Capital Cities Aren't Always the Largest: Sacramento, Honolulu, and More

No, a state capital is often not the largest city. Classic U.S. examples:

• California: Capital Sacramento (525K); largest Los Angeles (3.8M).
• New York: Capital Albany (98K); largest NYC (8.8M).
• Florida: Capital Tallahassee (196K); largest Jacksonville (950K).
• Illinois: Capital Springfield (114K); largest Chicago (2.7M).
• Washington: Capital Olympia (55K); largest Seattle (737K).

Capitals were often chosen for geographic centrality, political compromise, or historical accident—not population. Globally, examples include Ottawa (vs. Toronto), Canberra (vs. Sydney), Brasília (vs. São Paulo).