List of current and former capital cities within the United States
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This is a list of the current capitals of U.S. states, as well as a few of the former capital cities (legislature or government seat) of states, territories, colonies, or kingdoms within today's United States.
A few of these were temporary, until the permanent location was chosen or built. Sorted by state and date.
| Contents |
National capital
| State | Place | When |
|---|---|---|
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | Trenton, New Jersey | 1784 |
| New York City, New York | 1785–1790 | |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1790–1800 | |
| Washington, District of Columbia | 1800–present |
Within current states
| Located in | Place | When, Whose |
|---|---|---|
| ALABAMA | St. Stephens, Alabama | territorial capital (1817–1819) |
| Huntsville, Alabama | 1819 | |
| Cahaba, Alabama | 1820–1826 | |
| Tuscaloosa, Alabama | 1826–1846 | |
| Montgomery, Alabama | current, also first capital of Confederate States of America | |
| ALASKA | Sitka, Alaska | district capital (–1906) |
| Juneau, Alaska | district capital (1906–1912) territorial capital, current | |
| ARIZONA | Prescott, Arizona | territorial capital (–1867; 1877–1889) |
| Tucson, Arizona | territorial capital (1867–1877) | |
| Phoenix, Arizona | current | |
| ARKANSAS | Arkansas Post, Arkansas | territorial (1819–1821) |
| Washington, Arkansas | Confederate capital (1863–1865) | |
| Little Rock, Arkansas | territorial; current | |
| CALIFORNIA | Monterey, California | capital under Spanish and Mexican rule |
| San Jose, California | –1851 | |
| Vallejo, California | 1851– | |
| Benicia, California | 1853–1854 | |
| Sacramento, California | current | |
| COLORADO | Golden, Colorado | territorial capital (1862–1867) |
| Denver, Colorado | current | |
| CONNECTICUT | Hartford, Connecticut | current |
| New Haven, Connecticut | co-capital with Hartford (1701–1873) | |
| DELAWARE | New Castle, Delaware | colonial capital |
| Dover, Delaware | current | |
| FLORIDA | St. Augustine, Florida | Spanish and territorial capital (–1824), alternated with Pensacola |
| Pensacola, Florida | Spanish and territorial capital (–1824), alternated with St. Augustine | |
| Tallahassee, Florida | territorial, current | |
| GEORGIA | Savannah, Georgia | colonial and first of state |
| Augusta, Georgia | alternated with Savannah | |
| Louisville, Georgia | ~1799 | |
| Milledgeville, Georgia | 1803–1868 | |
| Atlanta, Georgia | current | |
| HAWAII | Lahaina, Hawaii | capital of the Kingdom ( –1840) |
| Honolulu, Hawaii | current | |
| IDAHO | Lewiston, Idaho | territorial (1863–1864) |
| Boise, Idaho | territorial, current | |
| ILLINOIS | Kaskaskia, Illinois | 1818–1819 |
| Vandalia, Illinois | 1819–1839 | |
| Springfield, Illinois | current | |
| INDIANA | Vincennes, Indiana | territorial capital (1800–1813) |
| Corydon, Indiana | 1816–1825 | |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | current | |
| IOWA | Burlington, Iowa | 1838–1841 |
| Iowa City, Iowa | 1841–1857 | |
| Des Moines, Iowa | current | |
| KANSAS | Pawnee near Fort Riley, Kansas | territorial capital |
| Topeka, Kansas | current | |
| KENTUCKY | Danville, Kentucky | capital Virginia's Kentucky District |
| Bowling Green, Kentucky | Confederate capital | |
| Frankfort, Kentucky | current | |
| LOUISIANA | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1812–1849 except 1830; 1865–1880 |
| Donaldsonville, Louisiana | 1830 | |
| Opelousas, Louisiana | 1862 in war | |
| Shreveport, Louisiana | 1863 | |
| Baton Rouge, Louisiana | current | |
| MAINE | Portland, Maine | 1820–1832 |
| Augusta, Maine | current | |
| MARYLAND | St. Mary's City, Maryland | colonial capital ( –1694) |
| Annapolis, Maryland | current (initially named "Anne Arundel Town") | |
| MASSACHUSETTS | Boston, Massachusetts | current (1630–) |
| MICHIGAN | Detroit, Michigan | territorial capital, state capital 1837–1847 |
| Lansing, Michigan | current | |
| MINNESOTA | Saint Paul, Minnesota | territorial, current |
| MISSISSIPPI | Natchez, Mississippi | territorial capital |
| Washington near Natchez, Mississippi | ||
| Jackson, Mississippi | current (renamed from "LeFleur's Bluff") | |
| MISSOURI | St. Louis, Missouri | territorial capital |
| Saint Charles, Missouri | 1821–1825 | |
| Marshall, Texas | Civil War Capital of exiled pro-confederate state officials and ousted Governor of Missouri | |
| Jefferson City, Missouri | current | |
| MONTANA | Bannack, Montana | territorial capital |
| Virginia City, Montana | territorial capital (1864–1875) | |
| Helena, Montana | current | |
| NEBRASKA | Omaha, Nebraska | territorial capital |
| Lincoln, Nebraska | current | |
| NEVADA | Carson City, Nevada | territorial, current |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | Portsmouth, New Hampshire | colonial, state (–1808) |
| Exeter, New Hampshire | Revolutionary War capital | |
| Concord, New Hampshire | current | |
| NEW JERSEY | Elizabethtown, New Jersey | colonial capital (–1686) |
| Trenton, New Jersey | current | |
| NEW MEXICO | Mesilla, New Mexico | declared capital of Confederate Arizona Territory |
| Santa Fe, New Mexico | current | |
| NEW YORK | Kingston, New York | (1777) |
| Hurley (city), New York | (Oct–Dec 1777) | |
| Poughkeepsie | (1777–) | |
| New York, New York | (1789–1797) | |
| Albany, New York | current | |
| NORTH CAROLINA | Charlestown, Carolina | early colonial, before division of Carolina |
| New Bern, North Carolina | –1794 | |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | current | |
| NORTH DAKOTA | Bismarck, North Dakota | territorial (1883–1889), current |
| OHIO | Chillicothe, Ohio | 1803–1810; 1812–1816 |
| Zanesville, Ohio | 1810–1812 | |
| Columbus, Ohio | current | |
| OKLAHOMA | Guthrie, Oklahoma | 1889–1910 |
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | current | |
| OREGON | Oregon City, Oregon | territorial capital (–1851) |
| Corvallis, Oregon | territorial capital (1855) | |
| Salem, Oregon | current | |
| PENNSYLVANIA | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | 1799–1812 |
| Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | current | |
| RHODE ISLAND | Providence, Rhode Island | current |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | Charleston, South Carolina | was early colonial Charlestown, Carolina |
| Columbia, South Carolina | current | |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | Yankton, South Dakota | Capital Dakota territory (1861–1883) |
| Pierre, South Dakota | current | |
| TENNESSEE | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1796–1812; 18.. |
| Murfreesboro, Tennessee | 1819–1826 | |
| Nashville, Tennessee | current | |
| TEXAS | Washington, Texas | first capital of the Republic of Texas, today called "Washington-on-the-Brazos" |
| Galveston, Texas | temporary capital of the Republic of Texas | |
| Harrisburg, Texas | temporary capital of the Republic of Texas | |
| Velasco, Texas | temporary capital of the Republic of Texas | |
| Columbia, Texas | temporary capital of the Republic of Texas, today called "West Columbia" | |
| Houston, Texas | capital of the Republic of Texas from 1837 to 1839 | |
| Austin, Texas | current (initially named "Waterloo"; changed in the 19th c.) | |
| UTAH | Fillmore, Utah | territorial capital |
| Salt Lake City, Utah | current | |
| VERMONT | Montpelier, Vermont | current |
| VIRGINIA | Jamestown, Virginia | first colonial capital |
| Williamsburg, Virginia | colonial capital (initially "Middle Plantation") | |
| Yorktown, Virginia | colonial capital | |
| Richmond, Virginia | current (also capital of the Confederate States of America) | |
| WASHINGTON | Olympia, Washington | territorial, current |
| WEST VIRGINIA | Wheeling, West Virginia | first capital; 1863–1870, 1875–1885 |
| Charleston, West Virginia | 1870–1875, 1885–present | |
| WISCONSIN | Belmont, Wisconsin | territorial capital |
| Madison, Wisconsin | current | |
| WYOMING | Cheyenne, Wyoming | territorial, current |
Within current possessions
See also
- List of capitals of subnational entities (includes capitals of U.S. possessions)
- List of historical national capitals
- List of multiple capitals
- List of U.S. state capitals
- List of U.S. states' largest cities
- List of U.S. states by date of statehood
- List of U.S. states that were never territories
- List of U.S. state name etymologies
- List of U.S. states by area
- List of U.S. states by population
- List of U.S. states by population density
- List of U.S. states by postal abbreviation
- List of U.S. states by time zone
- List of U.S. states by traditional abbreviation
- List of U.S. states by unemployment rate
- List of current and former capital cities within the United States
- Lists of U.S. state insignia
