State capitals

[CtrlAltDel]

Are we talking about capitals or capitols?

It probably doesn't need to be pointed out to this group that one refers to the city, while the other one refers to the building where (usually) the governor's office is located.

I was very surprised during my trip to AASHTO's Subcommittee on Transportation Communications (TransComm) conference in Annapolis a few years ago to find out that many Maryland state offices and agencies are actually located in Baltimore, not Annapolis.

The capitol is usually where the legislature meets, usually not where the governor's office is.

Are we talking about capitals or capitols?

It probably doesn't need to be pointed out to this group that one refers to the city, while the other one refers to the building where (usually) the governor's office is located.

I was very surprised during my trip to AASHTO's Subcommittee on Transportation Communications (TransComm) conference in Annapolis a few years ago to find out that many Maryland state offices and agencies are actually located in Baltimore, not Annapolis.

The capitol is usually where the legislature meets, usually not where the governor's office is.

Well, most state capitols or statehouses or whatever have both. And assuming the Wikipedia article is correct, the legislatures of all but 4 states meet in the capitol, and the governor's office in all but 1 state is in the capitol, although in another 5 states that office is ceremonial.

Etymologically, there's nothing to suggest that a capitol must or should house a legislature, since it comes from the Capitolium, a temple in Rome dedicated to Jupiter, which later gave its name to the Capitoline Hill.

[elsmere241]

Then there's South Africa with its legislative, executive, and judicial capitals.

Delaware's legislature does meet in Dover, but aside from a couple of agencies nothing else is really based there.

[mgk920]

Are we talking about capitals or capitols?

It probably doesn't need to be pointed out to this group that one refers to the city, while the other one refers to the building where (usually) the governor's office is located.

I was very surprised during my trip to AASHTO's Subcommittee on Transportation Communications (TransComm) conference in Annapolis a few years ago to find out that many Maryland state offices and agencies are actually located in Baltimore, not Annapolis.

The capitol is usually where the legislature meets, usually not where the governor's office is.

Wisconsin has a nifty all-inclusive century+ old capitol building, its four wings are the legislative Assembly (lower house), the legislative Senate (upper house), governor's Office and the state supreme court.

Mike

[Scott5114]

A unified capitol does make sense from an ease-of-use perspective, but in a post-9/11 security mindset, presents a rather substantial risk, since multiple branches of the government could be decapitated at once in the event of an attack.

[NWI_Irish96]

A unified capitol does make sense from an ease-of-use perspective, but in a post-9/11 security mindset, presents a rather substantial risk, since multiple branches of the government could be decapitated at once in the event of an attack.

At our office in the Louisville area we have annual exercises where key staff from our DC-area HQ come out and simulate some sort of event that knocks out all power in the DC area.

[skluth]

A unified capitol does make sense from an ease-of-use perspective, but in a post-9/11 security mindset, presents a rather substantial risk, since multiple branches of the government could be decapitated at once in the event of an attack.

At our office in the Louisville area we have annual exercises where key staff from our DC-area HQ come out and simulate some sort of event that knocks out all power in the DC area.

My agency did that too except we didn't have to simulate it. Any time a winter storm or hurricane or presidential inauguration shut down our DC offices, my St Louis office would have to pick up the slack. The reverse would happen if St Louis shut down but that was less frequent. While both sites could run many things automatically or could handle being shut down for a few days, there were always some functions like operations watches and GPS that needed 24/7 support.

[Road Hog]

I can't really think of a legit reason to relocate a state capital now with modern travel. Tallahassee's location was logical in the 1800s because the peninsula was thinly populated. The one argument I'll make is moving Alaska's capital closer to its population center in Anchorage. Willow has been long proposed as the new location. The only explanation for Juneau is that it's situated in a temperate area.

[Roadgeekteen]

I can't really think of a legit reason to relocate a state capital now with modern travel. Tallahassee's location was logical in the 1800s because the peninsula was thinly populated. The one argument I'll make is moving Alaska's capital closer to its population center in Anchorage. Willow has been long proposed as the new location. The only explanation for Juneau is that it's situated in a temperate area.

I think that Alaska is the only state that should move the capital. It would be like having Nantucket as the capital of Massachusetts.

[Bruce]

I can't really think of a legit reason to relocate a state capital now with modern travel. Tallahassee's location was logical in the 1800s because the peninsula was thinly populated. The one argument I'll make is moving Alaska's capital closer to its population center in Anchorage. Willow has been long proposed as the new location. The only explanation for Juneau is that it's situated in a temperate area.

I think that Alaska is the only state that should move the capital. It would be like having Nantucket as the capital of Massachusetts.

Juneau lies on the primary marine and air corridor between Alaska and the Lower 48. It's by no means totally remote nowadays.

While a capital closer to the Anchorage area would make sense, there would be complaints from the Panhandle region.

[Rothman]

I'd imagine the population density is higher in the Inside Passage than anywhere else in Alaska.

[triplemultiplex]

I mean compared to rural Alaska, sure, but not Anchorage or the nearby Mat-Su Valley

[golden eagle]

I can't really think of a legit reason to relocate a state capital now with modern travel. Tallahassee's location was logical in the 1800s because the peninsula was thinly populated. The one argument I'll make is moving Alaska's capital closer to its population center in Anchorage. Willow has been long proposed as the new location. The only explanation for Juneau is that it's situated in a temperate area.

I think that Alaska is the only state that should move the capital. It would be like having Nantucket as the capital of Massachusetts.

I think Florida should move their capitol to Orlando since it's centrally located and much easier to get to for those in the peninsula.

I would also be in favor of Louisiana moving theirs to Alexandria.

[Roadgeekteen]

I can't really think of a legit reason to relocate a state capital now with modern travel. Tallahassee's location was logical in the 1800s because the peninsula was thinly populated. The one argument I'll make is moving Alaska's capital closer to its population center in Anchorage. Willow has been long proposed as the new location. The only explanation for Juneau is that it's situated in a temperate area.

I think that Alaska is the only state that should move the capital. It would be like having Nantucket as the capital of Massachusetts.

I think Florida should move their capitol to Orlando since it's centrally located and much easier to get to for those in the peninsula.

I would also be in favor of Louisiana moving theirs to Alexandria.

Also Orlando is a coastal city so it would be a pretty location for a capital  .

[kkt]

I can't really think of a legit reason to relocate a state capital now with modern travel. Tallahassee's location was logical in the 1800s because the peninsula was thinly populated. The one argument I'll make is moving Alaska's capital closer to its population center in Anchorage. Willow has been long proposed as the new location. The only explanation for Juneau is that it's situated in a temperate area.

I think that Alaska is the only state that should move the capital. It would be like having Nantucket as the capital of Massachusetts.

I think Florida should move their capitol to Orlando since it's centrally located and much easier to get to for those in the peninsula.

I would also be in favor of Louisiana moving theirs to Alexandria.

Also Orlando is a coastal city so it would be a pretty location for a capital  .

After Disney leaves Florida, Florida can put the new state capitol in what used to be Disney World.

[SSOWorld]

Springfield may be capital of Illinois, but most government business is done at the James R Thompson center in Chicago.

[US 89]

I think Florida should move their capitol to Orlando since it's centrally located and much easier to get to for those in the peninsula.

Only if everything west of the Suwannee River becomes its own state. It's one thing to have a South Florida situation where you're distant from your capital but near a very large city, which presumably has a branch of most state offices you'd ever need. The only real cities of note in the panhandle are Pensacola and Tallahassee, and neither of those are exactly large metropolitan areas.

[Flint1979]

Back before Tallahassee became the capital Florida was broken up into two colonies, East Florida and West Florida. The capital of West Florida was Pensacola and the capital of East Florida was St. Augustine. This was in the 1820's and travel was pretty difficult back then so they became one and choose the halfway point Tallahassee as the new capital, which it remains today despite the state having grown and not being centrally located in the state. I often wondered why a city in that location is the capital so I looked into it.

[Poiponen13]

Back before Tallahassee became the capital Florida was broken up into two colonies, East Florida and West Florida. The capital of West Florida was Pensacola and the capital of East Florida was St. Augustine. This was in the 1820's and travel was pretty difficult back then so they became one and choose the halfway point Tallahassee as the new capital, which it remains today despite the state having grown and not being centrally located in the state. I often wondered why a city in that location is the capital so I looked into it.

Capital would be moved to Miami, which would expand to include entire Miami-Dade County.

[Roadgeekteen]

Back before Tallahassee became the capital Florida was broken up into two colonies, East Florida and West Florida. The capital of West Florida was Pensacola and the capital of East Florida was St. Augustine. This was in the 1820's and travel was pretty difficult back then so they became one and choose the halfway point Tallahassee as the new capital, which it remains today despite the state having grown and not being centrally located in the state. I often wondered why a city in that location is the capital so I looked into it.

Capital would be moved to Miami, which would expand to include entire Miami-Dade County.

That's not a good idea. Miami is nowhere near centrally located enough.

[Poiponen13]

Back before Tallahassee became the capital Florida was broken up into two colonies, East Florida and West Florida. The capital of West Florida was Pensacola and the capital of East Florida was St. Augustine. This was in the 1820's and travel was pretty difficult back then so they became one and choose the halfway point Tallahassee as the new capital, which it remains today despite the state having grown and not being centrally located in the state. I often wondered why a city in that location is the capital so I looked into it.

Capital would be moved to Miami, which would expand to include entire Miami-Dade County.

That's not a good idea. Miami is nowhere near centrally located enough.

But Miami is most known and largest metropolitan area.

[Roadgeekteen]

Back before Tallahassee became the capital Florida was broken up into two colonies, East Florida and West Florida. The capital of West Florida was Pensacola and the capital of East Florida was St. Augustine. This was in the 1820's and travel was pretty difficult back then so they became one and choose the halfway point Tallahassee as the new capital, which it remains today despite the state having grown and not being centrally located in the state. I often wondered why a city in that location is the capital so I looked into it.

Capital would be moved to Miami, which would expand to include entire Miami-Dade County.

That's not a good idea. Miami is nowhere near centrally located enough.

But Miami is most known and largest metropolitan area.

It's not often a good idea to concentrate all your power in the biggest metro area. Imagine how even more ignored the Panhandle would feel having the capital all the way in Miami.

[Poiponen13]

Back before Tallahassee became the capital Florida was broken up into two colonies, East Florida and West Florida. The capital of West Florida was Pensacola and the capital of East Florida was St. Augustine. This was in the 1820's and travel was pretty difficult back then so they became one and choose the halfway point Tallahassee as the new capital, which it remains today despite the state having grown and not being centrally located in the state. I often wondered why a city in that location is the capital so I looked into it.

Capital would be moved to Miami, which would expand to include entire Miami-Dade County.

That's not a good idea. Miami is nowhere near centrally located enough.

But Miami is most known and largest metropolitan area.

It's not often a good idea to concentrate all your power in the biggest metro area. Imagine how even more ignored the Panhandle would feel having the capital all the way in Miami.

Maybe Tallahassee would then be secondary capital.

[Flint1979]

Detroit used to be Michigan's capital but the capital was moved to Lansing to be more centrally located in the state. Back then Lansing was just a township in a pretty rural area. Now Lansing Township has isolated islands due to Lansing annexing land.

[Poiponen13]

Detroit used to be Michigan's capital but the capital was moved to Lansing to be more centrally located in the state. Back then Lansing was just a township in a pretty rural area. Now Lansing Township has isolated islands due to Lansing annexing land.

Capital should be Detroit again!

[Flint1979]

Detroit used to be Michigan's capital but the capital was moved to Lansing to be more centrally located in the state. Back then Lansing was just a township in a pretty rural area. Now Lansing Township has isolated islands due to Lansing annexing land.

Capital should be Detroit again!

Nope the capital should not be Detroit. The population center of Michigan is in Morrice which is a mere 20 miles from Lansing. Why would you want to put the capital anywhere else other than the population center of the state and it's also centrally located. Lansing is the perfect choice for Michigan's capital.