List of current and former capital cities within U.S. states

Missing image
Independence_Hall_belltower.jpg

Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, site of first U.S. capital.

This is a list of the current and former national and subnational capitals (legislature or government seat) of states, territories, colonies, or kingdoms located in the United States, organized by current U.S. state location. Washington, D.C., the national capital, is not located in any state; current state capitals are noted in boldface font.

Contents

List

Located in	Place	When, Whose
Alabama
	St. Stephens, Alabama²	Territorial capital (1817–1819)
	Huntsville, Alabama²	1819
	Cahawba, Alabama²	1820–1826
	Tuscaloosa, Alabama²	1826–1846
	Montgomery, Alabama²	Confederate States national capital (February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861), current state capital
Alaska Missing image Alaska_state_flag.png	Sitka, Alaska⁴	Russian capital (as New Archangel), military department capital, district capital (—1900 de jure, 1906 de facto)
Alaska Missing image Alaska_state_flag.png	Juneau, Alaska³	District capital (1900 de jure, 1906 de facto–1912), territorial capital, current state capital
Arizona	Prescott, Arizona⁵	Territorial capital (1864–1867; 1877–1889)
	Tucson, Arizona⁵	Territorial capital (1867–1877)
	Phoenix, Arizona⁵	Territorial capital (1889–1912), state capital (1912–current)
Arkansas	Arkansas Post, Arkansas⁶	Territorial capital (1819–1821)
	Washington, Arkansas⁶^,⁷	Confederate state government capital (1863–1865)
	Little Rock, Arkansas	Territorial capital (1821–1836), state capital (1836–current)
California	Monterey, California⁹	Capital of Alta and Baja California under Spanish and Mexican rule (1777–1850)
	San José, California⁸	State capital (1850–1851)
	Vallejo, California⁸	State capital (1851–1853)
	Benicia, California⁸	State capital (1853–1854)
	Sacramento, California⁸	State capital (1854–current)
Colorado	Auraria, Kansas Territory¹⁰	Territory of Jefferson capital (1859–1861)
	Colorado City, Colorado¹⁰	Territorial capital, federally unrecognized (1861–1862)
	Golden, Colorado¹⁰	Territorial capital (1862–1867)
	Denver, Colorado¹⁰	Current state capital
Connecticut	New Haven, Connecticut	Co-capital with Hartford (1701–1873)
Connecticut	Hartford, Connecticut	Current
Delaware Missing image Delaware_state_flag.png	New Castle, Delaware	Colonial capital
Delaware Missing image Delaware_state_flag.png	Dover, Delaware	Current state capital
Florida Missing image Florida_state_flag.png	St. Augustine, Florida²⁸	Capital of British East Florida, territorial capital (1821–1824, dual capital with Pensacola)
	Pensacola, Florida²⁸	Capital of British West Florida, territorial capital (1821–1824, dual capital with St. Augustine)
	Tallahassee, Florida²⁸	Territorial capital (1824–1845), state capital (1845–current)
Georgia Missing image Georgia_state_flag.png	Savannah, Georgia²⁷	Colonial capital, state capital (1777–1778, 1782, 1784, 1785)
	Heard's Fort, Georgia²⁷	Temporary state capital (1780–1781)
	Ebenezer, Georgia²⁷	Temporary state capital (1782)
	Augusta, Georgia²⁷	State capital (1779–1780, 1781–1784 alternated with Savannah, et al., 1786–1796)
	Louisville, Georgia²⁷	State capital (1796–1806)
	Milledgeville, Georgia²⁷	State capital (1807–1864, 1865–1868)
	Macon, Georgia²⁷	Temporary state capital during American Civil War (1864–1865)
	Atlanta, Georgia²⁷	State capital (1868–current)
Hawaii Missing image Hawaii_state_flag.png	Lahaina, Hawaii	Capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii (—1840)
Hawaii Missing image Hawaii_state_flag.png	Honolulu, Hawaii	Current state capital
Idaho	Lewiston, Idaho¹⁵	Territorial (1863–1864)
Idaho	Boise, Idaho¹⁵	Territorial capital, current state capital
Illinois	Kaskaskia, Illinois²⁶	Territorial capital (1809–1818)
	Vandalia, Illinois²⁶	State capital (1819–1839)
	Springfield, Illinois²⁶	State capital (1839–current)
Indiana Missing image Indiana_state_flag.png	Vincennes, Indiana	Territorial capital (1800–1813)
	Corydon, Indiana	1816–1825
	Indianapolis, Indiana	Current state capital
Iowa	Burlington, Iowa²¹	Wisconsin Territory capital (1837–1838), top-gap territorial capital 1838–1841
	Iowa City, Iowa²¹	Territorial, first state (1841–1857)
	Des Moines, Iowa²¹	Current state capital
Kansas	Pawnee near Fort Riley, Kansas¹⁹	Territorial capital (1855)
	Lecompton, Kansas	Territorial capital for pro-slavery government
	Topeka, Kansas¹⁹	Territorial capital (1859–1861 under Wyandotte constitution), state capital (1861–current)
Kentucky	Danville, Kentucky	Capital of Virginia's Kentucky District
	Bowling Green, Kentucky	Capital of the state's Confederate government
	Frankfort, Kentucky	Current state capital
Louisiana Missing image Louisiana_state_flag.png	New Orleans, Louisiana	1812–1830, 1831–1841, 1865–1880
	Donaldsonville, Louisiana	1830
	Opelousas, Louisiana	1862 in war
	Shreveport, Louisiana	1863
	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Current state capital
Maine	Portland, Maine²⁵	State capital (1820–1827 de jure, 1832 de facto)
Maine	Augusta, Maine²⁵	State capital (1827 de jure, 1832 de facto–current)
Maryland	St. Mary's City, Maryland	Colonial capital ( —1694)
	Baltimore, Maryland¹	U.S. national capital (1776–1777)
	Annapolis, Maryland¹	Current state capital (initially named Anne Arundel Town), U.S. national capital (1783–1784)
Massachusetts Missing image Massachusetts_state_flag.png	Boston, Massachusetts	Massachusetts Bay Colony capital, current state capital (1630—)
Michigan	Detroit, Michigan²³	Territorial capital (1805–1837, occupied by British forces 1812–1813), first state capital (1837–1847)
Michigan	Lansing, Michigan²³	State capital (1847–current)
Minnesota	Saint Paul, Minnesota¹⁴	Territorial capital (1849–1858), state capital (1858–current)
Mississippi	Natchez, Mississippi²⁰	Territorial capital (1798–1802)
	Washington, Mississippi²⁰	Territorial capital (1802–1817)
	Natchez, Mississippi²⁰	State capital (1817–1821)
	Jackson, Mississippi²⁰	State capital (renamed from LeFleur's Bluff, 1821–current)
Missouri Missing image Missouri_state_flag.png	St. Louis, Missouri	Territorial capital
	Saint Charles, Missouri	1821–1825
	Jefferson City, Missouri	Current state capital
Montana	Bannack, Montana²²	Territorial capital (1864–1865)
	Virginia City, Montana²²	Territorial capital (1865–1875)
	Helena, Montana²²	Territorial capital (1875–1889), state capital (1889–current)
Nebraska	Omaha, Nebraska	Territorial capital
Nebraska	Lincoln, Nebraska	Current state capital
Nevada	Carson City, Nevada¹²	Territorial capital, current state capital
New Hampshire	Portsmouth, New Hampshire¹⁷	Colonial, state ( —1808)
	Exeter, New Hampshire	Revolutionary War capital
	Concord, New Hampshire¹⁶	Current state capital
New Jersey	Elizabethtown, New Jersey	Colonial capital (—1686)
	Princeton, New Jersey¹	U.S. national capital (1783)
	Trenton, New Jersey¹	U.S. national capital (1784), current state capital
New Mexico	Mesilla, New Mexico	Capital of Confederate Arizona Territory
New Mexico	Santa Fe, New Mexico	Current state capital
New York	New York, New York	Colonial, under British rule (1664–1777), U.S. national capital (1785–1790), state capital (1789–1797)
	Kingston, New York	(1777)
	Hurley, New York	(Oct–Dec 1777)
	Poughkeepsie	(~1777)
	Albany, New York	Current state capital
North Carolina	Charlestown, Carolina	Early colonial, before division of Carolina
	New Bern, North Carolina	—1794
	Raleigh, North Carolina	Current state capital
North Dakota	Bismarck, North Dakota	Dakota territorial (1883–1889), current state capital
Ohio	Chillicothe, Ohio	1803–1810, 1812–1816
	Zanesville, Ohio	1810–1812
	Columbus, Ohio	Current state capital
Oklahoma	Tahlequah, Oklahoma	Cherokee Nation capital
	Ninih Waiya	Choctaw Nation capital
	Tishomingo, Oklahoma	Chickasaw Nation capital
	Tuskahoma	Choctaw Nation capital
	Okmulgee, Oklahoma	Creek Nation capital
	Wewoka, Oklahoma	Seminole Nation capital
	Guthrie, Oklahoma	Territorial capital 1889–1910
	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	Current state capital
Oregon	Oregon City, Oregon	Territorial capital (1848–1851)
	Corvallis, Oregon	Territorial capital (1855)
	Salem, Oregon	Current state capital
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania¹	Colonial capital, first state capital ( —1799), U.S. national capital (1776, 1777, 1778–1783, 1790–1800)
	Lancaster, Pennsylvania¹	U.S. national capital (1777), state capital 1799–1812
	York, Pennsylvania¹	U.S. national capital (1777–1778)
	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	Current state capital
Rhode Island	Providence, Rhode Island	Current state capital
South Carolina	Charleston, South Carolina	Was early colonial Charlestown, Carolina
South Carolina	Columbia, South Carolina	Current state capital
South Dakota	Yankton, South Dakota	Dakota territorial (1861–1883)
South Dakota	Pierre, South Dakota	Current state capital
Tennessee	Knoxville, Tennessee²⁴	Southwest Territory capital (first called White's Fort, 1791–1796), state capital (1796–1812, 1817)
	Murfreesboro, Tennessee²⁴	State capital (1818–1826)
	Nashville, Tennessee²⁴	State capital (1812–1817, 1826–current)
Texas	Washington, Texas	First capital of the Republic of Texas, today called Washington-on-the-Brazos
	Marshall, Texas	Civil War Capital of exiled pro-Confederate state officials and ousted Governor of Missouri
	Galveston, Texas	Temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
	Harrisburg, Texas	Temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
	Velasco, Texas	Temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
	Columbia, Texas	Temporary capital of the Republic of Texas, today called West Columbia
	Houston, Texas	Capital of the Republic of Texas from 1837 to 1839
	Austin, Texas	Current state capital (initially named Waterloo; changed in 1839)
Utah	Fillmore, Utah	Territorial capital
Utah	Salt Lake City, Utah	Current state capital
Vermont	Windsor, Vermont	Early meeting place for independent Vermont legislature
Vermont	Montpelier, Vermont¹³	State capital (1805–current)
Virginia Missing image Virginia_state_flag.png	Jamestown, Virginia	First Colonial capital
	Williamsburg, Virginia	Second colonial capital (initially Middle Plantation)
	Yorktown, Virginia	Third colonial capital
	Danville, Virginia	Confederate States national capital (April 3, 1865–April 10, 1865)
	Richmond, Virginia	Confederate States national capital (May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865), current state capital
Washington Missing image Washington_state_flag.png	Olympia, Washington¹¹	Territorial, current
West Virginia	Wheeling, West Virginia	First state capital, 1863–1870, and again 1875–1885
West Virginia	Charleston, West Virginia	State capital, 1870–1875, 1885–present
Wisconsin	Belmont, Wisconsin	Territorial capital
Wisconsin	Madison, Wisconsin	Current state capital
Wyoming	Cheyenne, Wyoming¹⁸	Territorial capital (1869–1890), state capital (1890–current)

Sources

1: United States Senate Historical Office, "U.S. Senate: Reference Home > The Nine Capitals of the United States," viewed 9 June 2005; based on Fortenbaugh, Robert, The Nine Capitals of the United States, York, PA: Maple Press, 1948. (http://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm)
2: Alabama Department of Archives and History, "ADAH: Capitals of Alabama," updated 29 Oct 2001, viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.archives.state.al.us/capital/capitals.html)
3: SLED: Statewide Library Electronic Doorway, "FAQ ALASKA - Frequently Asked Questions About Alaska," updated 21 Sept 2004, viewed 9 June 2005; based on Alaska Blue Book 1993-94, 11th ed., Juneau, Department of Education, Division of State Libraries, Archives & Museums. (http://sled.alaska.edu/akfaq/akchron.html)
4: Department of Community and Economic Development Alaska Community Database Online, "ExploreNorth: The History of Sitka," viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.explorenorth.com/library/communities/alaska/bl-Sitka.htm)
5: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, "Capitals before the Capitol," viewed 9 June 2005. (http://azcapitol.lib.az.us/before_capitol.htm)
6: Arkansas Secretary of State, "Arkansas Secretary of State: Educational Materials: Facts," viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/educational_facts.html)
7: Confederate Capital Old Division of State Parks, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, "Washington State Park 19th century village in SW Arkansas," created 2003, viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/oldwashingtonhistoric)
8: California State Library, "Previous Capitals of California," updated 27 Nov 2000, viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.library.ca.gov/history/previous-ca-capitals.cfm)
9: Historic Monterey, "Historic Timeline," created 2005, viewed viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.historicmonterey.org/?p=historic_timeline)
10: Colorado State Archives, "Colorado State Capitol Virtual Tour Early Capitol and Legislative Assembly Locations," updated 20 June 2003, viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/cap/locate.htm)
11: Official City of Olympia Web Site, "The History of Olympia," viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.ci.olympia.wa.us/information/history.asp)
12: Rocha, Guy "Nevada State Archives Historical Myth a Month Myth #28, Las Vegas: Nevada's Next State Capital?," updated 14 July 2003, viewed 9 June 2005; originally published as Sierra Sage, Carson City/Carson Valley, Nevada, May 1998 edition. (http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/nsla/archives/myth/myth28.htm)
13: Vermont Historical Society, "Early History of Montpelier, Vermont," viewed 9 June 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. (http://www.vermonthistory.org/links/monthist.htm)
14: City of St. Paul, Minnesota, "Saint Paul’s 150th birthday," viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.stpaul.gov/leisure/history/stpaul150.html)
15: Idaho Office of the Governor, "Chronological History of Idaho," created 2000, viewed 9 June 2005. (http://gov.idaho.gov/fyi/history/1863-89.htm)
16: New Hampshire General Court, "New Hampshire Senate Page For Kids," viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/senate/misc/kids.html)
17: New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources, "New Hampshire History in Brief," created 1989, viewed 9 June 2005. (http://www.nh.gov/markers/brief.html)
18: Saban, Mary Thompson, "Wyoming Sage: Brief History of Wyoming," updated 17 Jan 2004, viewed 10 June 2005. (http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sabthomp/wyoming/wysage.htm)
19: Harding, Eldon, "Stories from the Kansas State Capital: Choosing a Capital City--Why Topeka?" Kansas State Historical Society, April 2001, viewed 10 June 2005. (http://www.kshs.org/features/feat401j.htm)
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, viewed 10 June 2005. (http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/features/feature44/capitals_capitols.html)
21: 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 25 Aug 2004, viewed 10 June 2005. (http://iagenweb.org/history/moi/moi24.htm)
22: Lambert, Kirby, "Montana's crown jewel of architecture: The Montana state capitol," Montana: The Magazine of Western History, Montana Historical Society, originally published summer 2002, viewed 10 June 2005. (http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qa3951/is_200207/ai_n9146543)
23: "Michigan in Brief," Official State of Michigan website, updated 7 Mar 2005, viewed 10 June 2005. (http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-15481_20826_20829-56001--,00.html)
24: "Capital Cities," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, posted 2002, viewed 10 June 2005. (http://160.36.208.47/FMPro?-db=tnencyc&-format=tdetail.htm&-lay=web&entryid=C028&-find=)
25: "Students Questions Frequently Ask," Maine State Senate website, viewed 10 June 2005. (http://www.state.me.us/legis/senate/about/generalinfo/Students/questions_students_ask-1.htm)
26: "Past Capitols," (note: copied from the 1975-1976 Illinois Bluebook), ilstatehouse.com, created 5 Mar 2005, viewed 10 June 2005. (http://www.ilstatehouse.com/PastCapitols.htm)
27: Jackson, Edwin L., "Story of Georgia's Capitols and Capital Cities," Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia, 1988 (http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/capital.htm)
28: Florida State History, Florida Division of Historical Resources (http://www.shgresources.com/fl/history/)

External links

Capitals of Alabama (http://www.archives.state.al.us/capital/capitals.html)
Florida Facts - The Capitol (http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/flafacts/capitol.html)
The Capitalization of Georgia (http://www.rootsweb.com/~gamacon/capitalization.htm)
The State Houses of Louisiana (http://www.sec.state.la.us/museums/osc/exhibits/statehouse/stathse-bro.pdf)
Las Vegas: Nevada's Next State Capital? (http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/nsla/archives/myth/myth28.htm)
New Hampshire Senate for Kids - Capitals (http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/senate/misc/kids.html)
Handbook of Texas Online – Capitals (http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/CC/mzc1.html)
Colonial Capitals of the Dominion of Virginia (http://www.ls.net/~newriver/va/colcap.htm)
Utah History To Go - Utah's Capitols (http://historytogo.utah.gov/utcapitol.html)

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Categories: U.S. state capitals | Lists of cities in the United States

List of current and former capital cities within U.S. states

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