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List of current and former capital cities within the United States
This is a list of the current capitals of the 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. The place and date of the various locations for the national capital are also given.
A few of these were temporary, until the permanent location was chosen or built. Sorted by state and date.
National capital
| State | Place | When
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1776
| | Baltimore, Maryland | 1776–1777
| | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1777
| | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | 1777
| | York, Pennsylvania | 1777–1778
| | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1778–1783
| | Princeton, New Jersey | 1783
| | Annapolis, Maryland | 1783–1784
| | Trenton, New Jersey | 1784
| | New York, New York | 1785–1790
| | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1790–1800
| | Washington, District of Columbia | 1800–present
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Within current states
| Located in | Place | When, Whose
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| ALABAMA | St. Stephens, Alabama | Territorial capital (1817–1819)
| | Huntsville, Alabama | 1819
| | Cahawba, 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 capital (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 of Hawaii (—1840)
| | Honolulu, Hawaii | Current
| | IDAHO | Lewiston, Idaho | Territorial (1863–1864)
| | Boise, Idaho | Territorial, current
| | ILLINOIS | Kaskaskia, Illinois | Territorial (1809–1818)
| | Vandalia, Illinois | 1819–1839
| | Springfield, Illinois | Current
| | INDIANA | Vincennes, Indiana | Territorial capital (1800–1813)
| | Corydon, Indiana | 1816–1825
| | Indianapolis, Indiana | Current
| | IOWA | Burlington, Iowa | Stop-gap territorial capital 1838–1841
| | Iowa City, Iowa | Territorial, first state (1841–1857)
| | Des Moines, Iowa | Current
| | KANSAS | Pawnee near Fort Riley, Kansas | Territorial capital
| | Topeka, Kansas | Current
| | KENTUCKY | Danville, Kentucky | Capital of 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 | New York, New York | Colonial, under British rule (1664–1777)
| | Kingston, New York | (1777)
| | Hurley (town), 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
| | 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 1839)
| | UTAH | Fillmore, Utah | Territorial capital
| | Salt Lake City, Utah | Current
| | VERMONT | Montpelier, Vermont | Current
| | VIRGINIA | Jamestown, Virginia | First Colonial capital
| | Williamsburg, Virginia | Second colonial capital (initially Middle Plantation)
| | Yorktown, Virginia | Third 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
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Within current possessions
See also
External links
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