What if each state had two capitals?

[empirestate]

I'll start with an obvious one, New York:
1) Albany, New York
2) Syracuse, New York

Wouldn't be more obvious to have NYC as one capital just since most of the population either lives there or has to drive through there to get to the current capital?

Well, no, I don't think that would be more obvious for a situation where each state needs to have two capitals...

And to be honest, if we were talking about moving the (single) capital, I'd be considering Syracuse about as much as NYC, because I do feel that geographic centrality is still about as valid a criterion as population centrality, if merely for symbolic purposes.

So no, in my view NYC is still not necessarily more obvious; not the point of exclusion, anyway.


iPhone

[oscar]

In general, I wish more states would go the Brasilia route of capitals- create an entirely new city with modern infrastructure rather than jury-rigging existing built-up cities from the 1800s to fit current requirements.

You could make the next Brasilia, but you run the risk of making the next Naypyidaw instead.

I'm not sure even Brasilia is a good model. Yeah, it got brand-new infrastructure, and the urban planners had a field day writing on a blank slate (guess what I think of urban planners and their fantasies?). But physical infrastructure is only one factor, and probably not among the most important.

I like the idea of having a capital city that is also a major commercial center, and has a lot of other things going besides government. Else you risk having the capital turn into an in-bred "company town", isolated culturally (and sometimes geographically) from the rest of the state or country. I think the theory behind some of our state capitals' locations was that they would not be infested with big-city sin and corruption; instead, we got small-city sin and corruption.  (Those of you living in states where the capital is also the major commercial center -- such as Hawaii, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Oklahoma, Georgia, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut -- can comment on this.)

For that reason, if Alaska had to have a second capital, it should be Anchorage, as much as the rest of the state is suspicious of that city (and I'm not a fan either), rather than putting it in Willow or some other undeveloped place. Anchorage is already a de facto second capital, with some state functions run primarily out of Anchorage rather than Juneau.

Similarly, if California had to have a second capital, I'd press for three, and have San Francisco and Los Angeles as "second capitals". A lot of state functions are run mainly out of those cities, rather than Sacramento. For example, the state supreme court mainly shuttles between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and doesn't spend much time in Sacramento.

[tdindy88]

Of course, I live in one of those planned out capital cities, Indianapolis. Moving the capital was much easier back in the 1820s when the population was already moving north. It's probably much harder now when the population patterns are already set into place. If Indianapolis didn't exist and there were two capitals for Indiana, I would have a Northern Indiana capital of Kokomo or Peru and a Southern Indiana capital of Bloomington or Bedford.

[SteveG1988]

Is this like how Germany did it during the cold war? how West Germany still technically had west Berlin as the Capital, but they really used Bonn Germany as the head of government.

Interesting question; I'll let you decide. Do you pick two capitals that have approximately equal status? One central capital with a satellite elsewhere in the state (esp. for scenario 1)? Or one de facto and one de jure or ceremonial capital? Or even divided by branch of government, á la South Africa (but with only two choices)?


iPhone

I would have one actually be the capital on paper. Trenton would remain it, but the seat of government could be moved elsewhere away from that home. For example, the county seat of Burlington County NJ is based in Mt Holly. But they have offices for human services and unemployment in nearby Westampton Township.

Trenton: Ceremonial stuff is done there, some offices but nothing requiring tons of space.

South Brunswick/Ewing/Hamilton/other nearby town: Majority of the office workers are based and most of the work is really done.

[noelbotevera]

PA: 
Current:  Harrisburg & Pittsburgh.
Option to pick new:  Philadelphia & Pittsburgh.

So you don't care about Northern and Southern Pennsylvania? 

[SteveG1988]

PA: 
Current:  Harrisburg & Pittsburgh.
Option to pick new:  Philadelphia & Pittsburgh.

So you don't care about Northern and Southern Pennsylvania? 

Pennsultucky would be a new state.

[iBallasticwolf2]

KY: Bowling Green and Frankfort
OH: Keep it as one capitol. Columbus is basically the center of the state, if required then Columbus and Clevland or Akron.

[iBallasticwolf2]

Pennsultucky would be a new state.

Pennsylvania and Kentucky together?

[Brandon]

KY: Bowling Green and Frankfort
OH: Keep it as one capitol. Columbus is basically the center of the state, if required then Columbus and Clevland or Akron.

Cincy and Cleveland.  Nuke Columbus and be done with it. 

[iBallasticwolf2]

KY: Bowling Green and Frankfort
OH: Keep it as one capitol. Columbus is basically the center of the state, if required then Columbus and Clevland or Akron.

Cincy and Cleveland.  Nuke Columbus and be done with it. 

Or just remove Columbus as a capitol, that way we don't have to rebuilt I-70 and I-71.

[noelbotevera]

Pennsultucky would be a new state.

Pennsylvania and Kentucky together?

No thanks, I don't want Boone County of Northern Kentucky with us.

[iBallasticwolf2]

Pennsultucky would be a new state.

Pennsylvania and Kentucky together?

No thanks, I don't want Boone County of Northern Kentucky with us.

Also how would KY connect with PA to form PY?

[The Nature Boy]

Pennsyltucky is a derogatory nickname for rural PA guys...........

[Pete from Boston]

New Jersey:

If retaining the current capital:   Trenton & Newark
Better representing the entire state:  Morristown & Egg Harbor City.  Why those two?  Because one would almost always be 60 - 90 minutes away from either capital, regardless of where they are in the state.

Suppose it was decided that each U.S. state had to have two capitals, either to better represent different regions of the state, or for the old-fashioned reasons of centrality and distance, or whatever. Which two cities would you choose?

For each state, imagine two different scenarios: 1) where the current capital must be retained, and 2) where the current capital need not be kept (but it can be, making both scenarios the same in this instance).

I'll start with an obvious one, New York:
1) Albany, New York
2) Syracuse, New York

I'd use New York City as a capital.  If you want to better represent different regions of the state, the most populated city in the entire country should be represented.

NYC as the capital?  I suspect most  of upstate would secede.  Isn't there a feeling of resentment upstate that NYC already gets the bulk of money and attention?

Rhode Island: Providence and Newport

Taking as a cue, of course, the fact that this was the case until 1900.

[Jardine]

How about a second capitol OUTSIDE of the state?

Someplace NICE, where everyone would like an excuse to go visit ??

[hbelkins]

Kentucky -- Beaver Dam and Campton. Seriously. The previous suggestion of Bowling Green and Frankfort has one capital too far south and the other too centralized.

[TXtoNJ]

Other places I've lived:

New Jersey: Morristown and Glassboro
Florida: Orlando and Ft Lauderdale
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City and Muskogee

[hotdogPi]

How about a second capitol OUTSIDE of the state?

Someplace NICE, where everyone would like an excuse to go visit ??

Georgia: Atlanta and Tblisi

[DandyDan]

Nebraska: Lincoln and North Platte
Iowa: Des Moines and Cedar Rapids
South Dakota: Pierre and Sioux Falls

[xcellntbuy]

For awhile after the Civil War, both Atlanta and Milledgeville dueled over which town would eventually be the capital of Georgia.  General Sherman and the Union forces favored Atlanta after 1864.  Nonetheless, the post-Civil War Constitutional Convention of 1865 met in Milledgeville.  In 1868 during the Reconstruction era, another Constitutional Convention met in 1868, but instead Atlanta was favored.  Georgia was the last Confederate State to be readmitted to the Union in July 1870.

The capital question was finally settled by an Ordinance of the state Constitutional Convention in August 1877 and validated by a public vote in December 1877.  The Old Capitol in Milledgeville became a "surplus" building and was donated by the State to a local Board of Trustees to create Georgia Military College in October 1879.

[pumpkineater2]

For Arizona: Phoenix and Prescott.

[noelbotevera]

Nebraska: Lincoln and North Platte
Iowa: Des Moines and Cedar Rapids
South Dakota: Pierre and Sioux Falls

I'd prefer Kearney over Lincoln.

I think Des Moines is good enough.

I think Pierre is fine.

[Bruce]

Washington needs one per side of the Cascades. Olympia and Spokane/Tri-Cities/Yakima/Wenatchee (they can fight a bloody war over the capital referendum).

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Minnesota I would go with Rochester being an important center in the healthcare industry. Duluth is really just a tourist mecca with the front of being an inland port, which really doesn't sustain the city because that's how Duluth initially went to shit in the second half of the 20th century anyway when shipping declined.

[Zeffy]

I would think in New Jersey, Trenton would remain the capital solely because of the history. I couldn't think of what a second capital would be. Newark makes sense given it's layout, but it's too close to New York City in my opinion... Morristown sounds nice though.