What would the state capitals be if all were at the center of their states?

[kphoger]

There are capitals smaller than Mount Pleasant, Michigan which is probably the closest decently populated city to the center of the Lower Peninsula. Cadillac if you want the center of the state due to how far north and west the Upper Peninsula goes. Or maybe Traverse City. Lansing seems to be in a pretty good location for the capital though.

Where there wasn't a clear an obvious choice, I tried to skew the location closer to the state's major population center, which is why I thought maybe Saginaw.  Although that isn't all that much better than Lansing.  Mt Pleasant is where I'd like it to be, but I still think the population size is a bit small for the capital of such a prominent state.

[Flint1979]

The only state that has it's capital smack dab in the center of population for the state is South Carolina.

[Flint1979]

There are capitals smaller than Mount Pleasant, Michigan which is probably the closest decently populated city to the center of the Lower Peninsula. Cadillac if you want the center of the state due to how far north and west the Upper Peninsula goes. Or maybe Traverse City. Lansing seems to be in a pretty good location for the capital though.

Where there wasn't a clear an obvious choice, I tried to skew the location closer to the state's major population center, which is why I thought maybe Saginaw.  Although that isn't all that much better than Lansing.  Mt Pleasant is where I'd like it to be, but I still think the population size is a bit small for the capital of such a prominent state.

Actually about the top five largest cities in Michigan are all somewhat near I-96. Detroit is the largest of course and I-96 connects it to Lansing (third largest metro in Michigan) to Grand Rapids (second largest city and metro in Michigan), Warren and Sterling Heights are both suburbs of Detroit and are the third and fourth largest cities in the state. It's like most of Michigan's population lives south of US-10.

[Scott5114]

OK – stays in Oklahoma City, because Goldsby is too small

KS – moves to ... I don't know ... Emporia?  Manhattan?  Nothing's good.

Maybe in the universe where Goldsby is the capital of Oklahoma, Atwood can be the capital of Kansas.

NV – ??? beats me, this one's terrible

Tonopah, maybe? Halfway between Las Vegas and Reno?  Of course there's hardly anything there right now, but it wouldn't be the first government to move its capital to the middle of nowhere to give the local economy a boost.

[kphoger]

There are capitals smaller than Mount Pleasant, Michigan which is probably the closest decently populated city to the center of the Lower Peninsula. Cadillac if you want the center of the state due to how far north and west the Upper Peninsula goes. Or maybe Traverse City. Lansing seems to be in a pretty good location for the capital though.

Where there wasn't a clear an obvious choice, I tried to skew the location closer to the state's major population center, which is why I thought maybe Saginaw.  Although that isn't all that much better than Lansing.  Mt Pleasant is where I'd like it to be, but I still think the population size is a bit small for the capital of such a prominent state.

Actually about the top five largest cities in Michigan are all somewhat near I-96. Detroit is the largest of course and I-96 connects it to Lansing (third largest metro in Michigan) to Grand Rapids (second largest city and metro in Michigan), Warren and Sterling Heights are both suburbs of Detroit and are the third and fourth largest cities in the state. It's like most of Michigan's population lives south of US-10.

The more I look at it, the more I like ... Lansing.

[kphoger]

KS – moves to ... I don't know ... Emporia?  Manhattan?  Nothing's good.

Maybe in the universe where Goldsby is the capital of Oklahoma, Atwood can be the capital of Kansas.

If I consider three options–Salina, Wichita, and leaving it in Topeka–then Wichita actually comes out looking pretty good, even though it's 67 miles from the pin on my map.  It's also the 2nd biggest metro area in the state, which is a big plus.

Distances from Kansas City
173 – Salina
195 – Wichita (only 22 miles farther)

Distances from Hays
203 – Topeka
174 – Wichita (29 miles closer)

Distances from Garden City
200 – Salina
206 – Wichita (only 6 miles farther)

[kphoger]

NV – ??? beats me, this one's terrible

Tonopah, maybe? Halfway between Las Vegas and Reno?  Of course there's hardly anything there right now, but it wouldn't be the first government to move its capital to the middle of nowhere to give the local economy a boost.

I considered suggesting the capitol be moved inside the 76 station on the south side of Tonopah–maybe between the soda fountain and the restrooms...

[kphoger]

The only state that has it's capital smack dab in the center of population for the state is South Carolina.

Did you check out Delaware on my map?  The pin is only 0.6 miles from the actual capitol.

[hotdogPi]

The only state that has it's capital smack dab in the center of population for the state is South Carolina.

Did you check out Delaware on my map?  The pin is only 0.6 miles from the actual capitol.

Flint1979 said center of population, not the "halfway between" calculation.

[Max Rockatansky]

Madera makes sense for California. On CA-99 and close to the 41 and 152.

In terms of a sizable enough population close to the state center (which is near North Fork) Fresno would be a better bet.  My wife works for Madera County, they don't have the resources in the city to support being the state capital. 

[kphoger]

The only state that has it's capital smack dab in the center of population for the state is South Carolina.

Did you check out Delaware on my map?  The pin is only 0.6 miles from the actual capitol.

Flint1979 said center of population, not the "halfway between" calculation.

I know.  I just thought he might also be interested in that little factoid.

[Flint1979]

The only state that has it's capital smack dab in the center of population for the state is South Carolina.

Did you check out Delaware on my map?  The pin is only 0.6 miles from the actual capitol.

Yeah that's pretty interesting. Dover is the perfect capital.

[Road Hog]

Little Rock isn't going anywhere soon as the capital of Arkansas, as it is right in the geographical and transportational center of the state. (The actual geographical center is in Pulaski County but at this rate could be in Little Rock city limits.) The center of population is well to the northwest at this point and may be as far west as between Atkins and Hector in Pope County by now, if not by 2030.

[MikieTimT]

Little Rock isn't going anywhere soon as the capital of Arkansas, as it is right in the geographical and transportational center of the state. (The actual geographical center is in Pulaski County but at this rate could be in Little Rock city limits.) The center of population is well to the northwest at this point and may be as far west as between Atkins and Hector in Pope County by now, if not by 2030.

And to think that just a century ago, the population density midpoint was much further east.  What used to be the richest part of the state, the agricultural bottomlands to the south and east of US-67, had a great change in fortunes as farmland consolidated into the hands of a precious few.  What used to be good for plants turned out not to be good for humans.  Now the part of the state that was the poorest became more desirable from a touristic/residential/commercial standpoint with the advent of Wal-Mart and all of the Corps of Engineering lakes that made recreation and water supply possible in the mountainous region to the north and west of US-67.  We're probably only about 3 decades from the population center of the U.S. to be in NWA, barring another drought-induced dust bowl making a chunk of the western half of the country uninhabitable.

[kkt]

WA - not at Yakima on that map.  In the forest about 10 miles north of Cle Elum.  Cle Elum is well known enough within the state to be a landmark.  That's where you get stopped if you're trying to cross Snoqualmie Pass westwards but snow's too heavy, avalanche danger too high, etc.

[kphoger]

WA - not at Yakima on that map.

I know.  I was trying to figure out what city was nearest the map pin, but still a big enough city to justify being the state capital.  I still don't know.

[kkt]

WA - not at Yakima on that map.

I know.  I was trying to figure out what city was nearest the map pin, but still a big enough city to justify being the state capital.  I still don't know.

Cle Elum is probably as good as you can get.

There's a road marked up there, but even the Forest Service road it branches off of doesn't have Streetview...

[Bruce]

WA - not at Yakima on that map.

I know.  I was trying to figure out what city was nearest the map pin, but still a big enough city to justify being the state capital.  I still don't know.

Ellensburg would be closer to the center and was suitable enough in the 1880s to make a serious bid (as I mentioned upstream). Today it has a state university and is relatively well located for transportation links, while Yakima is a little out of the way (and requires an extra mountain pass for Seattle drivers via I-90 and I-82).

[Road Hog]

The trick is balancing the population center with the geographical center when one or both are out of whack. Florida is way out of balance, but Kansas probably does as good as you could expect with Topeka.

[on_wisconsin]

Fond du Lac

WI – Fond du Lac

Fondy would be a slow or at least indirect drive for most in the western population centers. Madison actually works relatively well when it comes to connectivity to the rest of the state, save for maybe the La Crosse metro.