If not in DC...

[CultureKing]

I think Denver would be a good idea, it is close to the center of the country geographically and thus within what? 3-4 hours by flight from most of the country. Also it is not boring like much of the plains are (it has mountains and lakes and fun people).

[dead0man]

Do what Brazil did and build one from scratch.  Somewhere in the Ozarks would be nice.

But what to do with all the monuments in DC?  Leave 'em and keep the whole Mall area a National Park or something?  Move 'em?  That would be a HUGE project.  Do we build new monuments to Washington and Lincoln and what not in the new capital?

[tik 🪀✨]

Do what Brazil did and build one from scratch.  Somewhere in the Ozarks would be nice.

But what to do with all the monuments in DC?  Leave 'em and keep the whole Mall area a National Park or something?  Move 'em?  That would be a HUGE project.  Do we build new monuments to Washington and Lincoln and what not in the new capital?

I don't see a reason it should be in the original 13 states. My assumption going in to this that I probably should have stated more clearly was that we are choosing one now, and as if the current location did not exist.

It would be cool if people stated the reason that they made their choices.

[Joe Republic]

Do what Brazil did and build one from scratch.  Somewhere in the Ozarks would be nice.

Purpose-built cities have a tendency to be dull and characterless.  Putting such a place in the Ozarks wouldn't help, either.

[Sam Spade]

Springfield, Ohio.

Of all the cities in Ohio why Springfield?

Personally I would pick Omaha, Nebraska.  Its very geographically centric.  The approximate geographic center of the lower 48 lies roughly halfway along the Nebraska-Kansas border and Omaha is probably the closest major city to that location.

Home of the swing county of the US in political elections.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Outsource it to Asia.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Do what Brazil did and build one from scratch.  Somewhere in the Ozarks would be nice.

But what to do with all the monuments in DC?  Leave 'em and keep the whole Mall area a National Park or something?  Move 'em?  That would be a HUGE project.  Do we build new monuments to Washington and Lincoln and what not in the new capital?

Sorry didn't they already do that with DC?

Canberra is a planned city, and is accused by people who have never lived here of being cold and souless. Billy Connolly called it "a place the Nazis would have been proud of".

[Joe Republic]

Canberra is a planned city, and is accused by people who have never lived here of being cold and souless. Billy Connolly called it "a place the Nazis would have been proud of".

My parents visited Australia in the 1970s, and toured virtually the whole country.  Unfortunately, my mother had had a minor operation on both eyes just days before they got out there, so thanks to the bandages, she was blind for the entire vacation until about two days before they left.  She therefore missed nearly every visual splendor your country had to offer.  They spent the last two days (when the bandages had been removed) in Canberra, and needless to say, it was the biggest let-down she says she has ever had.  "Hardly a sight for sore eyes" were her exact words, allegedly.  It was also the most boring city these two particular twenty-somethings had ever visited in the entire world, apparently, which is something of an achievement.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Canberra in the 70s' would have been horrible - dry, brown and no trees.

But this is what the place looks like now.








I took the middle two.

[JSojourner]

We could cut Williamsburg or Richmond out and make it the Capital.

The two best things about Virginia!

With Fredericksburg and Jamestown close behind.  (Though Jamestown is really part of the whole Williamsburg-Yorktown-Jamestown complex.)

I love Virginia.  Best state ever. 

[Angel of Death]

Where is the center of the smallest circle enclosing the contiguous United States?

[Joe Republic]

Where is the center of the smallest circle enclosing the contiguous United States?

Lebanon, Kansas.

I know this mainly because it featured briefly as a setting in two books I read consecutively:  American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson; both of which I strongly recommend, by the way.

[Angel of Death]

That's the center of mass, which is something different.

[Joe Republic]

That's the center of mass, which is something different.

True.  In which case, my own rough estimate using Photoshop places it near Sioux City, Iowa.

[specific_name]

New York City. It would probably have stayed there if was not for the need to have the capitol in the "middle" and for that matter not within a state. It really makes sense if you think about it... UK=London, Germany=Berlin, USA=New York.

No not really. Ever heard of these cities?

New Delhi, Ottawa, Wellington, Canberra, Abidjan, Astana, Islamabad, etc

Yes, I know the capital of every country. There are good reasons for a capital city to placed somewhere other than the most populous/well known place. However I remember the question having to do with what the most likely place would be if it wasn't DC. If DC was never created, NYC or Philadelphia probably would have been the capital city of the US.

[Alcon]

Edgar Springs, MO

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Charleston, SC ..

[Torie]

New York City. It would probably have stayed there if was not for the need to have the capitol in the "middle" and for that matter not within a state. It really makes sense if you think about it... UK=London, Germany=Berlin, USA=New York.

No not really. Ever heard of these cities?

New Delhi, Ottawa, Wellington, Canberra, Abidjan, Astana, Islamabad, etc

Yes, I know the capital of every country. There are good reasons for a capital city to placed somewhere other than the most populous/well known place. However I remember the question having to do with what the most likely place would be if it wasn't DC. If DC was never created, NYC or Philadelphia probably would have been the capital city of the US.

You actually know the capital of every country?  How odd. All those Soviet Republics and all, put me out of the running permanently. What is the capital of that rogue split off from Moldavia, and no cheating now! 

[JSojourner]

New York City. It would probably have stayed there if was not for the need to have the capitol in the "middle" and for that matter not within a state. It really makes sense if you think about it... UK=London, Germany=Berlin, USA=New York.

No not really. Ever heard of these cities?

New Delhi, Ottawa, Wellington, Canberra, Abidjan, Astana, Islamabad, etc

Yes, I know the capital of every country. There are good reasons for a capital city to placed somewhere other than the most populous/well known place. However I remember the question having to do with what the most likely place would be if it wasn't DC. If DC was never created, NYC or Philadelphia probably would have been the capital city of the US.

You actually know the capital of every country?  How odd. All those Soviet Republics and all, put me out of the running permanently. What is the capital of that rogue split off from Moldavia, and no cheating now! 

I used to know every country's capital until precisely the moment you describe.  All those "-stans" in Central Asia -- I just gave up.  Combine that with the micro-islands of the Pacific all going independent and I just started drinking.

[specific_name]

New York City. It would probably have stayed there if was not for the need to have the capitol in the "middle" and for that matter not within a state. It really makes sense if you think about it... UK=London, Germany=Berlin, USA=New York.

No not really. Ever heard of these cities?

New Delhi, Ottawa, Wellington, Canberra, Abidjan, Astana, Islamabad, etc

Yes, I know the capital of every country. There are good reasons for a capital city to placed somewhere other than the most populous/well known place. However I remember the question having to do with what the most likely place would be if it wasn't DC. If DC was never created, NYC or Philadelphia probably would have been the capital city of the US.

You actually know the capital of every country?  How odd. All those Soviet Republics and all, put me out of the running permanently. What is the capital of that rogue split off from Moldavia, and no cheating now! 

I suppose you mean Moldova right? It's Chisinau. The split off never became an autonomous nation...and I can't spell it right, but I know what you're referring to...in the spirit of not cheating I won't look up the correct spelling of that territory which wanted to be independent

[minionofmidas]

That's the center of mass, which is something different.

True.  In which case, my own rough estimate using Photoshop places it near Sioux City, Iowa.

What if you include Alaska and Hawaii? Somewhere on the Pacific Coast?