The Most Forgotten State Capitals (And Why You Should Remember Them)

I came across a really interesting news article that ranks all 50 state capitals by how many people can remember each one. I can name all 50, both because I taught states/capitals to 5th graders for many years and because I've been to almost all of them (5 to go!). But I recognize that most people don't necessarily know them all. Or they did when they were in fifth grade, but have since forgotten. 

Before I share the link to the article or reveal the most forgotten state capitals, take a minute to make your guesses. If you want, you can take the actual Sporcle US Capital quiz that was the source of the data. 

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Source

Let's start with the capitals that the most people remember. Here are the top 5, in order:

• Austin, Texas
• Sacramento, California
• Honolulu, Hawaii (we've been there multiple times, but before I was blogging about travel)
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Atlanta, Georgia

Moving on to the most forgotten. At #5 is Columbia, South Carolina. This is highly unfortunate, because Columbia is an awesome city. It's a college town, adjacent to Congaree National Park, and is full of interesting things to see and do. Don't miss the South Carolina State Museum. 

At #4 is Frankfort, Kentucky. I will admit that Frankfort is not as flashy as Louisville or as well-known as Lexington, but Frankfort is absolutely worth a visit. The capitol grounds are stunning, the bourbon-themed tours are plentiful and interesting (even for non-fans like me), and there are several museums I'm sure you'll enjoy. Eat the burgoo when you visit. 

At #3 is Charleston, West Virginia. Not only is it the capital, but it's the biggest city in the state. We enjoyed the day we spent there. 

At #2 is Concord, New Hampshire. To be perfectly honest, there isn't all that much to do in Concord besides visit the capitol. It's fine, but we enjoyed other places in New Hampshire more. 

The most forgotten state capital is Jefferson City, Missouri. This does not surprise me at all. It's small, only the 16th largest city in the state. There isn't a lot there besides the capitol, while cities like St. Louis and Kansas City are packed with many days' worth of fun stuff to do. It is, however, in the middle of the state geographically, and was founded to be the capital city. Fun fact: it is one of four state capitals named for a president. (Can you name the others?)

Here is the article about the most forgotten state capitals. It's quite interesting. Make sure to read to the end, where they highlight the most common wrong answers. For example, people who don't correctly name Lansing as the state capital of Michigan commonly guess Detroit. A cool city indeed, but not the capital.