Why isn't New York City the capital of New York State?

Question

.....and why isn't Chicago the capital of Illinois,
and Los Angeles - California?
and Philadelphia- Pennsylvania?
and Miami- Florida
and Detroit-Michigan

Answer 1

Most Capitals are more central towards the state, but why would the put the capital in New York City? Although it is named after the state, it is a large thriving city. The capital may have trouble finding space for buildings, and New York does not need the extra attraction. A city like Albany may not have been a very large dot on the map if it wasnt for the capital, and it makes more sense to put more jobs there than in a city that is a major city to begin with. Also some of these cities have become very popular recently so they may not have seemed like such large cities when the capitals were placed.

Answer 2

Illinois has had three state capitals: Kaskaskia, Vandalia, and Springfield. The initial population density of the state was heavy in the south. As the years went on, it shifted north. By the 1830s, a decision was made to change the state capital to a city in central Illinois. So, they created a committee to investigate several possible cities. The person in charge of this committee was Lincoln, and he was the main proponent to move the capital to Springfield.

Answer 3

Actually there are very few states where the largest city is the capital. Since most states cover very large geographic areas, when capitals were first established, in most cases they were placed in central locations that would minimize travel distances rather than in places of great population. In some cases remote sites were purposely chosen to avoid giving unusually much power to a certain city or to avoid choosing one major city in favor of another. This has continued to be true in other places, with the establishment of world capitals like Canberra and Brasilia.

Answer 4

In general the largest cities are not always the capitals of the states for a number of reasons:
1. At the time of statehood, the largest city may not have been the largest city now
2. At the time of statehood, state legislators may have preference for one location based on their historic and personal biases
3. Geographic centrality and accessibility by all population were a factor

For example, San Jose was the first state capital when California entered the Union in 1850. In 1852, Vallejo served as the capital for one week and then for one month in 1853. Benicia was also named capital briefly in 1853. Sacramento was named by the California State Legislature as the state capital in 1854 and became the capital officially on January 1, 1855. By the way, San Jose was historically the first European in Alta California, and also has serveral Missions nearby.

Answer 5

For that matter, Savannah was once the capital of Georgia until it was moved to the small central Georgia city of Millegeville before the Civil War. Sometime after the Civil War, the capital was moved to its present location in Atlanta.

Tallahassee was picked as Florida's capital because it is centrally located between St. Augustine and Pensacola, both northern Florida cities. In the early days of Florida, the majority of the population was in North Florida.

Answer 6

I think with most states usually the capital is more toward the center of the state. NOT usually the largest city. Maybe someone else can come up with a more valid reason.......