# 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:** 4
**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 27, 2006, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/61 "2006-04-27T08:29:22Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > 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…). Plus, of course, if that were to happen you guys in San Juan would immediately reset the standard for: > [@Zeldar](#): > > Which capital has been capital for the shortest time up to the present? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/62 "2006-04-27T12:56:44Z")
Can anyone name the two state capitals that are on Interstate highways that pass through no other state? One should be easy, one not so easy. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/63 "2006-04-27T13:05:11Z")
Juneau, Alaska is the largest state capital and largest city in the United States, landwise. Its political boundaries include 2,717 square miles, making it larger than Rhode Island (1,545 square miles) or Delaware (2,489 square miles). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/64 "2006-04-27T15:57:17Z")
Pinkest capitol: [Austin.](http://www.digitaldreamin.com/heidi/capitol.cfm)🆒 As for a marijuana festival on the lawn, I’m not sure – I don’t follow the pot culture here – but Eeyore’s Birthday has very frequent enjoyment of the debil weed that tends to go unpunished. At least it used to, right up until the festival got more of a “family” atmosphere. My friend Deidra did go dressed as the Pot Fairy one year, though. Friggin’ precious. I think she won an award. You can also go topless here, if you’re female and the weather’s such that men might not wear shirts too. I’ve seen it two or three times. Aas long as it doesn’t cause a “public disturbance” no harm, no foul. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/65 "2006-04-27T20:22:09Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > I wanted to say Honolulu is the only former national capitol, but Austin was the capitol of the Republic of Texas from 1839-1845. Montgomery (Alabama) and Richmond (Virginia) both had stints as the capital of the Confederate States of America. Capitals whose names can legitimately be played as Scrabble words: Phoenix (Arizona) Concord (New Hampshire) Providence (Rhode Island) ---
**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 28, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/66 "2006-04-28T00:31:16Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > And where does St. Paul, MN fit in that list? Oh. Uh, right. ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/67 "2006-04-28T01:40:59Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Can anyone name the two state capitals that are on Interstate highways that pass through no other state? One should be easy, one not so easy. Honolulu and Phoenix, I do believe. How about the state capital with the most one or two-digit (i.e. non-loop or spur) interstate highways passing through? Indianapolis looks like a good contender with four… ---
**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 28, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/68 "2006-04-28T01:44:42Z")
Capitals that are French words (but not also English words): **Baton Rouge** , LA (_red stick_). **Boise** , ID (_wooded_). **Des Moines** , IA (_of the monks_ or _some monks_). **Pierre** , SD (_stone_). **Pierre** is also the only state capital that doesn’t share any letters with the name of its state. Furthermore, the previous sentence makes **Pierre** the subject of by far the most _useless_ piece of “state capital trivia” in this entire thread, thus scoring it yet another point! ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/69 "2006-04-28T02:11:02Z")
> [@PigBoy](#): > > Honolulu and Phoenix, I do believe. Actually, it’s Honolulu and Annapolis. The only interstate which goes to Annapolis is I-97, which serves only to connect the capital with Baltimore. I believe it is also the shortest interstate in the country. ---
**Author:** ![airtank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e99b99/32.png) [@airtank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airtank)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/70 "2006-04-28T02:31:59Z")
State capital with the highest minimum wage: Santa Fe, New Mexico, at $9.50 per hour. ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/71 "2006-04-28T02:36:27Z")
> [@MilTan](#): > > Actually, it’s Honolulu and Annapolis. The only interstate which goes to Annapolis is I-97, which serves only to connect the capital with Baltimore. I believe it is also the shortest interstate in the country. Interesting… I guess that makes three, then. Phoenix has I-17, which is only in Arizona. Although if you just count cities where the _only_ interstate in town passes through no other states, that would leave Phoenix out. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/72 "2006-04-28T03:37:15Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > - Boston, Massachusetts > - Columbus, Ohio (if you’re counting metro areas; if just city proper, the largest is Cleveland) According to the US Census Bureau, Cleveland is bigger than Columbus by either standard. The “Two capitals with interstate highways that don’t go through any other state” question is itself wrong; in fact, there are more than two such capitals. Annapolis, Phoenix (I-17, which connect Phoenix and Flagstaff) and Honolulu are all correct. If you count metropolitan areas then you’ve have to also include a lot of cities with beltways and such. ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/73 "2006-04-28T04:44:06Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > According to the US Census Bureau, Cleveland is bigger than Columbus by either standard. In the 1980 census, maybe. 😉 Columbus proper has well over 700K, to Cleveland’s 470ish. But the metropolitan areas are around 1.7 million and 2.1 million respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/74 "2006-04-28T05:04:13Z")
> [@xbuckeye](#): > > … Madisonioans refer to their town as 78 square miles surrounded by reality… I don’t mean to question you but I lived in Madison from 1984 to 1999 and it was known as “40 square miles surrounded by reality”. **Has it really grown that much?** But it is a great place and I have two daughters who currently live in Madison. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/75 "2006-04-28T05:09:40Z")
> [@PigBoy](#): > > Honolulu and Phoenix, I do believe. > > How about the state capital with the most one or two-digit (i.e. non-loop or spur) interstate highways passing through? Indianapolis looks like a good contender with four… How about the cities with the most interstates - Metropolitan Chicago has 6 (55, 57, 80, 88, 90, and 94 ). ---
**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 28, 2006, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/76 "2006-04-28T05:15:07Z")
Would Springfield win for sharing it’s name with the most other American towns? I believe so. And put Honolulu as at least a tie for last. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/77 "2006-04-28T05:27:26Z")
**1) Which capital(s) is/are the province/territory’s largest city?** Winnipeg, MB; Toronto, ON; Halifax, NS; Charlottetown, PEI; St. John’s, PE; and the three territories. **Which capital is highest in elevation? Which capital is lowest in elevation?** The highest is not quite what you’d expect: Whitehorse, Yukon. Of course, St. John’s and Halifax are tied at sea level. **Which capital gets the least annual rainfall?** Not surprisingly, Iqaluit, Nunavut, with 60 mm annually. The rainiest is of course Victoria, with 1200 mm. **5) Which capital gets the least snow?** As amazing as it may seem, Yellowknife, NWT, beats Victoria, with 26 cm to Victoria’s 29. Quebec City and Charlottetown are just about tied for snowiest, with 337 and 338 cm respectively. **Which capital has been capital for the shortest time up to the present?** Iqaluit, which has been capital of Nunavut since the territory’s creation in 1999. Before that, it was Yellowknife, which became capital of the NWT in 1967 (before that, the territory had been governed directly from Ottawa). The youngest provincial capital is St. John’s - though it was already the capital of Newfoundland, Newfoundland of course did not become a province until 1949. **…and ‘Sacrament’, CA ties with ‘Holy Faith’, New Mexico, for the state capital potentially most offensive to non-Christians.** The only religious capital name is St. John’s, NL. **Can anyone name the two state capitals that are on Interstate highways that pass through no other state?** One of our capitals isn’t accessible by road at all: Iqaluit. **Capitals that come from aboriginal languages** : Winnipeg (Cree, “muddy water”); Toronto (Mohawk, “where there are trees standing in the water,” though there are other theories); Quebec (Mi’kmaq, “narrows”); and Iqaluit (Inuktitut, “fishes”). Yellowknife is named for the Yellowknives, who were Dene people who used copper knives. ---
**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 28, 2006, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/78 "2006-04-28T06:03:01Z")
> [@MilTan](#): > > The only interstate which goes to Annapolis is I-97, which serves only to connect the capital with Baltimore. I believe it is also the shortest interstate in the country. There are dozens of Interstates shorter than I-97, which is nearly [18 miles long](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_97). [Here](http://www.kurumi.com/roads/3di/long3di.html) is a list of the 17 shortest, each of which is less than 2 miles long. > [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Of course, St. John’s and Halifax are tied at sea level. Wouldn’t you also have to add Victoria and Iqaluit to that list? ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/79 "2006-04-28T06:21:02Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Boston is also on the water, so it ties Olympia. However, the official elevation of Boston is 10 feet, wheras Olympia has an official elevation of 203. Baton Rouge is 53 and Tallahassee is 79. Boston wins. What is the official elevation of Honolulu? Or Juneau, Baltimore, or Providence, for that matter? And you left out Sacramento, which despite being located 90-odd miles inland, has an elevation of 25 feet. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179/80 "2006-04-28T06:37:57Z")
I’d like to nominate Salem, Oregon as the least remarkable State capital. The [State Capitol Building](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Oregon_State_Capitol.jpg) is pretty cool, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-states-capitals-superlatives-help-build-a-list/354179.md?page=5)