State by State: US Capitals Versus Largest Cities Quiz

Answer: Largest City

Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin, with a 2020 census population of 557,222 and a metropolitan area of 1.57 million. It is more than twice as large as the Wisconsin capital, Madison, 80 mi / 130 km to the east. Madison had a 2020 census population of 269,840 with a commensurate metropolitan area of approximately 710,000.

Madison became the territorial capital in 1836 when former federal judge and land speculator James Duane Doty purchased over a thousand acres on the isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona, a picturesque location in the Four Lakes district. He then attended the territorial legislature in Belmont, a small town in the state's southwest, which was the centre of the lead mining area, lead being the major industry in the fledgling territory. He then argued that his land, dubbed Madison after the fourth president, was in the centre of the territory population, being between Green Bay, the largest city in the north, and the lead mining settlements in the southwest, as well as being between the Lake Michigan port of Milwaukee and the western outpost of Prairie Du Chien. He produced plans for a future city with streets named after the other 38 signers of the U.S. Constitution.

Despite being a city on paper only, the legislature voted in favour of Madison as its capital. The cornerstone of the capital was laid in 1837 on the tallest hill of the isthmus between the two largest lakes. Madison was retained as the capital when Wisconsin became a state in 1848. The University of Wisconsin was established in Madison straight after statehood, assuring the capital of its viability in the future.

Milwaukee's development was not quite as glamorous. While indigenous cultures lived along the shores of Lake Michigan and its associated rivers for thousands of years, skirmishes with early European settlers resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Chicago in 1833, where the native Americans received money and lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for ceding their lands totalling over five million acres along the shores and rivers of Lake Michigan. After the signing of the treaty, there was a large influx of European immigrants as the Midwest was opened up with the Erie Canal in 1825.

There were three separate settlements: Juneautown, east of the river, Kilbourntown, west of the river, and Walker's Point, south of the city, each with fierce rivalries between them. This is the reason the city's bridges are all angled across the river, as the streets on opposing sides were deliberately offset. However, all three settlements were incorporated into a single city, Milwaukee, in 1846. There was a substantial proportion of German immigrants, and Milwaukee today is still known for its large Germanic population and influences, particularly in the brewing industry. Polish immigrants were the second largest group, with large numbers also from Lithuania, Italy, Ireland, France, Russia, Bohemia, and Sweden.

Milwaukee became an industrial powerhouse with a heavy manufacturing base, including steel production and heavy industry, in the 20th century. It was also a thriving port city with much of Wisconsin's agricultural production shipped out through Milwaukee either by ship, rail, or road. As part of the Rust Belt, the economy of the city declined in the 60s and 70s due to a great deal of manufacturing offshore. The city has adapted to change by making its economy more service-based and initiating infrastructure projects, modernising the city.

Answer: Capital City

At the 2020 census, Portland was Maine's largest city with 69,568 citizens, but its capital was Augusta with only 19,168 residents (making it the third smallest state capital after Montpelier, VT and Pierre, SD). In 1820, when Maine became a state, Portland was named the temporary capital, but it was considered vulnerable to naval attack because of its deep harbour. Also, Portland was in the far south of the state, therefore considered not central enough. Augusta was chosen because it was more central, and it was less vulnerable to naval attack. Additionally, Augusta residents offered the state land on Weston's Hill with extensive views over the Kennebec Valley (where a State House was built), plus the town even pledged financial help for the state house construction.

In 1832, the Maine Legislature met in Augusta in the new Capitol for the first time. In 1907, Maine voters amended the constitution to make Augusta the permanent capital. However, fires and floods plagued the city, and its growth has been restricted. In 2020, it was the twelfth biggest city in Maine.

Portland, with its large natural harbour, has always been a maritime city and a transport hub for Maine's agricultural and fishing output. However, service-based industries have overtaken its traditional economy, ironically, because of its proximity to other major New England centres. It is on Interstate-95 (Augusta is fifty miles north on the same Interstate, with other major Maine centres on or near I-95 as it heads northeast to the Canadian Border).

Answer: Both

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of Georgia. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 498,715. Georgia's next biggest cities, Columbus and Augusta, had populations of 206,922 and 202,081 at the same census, respectively. The Atlanta metropolitan area has an estimated population of over 6.4 million, which makes it the eighth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. It is located in the north-central part of the state in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, just over 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level. One of its features is the densest urban tree coverage of any major city in the United States.

Atlanta started as a terminus on a to-be-constructed railroad, the Western and Atlantic Railroad, to provide a link between the port of Savannah and the Midwest. The terminus selected was the present-day site of Atlanta. A small settlement was begun, and the place was called Terminus. After a few years, a small town was developed, the name was changed to Thrasherville and in 1842 to Atlanta, which purported to be a feminine version of the word "Atlantic", referencing the railroad.

The town had nearly 10,000 residents by the start of the Civil War, and because of its railroad links became a hub for military supplies in the Confederate States. It was a major battle location in the Civil War and needed reconstruction after the war, and again in 1917 after a fire destroyed most of the city. The city played a large role in WWII, and the associated industries attracted thousands looking for work. Modern-day Atlanta is a research centre, a transport hub with many railroads passing through the city and a major highway interchange with both nationwide north-south I-75 and I-85, and east-west I-20 passing through the city. Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympics and is considered a Beta+ global city.

The Province of Georgia was established in 1732, but Atlanta has not always been the capital. The capital shuffled between Savannah and Augusta in the early days of the province. However, in 1796, two years before it became the fourth state to enter the Union, a permanent capital was sought, and Louisville, in the centre of the state, was selected. In 1807, the state capital of Georgia officially moved from Louisville to Milledgeville, 50 miles to the west, where it remained for 60 years.

However, during the Reconstruction after the Civil War, a new constitutional convention was called for the state. The delegates met in Atlanta in 1868, and its city's representatives offered to become the new capital city of Georgia, which included the use of buildings for the legislature and the Georgia Supreme Court, as well as the choice of any unoccupied 10 acres in the city to be for a state capitol. Atlanta was voted the capital at the same meeting and has remained so ever since. The cornerstone of the Capitol was laid on September 2, 1885, and completed on June 15, 1889.

Answer: Both

Denver is the capital and largest city in the state of Colorado, with a population of 715,522 at the 2020 census (Metropolitan area 3.05 million). It is the fifth-most populous state capital. It is located in the High Plains' western edge in the South Platte River Valley and is close to the eastern edge of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Colorado Springs, the state's second-largest city, had a population of almost 300,000 residents at the same census.

Gold was discovered near Pikes Peak in the Rocky Mountains in 1858 in the unorganised remains of the Kansas Territory, as part of it had become the State of Kansas. A group of gold prospectors from Kansas established a mining town, Montana City, on the South Platte River, which later became the city of Denver, and was named after the Governor of Kansas.

Colorado Territory was created in 1861, and Denver City was incorporated later that year. Denver City shortened its name to Denver in 1866. Colorado City was the first territorial capital in 1861. It was then transferred to Golden City from 1862 to 1867. On December 9, 1867, Denver became the capital. On August 1, 1876, Colorado was admitted to the Union. Denver was made the permanent state capital in a 1881 Colorado state capital referendum. The State Capitol, made from Colorado granite, was opened in 1894 on a site on Colfax Avenue that is slightly higher than the rest of downtown. There is a plaque on the front steps of the building marking 5280 feet above sea level, which commemorates Denver's nickname of Mile High City.

Answer: Capital City

Helena, Montana, is situated in the northern Rocky Mountains, near the Missouri River. As such, it is positioned at the eastern end of the Continental Divide.

In 1864, a gold camp was established in present-day Helena, which attracted many people to the area, resulting in the Montana Territory being carved out of the existing Idaho Territory. Due to the gold rush, the town became wealthy, and this is reflected in the city's grand Victorian architecture, which was both elaborate and grandiose. At one stage, Helena had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world. The rapid growth meant that Montana was proclaimed a state in 1889.

Helena was appointed the capital of the Montana Territory in 1875 and has been the capital of the state of Montana since 1889. However, this was not an automatic appointment: Referendums were held in 1892 and 1894 before the capital was finally accepted as Helena. The Montana State Capitol was completed in 1902. Until 1900, Helena was the most populous city in the state, until Butte, an emerging mining centre, with a 1900 census population of 30,470, became Montana's biggest city. At the 2020 census, the population of Helena was 32,091, making Helena the fifth smallest state capital.

At the same 2020 census, Billings, with 117,116 people, was by far Montana's largest city. The town emerged from a nearby town called Coulson, which was a trading centre for the region built on the Yellowstone River. When the Northern Pacific Railway arrived in 1882, the line was two miles west of Coulson. The railroad company established a new town that straddled the railroad. It was named Billings after railroad president Frederick H. Billings. The railroad at Billings was far more efficient than the river trade through Coulson, which eventually faded and was absorbed into the now much bigger town of Billings.

Answer: Both

Little Rock was proclaimed a city in 1826. It had a 2020 census population of 202,591. (All other cities in Arkansas at the same census had populations less than 100,000).

The region that became Little Rock was inhabited by the Quapaw and Arkansa Indians for thousands of years. A Frenchman called Benard de la Harpe led an exploration party up the Arkansas River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River, in 1722, and described the first outcrop of rock he had seen along the banks since departing New Orleans. He called it 'la petite roche' or 'the little rock'.

The area became a part of the Territory of Louisiana, which was governed by France, Spain, and then France again before being purchased by the United States in 1803. A southern portion of this purchase, the Arkansas Territory, which covered most of present-day Arkansas and Oklahoma, was established in 1819.

Arkansas Post, on the Arkansas River, close to where the river meets the Mississippi River, was the first territorial capital, though it relocated to Little Rock, a more central location one hundred miles (160 km) upstream on the Arkansas River in 1821. (Conway, a further 30 mi [50km] upstream was also considered as a capital). Arkansas became a state in 1836. Little Rock has been the state capital since that time. The western portion of the state, plus the three counties of the Oklahoma panhandle, formed the state of Oklahoma in 1907.

Little Rock, in the centre of the fertile Arkansas River valley, serves as an international river port. The area's chief agricultural products, rice, soybeans, cotton, and poultry, are shipped from the river port or rail hub. Manufacturing in the region includes aviation components, automotive, and food processing. Arkansas hosts six Fortune 500 companies, including Walmart.

Answer: Largest City

The Portland, Oregon area has been inhabited by the Chinookan people for thousands of years. Settlers arrived in the 1840s. Oregon City was established on the Willamette River by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1829. The '40s' settlers from the east established a new settlement downstream from Oregon City, closer to where the Willamette River met the Columbia River. The new settlement was called Stumptown or The Clearing because of the amount of clearing that was needed to make the land habitable. This land claim was made by William Overton in 1843 with financial assistance from Asa Lovejoy. In 1844, Overton sold his half-share to Francis Pettigrew. Both wanted to rename The Clearing after their respective hometowns. Pettigrew won the contest with a two-out-of-three coin toss, so Portland, Oregon, was named after Portland, Maine. If Lovejoy had won, it would have been called Boston.

In the 21st Century, Portland has a population of 652,503 (2020 census) people with over 2.54 million in its metropolitan area, which is well over half of the people in the entire state.

While not on the coast, Portland is a busy port, as the Columbia River is navigable all the way to downtown. The city is bisected by Interstate-5, has a local loop Interstate, I-205, and is the western terminus for I-84, which starts near Salt Lake City, Utah. Alaska Airlines has a hub at Portland International Airport.

Answer: Capital City

Montpelier, Vermont, is the smallest state capital with a population of 8074 in 2020. The largest city, Burlington, had a population of 44,743 at the same census.

Montpelier is a flat city wedged in between hills and granite ledges. The Green Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountain system and run the north-south length of the state, not far from Montpelier. While the city is small, it is serviced by two rivers. The main river is the Winooski, which runs westward across central Vermont and eventually empties into Lake Champlain and bisects Montpelier. The second is the North Branch of the Winooski River, which is a major tributary that merges into the Winooski in Montpelier, near the Vermont State Capitol.

Vermont was briefly a republic in its own right before it joined the US as the 14th state in 1791. Before 1805, the legislature moved around, meeting in towns such as Windsor, Bennington, and Burlington. A permanent seat was needed. Montpelier was chosen over Burlington and Rutland for three reasons:
1. It was the most central of the three cities
2. Residents offered both land and money to build a state capitol.
3. Its proximity to navigable waterways made it a hub for transport and commerce. However, the lack of flat land meant the nearest commercial airport is in Burlington, 35 mi / 65 km away.

Answer: Largest City

Louisville is the largest city in the state of Kentucky. Its capital is Frankfort.

Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky, with a 2020 census population of 633,045. In 2003, it merged with Jefferson County, which contained several smaller cities within Louisville's boundaries, and was officially named as Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government, commonly known as Louisville Metro. This larger city had a 2020 population of 782,969. The Louisville metropolitan area, including 12 counties in Kentucky and southern Indiana, has 1.39 million people.

Named after the French King Louis XVI, it was founded by George Rogers Clark, a surveyor, in 1778. The nearby Falls of Ohio (river) was the major and only obstruction to river transport between the upper Ohio River and the Gulf of Mexico, so the settlement first grew as a portage site. Louisville and Nashville Railroad commenced in Louisville in 1850 and reached Nashville in 1859. It has become one of the most profitable railroads in the US. As it spanned both the Union and Confederate lines in the soon-to-be Civil War, the railroad was of significant importance to both governments.

In the 21st century, the city is a modern metropolis and is the proud birthplace of Muhammad Ali, Louisville Slugger baseball bats, and the Kentucky Derby. Louisville has no major league sporting teams, but it has a fanatical fan base for the NCAA University of Louisville Cardinals. The freight company, UPS, has its worldwide hub at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, which is the region's main commercial airport. Fortune 500 company Humana, a health insurance giant, also has its home in Louisville.

Before Frankfort was a settlement, the site was a ford across the Kentucky River. The site received its name in 1780, when a local settler, Stephen Frank, was killed in a confrontation with Native Americans. The crossing was named "Frank's Ford" in his memory. When 100 acres were designated as a town in 1786, the Virginia legislature named the town Frankfort.

Frankfort, one of the smallest state capitals in the US, was chosen for several reasons. When Kentucky became a state in 1792, Louisville and Lexington were the two biggest centres, but Frankfort, on the Kentucky River, was a more centrally located settlement between both (55 miles from Louisville, 25 miles from Lexington). Frankfort was chosen by five commissioners because of its central location, its possibility of being a transport hub via the Kentucky River, and the offer of Frankfort resident Andrew Holmes, of his own house as a temporary state capitol.

Answer: Capital City

Kansas is a landlocked state in the Midwest, bordered by Nebraska to the north, Missouri to the east, Oklahoma to the south, and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named after the Kansas River, which in turn is named after the Kansa or Kaw Nation. Topeka is the fifth largest city and state capital (Wichita is the biggest city, and the twin cities of Kansas City are the biggest metropolitan area in Kansas.

Topeka, on the Oregon Trail, started as a ferry point across the Kansas River. It is approximately 60 mi / 98 km west of Independence, MO, the start of the trail. It became a trading point on the military road between Fort Leavenworth near KC and Fort Riley, west of Topeka.

When Kansas became the 34th state in 1861, it became a free state unlike its neighbour, Missouri, which was a slave state. Kansas was determined to remain a free state. Strong pro-antislavery groups in Topeka and Lawrence made them candidates for the capital. Topeka was chosen because the violence over slavery in Lawrence was more prominent. The state legislature met in Constitution Hall. The Capitol building began in 1866, but it took 37 years to complete the two wings and the main area; the latter, complete with a dome, was constructed last.

Answer: Both

Boise is the largest city in Idaho with a 2020 census population of 235.685 and is the centre of the Treasure Valley metropolitan area with an estimated population of 850,000.

It was established as a military centre in 1863 during the Gold Rush era, after the California gold rush of the 1850s had started to wane. The town itself was located on the Boise River (after which the town was named). The town grew rapidly as a service centre for gold rush settlements north (Idaho City) and south (Silver City) of the town. The railroad appeared soon after, and agriculture became a big earner after irrigation projects were completed.

Idaho Territory was established in 1863, carved out of the Oregon Country. This included the present-day state of Idaho, Montana and much of Wyoming. In 1964, Montana Territory was formed. The original boundary was meant to be the continental divide, but some mining towns wanted to remain in Montana, so the boundary was pushed westward to the Bitterroot Mountains, which gave Idaho its distinctive panhandle shape. The original capital was Lewiston, the first permanent settlement in Idaho, located in the north of the panhandle, near Spokane. The territory's capital was moved south to Boise in 1864 as it was considered more centrally located. (Boise is located in southwest Idaho, 41 miles (66 km) east of the Oregon border and 110 miles (177 km) north of the Nevada border).

When Idaho became the 43rd state in 1890, Boise remained the capital. The State Capitol construction commenced in 1905 and was completed in 1912, with wings added by 1920. Its resemblance to the US Capitol in Washington, DC, is not coincidental.

Answer: Largest City

Detroit is the largest city in Michigan, named after its river (Detroit = "Strait" in French). The Canadian city of Windsor sits on the opposite bank. The Detroit River connects Lake Huron and Lake Erie via Lake St Clair and St Clair River.

Detroit was first settled by the French in 1701. The town was a battleground during the French and Indian War (1753-63) and was also a key battleground in the American Revolutionary War (1775-83). Under the peace terms of the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the Michigan Territory was eventually established by the US Congress in 1805. Detroit was surrendered to the French in the War of 1812 and recaptured a year later.

Detroit was proclaimed a city in 1815 and served as the capital city of the territory from 1805 until the statehood of Michigan in 1837, and then for another 12 years. The city has had massive highs and lows. The city expanded rapidly when the Erie Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Eastern Seaboard in 1825. Detroit became the fourth largest city in the US when it became the centre of the US automotive industry and reached a peak population of 1.85 million in the 1950 census. However, the loss of manufacturing jobs in the Rust Belt was felt heavily in Detroit, and the city became infamous as a symbol of urban decay. Early in the 21st century, it had turned its fortunes around and successfully exited bankruptcy in 2014. In 2024, the city's population rose for a second year in succession to an estimated 645,700, up from 639,111 in the 2020 census. The corresponding metropolitan area is 4.4 million.

Lansing, with a 2020 census population of 112,644, was the sixth-largest city in the state at the same time. As it was in the central lower peninsula of Michigan, and therefore less vulnerable to British attack (as in the War of 1812), it was made the state capital in 1847. The current State Capitol was built in 1879.