Can You Identify Your State From a Photo of Its Capitol Building?
You know your state's capital, but what about its capitol building?
You probably know a lot about your state. What restaurant has the best burger? You've got that one down. Where's the closest Walmart at any given moment? You're on it! And you, of course, know your state's capital city. But what about your state's capitol building?
The capitol building should be the most iconic, instantly recognizable piece of architecture in each state, right? But in reality, very few people are familiar with their state's capitol building (and forget about those of other states). With all their marble domes and stately stature, state capitols don't exactly belie much about the individual fabric of their respective states… at least at first glance. Don't believe us? We've rounded up photos of all 50 state capitol buildings, so take this quiz and see if you can pinpoint yours! (Don't worry: They're accompanied by a handy hint.)
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: The federal government owns about a third of the land in this state.
Helena, Montana
Montana's state capitol building is adorned with a statue named "Lady Liberty," which was made by Edward J. Van Landeghem of Philadelphia, who originally named the 17-foot figure "Montana."
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is home to Mammoth Cave National Park.
Frankfort, Kentucky
The Kentucky capitol building is where the state's former governor William Goebel was fatally shot in 1900. Goebel is the only state governor in U.S. history who's been assassinated while in office.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: In this state, you'll find Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Bismarck, North Dakota
The North Dakota capitol building in Bismarck is surrounded by hiking trails and recreational activities, making it a popular tourist destination.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: The world's busiest airport (with 107 million passengers per year) is here.
Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia's state capitol is home to the "Miss Freedom" statue, which weighs more than 1,600 pounds.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is home to some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the country, including those surrounding the highly photogenic Crater Lake National Park.
Salem, Oregon
Completed in 1936, with marble quarried from all around the country—including Missouri and Vermont—the current capitol is the third capitol constructed in Salem. (The prior two burned down.)
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: The Mayflower landed here.
Boston, Massachusetts
Fun fact: The original wooden dome on the Massachusetts state capitol building—which you might recognize from the B-roll for The Departed—was constructed by Paul Revere's Revere Copper Company in 1802.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: The United States purchased this state from the Russian Empire in 1867.
Juneau, Alaska
The walls in this state capitol building contain murals depicting Alaskan life, like fishing and hunting.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: The country's most prolific horror writer, Stephen King, calls this state home.
Augusta, Maine
On the top of the Maine capitol, you'll spot a bronze bust of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and strategy.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Diners are an integral fabric of this state's culture; there are more than 600 in the state today.
Trenton, New Jersey
Unlike most other state capitol buildings, New Jersey's was not constructed to mimic the U.S. Capitol.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Watch out for scorpions in this state!
Phoenix, Arizona
In 1898, Arizona broke ground on its state capitol as a way to prove to the federal government that the then-territory was worthy of statehood. And it looks like it worked! Less than two decades later—on Valentine's Day, 1912—Arizona was admitted to the union.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: If you know your state nicknames, this is the Sooner State.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Previously, the capitol building was located in Guthrie—not the capital, Oklahoma City, like it is now.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: 40 percent of this state's population live in one city.
Albany, New York
The New York capitol cost $25 million to build in 1899—which is more than $750 million in today's dollars—making it the most expensive government building of the 19th century.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Johnny Cash was born here.
Little Rock, Arkansas
Since it's a smaller scale replica of the U.S. Capitol, the capitol building in Little Rock is often used as a cinematic backdrop for films set in Washington, D.C.—most notably in Amistad, the Steven Spielberg-directed drama.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: The Wright brothers called this state home.
Columbus, Ohio
Originally, Ohio's capital city was Chillicothe. But, after years of political infighting, in 1812 it moved to Columbus, where the state capitol sits today.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state has the largest population in the United States.
Sacramento, California
Though the capital city of Sacramento typically does not experience earthquakes, the state's capitol building was damaged by two quakes that happened within just days of each other in 1892.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is home to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Architecturally, New Mexico's capitol building, located in Santa Fe, was designed to feature a blend of New Mexico Territorial Revival style and neoclassical influences.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state was the first English colonial possession established in mainland North America.
Richmond, Virginia
The Virginia capitol building houses the oldest elected legislative body in North America: the Virginia General Assembly.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is the tenth-largest by area, but the least populous in the entire country.
Cheyenne, Wyoming
In 1867, Cheyenne became a city when the path of the transcontinental railroad wove its way through this then-remote part of the United States.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: In 2012, this state became the first in U.S. history to elect an all-female federal delegation.
Concord, New Hampshire
For a few years during the 1970s, the lights that shone on the State House's golden dome at night were turned off to save energy—though the uproar it caused eventually led to the decision being reversed.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Off the coast, you'll find Morgan Island, which is commonly known as Monkey Island, due to the fact that it's home to 4,000 (!) rhesus monkeys.
Columbia, South Carolina
South Carolina's first capitol building was set on fire by U.S. Army troops under W.T. Sherman's commands.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: The Union Pacific Railroad is headquartered in this state.
Lincoln, Nebraska
Nebraska's capitol building is home to the country's only unicameral legislature—meaning it only has one legislative chamber. Most state governments have two chambers. (The federal government does, too.)
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state has an official state sport…and it's jousting!
Annapolis, Maryland
Maryland's capitol building is the oldest U.S. state capitol in continuous legislative use. It was built in 1772.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state claims to have invented the cheeseburger.
Denver, Colorado
The gold dome atop Colorado's capitol building is actually made from real gold leaf, meant to commemorate the Colorado Gold Rush.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is home to a technically still-active volcano—and no, it's not Hawaii.
Olympia, Washington
Since the capitol building's grounds are technically outside of Olympia jurisdiction, it's up to the Washington State Patrol to enforce the law on this property.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state has more golf courses than any other.
Tallahassee, Florida
The state's capitol building in Tallahassee is home to the Florida Legislative Research Center & Museum, a comprehensive archive of Floridian documents, artwork, and photography.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world.
Lansing, Michigan
Michigan's first capital city was Detroit. It was eventually moved to Lansing in 1847, in order to develop the state's western portion and defend the state from British troops stationed in Ontario.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state has the smallest capital city in the U.S.
Montpelier, Vermont
For much of its history, the grounds of Vermont's capitol building were considered open pasture land. (Don't try letting your cattle graze there today, though!)
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Okay, we'll give you this one… Cheese!
Madison, Wisconsin
Shortly after the legislature allowed the capitol's fire insurance policy to lapse, the building caught fire, and all but one wing was burnt to the ground in 1904.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This was the first state to ratify the Constitution.
Dover, Delaware
Delaware's capitol building, located in Dover, was built in the Colonial Revival style of architecture.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state's capitol is the tallest in the country!
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Yes, even taller than the U.S. Capitol. The Louisiana capitol is 34 stories high.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state has the longest life expectancy in the country.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Located in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii's capitol building is surrounded by a reflecting pool, which is meant to symbolize the Pacific Ocean.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Many people claim to have seen extra terrestrials in this state.
Carson City, Nevada
In 1861, Mark Twain wrote in his book Roughing It that Nevada's capitol building was "a large, unfenced, level vacancy, with a liberty pole in it, and very useful as a place for public auctions, horse trades, mass meetings, and likewise for teamsters to camp in."
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is known for a very specific meaty sandwich.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
This state's capitol building is often considered a "palace of art" because of its plentiful murals, sculptures, and stained glass windows.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Presidential hopefuls visit this state like it's their job. (It is.)
Des Moines, Iowa
Iowa's state capitol building in Des Moines is the only capitol building in the country adorned with five domes.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: According to Gallup, there are more churches per capita here than in any other state.
Jackson, Mississippi
This capitol building made a cameo in the 2011 film The Help.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: The state's famous Greenbrier Hotel, which was built in the 1700s, used to house a secret bunker where U.S. officials could meet in the event of a widespread catastrophe. But a 1992 Washington Post article blew the lid off that—and now, it's little more than a really, really fancy hotel.
Charleston, West Virginia
Located in the capital city of Charleston, West Virginia, this capitol building contains a monument to Stonewall Jackson, one of the state's most famous sons.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is home to two of the world's longest caves.
Pierre, South Dakota
According to state lore, this capitol building's floor was laid by 66 Italian artists, and each artist was given a blue stone to place in the floor, thus giving a fitting backstory to the unique avant-garde nature of its design.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is home to the Ozarks (and to Ozark, the popular Netflix show starring Jason Bateman).
Jefferson City, Missouri
When construction was completed on Missouri's capitol building in 1917, its bronze front doors, each 13 by 18 feet, were the largest cast since Ancient Rome, according to the Missouri government.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is the birthplace of the hamburger.
Hartford, Connecticut
Connecticut's capitol building, located in Hartford, provides one of the largest examples of the Eastlake Movement, an architectural style characterized by geometric ornaments, spindles, low relief carvings, and incised lines.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: You'll find the country's largest Department of Energy facility in this state.
Boise, Idaho
The Winged Victory statue on the grounds of Idaho's capitol building in Boise is a plaster replica of the original marble statue of Nike of Samothrace, once found on the island of Samothrace, Greece.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Residents of this state eat 109 million pounds of catfish annually.
Austin, Texas
At an astonishing 360,000 square feet, the Texas capitol building is the largest in the country in terms of square footage (the capitols in Louisiana and Florida are far taller).
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Frontiersman Davy Crockett was born in this state.
Nashville, Tennessee
Tennessee's state capitol building is one of the few in the nation that doesn't have a dome.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is often noted as a microcosm of the entire United States.
Springfield, Illinois
The interior of this capitol building's dome features artistry from Illinois' history—including a stained glass replica of the state seal.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: It's the only state that never ratified Prohibition.
Providence, Rhode Island
This particular capitol building is actually Rhode Island's seventh state house (and the second that's been located in Providence).
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Toto, the dog—not the band—is from here.
Topeka, Kansas
Located in downtown Topeka, this capitol building is one of only a few in the country that actually offers tours that go up into its dome.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state is home to the largest research park in the United States: Research Triangle Park.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Since it opened in 1840, much of the capitol building in Raleigh has remained unchanged. Talk about superior craftsmanship!
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: In 1952, the nation's first Kentucky Fried Chicken opened here.
Salt Lake City, Utah
A portion of the Legally Blonde sequel was filmed at Utah's capitol building in Salt Lake City.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: Come to this state if you want to an ice cold pop and a hotdish.
St. Paul, Minnesota
This capitol building in St. Paul was modeled after Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. (Sorry, Paul!)
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: The first professional baseball game was played in this state.
Indianapolis, Indiana
The third version of this state's capitol building, which was modeled after Greece's legendary Parthenon, was condemned in 1877 due to structural defects.
Where is this state capitol building?
Hint: This state has a total of 1,500 inland waterways—the most in any single state in America.
Montgomery, Alabama
This current capitol building in Montgomery once served as the temporary Confederate Capital in 1861. And for more incredible facts about your home state, here's The Most Hard-to-Believe Fact About Every State.
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