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What are the smallest and largest U.S. state capitols in terms of area?

Question #150678. Asked by tjoebigham.
Last updated Nov 27 2024.
Originally posted Feb 20 2024 6:58 PM.

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BigTriviaDawg star
Answer has 0 votes
BigTriviaDawg star
7 year member
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Answer has 0 votes.
Juneau, Alaska is the largest with a land area, of 3,255 square miles. For some perspective, Rhode Island covers an area of 1,214 square miles and Delaware is 2,489 square miles.

The smallest state capital is Annapolis, Maryland, covering only 6.73 square miles.

link https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States

Feb 20 2024, 8:58 PM
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sportsherald star
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sportsherald star
13 year member
710 replies avatar

Answer has 2 votes.
It may be a pedantic point to some, but the question says capitols, not capitals, with the correct distinction being that the capitol is the building used for the state's legislature, located in its capital city. So, the smallest such *building* appears to be the Legislative Hall in Dover, Delaware, while the largest of these buildings is claimed to be in Austin, Texas (but Charleston, West Virginia says otherwise). There is no handy online list of the floor space in each of these buildings, but there is a graphic showing them all together drawn to the same scale. Further research could reveal larger and smaller floor areas within the capitols. link https://infographicjournal.com/the-50-state-capitol-buildings-of-the-u-s-illustrated-to-scale/
Legislative Hall is approximately 84,850 square feet and is located opposite the Old State House on the mall.
link https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00329/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/ViewHandoutFile?contentEntityId=1551&handoutId=2970
It contains 360,000 square feet (33,000 m2) of floor space (not including the Capitol Extension), more than any other state capitol building, and rests on a 2.25-acre (0.91 ha) footprint.
link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_State_Capitol
West Virginia Capitol facts
At a height of 292 feet (89 m), the State Capitol is the tallest building in West Virginia.[14]

Dimensions and facts for West Virginia Capitol building[15] Measurements
Height of dome 292 ft (89.0 m)
Diameter of dome 75 ft (22.9 m)
Floor Space 525,000 sq ft (48,774.1 m2)
link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia_State_Capitol


Feb 22 2024, 8:04 PM
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pehinhota star
Answer has 3 votes
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pehinhota star
11 year member
436 replies avatar

Answer has 3 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
Texas has the largest state capitol building.

The original building itself has 360,000 square feet of floor area, more than any other state capitol building, but the 1993 extension, which was built underground so as to preserve the original building's architecture, adds 667,000 square feet of floor space.

link https://history.answers.com/us-history/What_is_the_largest_state_capitol_building#:~:text=Texas%20has%20the,largest%20state%20capitol%20building.

Located in Montpelier which is the smallest capital city in the US, it's only appropriate that the Vermont State House is also the smallest state capitol building in the country.

link https://pokylittlewanderer.com/visiting-all-50-us-state-capitols/


Nov 27 2024, 5:47 PM
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sportsherald star
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sportsherald star
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The floor areas are not easily found for all of them. I had looked at Vermont, but the smallest I found was Dover, Delaware. I had noted Texas's claim as largest, but did not include the Capitol Addition when comparing it to Charleston, West Virginia.




Response last updated by gtho4 on Nov 27 2024.
Nov 27 2024, 9:59 PM
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