State capitals

[kirbykart]

I don't even want to imagine Virginia Beach being the capital of Virginia.

Richmond is the number one city in my thoughts. In Florida it is Miami, but largest city in most states.

So you don't actually want the largest city. You want whatever city you think is the largest. That makes sense.

[Poiponen13]

I don't even want to imagine Virginia Beach being the capital of Virginia.

Richmond is the number one city in my thoughts. In Florida it is Miami, but largest city in most states.

So you don't actually want the largest city. You want whatever city you think is the largest. That makes sense.

Yes. Because Birmingham is no longer Alabama's largest city, I think it as number one, and thus should be capital.

[JayhawkCO]

So basically the United States should just change the capitals of its states to whatever a random Finn says based systematically on no real criterion at all. Got it.

[kphoger]

I think that every state should have its largest city as capital.

How would that work when the population shifts between the years ... And what if they shift back ... ?

So when the largest city in a state changes the capital should move?

Poiponen13:  Why do you refuse to answer this question?

If one city outgrows the capital, should all the government buildings in one capital be torn down, then reconstructed in the new city?

[hbelkins]

I think that every state should have its largest city as capital.

How would that work when the population shifts between the years ... And what if they shift back ... ?

So when the largest city in a state changes the capital should move?

Poiponen13:  Why do you refuse to answer this question?

If one city outgrows the capital, should all the government buildings in one capital be torn down, then reconstructed in the new city?

It's simple. Build the buildings on wheels and when the capital city changes, just haul the buildings down the road to the new capital.

Seriously, didn't we have a discussion on geographical and population centers of each state a few months ago and discuss if the capital city should be one of those locations?

[hotdogPi]

Seriously, didn't we have a discussion on geographical and population centers of each state a few months ago and discuss if the capital city should be one of those locations?

Yes, we did. https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32388.0

Interestingly, reply #4 of that thread says it's a repeat, although I don't remember the one before that.

[NWI_Irish96]

Seriously, didn't we have a discussion on geographical and population centers of each state a few months ago and discuss if the capital city should be one of those locations?

Yes, we did. https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32388.0

Interestingly, reply #4 of that thread says it's a repeat, although I don't remember the one before that.

On top of that, moving any state capital, with the possible exception of Alaska, isn't realistic logistically.

[dlsterner]

I think that every state should have its largest city as capital.

How would that work when the population shifts between the years ... And what if they shift back ... ?

So when the largest city in a state changes the capital should move?

Poiponen13:  Why do you refuse to answer this question?

If one city outgrows the capital, should all the government buildings in one capital be torn down, then reconstructed in the new city?

Too much work.  Instead, borrow MMM's helicopters and grappling hooks and airlift the buildings to the new capital site.

And Poiponen13: I want to hear the answer to that question as well.  Such as with my example of Wyoming - the largest city was Cheyenne for 100 years, but then it became Casper in the 1980 census, only to revert to Cheyenne ever since.

[kkt]

Seriously, didn't we have a discussion on geographical and population centers of each state a few months ago and discuss if the capital city should be one of those locations?

Yes, we did. https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32388.0

Interestingly, reply #4 of that thread says it's a repeat, although I don't remember the one before that.

On top of that, moving any state capital, with the possible exception of Alaska, isn't realistic logistically.

It could be done.  Build some new buildings for the legislature, executive, and major agencies, hire some trucks...  Moving capitals has been done before.  It would be expensive and add little to the lives of most of the state's residents, but possible.

[Dirt Roads]

If one city outgrows the capital, should all the government buildings in one capital be torn down, then reconstructed in the new city?

Sounds like a lesson from West Virginia History class.

[wxfree]

Here in Texas, we have a tradition called "governor for a day."  Under the constitution the if the governor and lieutenant governor are absent from the state, then the president pro tem of the senate holds to power of governor.  Once in each president pro tem's tenure, the governor and lieutenant governor leave the state so that this senior senator can be governor for the day.  This is another place in which the Texas Constitution isn't well thought out, as the president is the only person who can hold the power of the governor while out of state.  The actual governor and lieutenant governor can't, but the constitution never says anything about the president pro tem leaving the state, so that's where the chain stops.

In this spirit, I suggest that different cities could be "capital for a day."  Outside of legislative sessions, once each year a different city could be pronounced the official state capital.  The governor and other executive and legislative officials and supreme court justice or two (and court of criminal appeals judge, in Texas and Oklahoma) would visit.  If required to reside in the state capital, the governor would stay in a hotel room.

[NWI_Irish96]

Seriously, didn't we have a discussion on geographical and population centers of each state a few months ago and discuss if the capital city should be one of those locations?

Yes, we did. https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32388.0

Interestingly, reply #4 of that thread says it's a repeat, although I don't remember the one before that.

On top of that, moving any state capital, with the possible exception of Alaska, isn't realistic logistically.

It could be done.  Build some new buildings for the legislature, executive, and major agencies, hire some trucks...  Moving capitals has been done before.  It would be expensive and add little to the lives of most of the state's residents, but possible.

It's been done before, but when is the most recent occurrence? The number of employees and buildings making up state capitals today is much more extensive than 100 years ago.

[triplemultiplex]

It's simple. Build the buildings on wheels and when the capital city changes, just haul the buildings down the road to the new capital.

[JayhawkCO]

Seriously, didn't we have a discussion on geographical and population centers of each state a few months ago and discuss if the capital city should be one of those locations?

Yes, we did. https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32388.0

Interestingly, reply #4 of that thread says it's a repeat, although I don't remember the one before that.

On top of that, moving any state capital, with the possible exception of Alaska, isn't realistic logistically.

It could be done.  Build some new buildings for the legislature, executive, and major agencies, hire some trucks...  Moving capitals has been done before.  It would be expensive and add little to the lives of most of the state's residents, but possible.

It's been done before, but when is the most recent occurrence? The number of employees and buildings making up state capitals today is much more extensive than 100 years ago.

Indonesia is currently working on it.

[bulldog1979]

Here in Texas, we have a tradition called  "governor for a day."  Under the constitution the if the governor and lieutenant governor are absent from the state, then the president pro tem of the senate holds to power of governor.  Once in each president pro tem's tenure, the governor and lieutenant governor leave the state so that this senior senator can be governor for the day.  This is another place in which the Texas Constitution isn't well thought out, as the president is the only person who can hold the power of the governor while out of state.  The actual governor and lieutenant governor can't, but the constitution never says anything about the president pro tem leaving the state, so that's where the chain stops.

In this spirit, I suggest that different cities could be "capital for a day."  Outside of legislative sessions, once each year a different city could be pronounced the official state capital.  The governor and other executive and legislative officials and supreme court justice or two (and court of criminal appeals judge, in Texas and Oklahoma) would visit.  If required to reside in the state capital, the governor would stay in a hotel room.

Michigan has a similar tradition, of sorts. The gubernatorial line of succession is lieutenant governor, then secretary of state and finally attorney general. A bill championed by Lt. Gov. Calley in the legislature was signed into law by him, and another championed by Sec. of State Johnson was signed into law by her, through the use of strategic absences by the appropriate office holders.

As for the capital, the Michigan Supreme Court travels through the state from time to time to hear cases, as do panels of the Court of Appeals. It's not every year, but they do make it to Marquette occasionally to hear cases of local import to the area. Other bodies hold meetings up here; the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission held hearings related to redistricting throughout the state, for instance. Expanding that practice a bit might be a great idea. Many officials already come up on an annual tour in August to coincide with the UP State Fair, so maybe they should do some actual business up here and make a UP city the de facto capital for a week or two. Maybe we only get a few committees instead of the full legislature.

As a side note, in days of yore, when the King picked up and moved about England, the court followed, meaning the capital effectively always followed the sovereign. While the Palace of Westminster undergoes upcoming renovations, there has been talk about moving the Commons and the Lords out of London on a temporary basis.

[hbelkins]

Here in Texas, we have a tradition called "governor for a day."  Under the constitution the if the governor and lieutenant governor are absent from the state, then the president pro tem of the senate holds to power of governor.  Once in each president pro tem's tenure, the governor and lieutenant governor leave the state so that this senior senator can be governor for the day.  This is another place in which the Texas Constitution isn't well thought out, as the president is the only person who can hold the power of the governor while out of state.  The actual governor and lieutenant governor can't, but the constitution never says anything about the president pro tem leaving the state, so that's where the chain stops.

In this spirit, I suggest that different cities could be "capital for a day."  Outside of legislative sessions, once each year a different city could be pronounced the official state capital.  The governor and other executive and legislative officials and supreme court justice or two (and court of criminal appeals judge, in Texas and Oklahoma) would visit.  If required to reside in the state capital, the governor would stay in a hotel room.

Kentucky's Supreme Court has actually taken its show on the road, holding hearings and case arguments in various locations throughout the state.

As for who has the power when the governor is gone, Kentucky once had a requirement that the governor cede power to the lieutenant governor when the governor was absent from the state. For years, Kentucky elected those two offices separately (and in the late 1960s-early 1970s, we actually had a term where the governor was a Republican and the lieutenant was a Democrat.) But even when they were of the same party, there was no guarantee they were allies. Famously, once upon a time a Kentucky lieutenant governor called a special legislative session while the governor was out of the state. That got changed, and now that provision no longer applies. The governor can cede power to the lieutenant governor voluntarily, and I remember it happening when a governor needed to go under anesthesia for a medical procedure and the governor signed over power to the lieutenant governor while he was having the procedure done.

[oscar]

Kentucky's Supreme Court has actually taken its show on the road, holding hearings and case arguments in various locations throughout the state.

California's Supreme Court kind of does that. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, but the court hears cases three months a year in Los Angeles, and also two months a year in the capital Sacramento.

Alaska's Supreme Court is headquartered in Anchorage, but also hears cases in the capital Juneau, Fairbanks, and sometimes other communities.

Canada's Nunavut Territory is more like Kentucky. The territory has only one courthouse, in the capital Iqaluit. But the justices fly out to other communities as needed, to hear cases in borrowed facilities.

[Poiponen13]

Toronto should be Canada's capital and Sydney Australia's.

[Flint1979]

Toronto should be Canada's capital and Sydney Australia's.

Why? What is wrong with Ottawa?

[CtrlAltDel]

Kentucky's Supreme Court has actually taken its show on the road, holding hearings and case arguments in various locations throughout the state.

California's Supreme Court kind of does that. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, but the court hears cases three months a year in Los Angeles, and also two months a year in the capital Sacramento.

Alaska's Supreme Court is headquartered in Anchorage, but also hears cases in the capital Juneau, Fairbanks, and sometimes other communities.

Canada's Nunavut Territory is more like Kentucky. The territory has only one courthouse, in the capital Iqaluit. But the justices fly out to other communities as needed, to hear cases in borrowed facilities.

Lousiana's Supreme Court hears its cases in New Orleans, and not Baton Rouge, after having moved back to the city in 2004.

[7/8]

Toronto should be Canada's capital and Sydney Australia's.

Toronto already thinks it's the centre of the universe, it doesn't need to be the federal capital too.

[kkt]

Toronto should be Canada's capital and Sydney Australia's.

Toronto already thinks it's the centre of the universe, it doesn't need to be the federal capital too.

And the same could be said of Sidney with regard to Canberra.

[Mr. Matté]

It's simple. Build the buildings on wheels and when the capital city changes, just haul the buildings down the road to the new capital.

I told ya not to turn around.

[Max Rockatansky]

I honestly have no idea why Ottawa is Canada's Capital. Even if its not Toronto it should at least be Montreal.

It was far from the border and on defensible terrain.  Seems pretty straight forward when the War of 1812 was still in living memory.

[MultiMillionMiler]

Not that far. A little farther than Montreal/Toronto, but still very close to the US Border.