Capitals, Capitols, and County Seats
Where does government business get done? A guided inquiry.
Governing territory is a big and complex job. The United States has a federal government that makes laws for the country, but states are allowed to make their own laws, too. California's state government that makes laws for our state, and each of our 58 counties has its own government to handle local issues. And inside of a county, a town or city can also have its own government. This sharing of responsibilities allows for local communities to have a lot of say in how things happen locally, and for everyone to share in making decisions that affect the state and the country.
At every level of government, leaders are elected to serve in public offices and represent the people who elect them. These leaders include people with many titles such as Governor, Member of Congress, State Legislator, County Supervisor, Mayor, or Councilmember.
What kinds of elected officials are there where you live?
What do you know about the places where government work is done in our state?
Capitol Buildings in Capital Cities
All governments need a place to meet to do the work of the people. While "capitol" refers to a building or buildings where a legislative body meets, the broader term "capital" describes a city that serves as the "seat" of government. Countries and states have capital cities. Capital cities are important and lively places. People who work in government move to capital cities, and important decisions are made there. But a capital city is also like any other city where many different types of people live.
Washington, D.C. is the capital territory of the United States. The city was created to be a capital, and it was designed with the United States Capitol Building at the center of its street system. The Senate and House of Representatives are the two houses of Congress that meet at the Capitol to make laws. You can visit the Capitol yourself to see the building and what happens there.
A view of the US Capitol Building as it appears today.
Sacramento is the capital city of California. Sacramento already existed as a city before it was designated as a capital. The State Capitol Building in Sacramento is an impressive building surrounded by lawns and gardens.
A 1930s postcard shows the California Capitol surrounded by green space, with the city of Sacramento growing around it.
Google Map directions indicated a driving distance of 2,734 miles between California Capitol Building in Sacramento and the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Capitals Can Move
The current capitals of the United States and California are not the only cities that have served as national and state capital cities. In fact, the United States has had nine separate capitals. California has had five or six capitals, depending on how you count. Let's explore how these capitals have moved.
US Capital on the Move
Where's Congress? This first map will show you how the United States government moved to different capital cities and used different kinds of buildings as a capitol.
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1776: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This city is where the Declaration of Independence was signed and a new nation created. The members of the First Continental Congress (1774) and Second Continental Congress (1775-81) met in the Pennsylvania State House. Zoom in on the map to see the grounds of Independence Hall as they exist now.
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1776-1777: Baltimore, Maryland
When the British threatened to overtake Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress temporarily moved to Baltimore, Maryland from December 20, 1776, to February 27, 1777. They met at the Henry Fite House (pictured), which had previously served as a tavern.
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1777: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
After Congress returned to Philadelphia in 1777, the British once again threatened the city. In September, the 50+ delegates raced across Pennsylvania, carrying the Declaration of Independence with them for safe keeping. Members of Congress met in the courthouse in Lancaster for a single day (Sept. 27).
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1777-78: York, Pennsylvania
Congress had selected Lancaster as their destination, but they quickly decided to move to York to put the broad Susquehanna River between them and the British army. Congress understood that geography matters! They met in York for part of 1777 and 1778.
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1779-1783: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Once the British troops left Philadelphia, Congress moved back there. While originally built to serve as the Philadelphia County Courthouse, the room where elected leaders met is now known as Congress Hall. After the war of independence was won in 1781, the Second Continental Congress was replaced by the Confederation Congress.
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1783: Princeton, New Jersey
In 1783, former Revolutionary War soldiers gathered in Philadelphia to demand pay for their service. Congress had little to offer them and moved their meetings to Princeton, New Jersey to stay a safe distance from the danger. The building where they met, Nassau Hall, had been the location of an important victory for General George Washington in the Battle of Princeton during the war. Having survived two fires in the 1800s, Nassau Hall is now part of Princeton University.
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1783-1784: Annapolis, Maryland
While the Maryland State House was still under construction, Congress moved its work there in 1783. This is where the Treaty of Paris was signed to formally end the Revolutionary War and where George Washington stepped down as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. In fact, a Maryland politician hoped to generate support for creating a special district for the federal government. He proposed moving the state capital to Baltimore so that Annapolis could become a permanent capital.
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1784: Trenton, New Jersey
In August of 1784, Congress moved again to Trenton. Selecting a permanent home for the government was a major topic. This is a city that George Washington had taken back from the British in 1776 with a crucial victory after his famous crossing of the Delaware River.
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1784-89: New York, New York
For five years, Congress met at Federal Hall in New York City. This is where George Washington took the oath of office as first President of the United States. Federal Hall National Memorial (pictured) is at the location where the original building once stood.
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1790-1800: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Once again, Congress was back meeting in Philadelphia. But in 1790, President Washington signed the Residence Act of 1790. This Act decreed that the National Capital, and permanent seat of government, would be established along the Potomac River on land gifted by Maryland and Virginia. In addition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, would become the temporary capital until 1800, the deadline for the permanent capital to be completed, which would be named Washington, D.C.
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1800-present: Washington, D.C.
The capital territory is not part of a state. The land for the capital was originally provided by Maryland and Virginia. The territory of the District of Columbia was originally in the shape of a diamond, ten miles on each side. Virginia later took its land back in a dispute with the federal government.
Learn more about Benjamin Banneker , who helped survey and design the capital territory from 1791-1793.
Which US capital city (former or present) is furthest north? Furthest east? Furthest south? Furthest west?
What kinds of building were used as capitols while Congress moved around?
California's Capital on the Move
California became a state in a process that moved along unusually quickly. The United States Army invaded and occupied California in 1846. In February 1848, Mexico handed over California and much of its territory along the United States border as part of the treaty to end the Mexican American War. This was just one month after the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills. A state constitution was created in 1849, and California was admitted to the Union as the 31st state on September 9, 1850. For such a new state, making a permanent home for its government proved to be challenging.
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Pre-statehood: Monterey
Monterey had been a territorial capital for both Spain and Mexico. While never officially a capital of the State of California, this is where the State Constitution was drafted and adopted, in Colton Hall (above).
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1849-1851: San Jose
The 1849 Constitution set San Jose as the first state capital. The constitution established both English and Spanish as the official languages for the state and prohibited both dueling and the establishment of a state lottery.
The city did not have facilities ready for a proper capital, and the winter of 1850 - 1851 was unusually wet, causing the dirt roads to become muddy streams. The legislature was unsatisfied with the location, so former General and State Senator Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo donated land in the future city of Vallejo for a new capital.
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1852-53: Vallejo
The legislature convened here for only one week in 1852 and again for a month in 1853. The facilities available were again unsuitable to house a state government, and the capital was soon moved three miles away to the little town of Benicia, inland from the San Francisco Bay.
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1853-54: Benicia
Built in 1852 as Benicia’s city hall, the site became California’s Capitol in 1853. The legislature moved here from Vallejo during the 1853 session. The official state map was adopted in that same year. During the 1854 session, the legislature selected Sacramento as the permanent state capital. There is now a state park at the Benicia location.
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1854-1862: Sacramento
Mid-way between the gold fields and the commercial port of San Francisco, Sacramento was thought to be an ideal location for the capital. The City of Sacramento offered its courthouse for use as a state capitol, and it seemed like the state government might finally have found a home. After the 1854 session, however, the courthouse and much of the city burned in a fire. A new courthouse and temporary capitol building was constructed in just 4 months and the work of government was not delayed.
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1862: San Francisco
December 9, 1861, found Sacramento completely flooded. On January 10, 1862, Sacramento was again awash with flood waters rising 20 inches higher than the crest the previous month. Governor Leland Stanford supposedly arrived for his inauguration in a rowboat. On January 24, 1862, the Legislature took up temporary residence in San Francisco so that the work of government would not be disrupted by the flooding. They met in the Merchants' Exchange Building which was originally built for a Hong Kong trading house.
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1863-present: Sacramento
The move to San Francisco was a temporary emergency measure. After one year, the government moved back to Sacramento. A substantial new state Capitol building took almost nine years to complete, in part because construction had to stop during rainy winter months. It opened in 1869. Ever since then, the state and the government have been growing, and additions have been made to the original building to create more space for the work of government.
Which city was a capital of California during Spanish and Mexican rule, but never a state capital?
How many different cities served as capital of California?
Why did California's capital move so many times?
When and why did the government have to leave Sacramento temporarily?
County Seats
The California Constitution gives counties the power to make and enforce local ordinances (laws) that do not conflict with state laws. A county can also buy and sell land and collect taxes allowable by law. The number of counties in California is now 58, but the state was originally divided up into 27 counties. As populations grew, larger counties were divided and new counties were established. There was even one county that disappeared. Klamath County only existed from 1851 to 1874. The last county to be added was Imperial in 1907.
"County seat" is a term used to describe the city or town in which a county government is located. In the county seat there is at least one building where elected officials and employees of the county government do their work. Just like capitals, county seats can change. Twenty-five of California's counties have moved their county seat at least once. One county moved it seven times!
Explore the map below to see the cities and towns that serve as county seats for all 58 counties in our state. There is a map legend in the lower left corner - just click to make it appear. Zoom in and out as you choose, and click on the county borders and orange place markers for more information.
California County Seats map.
What is the seat of government in the county where you live?
Is the county seat in your county centrally located within the borders of the county?
Have you been to a building where county government work is done?