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The last time you were quizzed on the names of state capitals was probably in elementary school.
The ones that always stumped me were the states in which the capital is not the biggest city.
Its easy to remember that Boston is the capital of Massachusetts.
But why isntNew York Citythe capital of New York orChicagothe capital of Illinois?
Here are five surprising origin stories of state capitals.
The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, and the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed there.
Often called the birthplace of America, Philadelphia seems like a perfect location for a state capital.
The actual capital, though, is a small city called Harrisburg.
How did Harrisburg steal the capital crown from Philadelphia?
The answer goes back to the founding of our nation.
From 1790 to 1800, Philadelphia served as the U.S. capital, before that designation moved to Washington.
Sharing posed problems, and in 1799, Pennsylvania moved its capital to Lancaster.
The move proved short-lived.
After a businessman donated 4 acres of land in what is now Harrisburg, the capital moved there.
Harrisburg sold itself by being centrally located.
Alaska
Juneau takes the cake as the most inaccessible state capital.
you’re able to only get there by boat or plane.
Juneau was founded as a gold rush town.
Alaska joined the union as the 49th state in 1959.
A year later, calls to move the capital started.
The most recent of these was in 2022.
They are unlikely to cease.
That honor goes to Albany.
The first New York capital was Kingston, on the Hudson River between New York City and Albany.
In 1777, officials in Kingston declared New York a sovereign state and convened the first legislature there.
A month later, British troops burned Kingston to the ground.
