Can You Identify Your State From a Photo of Its Capitol Building?
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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.)
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Hint: The federal government owns about a third of the land in this state.
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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.”
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Hint: This state is home to Mammoth Cave National Park.
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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.
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Hint: In this state, you’ll find Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
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The North Dakota capitol building in Bismarck is surrounded by hiking trails and recreational activities, making it a popular tourist destination.
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Hint: The world’s busiest airport (with 107 million passengers per year) is here.
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Georgia’s state capitol is home to the “Miss Freedom” statue, which weighs more than 1,600 pounds.
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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 .
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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.)
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Hint: The Mayflower landed here.
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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.
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Hint: The United States purchased this state from the Russian Empire in 1867.
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The walls in this state capitol building contain murals depicting Alaskan life, like fishing and hunting.
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Hint: The country’s most prolific horror writer, Stephen King , calls this state home.
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On the top of the Maine capitol, you’ll spot a bronze bust of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and strategy.
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Hint: Diners are an integral fabric of this state’s culture; there are more than 600 in the state today.
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Unlike most other state capitol buildings, New Jersey’s was not constructed to mimic the U.S. Capitol.
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Hint: Watch out for scorpions in this state!
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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.
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Hint: If you know your state nicknames, this is the Sooner State.
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Previously, the capitol building was located in Guthrie—not the capital, Oklahoma City, like it is now.
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Hint: 40 percent of this state’s population live in one city .
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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.
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Hint: Johnny Cash was born here.
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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.
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Hint: The Wright brothers called this state home.
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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.
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Hint: This state has the largest population in the United States.
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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.
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Hint: This state is home to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.
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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.
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Hint: This state was the first English colonial possession established in mainland North America.
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The Virginia capitol building houses the oldest elected legislative body in North America: the Virginia General Assembly.
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Hint: This state is the tenth-largest by area, but the least populous in the entire country.
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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.
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Hint: In 2012, this state became the first in U.S. history to elect an all-female federal delegation.
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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.
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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.
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South Carolina’s first capitol building was set on fire by U.S. Army troops under W.T. Sherman’s commands.
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Hint: The Union Pacific Railroad is headquartered in this state.
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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.)
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Hint: This state has an official state sport…and it’s jousting!
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Maryland’s capitol building is the oldest U.S. state capitol in continuous legislative use. It was built in 1772.
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Hint: This state claims to have invented the cheeseburger.
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The gold dome atop Colorado’s capitol building is actually made from real gold leaf, meant to commemorate the Colorado Gold Rush.
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Hint: This state is home to a technically still-active volcano—and no, it’s not Hawaii.
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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.
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Hint: This state has more golf courses than any other.
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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.
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Hint: This state has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world.
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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.
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Hint: This state has the smallest capital city in the U.S.
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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!)
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Hint: Okay, we’ll give you this one… Cheese!
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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.
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Hint: This was the first state to ratify the Constitution.
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Delaware’s capitol building, located in Dover, was built in the Colonial Revival style of architecture .
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Hint: This state’s capitol is the tallest in the country!
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Yes, even taller than the U.S. Capitol. The Louisiana capitol is 34 stories high.
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Hint: This state has the longest life expectancy in the country .
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Located in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii’s capitol building is surrounded by a reflecting pool , which is meant to symbolize the Pacific Ocean.
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Hint: Many people claim to have seen extra terrestrials in this state.
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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.”
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Hint: This state is known for a very specific meaty sandwich.
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This state’s capitol building is often considered a “palace of art” because of its plentiful murals, sculptures, and stained glass windows.
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Hint: Presidential hopefuls visit this state like it’s their job. (It is.)
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Iowa’s state capitol building in Des Moines is the only capitol building in the country adorned with five domes.
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Hint: According to Gallup , there are more churches per capita here than in any other state.
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This capitol building made a cameo in the 2011 film The Help .
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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.
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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.
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Hint: This state is home to two of the world’s longest caves.
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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.
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Hint: This state is home to the Ozarks (and to Ozark , the popular Netflix show starring Jason Bateman ).
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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 .
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Hint: This state is the birthplace of the hamburger.
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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.
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Hint: You’ll find the country’s largest Department of Energy facility in this state.
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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.
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Hint: Residents of this state eat 109 million pounds of catfish annually.
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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).
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Hint: Frontiersman Davy Crockett was born in this state.
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Tennessee’s state capitol building is one of the few in the nation that doesn’t have a dome.
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Hint: This state is often noted as a microcosm of the entire United States.
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The interior of this capitol building’s dome features artistry from Illinois’ history—including a stained glass replica of the state seal.
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Hint: It’s the only state that never ratified Prohibition.
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This particular capitol building is actually Rhode Island’s seventh state house (and the second that’s been located in Providence).
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Hint: Toto, the dog—not the band—is from here.
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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.
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Hint: This state is home to the largest research park in the United States: Research Triangle Park.
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Since it opened in 1840, much of the capitol building in Raleigh has remained unchanged. Talk about superior craftsmanship!
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Hint: In 1952, the nation’s first Kentucky Fried Chicken opened here.
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A portion of the Legally Blonde sequel was filmed at Utah’s capitol building in Salt Lake City.
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Hint: Come to this state if you want to an ice cold pop and a hotdish .
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This capitol building in St. Paul was modeled after Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. (Sorry, Paul!)
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Hint: The first professional baseball game was played in this state.
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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.
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Hint: This state has a total of 1,500 inland waterways—the most in any single state in America.
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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.
