# State capitals... why so small? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 15, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730 "2013-04-15T00:00:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/61 "2013-04-16T05:41:29Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Just to throw my 2c worth in most Australian capitals are based on sea or river ports and as such trading was the focus, it makes sense that these became the biggest towns. With the exception of Canberra all our capitals are based on the original settlements and when we became federated it made sense for the gentry to keep them there. We were in a lot of respects just like old mother England. Also, Australia has freaking _huge_ areas with small populations. If you split the electorate of _Durack_ (WA) off into it’s own country it would land in the top 20 by area in the world - (1,583,683 square Km - population 177,244) in between Iran and Mongolia. _Lingiari_ (making up most of the NT at 1,348,081 square Km and 109,476 people) would nudge out Peru for number 20 and _O’Conner_ (908,062 Km) would be close behind it. There’s nothing out there to support a city, most of that is [sand](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_deserts), [saltbush](http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/farming-management/soil-water/salinity/saltbush-for-saline-land) and [spinifex](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triodia_(plant_genus)) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/62 "2013-04-16T07:55:18Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > In the case of Washington, Olympia was the _only_ city of any size in the area when Washington Territory was carved out of the Oregon country, in addition to being the seat of the Army’s largest presence in an area which was still mostly populated by Indians. Not true at all. Vancouver was the first sizable populated area in what was to become Washington state. It began as the Hudson’s Bay regional headquarters. As such it was basically a good-sized town. They grew their own food and had various facilities such as blacksmiths and tanneries. When the Oregon Treaty was approved and the area became owned by the US, it became Fort Vancouver, a US Army post. This was all long before the Olympia area was settled. As I understand it, Olympia as capital was a compromise between Vancouver and Puget Sound settlers. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/63 "2013-04-16T12:19:37Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > In the case of Washington, Olympia was the _only_ city of any size in the area when Washington Territory was carved out of the Oregon country, in addition to being the seat of the Army’s largest presence in an area which was still mostly populated by Indians. Walla Walla was larger when the territory was carved out ([cite](http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9463)) followed closely by Vancouver. (The forts in those two cities also seem to have been the largest army presences as well.) Olympia was central for certain definitions of “central,” but never the largest city. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/64 "2013-04-16T12:43:14Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Rhode Island made Providence the permanent capital in 1900. It was alternating with Newport before that, and may have been the capital for some time before then. Charleston West Virginia would be next in line in 1885. Oklahoma: Guthrie -\> OK City, 1910, 3 years after statehood Basically local movers and shakers had wanted Oklahoma City to become the State Capital but political considerations had Guthrie stay on under the Admission Act, with the vote on the move only becoming viable after admission when Congress no longer had a say in it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/65 "2013-04-16T12:49:27Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Oklahoma: Guthrie -\> OK City, 1910, 3 years after statehood > Basically local movers and shakers had wanted Oklahoma City to become the State Capital but political considerations had Guthrie stay on under the Admission Act, with the vote on the move only becoming viable after admission when Congress no longer had a say in it. That must be it then. Only New Mexico and Arizona followed with statehood until Alaska and Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/66 "2013-04-17T02:45:00Z")
> [@Jman](#): > > It’s also not as rare as you are saying. Sure, a majority of state capitals aren’t the largest city, but it’s not a small percentage. > > 15 of the 50 state capitals are the state’s largest city, or 30% of state capitals: > > Phoenix, AZ > Indianapolis, IN > Columbus, OH > Boston, MA > Denver, CO > Oklahoma City, OK > Atlanta, GA > Honolulu, HI > Boise, ID > Des Moines, IA > Little Rock, AR > Salt Lake City, UT > Providence, RI > Jackson, MS > Columbia, SC I would also point out that Hartford, CT is not much smaller that the largest city in its state, and is much more centrally located. Ditto for Nashville, TN which actually has a larger metropolitan area than that state’s largest city. And Saint Paul, MN forms part of a single urban conglomeration with its state’s largest city. OTOH, Columbus, OH has a smaller metropolitain area than either Cleveland or Cincinnati, which historically have overshadowed it. ---
**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/67 "2013-04-17T02:51:13Z")
Jesus, half of you: the capitAl is the city, the capitOl is the building. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/68 "2013-04-17T04:06:23Z")
> [@kurtisokc](#): > > OTOH, Columbus, OH has a smaller metropolitain area than either Cleveland or Cincinnati, which historically have overshadowed it. The Columbus metro area (at least the Census definition) just got bigger, though, so now all three areas are practically equal in size. 2.1 million for Cincinnati, 2 million for Cleveland, and 1.9 million for Columbus in the current estimate. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/69 "2013-04-17T05:49:53Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I had a friend who was a reporter in Buffalo. He said his typical conversation with anyone in the Governor’s office went like this: > > "I’m calling from Buffalo. BUFFALO! The second-largest f\*\*\*\*\*\* city in the state! Crazy Uncle Carl … ahem, Carl Palladino lives in Buffalo. If he’d won, he’d have been the northernmost NY governor, possibly, ever (certainly in a damn long time). ---
**Author:** ![Randvek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@Randvek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randvek)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/70 "2013-04-17T06:43:36Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > With fewer than 8,000 people, Montpelier, Vt is the smallest state capital. > > Frankfort, Ky. is also not one of that state’s 10 largest cities. > > There are four suburbs of St. Louis and three of Kansas City that have a larger population than Jefferson City. St. Louis suburbs aren’t the same as suburbs everywhere else. Weird Civil War history there. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/71 "2013-04-17T13:26:25Z")
> [@Jman](#): > > It’s also not as rare as you are saying. Sure, a majority of state capitals aren’t the largest city, but it’s not a small percentage. > > 15 of the 50 state capitals are the state’s largest city, or 30% of state capitals: > > Phoenix, AZ > Indianapolis, IN > Columbus, OH > Boston, MA > Denver, CO > Oklahoma City, OK > Atlanta, GA > Honolulu, HI > Boise, ID > Des Moines, IA > Little Rock, AR > Salt Lake City, UT > Providence, RI > Jackson, MS > Columbia, SC One thing to consider, many of these cities are centrally located, so they’re logical choices in either case. Really, only Boston, Boise, Salt Lake City, Cheyenne, and Juneau are particularly far from the center of the state. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/72 "2013-04-17T13:32:27Z")
Also, Augusta, ME. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/73 "2013-04-17T13:56:54Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > Crazy Uncle Carl … ahem, Carl Palladino lives in Buffalo. If he’d won, he’d have been the northernmost NY governor, possibly, ever (certainly in a damn long time). Damn long time, but not the first. Grover Cleveland was Mayor of Buffalo in 1882, before becoming Governor of New York in 1883. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/74 "2013-04-17T16:16:53Z")
I also forgot Carson City, NV, which is on the west side of the state near Lake Tahoe. Of course, the geographic center of Nevada contains vast tracts of Absolutely Fucking Nothing, and is basically a warmer version of the interior of Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730/75 "2013-04-17T19:41:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And if half the population was farmers, then at that time there was no risk of them being overwhelmed by the city-dwellers. The argument doesn’t make sense no matter what breakdown of urban vs. rural you use. Yeah, there was. You seem to be under the mistaken impression that all votes are equal. This is not true when you are allowed to lobby your representative. It’s far easier for people living in the capital city or surrounding area to lobby. Furthermore, any representative will have to live in said city, and thus will become more attuned to the day-to-day problems in that city. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-capitals-why-so-small/655730.md?page=3)