upon seeing the tree-lined river.
Which state capital is home to the oldest continuously operating state legislature building in the U.S. (since 1819)?
Concord
Augusta
Montgomery
Columbia
The Maine State House in Augusta has been in continuous legislative use since 1819, making it the oldest such building in the country.
What state capital was originally called ‘Pig’s Eye’ after a local tavern owner?
Madison
St. Paul
Lincoln
Lansing
St. Paul, Minnesota was originally named after Pierre ‘Pig’s Eye’ Parrant, who ran a popular tavern in the settlement’s early days.
Which state capital building features a 250-foot dome that’s actually taller than the U.S. Capitol?
Austin
Madison
Springfield
Salt Lake City
The Texas State Capitol in Austin stands 14 feet taller than the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., living up to the ‘everything’s bigger in Texas’ motto.
What state capital was founded as a railroad hub in 1867 and named after President Abraham Lincoln?
Jefferson City
Lincoln
Springfield
Sacramento
Lincoln, Nebraska was founded as ‘Lancaster’ but renamed in honor of the recently assassinated president when it became the state capital.
Which state capital is known as the ‘Insurance Capital of the World’ since the 1800s?
Boston
Hartford
Indianapolis
Columbus
Hartford, Connecticut became a major insurance center after devastating fires in New York and Chicago led to the establishment of insurance companies.
What state capital was the first to install electric street lights in 1880?
Cleveland
Wabash
Indianapolis
Detroit
Wabash, Indiana (though not the capital) was the first city in the world to be entirely illuminated by electric lights on March 31, 1880.
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