# Why is Albany the capital of NY? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375 "2005-04-02T05:55:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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 2, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/21 "2005-04-02T22:42:05Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > Sacramento was also known at that time for playing dirty. You won’t find a more scamming bunch than the railroad tycoons. At one point there was a committee visiting different cities to see which one should be the capitol. Some cities went to great lengths- like Capitola, which renamed itself to look like an attractive capitol. Sacramento sent out a group of people ahead of the committee to book up all the hotels, so that when the committee came they’d think that the town didn’t have enough facilities to be the capitol. Huh? Sacramento [became the state capital in 1854](http://www.answers.com/topic/sacramento-california), but [“Camp Capitola”](http://www.ci.capitola.ca.us/capcity.nsf/AboutCapIntro.html), the forerunner of the current city of Capitola, wasn’t named such until 1874 (and the city wasn’t incorporated until 1949). According to the [Director of the Capitola Historical Museum](http://www.capitolamuseum.org/CapitolaName.htm), the name comes from the heroine of the then-popular novel _Capitola’s Peril_ by Emma Southworth. I think someone’s whooshed you with the “Capitola renamed itself to look like an attractive capital”, **sven**. Do you have a cite? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/22 "2005-04-02T22:53:23Z")
From what I learned about California history, San Jose fell out of favor quickly because it had a reputation as a pretty rough and tumble place and the State Legislature spent much of the time soused. Benicia and Vallejo were supposed to be more centrally located, but a flood drove the Legislature to find a place that would likely stay drier. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/23 "2005-04-02T23:54:46Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Several cities vied for the honor, but Albany won out because they promised to build a capitol building and other offices at no charge to the state. I forgot to address this part, by the way. The New York State Capitol Building cost over $20 million dollars in turn-of-the-twentieth-century money. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/24 "2005-04-03T00:03:31Z")
“Newberg” was a double brainfart. I was thinking of Kingston, then misspelled “Newburgh.” As for the cite, it’s at the exhibit of the Albany County Historical Associationg – the museum they have across the street from the Palace Theater. It’s also mentioned on the State Capitol tour. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/25 "2005-04-03T00:28:06Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Personally, if I lived in a state whose capital was called Capitola, I think I’d move. “Capital City - the Windy Apple!” ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/26 "2005-04-03T13:56:21Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Sorry, but the real reason why Albany is the capital of NY has nothing to do with its size or location. The capital was previously in Newberg, NY, but evidently the facilities were not good enough: a new capital city was needed. Several cities vied for the honor, but Albany won out because they promised to build a capitol building and other offices at no charge to the state. > > No one else made that offer. So it, like much in politics, was bribery, pure and simple. Plenty of speculation by various responders, but nobody’s stumbled across the factual answer to the OP’s question. During the early days of the Revolutionary War, the British occupied NYC, forcing the capital to flee northward. According to [this site](http://www.4to40.com/earth/history/index.asp?article=earth_history_newyork): > [@](#): > > About a third of the major battles were fought in the state. To thwart the British drive for control of New York City, Gen. George WASHINGTON tried unsuccessfully in August 1776 to defend it against superior British forces led by Sir William HOWE. A series of battles lasted 3 months, and then the conflict shifted to New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The British drive along the Mohawk was thwarted by their defeat at the Battle of Oriskany, near Fort Stanwix (present-day Rome), in August 1777. In July 1777 the British general John BURGOYNE captured CROWN POINT, Ticonderoga, and Fort Edward. In October the Americans and British met in a decisive battle at Bemis Heights near Saratoga, where Burgoyne was forced to surrender (see SARATOGA, BATTLES OF). The rebel capital reformed in Kingston, 100 miles north. Within a month, the King’s armies came calling again. In October of 1777, the British forces converged on Kingston and [burned the entire city to the ground.](http://www.firstulster.org/page/5_2_1_burning.html) As the link suggests, this event is recreated every summer.(the landing, not the burning). After the destruction of Kingston, the capital was relocated, 100 miles northward again, to Albany, where it has remained since November 1777. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/27 "2005-04-03T14:50:58Z")
Then, of course, there’s Santa Fe, a continuous capital for almost 400 years. So there’s a big case of historical inertia. Though I suppose that it was the biggest town in the relavent area for most of its history. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/28 "2005-04-03T15:11:35Z")
Madison (the capitol of Wisconsin) WAS pretty much chosen by bribe. Legislators were offered free land. At the time, the value of this land was low, but if they chose Madison as the capitol, suddenly the land becomes much more valuable… Brian ---
**Author:** ![slu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@slu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/29 "2005-04-03T17:38:59Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > Given all the preceding discussion one wonders how a city like Boston (by far the largest most important city in the state, center of commerce, and NOT centrally located) gets made the capitol. Isn’t Springfield the capital of Mass.? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/30 "2005-04-03T18:16:22Z")
Springfield is the capital of Illinois. And where the Simpsons live. But Springfield, Mass is known best for being the site of the Basketball Hall of Fame. ---
**Author:** ![DrLoveGun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@DrLoveGun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrLoveGun)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/31 "2005-04-03T18:36:30Z")
Lest we forget tht for a short while, NYC was the capitol of the US. Can’t have it as a state capitol too ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/32 "2005-04-03T18:56:40Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > After the destruction of Kingston, the capital was relocated, 100 miles northward again, to Albany, where it has remained since November 1777. I’m not sure if you got that from either of the linked-to web sites, but the capital wasn’t permanently established in Albany until 1797-98. I’m taking my info from a _New York Times_ article from 1887. The article was based on documents from the State archives. The State legislature moved about quite a bit at that time. It met more times than not in Poughkeepsie and in New York City. According to the article, Albany wasn’t even favored as a meeting spot until 1788. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/33 "2005-04-03T20:20:13Z")
The ratification convention for the Constitution for New York was held in Poughkeepsie. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/34 "2005-04-03T20:35:00Z")
> [@BobT](#): > > From what I learned about California history, San Jose fell out of favor quickly because it had a reputation as a pretty rough and tumble place and the State Legislature spent much of the time soused. > > Benicia and Vallejo were supposed to be more centrally located, but a flood drove the Legislature to find a place that would likely stay drier. Pretty much right concerning San Jose. It was called the “Legislature of a Thousand Drinks”: [http://www.sanjose.com/underbelly/unbelly/Sanjose/plaza/plaza5.html](http://www.sanjose.com/underbelly/unbelly/Sanjose/plaza/plaza5.html) They didn’t stay very long in Benicia and Vallejo - the nickname became the “Legislature on Wheels”. ---
**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 3, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/35 "2005-04-03T22:37:46Z")
Not too many facts to add, just to note that Sacramento was not - really, is not - the most senseless choice for the capitol. (What did the locating committee know from air-conditioning, anyhow?) Historical facts not yet noted: 1. Sacramento was where Johann Sutter had his main ranch. There was (I speculate) at least some acceptance that Sacramento was an administrative site of some kind or other. 2. California still gets _big_ bucks from agriculture. It’s at least a little appropriate that the state capitol should be right in the middle of it. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/36 "2005-04-04T02:21:02Z")
> [@DrLoveGun](#): > > Lest we forget tht for a short while, NYC was the capitol of the US. Can’t have it as a state capitol too Why not? Philadelphia was also state and national capital at the same time in the 1790s. In fact, the federal government, state givernment and city hall shared three buildings on the same block! ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/37 "2005-04-04T14:15:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Isn’t Springfield the capital of Mass.? For the record, one of the more famous buildings in Boston, Massachusetts is the golden-domed State House. ---
**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 4, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/38 "2005-04-04T15:46:24Z")
> [@Freddy the Pig](#): > > In our lifetimes, the only serious attempt to move a capital, of which I’m aware, occurred in Alaska which ultimately decided to stick with Juneau. Don’t put it in the past tense. It’s an ongoing issue. Juneau is the least accessible capital city in the Western world. And the bulk of the population lives in Anchorage. For that matter, it’s extremely inconvenient for most of Anchorage’s college students that the “main campus” of the University of Alaska is in the backwater of Fairbanks. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/39 "2005-04-04T16:23:56Z")
A bit about [Austin, TX.](http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/AA/hda3.html) The short version: Mirabeau B. Lamar had very different ideas about Texan/Indian relations than Sam Houston did. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375/40 "2005-04-04T17:34:17Z")
> [@caveman](#): > > A bit about [Austin, TX.](http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/AA/hda3.html) > > The short version: Mirabeau B. Lamar had very different ideas about Texan/Indian relations than Sam Houston did. Yeah, and Houston had a bit of an ego, too. Wouldn’t you want the capitol in the town named after you? Of course, Houston (the city) is located in a bayou and is mostly swamp and is subject to hurricanes and tropical storms. Austin, on the other hand, is somewhat drier (relative to Houston), geographically central, and a great way to stick it to Houston (both the city and the man). Austin has long tried to avoid becoming another Houston (and failed miserably, in many respects). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-albany-the-capital-of-ny/297375.md?page=3)