How Charming is your State Capital?

The Continental U.S. State Capitals (and D.C.) ranked by Charm

There is little that is more charming than the feeling of the history of the past and the excitement of history in the making. For these reasons, our state capitals always have a special appeal that draws in the attention and pride of their entire state.

While every state capital has its share of charm, we were curious which one was the most charming. Using our Charm Index, we analyzed the charm scores of the capital cities of every continental state and threw Washington D.C. onto the list for good measure.

The Charm Index scores how charming streets and neighborhoods are using data on:

• The affordability of local businesses
• The ratings of nearby businesses
• Are they locally-owned? - are they corporate chains or local boutiques?
• How active the residence is and the density of nearby gyms, bike tracks, parks, etc.
• Crime statistics

A charming neighborhood is created from flourishing local business combined with a residence that feels safe, is active, and has many opportunities to interact with other residents, making it an ideal spot for apartment living. Local shops such as bookstores, theatres, and restaurants that receive high ratings by residents tend to create very charming atmospheres, call us crazy. Meanwhile, neighborhoods that are not as charming have a higher percentage of chain stores, pawn shops, strip clubs, credit loan stores, crime, and do not have access to community institutions such as parks, town halls and flea markets.

Using the charm scores of every street for every capital, we found the overall charm score for each. Those that ranked highest received high charm scores across their entire city while those that ranked lowest had much fewer charming pockets. However, every city has its own pockets of charm, so we included information on which street and neighborhood is the most charming in each city.

How did your state capital fare?

Rank	Charm	Capital	State	City's Most Charming Street
1	93.47	Boston	MA	Boylston Street
2	87.49	Annapolis	MD	Main Street
3	86.29	Providence	RI	Eddy and Union Street
4	84.37	Washington	DC	M Street NW
5	81.38	Madison	WI	S. Henry Street
6	78.84	Nashville	TN	7th Avenue
7	77.87	Sacramento	CA	J Street
8	76.62	Olympia	WA	Capitol Way Street
9	75.65	Denver	CO	24th Avenue and Sheridan Blvd
10	75.14	Austin	TX	W. 3rd Street
11	74.36	Montpelier	VT	State Street
12	73.24	Richmond	VA	W. Main Street
13	73.02	Santa Fe	NM	Washington Avenue
14	72.82	Raleigh	NC	Halifax Street
15	72.02	Salem	OR	Liberty Street
16	71.17	Boise	ID	W. Idaho Street
17	70.41	Concord	NH	S. Main Street
18	70.07	Montgomery	AL	Coast Street
19	69.16	Columbus	OH	N. High Street
20	68.74	Indianapolis	IN	Virginia Avenue
21	68.45	Atlanta	GA	Howell Mill Road
22	67.93	Little Rock	AR	N. Main Street
23	67.00	Harrisburg	PA	3rd Street
24	66.17	Salt Lake City	UT	W Temple
25	65.65	Cheyenne	WY	Pioneer Avenue
26	65.52	Topeka	KS	SE Quincy Street
27	65.00	Lansing	MI	S. Capitol Avenue
28	64.68	Springfield	IL	S. 1st Street
29	63.18	Charleston	WV	Kanawha Blvd E
30	62.63	Saint Paul	MN	W. 5th Street
31	60.58	Albany	NY	Eagle Street
32	59.44	Lincoln	NE	J Street
33	57.99	Oklahoma City	OK	W. Sheridan Avenue
34	55.95	Columbia	SC	Main Street
35	55.91	Des Moines	IA	E. Grand Avenue
36	54.94	Phoenix	AZ	N. 3rd Avenue
37	54.73	Helena	MT	N. Last chance Gulch
38	53.61	Pierre	SD	E. Capitol Avenue
39	53.56	Baton Rouge	LA	Perkins road
40	52.69	Tallahassee	FL	S. Davis Street
41	52.49	Jackson	MS	S. President Street
42	50.68	Dover	DE	S. State Street
43	49.53	Frankfort	KY	W. Main Street
44	48.28	Bismarck	ND	N. 6th Street
45	47.42	Jefferson City	MO	E. High Street
46	47.08	Hartford	CT	Aslyum Street
47	42.77	Augusta	ME	State Street
48	42.07	Carson City	NV	S. Carson Street
49	40.33	Trenton	NJ	N. Stockton Street

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