While Indianapolis, Indiana, boasts the nickname, “The Crossroads of America,” another state capital took the mantle in the West. Situated at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, Utah’s capital is the state’s cultural and economic center. The nickname dates back to the first transcontinental railroad, which was completed in 1869 and routed through Salt Lake City, turning it into an important hub and a mining boomtown.

Before Phoenix was laid out in 1868, the nearby settlement of Pumpkinville had been around for about a year, named for the wild pumpkins that grew in the area. Phoenix was named by Lord Darrell Duppa, who saw the town as rising from the ashes — just like the mythical bird. The original Pumpkinville now lies roughly at the intersection of Van Buren and 28th Street in Phoenix.

Flowing for 2,341 miles through seven states, the Missouri River is America’s longest river and is responsible for draining around one-sixth of the entire continent of North America. The Missouri originates at one of the highest points on the North American continent, in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. The Missouri is actually the longest tributary of the Mississippi River, which itself is the second-longest river in the United States.

The Pearl River begins in central Mississippi and flows 444 miles south through two-thirds of the state and into Louisiana, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, the river passes through Mississippi’s capital, Jackson, providing drinking water to the city’s 166,000 residents.

Thanks to the city’s many cultural attractions and free museums, Raleigh is nicknamed the “Smithsonian of the South.” Amongst these sites is the North Carolina Museum of History, which is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in D.C. and features exhibits that cover 14,000 years of the state’s history. There are also several art museums scattered across the city, including CAM Raleigh, Gregg Museum of Art & Design, and the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Sacramento sits 30 feet above sea level today, but that wasn’t always the case. In the 1860s, the original section of the flood-prone California state capital was raised 10 feet to its current elevation by abandoning the ground floors of multi-story buildings and constructing sidewalks at the first-floor level. You can see the only remaining section of the city’s original level in the sunken courtyard at the Old Sacramento tourist shopping center.

The name Tallahassee has been in use since at least the 16th century. It comes from the Apalachee Native American tribe, and is usually translated as “old fields” or “old town,” although some translate it as “sun town.” Its first use among Europeans was on a British map from 1767, which referred to a village on the west side of Lake Jackson as “Tallahassa.”

As it turns out, capitol buildings in the U.S. aren’t usually all that tall — at 34 floors and 450 feet, the Louisiana capitol is only the seventh-tallest building in the state (though the highest in Baton Rouge). However, that is plenty tall enough for a 27th-floor observation deck that offers panoramic views of the city skyline and surrounding gardens.

There is only one pairing of state and state capital that shares no common letters between them: Pierre and South Dakota. Pierre is also the country’s second-smallest state capital by population (after Montpelier, Vermont) with just over 14,000 residents. Before South Dakota became a state, Yankton was the capital of the Dakota Territory; Pierre became the capital of South Dakota in 1890.

If you want to visit Juneau, Alaska, you’ll either need to fly or ferry in. The remote city is the only state capital inaccessible by road. Aside from Honolulu, it’s also the only state capital not connected by road to mainland North America. Visitors can take the 1,500-mile Alaska-Canadian Highway, but where the highway ends, you’ll have to board a ferry to reach the city.

Only four state capitals are named after former Presidents. Lincoln, Nebraska, is named for Abraham Lincoln; Madison, Wisconsin, for James Madison; Jackson, Mississippi, for Andrew Jackson; and Jefferson City, Missouri, for Thomas Jefferson. In addition, two national capitals are named for American presidents — and one isn’t even in America. Washington, D.C., is of course named for George Washington, and Monrovia, Liberia, is named for James Monroe.

Below the capital of Mississippi lies the dormant volcano known as the Jackson Volcano. Discovered in the early 19th century, the volcano is believed to be some 70 million years old and dormant for the better part of its existence. The volcano lies 2,900 feet below the surface of Jackson.

Move over, Mile High City: At 7,198 feet, Santa Fe is America’s highest capital city. New Mexico’s capital lies in the Sangre de Cristo foothills in the southern Rockies. The former Spanish colony was founded between 1607 and 1610, which also makes it America’s oldest capital city. The picturesque city features Pueblo architecture and a lively creative arts scene.

In 1838, the first settlement in what is now Saint Paul, Minnesota, was known as Pig’s Eye Landing. It was named after a tavern owner named Pierre “Pig’s Eye” Parrant who was one of the first to stake his claim there. The name only lasted until 1841, when a Roman Catholic missionary built a chapel dedicated to the apostle Paul, and the area became known as Saint Paul.

Indianapolis derived its name from the state’s name, which means “Land of Indians,” and “polis” is the Greek word for “city.” Oklahoma’s name is based on the Choctaw words okla and humma, which mean “people” and “red,” respectively, and were used by the Choctaw to describe their people. Oklahoma City became the state capital in 1910.

Nope, it’s not Tallahassee, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, or Indianapolis — Missouri’s capital of Jefferson City is the longest with 13 letters. Famed frontiersman Daniel Boone laid out Jefferson City after it was selected as the state capital in 1821. It was named after the third president and co-author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson.

Taking its cues from the original Parthenon built in Athens in 447 BCE, the “Athens of the South” is a true copy of the monument down to its finest details. This replica was built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition and intended to be a temporary exhibit, but proved so popular that it was restored several times and is now an art museum and a venue for city events.

Only one U.S. capital shares its border with another country: Juneau, Alaska’s capital since 1906,is bordered to the east by the Canadian province of British Columbia. Naturally, this makes it the closest state capital to our northern neighbors. Other close Canadian neighbors include Montpelier, Vermont (52 miles from the border); Lansing, Michigan (81 miles); and Augusta, Maine (82 miles).

The Georgia capital is nicknamed the “City in a Forest” because nearly half of the city is covered by tree canopy, a substantially higher figure than other large U.S. cities. Pines, oaks, magnolias, and dogwoods — some dating back more than 200 years — dominate Atlanta’s urban setting, providing shade and filtering out pollutants.

With a population of around 7,500 people, Montpelier, Vermont is America’s smallest capital city by population size. Montpelier is also the only U.S. state capital that does not have a McDonald's. The country’s smallest capital by land area is Annapolis, Maryland, which covers just 6.73 square miles.

Juneau, Alaska, is certainly not the most populous state capital, but it is the largest by at least one measure: land area. Alaska’s vast size has influenced its municipal boundaries — while many U.S. metropolitan areas are carved up by smaller municipalities, Alaska's cities are comparably huge. Juneau's city limits are so large that they could contain the entire state of Delaware.

A man named James Dole started planting pineapples on the island of Oahu in 1901. Within 50 years, his Hawaiian Pineapple Company would become the largest pineapple company in the world. Hawaii today still grows about one-third of all of the pineapples in the world. So it was only natural that, when New York City began being called "The Big Apple" in the 1970s, a big pineapple would follow suit.

If you’re weird, you’re welcome in Austin, Texas. The slogan gained popularity after Austin Community College librarian Red Wassenich called into a local radio show to donate money in 2000. When asked why he was contributing, he responded, “It helps keep Austin weird.” The city officially embraced its quirky culture by adopting the slogan two years later.

Arizona's capital city Phoenix is the only state capital with more than 1 million citizens — in fact, over 1.7 million people call it home, making it the fifth-most populous city nationwide. Incorporated in 1881, Phoenix is also the fastest-growing city in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, increasing its population by 25,000 people between 2017 and 2018 alone.

Of all 50 U.S. state capitals, just two of them rhyme: Austin, Texas, and Boston, Massachusetts. Texas’ capital of Austin is known for its live music scene, the Formula One Circuit, and the University of Texas. Massachusetts’ capital of Boston is the birthplace of the American Revolution, home of Fenway Park, and host to the Boston Marathon (the oldest in the world).