State capitals, coast to coast
Choose one answer below.
The correct answer is Austin.
Austin became the capital of the Republic of Texas in 1839. Edwin Waller laid out the city and reserved a hill above the Colorado River for Capitol Square. That early decision established the public site where successive capitol buildings and their grounds later developed.
Source: Texas State Preservation Board: History of the Capitol grounds
A state capital is a place where government works, and its location often records an old argument about distance, transportation, or political influence. Some capitals grew around a site deliberately reserved for public buildings. Others inherited the job from a territorial government. Several states moved their headquarters more than once before settling on a permanent home. The familiar name on a classroom map is therefore only part of the story. A river crossing, a donated parcel of land, or a need to move farther inland could matter as much as the size of a town. State archives, legislative histories, and capitol museums record those decisions and the buildings that followed them. A city's designation as capital and the completion of its statehouse may be separated by many years. The spelling distinction reflects that difference: a capital is the city, while a capitol is a government building. Keeping the city and its buildings distinct makes the sequence of moves, construction, and occupation easier to follow.