Can You Name the Capitals of All These States If We Scramble the Letters?

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By: Tasha Moore

6 Min Quiz

Image: Wiki Commons by Melissa Mansour

About This Quiz

We never said it was going to be easy. Take this brain-teaser city-name scramble quiz for an ultimate fun-facts thrill! Do you know all of the capital cities of the United States? You'll get to prove that and test your spelling smarts by unscrambling the answers to these questions.

There is a good chance that there are capital-city facts in this quiz that you've never heard about. Do you know about the Juneau gold belt in Alaska? Or what about the Little Rock transit worker strike that occurred in the 1950s in Arkansas? Which capital cities of America were instrumental in getting the nineteenth-century Industrial Revolution off to a vibrant start? Which capital cities started out as U.S. military posts or jails? We promise that the answers to these questions are here, so you've come to the right place to mine the facts that'll surely impress your friends.

And now that you're briefed on a few city facts, you should also prepare yourself for some mind-bending word jumbles - this quiz is chock-full of them. But we've gifted plenty of hints to help you deconstruct the hard-to-decipher scramblers. 

So get ready and get set to unscramble these U.S. capital cities and match them to the right facts.

What capital city dots the Alaskan panhandle?

A huge mine in Juneau, Alaska, that contains valuable minerals was closed in 1944 during World War II. The location is termed the Juneau gold belt. The mine spans approximately 100 miles along the Alaskan panhandle, from Berners Bay to Windham Bay.

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U.S. flight first took off in this capital city of Alabama. Can you unscramble the correct city?

Montgomery, Alabama, is where the first flight school was established in the United States. In 1910, aviation greats the Wright brothers, with the assistance of the Montgomery Commercial Club, set up the first civilian flight school in downtown Montgomery.

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Can you name the Arkansas capital city that is also the county seat of Pulaski County?

On June 22, 1955, Little Rock transit workers from several companies protested wages and ceased operations. Capital Transportation Company attempted to use temporary workers, triggering violence in the city that resulted in the bombing of a bus. The strike lasted until 1956.

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What is the capital city of Arizona that lies at the northern edge of the arid Sonoran Desert?

Jack Swilling, who was a Confederate during the American Civil War, founded Phoenix, Arizona. In 1867, the skilled farmer established milling operations in the region. Swilling was born in South Carolina in 1830, and he has been characterized as a restless rebel with a taste for frontier violence.

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The official basketball team of this capital city of California is filled with "Kings." Can you name the city?

The California Museum, which is near the state's capitol building, opened in 1998 and was originally named Golden State Museum. Building the museum cost $10.7 million, to pay homage to California history from the state's early Gold Rush years to present day.

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Located in Colorado's South Platte River Valley, the state's capital city is ________?

The volatile nineteenth-century inception of Denver's banking system reflected the city's equally turbulent gold dust fortunes at the time. The UMB Bank, located at Colorado Boulevard and East Sixth Avenue, features a salvaged ninety-year old forty-ton vault door from Denver's Central Bank.

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The capital of Connecticut has been called the "Insurance Capital of the World." Can you unscramble the city's name?

Hartford, Connecticut, played a prominent role during America's Industrial Revolution. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Capitol Avenue in Hartford was home to a vast number of manufacturing companies, including Pratt & Whitney, makers of precision tools, and Sharps, a rifle company.

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Can you identify the location that has been Delaware's capital city since 1777?

The Johnson Victrola Museum is located at New Street and Bank Lane in Dover, Delaware. The museum's artifacts chronicle the life of Victor Talking Machine Company founder and Dover resident Eldridge Reeves Johnson.

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Can you identify Florida's capital city, situated halfway between Jacksonville and Pensacola in the panhandle region?

The Museum of Florida History, located in Florida's capital city of Tallahassee, opened in 1977. Exhibits over the years have informed visitors about the Seminoles, naval ships named Florida, NASA and more.

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Do you know Georgia's most populous city, which is also its capital?

The Atlanta Cyclorama, a restored painting in the round, showcased at the Atlanta History Center, is a grand depiction of the Battle of Atlanta which occurred during the Civil War. Visitors view the painting from a 15-foot platform. Paul Atkinson, a Georgia businessman, gave the artwork to the city in the 1800s.

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Can you name the capital of Hawaii, a city that boasts the only royal residence in the U.S.?

The City of Honolulu was the first passenger steamship vessel that departed directly from Los Angeles, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii. The ship started its inaugural voyage on September 10, 1922, and it sank in October of the same year. Oh, and the royal residence in Honolulu is Iolani Palace, whose last royal inhabitant was Queen Liliuokalani.

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A river in Iowa shares its name with the state's capital city. Can you identify the city?

Iowa's capital city, Des Moines, started as a military post in 1843, but it was repurposed and renamed in 1857. In the early days there was talk of naming the military post Fort Raccoon rather than Fort Des Moines, since the region has rivers with both names.

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This Idaho capital city was a bustling rail corridor in the early twentieth century. Can you figure out the name of the city?

The "Boise cutoff" was such a lucrative destination during the early twentieth century that Boise, Idaho, businesses and politicians sought ways to revitalize the rail corridor at the start of the twenty-first century. The Boise cutoff extends 44 miles, from Nampa to Boise.

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Abraham Lincoln lived in which city, the capital of Illinois?

Abraham Lincoln lived in the town of New Salem for six years before moving to Springfield, which is the capital of Illinois. Lincoln arrived in Springfield in 1837 as an unknown resident, but he left Springfield as a member of Congress.

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Can you unscramble Indiana's bustling capital city, which lies at the juncture of Fall Creek and White River in the center of the state?

Of course, everyone knows that the Indy 500 takes place every year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's one of the largest sporting venues in the world. The race covers 500 miles, which is 200 laps around the track.

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Antislavery crusaders from New England selected the site which is the current capital of Kansas. What is the name of this city?

The historic 1954 "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" U.S. Supreme Court ruling is based on segregation policies that were practiced in Kansas's capital city and mirrored throughout the nation. The high court of the United States struck down the "separate but equal" doctrine.

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Can you name Kentucky's capital city, which is situated by the Kentucky River's S-shaped loops?

Frankfort's business section lies to the north of the city, which is where the Old State Capitol Building stands as a museum and where the area's first residential zone existed. Subsequent residential development in the city spread south, beyond the new State Capitol Building. Don't miss the lovely floral clock behind the new capitol!

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Sebastian Louis Kleinpeter maintained a museum-style residence in the east parish of what Louisiana capital city?

The Baton Rouge home of Sebastian Louis Kleinpeter, a storekeeper, is renowned for its authentic antiques and Greek-revivalist embellishments. "Baton Rouge," as you may know, is French for "red stick." Explorers found blood-drenched poles in the area which had been used by natives to display bear heads.

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The capital of Massachusetts is located by Massachusetts Bay. Can you identify the name?

Notable poets of Boston include the first poet of America, Anne Bradstreet, who was an original settler in the year 1630, and American slave-turned-poet Phillis Wheatley, who was purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harvard professor and poet, lived in the Cambridge area.

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The United States Naval Academy is a central institution of Maryland's capital. Can you identify this city?

Annapolis actually served as the capital of the United States for a short time, from 1783 to 1784. Secretary of the U.S. Navy George Bancroft founded the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1845.

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Maine's capital lies roughly fifty-five miles northeast of the state's more populous seaside city, Portland. What is the capital city?

Settled in 1629, Augusta lies on the Kennebec River. Augusta started out as a trading post for the region; the city's river location made it an active commerce center during colonial times.

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"Reo Joe" built automobiles in what city, the capital of Michigan?

"Reo" is the acronym for Ransom E. Olds, the automobile magnate who started Reo Motor Car Company after leaving his first company, Olds Motor Works. Reo Motor Car Company operated in Michigan's capital city, Lansing, from 1904 to 1975. "Reo Joe" was a term of endearment for all auto workers in Lansing.

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What Missouri capital city was designed by the son of frontiersman Daniel Boone?

The layout of Jefferson City in Missouri was designed by Daniel Morgan Boone, who sounds familiar due to his more famous father, Daniel Boone, the explorer and frontiersman. A well-known penitentiary was built in the city, which operated for well over a century.

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Which Minnesota state capital is home to the not-for-profit American publishing company, Afton Press?

Patricia McDonald started Afton Press in 1993, with seed money from businessman Duncan McMillan. The company first existed in Afton, Minnesota, before moving to Minnesota's capital city of Saint Paul. Saint Paul and Minneapolis are collectively known as the Twin Cities.

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What is the name of Mississippi's capital, once called LeFleur's Bluff?

Under General William T. Sherman's direction during the Civil War, Union soldiers burned down many of the buildings in Jackson, which is the capital city of Mississippi. Jackson native Harry A. Cole is the inventor of Pine-Sol.

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Capital Hill Mall was what capital city's first mall, in the state of Montana?

Though Capital Hill Mall has been demolished, the mall was a magnet for new businesses in Montana's capital city of Helena when it first opened in 1965. Helena is known as the Queen City of the Rockies - Yellowstone and Glacier National Park are nearby attractions.

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After the American Revolution, North Carolina's capital was moved to what location?

Raleigh, North Carolina, is also known as the City of Oaks. The city's namesake, Sir Walter Raleigh, founded the Roanoke Colony in North Carolina.

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North Dakota's capital city was founded by settlers crossing the Missouri River in the year 1872. Can you name the city?

Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, was founded as Camp Hancock, set up to guard crews working for the Northern Pacific Railway. In 1873 the camp was renamed after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, to attract German financial resources.

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What capital city was host to the Nebraska State Fair for over 100 years?

Lincoln, Nebraska, is named for the 16th president of the United States. From 1901 to 2009, the annual Nebraska State Fair took place at the Lancaster County Fairgrounds in the capital city of Lincoln. After 2009, the fair was moved to Grand Island, Nebraska.

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American teacher Christa McAuliffe, one of seven crew members lost in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster of 1986, was a resident of which city, also the capital of New Hampshire?

A group of third-graders, including Christa McAuliffe's son, traveled from Concord, New Hampshire, to Florida to observe the Space Shuttle Challenger's launch on January 28, 1986. McAuliffe taught social studies at Concord High School. Following the Challenger explosion, the shuttle program was grounded for nearly three years.

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Former Soviet Union General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev visited what capital of New Jersey in 2005?

Mikhail Gorbachev visited Trenton, New Jersey, to speak at the Sovereign Bank Arena on April 18, 2005. George Washington famously crossed the Delaware River at Trenton.

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What is the capital of New Mexico that hosts an annual Indian Market event in August?

Scores of collectors, consumers and artists have gathered at Santa Fe Indian Market every August since 1922. Surprisingly, Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in the United States.

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What capital city of Nevada celebrates Halloween and its state holiday simultaneously and in a huge way?

"Nevada Day" is observed every year around the same time as Halloween in the state's capital, Carson City. The celebration features a parade, a beard contest, a run/walk, trick-or-treating and more.

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The annual Pinkster festival used to take place in what capital city of New York?

The Dutch introduced its cultural Pentecostal holiday to Albany, New York, in the seventeenth century. African slaves of the Dutch carried on the annual tradition, which became a major feature of African American social life in the Hudson Valley by the year 1800.

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The capital of Ohio was named after a certain Italian explorer who "sailed the ocean blue in 1492." Can you unscramble the city?

Ohio's capital city of Columbus was founded in 1812, and during its formative years the city struggled to gain social and financial footing. Columbus withstood massive flooding, economic failures, cholera epidemics and heated competition from other Ohio cities for state capital rank.

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