# US States Capitals Superlatives: Help build a list **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 25, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179 "2006-04-25T18:08:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/41 "2006-04-26T18:37:18Z")
> [@ronincyberpunk](#): > > Least Snowfall: > > Well I know in the early 1900s Tallahassee received snowfall, so I’m going to go with Hawaii as the state capital with the least snow fall. [nitpick]Honolulu[/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/42 "2006-04-26T19:36:32Z")
More recently than that, I believe north Florida (including Tallahassee) got a bit of snow in the 90s. Newspaper human-interest stories about folks in places like Valdosta GA buying 17-year-old sleds that had been shipped to the wrong store outlets by accident, kids making the first snowman ever, no one knowing how to drive on the stuff, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/43 "2006-04-26T19:46:22Z")
Montpellier, VT gets a vote from me for Most Implausible State Capital. It’s like this little village with a statehouse in it. It’s cute as a button. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/44 "2006-04-26T20:22:11Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Which capital has the most expensive Governor’s Mansion? I’ll nominate Ohio and New Jersey for two states in which the governor’s mansion is not located in the capital city. I believe it’s Princeton for New Jersey and Bexley (an enclave city of Columbus) for Ohio. > [@](#): > > San Diego was the capital too for a time, either before the US-Mexico War or immediately after, don’t remember. Ah, but this would have been during a time when California was not a state; so it’s capital couldn’t be a state capital. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/45 "2006-04-26T21:11:15Z")
Pierre SD is a serious contender for “Most often mispronounced.” Montpelier might possibly earn honorable mention here. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/46 "2006-04-26T22:04:18Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Which capital has been capital for the shortest time up to the present? If by _“up to the present”_ you mean _“and is **still** the capital”_, wouldn’t that be Honolulu, capital of the most recent state admitted? I don’t think there have been any capital-shifts elsewhere in the USA since then. **Honolulu** , HI, is also the southernmost and westernmost state capital. The northernmost is **Juneau** , AK, and the easternmost is **Augusta** , ME. Tallest state capitol building: [Baton Rouge, LA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_State_Capitol) (450 ft). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/47 "2006-04-26T22:26:19Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > If by _“up to the present”_ you mean _“and is **still** the capital”_, wouldn’t that be Honolulu, capital of the most recent state admitted? I don’t think there have been any capital-shifts elsewhere in the USA since then. > > **Honolulu** , HI, is also the southernmost and westernmost state capital. The northernmost is **Juneau** , AK, and the easternmost is **Augusta** , ME. > > Tallest state capitol building: [Baton Rouge, LA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_State_Capitol) (450 ft). Nicely done and in the spirit of the thread. Your take on the “shortest time” issue was what I had in mind. What with all the multi-capital states that might be involved in getting a clear distinction on which state’s capital was capital for the shortest span of time, the answer you have is likely the correct one. If it isn’t, and somebody can show that one of the current capitals is more recently the capital than Hawaii and Alaska becoming states (I was in high school at that time 🙂 ) that would be good to know. In case it isn’t obvious, my knowledge of state capitals is pretty much limited to their names. If anybody has some good links to trivia on the state capitals please post them in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/48 "2006-04-26T22:44:20Z")
Madison might be the only state capital that has a marijuana festval on it’s lawn (unless that has been discontinued). ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/49 "2006-04-26T23:19:12Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Here are a few other potential qualifications for superlative status: > Which capital city has the least non-governmental business associated with its community? (Better said, which capital is almost completely a government town?) I expect that many of the small ones would qualify. Frankfort KY is the one I know best. It might be easier to come up wih the ones which are the _least_ dominated by state government. Denver, Indy, Nashville and Phoenix come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/50 "2006-04-26T23:49:29Z")
> [@Sal Ammoniac](#): > > Montpellier, VT gets a vote from me for Most Implausible State Capital. It’s like this little village with a statehouse in it. It’s cute as a button. Why, that city is so small, it doesn’t [even have room for two "L"s in its name!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montpelier%2C_Vermont)😃 _[Although, to be fair, its French namesake is much larger and thus [does have room for two "L"s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montpellier).]_ The [Nebraska State Capitol](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska_State_Capitol) in Lincoln is unique among US States in that the state legislature that meets there is [unicameral](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicameralism) (i.e. no separate House and Senate) and [nonpartisan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonpartisan) (no primaries). It’s also the second tallest capitol building after Baton Rouge. ---
**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 27, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/51 "2006-04-27T00:34:44Z")
Too bad we haven’t yet made up our mind to join… I would then be sitting in the oldest city to be a state capital and the one that has been a capital of its jurisdiction for the longest (1521, babe…). ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/52 "2006-04-27T01:21:13Z")
I wanted to say Honolulu is the only former national capitol, but Austin was the capitol of the Republic of Texas from 1839-1845. The population is about 20% white, that has to be the lowest. Jackson, Mississippi is 27% white. (per Wikipedia) Not only is Honolulu the largest city in the state, but the _only_ city in the state. No other town has more than 45,000 people. 75% of the state lives in Honolulu’s metro area. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/53 "2006-04-27T01:54:27Z")
Capitals named for presidents – Madison, Wisconsin Jefferson City, Missouri Jackson, Mississippi Lincoln, Nebraska ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/54 "2006-04-27T02:37:06Z")
Madison for wierd, Austin for wierd, fine. Sacramento is one of the more normal cities in California, and that makes it rather peculiar in these parts. It’s the state’s biggest agricultural city, which is interesting because people forget sometimes how much California is into farming. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/55 "2006-04-27T02:41:49Z")
…and ‘Sacrament’, CA ties with ‘Holy Faith’, New Mexico, for the state capital potentially most offensive to non-Christians. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/56 "2006-04-27T04:45:56Z")
> [@Civil Guy](#): > > …and ‘Sacrament’, CA ties with ‘Holy Faith’, New Mexico, for the state capital potentially most offensive to non-Christians. And where does St. Paul, MN fit in that list? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/57 "2006-04-27T05:41:53Z")
Sacramento is the smoggiest capitol city. Sacramento is probably the most [diverse](http://sacramento.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm), in terms of having sheer variety. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/58 "2006-04-27T06:08:37Z")
Oklahoma City Is the only state capitol with working oil pumps on the capitol grounds. It also has the smallest function oil pump (the nodding donkey type) inside the building. It is also, probably, the easiest state capitol to remember. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/59 "2006-04-27T06:09:41Z")
capit_a_l doh! stupid spell checker grrr… ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/60 "2006-04-27T07:16:25Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Pierre SD is a serious contender for “Most often mispronounced.” Montpelier might possibly earn honorable mention here. Not even close though, Honolulu has that one in the bag. The O should be pronounced oh but damn near everyone says ah. I actually find it hard to pronounce correctly. Not sure who figures out the elevation though. My building sits just three feet above sea level. We should also be #1 for least extreme temperature variation with a difference of 8.5° and least White with only 19.7%. I wish I could help with the others but the longest I’ve spent in another capital was 3 days in Atlanta. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179.md?page=4)