Image: Lightvision, LLC / Moment / Getty Images
About This Quiz
Geography is quite possibly the least lauded subject taught in school. It may not be glamorous, but knowing where things are and the general shape of the world is one of those necessary bits of adult knowledge for which others judge you as you get older. It may not be a big deal if you don't know the capital of Swaziland, but not knowing the capital of the state in which you live is the sort of thing that will raise an eyebrow or two. But things get complicated when it comes to your knowledge of the other states in the U.S., those with which you have little first-hand experience.
The United States is a vast country with rivers, mountains and deserts standing between cities. The first significant movement to link these places together was the First Transcontinental Railroad, which reigned until the postwar era and the construction of the interstate highway system. While there was a time when knowing the local railroad lines was the sign of being a local, today, most Americans can more easily name the highways that pass through their state. Of course, every state has a capital, but even many a local can't name them.
Can you combine your impressive but not-always practical knowledge of state capitals with your knowledge of the interstate highway system? Now is the time to find out with this quiz!
New York
Wyoming
California
Sacramento, the state capital of California, is served by, among other roads, I-80. One key thing to keep in mind about the interstate highway system is that the even numbers are for east-west highways.
Utah
Advertisement
Arizona
Oklahoma
One of the early trans-continental highways, the Lee Highway — which came after the Lincoln Highway — runs through the south and includes a trip through the southernmost reaches of Oklahoma. Oklahoma City is one of those very easily remembered state capitals.
Georgia
Nevada
Advertisement
North Dakota
Pennsylvania
Nebraska
Arkansas
Arkansas's capital of Little Rock sits almost dead center in the state. Arkansas is bisected by I-40, running east to west.
Advertisement
Minnesota
Arizona
Virginia
Richmond is the capital city of the state of Virginia. Interstate 95 runs through Virginia and is a major highway that connects the East Coast states, from the southern tip of Florida to the north of Maine.
Rhode Island
Advertisement
Texas
Texas has six interstate highways running through it, including I-35. The capital of Texas is Austin. Notice that the odd-numbered interstate highways run north to south.
Kentucky
New Mexico
Montana
Advertisement
Vermont
The great state of Vermont, sitting just south of Canada, includes I-89 and the capital city of Montpelier. Interstate 89 continues north into Canada, where it becomes QC-133.
Maryland
Idaho
Washington
Advertisement
Colorado
Nevada
Iowa
Utah
Utah is a sparsely populated state, and the beautifully situated city of Salt Lake is its capital. Other highways in Utah include I-15, I-80, I-70 and I-84.
Advertisement
Wisconsin
South Dakota
Oregon
Wyoming
Wyoming, which has fewer U.S. House of Representatives members than U.S. Senators, has its seat of power in Cheyenne. Its roads include Interstates 80, 25 and 90.
Advertisement
Arizona
Louisiana
Indiana
North Dakota
North Dakota's capital is Bismarck, named after German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Many of the state's early immigrants came from the Scandinavian countries. North Dakota just barely has two interstates: I-94 bisects the state and I-29 cuts along the eastern border.
Advertisement
Michigan
Illinois
Nebraska
Sitting smack in the middle of the United States,, Nebraska is home to only one interstate, I-80, which bisects the state. It does have a few miles of I-76, which starts just over its border, but just barely.
Hawaii
Advertisement
New York
Idaho
Alabama
WIsconsin
Wisconsin's capital may be Madison, but its major cities of Milwaukee and Green Bay get all the sports glory. It's interstates are I-41, I-43, I-90 and I-94.
Advertisement
Montana
Helena is the capital of Montana, home of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the Fort Belknap Reservation, the Crow Reservation and the Flathead Reservation. It's also home to parts of I-90, I-94, and I-15
New Mexico
Oregon
Washington
Advertisement
Hawaii
Michigan
New York
Washington
Washington state contains I-5. The state's capital is Olympia, which is a pretty great name for a capital city. In addition to I-5, it's also has I-90.
Advertisement
Florida
Alaska
Oregon
Oregon, with its peculiar history, has several cities with names owing to the New England origins of the state's founders. Salem is one of them. The state contains portions of I-5 and I-84, which runs along its northern border.
Massachusetts
Advertisement
New Hampshire
Louisiana
West Virginia
New Mexico
Technically, Route 666 no longer exists, as the government officially changed its name to US-491, but its nickname, "The Devil's Highway," persists. The highway runs through New Mexico, whose capital is Santa Fe.
Advertisement
Kansas
Maine
New York
New York state, whose capital is Albany and not New York City (as some people may think), is blessed with several interstate highways, including I-87, which runs from New York City to Albany. It also has a tiny piece of I-95, which runs through The Bronx, one of NYC's five boroughs.
Maryland
Advertisement
Michigan
When Michiganders travel, they have plenty of options, including I-96, I-75 and I-69. When they want a state capital however, they only have Lansing.
Colorado
Idaho
Pennsylvania
Advertisement
Arizona
Colorado
Minnesota
Hawaii
You read that correctly! Despite Hawaii's interstate highway not connecting to another state, it has one. This road's special designation is I-H-1.
Advertisement
Minnesota
Alaska
Despite being quite separate from all the other U.S. states, Alaska — like Hawaii — has interstates of its own. Alaska, however, has four! Interstates A1, A2, A3 and A4 all belong to the state.
Missouri
New Jersey
Advertisement
Louisiana
Louisiana may be synonymous with New Orleans, but it is a city to the north of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, which is the state capital. Interstate-10, I-20 and I-49 all serve the state,
Iowa
South Dakota
Kentucky
Advertisement
Georgia
Nevada
Arizona
New Hampshire
Situated far in the northeastern United States, New Hampshire includes its capital of Concord and I-93. This highway begins in Massachusetts, runs most of its distance through New Hampshire and finishes its journey in Vermont.
Advertisement
Maryland
Idaho
Florida
Kansas
Kansas, a vast plains state, is productive both in agriculture and transportation. The state has its fair share of train tracks and interstates, including I-70 and I-35.
Advertisement
New Jersey
Delaware
Maine
The U.S. is riddled with old roads and highways predating the interstate system, and the Aroostook Trail, which corresponds in part to U.S. Route 2 and Maine Route 100, is one of them. Today, some of this road is traversable by car, some by ATV and some by mountain bike, but there was a time it was considered a major local road.
Indiana
Advertisement
Minnesota
Minnesota's capital city of Saint Paul isn't along the route of the Jefferson Highway, one of the pre-interstate system highways in the U.S. Established in 1916, Jefferson Highway ran north through Minneapolis. It had a brief life and was completely gone by the 1950s, replaced by four numbered highways.
Rhode Island
Ohio
South Carolina
Advertisement
North Carolina
Arizona
Missouri
Missouri is home to Kansas City — which isn't in Kansas — and Jefferson City, which is the state's seat of power. The Ben Hur Highway — one of the old, named U.S. highways — is named for the home of General Lew Wallace, a Civil War general who wrote the book "Ben Hur," and who lived along the route.
Iowa
Advertisement
Nevada
Colorado
Kentucky
Illinois
The great state of Illinois is most famous for Chicago, but it's not the state capital! Illinois also contains sections of The Cannon Ball route, which runs to Chicago from Kansas City.
Advertisement
South Dakota
South Dakota is home to its capital city, Pierre, and also U.S. Route 14. Originally established to run from South Dakota to Yellowstone in Wyoming, US-14 was extended into Illinois. The route is also sometimes called the Black and Yellow Trail.
Alabama
Delaware
Idaho
Advertisement
Colorado
New Jersey
Massachusetts
Pennsylvania
"Penn's Woods" is one of the oldest U.S. states and is home to a section of I-76. Despite being the capital, Harrisburg is only the 15th most-populous city in the state.
Advertisement
West Virginia
Colorado
South Carolina
Maryland
Maryland's capital of Annapolis is perhaps best known as the home of the U.S. Naval Academy, alma mater of the likes of the late Sen. John McCain. Like many East Coast states, Maryland is connected to that automotive spine that is I-95.
Advertisement
Iowa
Florida
Florida is a mostly flat state with three major interstates to speak of: I-10, I-75, and the mightly I-95, which runs all the way to the Florida Keys. Tallahassee is the state capital.
Delaware
Georgia
Advertisement
Kentucky
Arizona
Indiana
Indiana's participation in all things auto is famous, hosting the Indianapolis 500 at its state capital, but it's also a stop on the Dixie Highway. This highway is more of a network than a straight shot, running from Florida to Michigan.
Alabama
Advertisement
Ohio
North Carolina
New Jersey
Nevada
A famous tax refuge, gambling destination and vast desert, Nevada may be most famous for Las Vegas, but its state capital is Carson City. As with much of the country, Nevada is crossed by I-80.
Advertisement
Georgia
Colorado
West Virginia
Rhode Island
Rhode Island may confuse people who aren't from the region, as it isn't really an island per se, and its capital is decidedly on the mainland. Like all of the East Coast, Rhode Island is a link in the chain that is I-95.
Advertisement
Idaho
Idaho is experiencing a housing shortage as remote workers relocate there for the state's amazing natural beauty. Idaho's capital seems to derive its name from French word for "woods."
Alabama
Tennessee
Delaware
Advertisement
Iowa
Iowa is perhaps best known for its first-in-the-nation status voting in presidential primaries, meaning that Iowans get a big say in things. It's also the home of the Transcendental Meditation movement and a stop on The Great River Road, which runs along the Mississippi River.
Arizona
South Carolina
Wisconsin
Advertisement
Kentucky
Kentucky is famed for being the home state of Muhammad Ali. It's also the home state of the manufacturer of the aptly named Louisville Slugger. Its capital is Frankfort. The state is bisected by I-64, which, among other things, connects Frankfort to Louisville.
Georgia
Ohio
Massachusetts
Advertisement
Wisconsin
Colorado
Tennessee
New Jersey
New Jersey is overshadowed by some of its neighbors, with the likes of Philadelphia and New York nearby, but the Battle of Trenton was pivotal in the story of the American revolution. The state has many interstates, including I-76, and, of course, I-95.
Advertisement
Delaware
Ohio
North Carolina
North Carolina's capital is Raleigh, but most people think of Raleigh and Durham as a single metropolitan area dominated by colleges. Like all East Coast states, I-95 threads its way through the state.
South Carolina
Advertisement
West Virginia
There are plenty of Charlestons in the USA, but only one that is the capital of West Virginia. This mountainous state has some of the best driving roads in America in terms of corners and scenery, but if it's interstates you like, it has I-79, I-64, I-64 and I-77.
South Carolina
Georgia
Massachusetts
Advertisement
Arizona
Delaware
Colorado
Alabama
Montgomery is a state well served by interstate highways, despite being relatively small as metropolises go. The state of Alabama is famous for its short commute times (20 minutes by car), and if you go off an interstate, you'll find the back roads are fairly free of traffic.
Advertisement
You Got:
/40
