Name Every US Capital, and We’ll Guess Where You Grew Up

By: Teresa McGlothlin
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Name Every US Capital, and We’ll Guess Where You Grew Up
Image: Denise Taylor/ Moment/ Getty Images

About This Quiz

Every elementary school student in the United States has to learn the state capitals. Can you take your mind back there and remember all 50 of them? Once you make it through 50 questions about the 50 cities that serve as the states' governmental hubs, you'll give away the state where you grew up. 

How could naming the state capitals tell us where you spent your formative years? Though we can't give away the exact geographical science behind it, we can assure you that your home state has left a few markers you'll never shake. For instance, native New Yorkers might be a little more aggressive in their answers while a true Georgia peach might take their sweet time getting them all right. There's no right or wrong way to choose a state's crowning jewel. The way you do it will say a lot, though. 

No matter where you first called home, your attempt to name all the capitals will draw out the traits you learned from growing up where you did. Will they still be strong enough to point us in the right direction, or will we need to try again? Give it your best shot, and let us take our best guess. Will we get it right? 

1. jello
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Utah's capital city holds the record for eating the most Jell-O. What is it?
Logan
Moab
Salt Lake City
Ogden

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2. mc donalds
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There's not a McDonald's to be found in Vermont's capital! Can you McName it?
Woodstock
Burlington
Manchester
Montpelier

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3. hospital
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Virginia's capital was home to the nation's first hospital, but do you know its name?
Richmond
Arlington
Roanoke
Wytheville

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4. football
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It's either "roll tide" or "war eagle" in Alabama. What's the capital city?
Montgomery
Birmingham
Huntington
Mobile

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5. dorothy
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Dorothy and Toto might not have been in Kansas anymore, but what capital city IS there?
Topeka
Wichita
Kansas City
Salina

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6. hartford
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In Connecticut, they call their capital "The Insurance Capital of The World." What name do the rest of us call it?
New Haven
Hartford
Stamford
Bridgeport

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7. arizona
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Arizona's capital is also the most populated, but do you know which one it is?
Sedona
Tuscon
Mesa
Phoenix

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8. mississippi
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Mississippi's capital was named after a general in the War of 1812. Which city is it?
Tupelo
Biloxi
Gulfport
Jackson

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9. florida
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It's not Miami, but which Florida town does get the distinction of being the capital?
Tallahassee
Jacksonville
Daytona
Clearwater

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10. zoo
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If you wanted to visit the Potter Park Zoo in Michigan's capital city, where would you go?
Lansing
Detroit
Dearborn
Grand Rapids

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11. colorado
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Colorado's capital is called the "Mile High City." Can you name it?
Boulder
Aurora
Colorado Springs
Denver

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12. nascar
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Which one of these Delaware cities is both the capital and home to a huge NASCAR race?
Wilmington
Newark
New Castle
Dover

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13. hawaii
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Do you know the name of the Hawaiian capital that sits on the island of Oahu?
Hilo
Volcano
Honolulu
Kailua

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14. New orleans
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If Louisiana's state capital isn't New Orleans, which city is?
Shreveport
Alexandria
Layfayette
Baton Rouge

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15. maine
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What is the name of the Maine capital that rests in Kennebec County?
Augusta
Bangor
Portland
Bar Harbor

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16. boston
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Are you wicked cool enough to choose the capital of New England's Massachusetts?
Springfield
Cambridge
Boston
Salem

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17. missouri river
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North Dakota's capital sits on the Missouri River, and it's named what?
Fargo
Minot
Grand Forks
Bismarck

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18. minesota
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What's the name of the Minnesota capital that has 3.6 million citizens?
Minneapolis
Saint Paul
Duluth
St. Cloud

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19. chicago
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Chicago is not the capital of Illinois. Which city gets that honor?
Peoria
Rockford
Springfield
Joliet

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20. cornhusker
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Which of these cities is the capital of the "Cornhusker State" of Nebraska?
Lincoln
Omaha
Norfolk
Grand Island

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21. nevada
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In 1864, Nevada's capital city was named after a local mountain man. Which name is right?
Reno
Las Vegas
Henderson
Carson City

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22. iowa
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Which Iowa city is the capital and the site of the Iowa General Assembly?
Des Moines
Cedar Rapids
Waterloo
Davenport

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23. concord
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New Hampshire's capital shares its name with a popular type of grape. What is it?
Manchester
Concord
Nashua
Derry

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24. idaho
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What is Idaho's capital? It's the 15th fastest growing city in the United States.
Nampa
Boise
Twin Falls
Lewiston

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25. NJ
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What's the name of New Jersey's capital which falls in the Greater New York City Statistical Area?
Newark
Jersey City
Atlantic City
Trenton

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26. TN
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What musical town is the home of Tennessee's state capital?
Knoxville
Memphis
Johnson City
Nashville

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27. nyc
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The capital of New York is 135 miles from the state's largest city. Do you know what it is?
Syracuse
New York City
Albany
Yonkers

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28. RI
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Rhode Island might be a small state, but its capital is full of charm. What's the name of it?
Newport
Warwick
Providence
Cranston

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29. fur trader
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Can you name the South Dakota capital that was named after a fur trader?
Sioux Falls
Pierre
Mitchell
Rapid City

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30. oregon
Anna Gorin/ Moment/ Getty ImagesAnna Gorin/ Moment/ Getty Images
Oregon's capital city has the same name as a famous town in Massachusetts. Which one is right?
Portland
Medford
Bend
Salem

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31. buckeye
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Which of Ohio's larger towns currently serves as the capital city of "The Buckeye State?"
Cleveland
Akron
Columbus
Cincinnati

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32. missouri
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The capital of Missouri is located in the middle of the state. What name does it have?
Kansas City
Jefferson City
Branson
Joplin

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33. CA
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Which California city gets its claim to fame by having capital status?
Sacramento
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Bakersfield

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34. oklahoma
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Try not to think too hard about the name of Oklahoma's capital! Which city is it?
Tulsa
Oklahoma City
Norman
Edmond

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35. PA
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It only has 50,000 residents, but which city is Pennsylvania's capital?
Harrisburg
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Erie

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36. alaska
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Which of Alaska's panhandle cities has been the capital since 1906?
Anchorage
Kodiak
Juneau
Fairbanks

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37. SC
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What's been the name of the South Carolina capital since 1786?
Charleston
Florence
Greenville
Columbia

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38. new mexico
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Everyone knows about Roswell, but it's not New Mexico's capital. Which city is the state's hub?
Santa Fe
Albuquerque
Taos
Farmington

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39. NC
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If you were having barbecue in North Carolina's capital, where would you be?
Charlotte
New Bern
Raleigh
Winston-Salem

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40. kentucky
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What city serves as the capital in "The Bluegrass State" of Kentucky?
Ashland
Lexington
Frankfort
Louisville

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41. Texas
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This Texas capital sits near Lady Bird Lake, but what name is it given?
Dallas
Austin
Waco
Fort Worth

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42. washington
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Which city sits on Puget Sound and has been Washington's capital since 1853?
Seattle
Olympia
Tacoma
Spokane

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43. montana
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Do you know the name of Montana's capital, which sits in Lewis and Clark County?
Billings
Bozeman
Helena
Great Falls

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44. west virginia
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Where in West Virginia would you find the capital building's gold dome?
Wheeling
Morgantown
Beckley
Charleston

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45. maryland
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Maryland's state capital is informally called Naptown and formally called what?
Baltimore
Frederick
Annapolis
Hagerstown

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46. indianapolis
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Indiana's capital has the Greek word for "city" in it, but do you know which one is right?
Indianapolis
Bloomington
Evansville
South Bend

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47. wisconsin
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In 1970, a new capital building was built in which Wisconsin city?
Madison
Green Bay
Appleton
Kenosha

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48. AR
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What's the capital of "The Natural State," Arkansas?
Conway
Little Rock
Fayetteville
Hot Springs

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49. atown
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Georgia's capital is the most populated capital in the United States. Which city is it?
Macon
Atlanta
Augusta
Savannah

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50. wyoming
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Wyoming's capital city is nicknamed the "Frontier City," but what's the actual name of it?
Cody
Casper
Cheyenne
Jackson

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You Got: