We all know a lot about the states, but what about the state capitals? Each state has a capital city where the bulk of the state government’s business is done. State legislatures meet there, governors live there, and state departments have their main offices there. Some state capitals are huge metropolises, while others are tiny backwater towns that barely register on a map. Some are right in the middle of the state, and others are so remote that no one goes there unless it is, especially on state government business. In short, the state capitals have as much variety as the states they serve.
The most important question to answer about the state capitals is how they came to be chosen for their elevated status. With some of the state capitals, the answer is obvious. With others, though, one has to dig a bit deeper to find out why anyone would choose that place as the primary, most important city in a state. Who lived in these places before the Europeans came? What artifacts did they leave behind? Who were the first Europeans to go there? What did they find? Why did they decide to stay? What features of the land were important? What role did it play among the US colonies and later states before being chosen as a state capital?
All these questions and many more are answered in this intriguing series.