Fourteen US State Capitals from Augusta to Salem, East to West

Augusta is the easternmost state capital in the United States, at about 69.8 degrees west in Maine. It is the county seat of Kennebec County and a small city of 18,899 people at the 2020 census.

Montpelier is the least populous state capital in the United States, with 8,074 people in 2020. It is the county seat of Washington County in Vermont and was named after Montpellier in the south of France.

Albany began as the Dutch trading post of Fort Orange in 1624 and is the oldest city in New York. It grew into a transportation hub as the eastern end of the Erie Canal, and had 99,224 people in 2020.

Dover is the capital and second most populous city of Delaware, after Wilmington. It sits on the St. Jones River, was established by William Penn, and takes its name from Dover in Kent, England.

Annapolis lies on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, about 25 miles south of Baltimore. It briefly served as the temporary national capital in 1783 and 1784, and had 40,812 people in 2020.

Richmond sits on the James River fall line in Virginia and became the capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. It has been an independent city since 1871, and had 226,610 people in 2020.

Raleigh was deliberately planned and built in 1792 as the seat of North Carolina government, with a grid centered on Union Square. It anchors the Research Triangle with Durham and Chapel Hill and had 467,665 people in 2020.

Columbia was established in 1786 as a planned capital for South Carolina and has been the seat of state government for more than two centuries. It hosts the University of South Carolina and Fort Jackson, the Army's largest basic combat training installation.

Frankfort lies along the Kentucky River in the inner Bluegrass region and is the county seat of Franklin County. With 28,602 people in 2020 it is the fourth smallest state capital by population.

Nashville stands on the Cumberland River in Middle Tennessee and is the state's most populous city. Its 1963 consolidation with Davidson County gave it a land area of about 1,305 square kilometers, unusually large for a city.

Madison occupies an isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona in Wisconsin. Founded in 1836 and named for President James Madison, it became a city in 1856 and had 269,840 people in 2020.

Jefferson City is named for Thomas Jefferson and lies on the south side of the Missouri River at the northern edge of the Ozark Plateau. At the 2020 census it was the ninth least populous state capital.

Austin was the capital of the Republic of Texas and now stands on the Colorado River as the twelfth largest city in the United States. At 961,855 people in 2020 it is the largest stop on this trail and home to the University of Texas.

Salem sits in the Willamette Valley beside the Willamette River, the last stop at about 123.0 degrees west. It is Oregon's second largest city, with state government as its principal employer and Willamette University among its institutions.