Connecticut(capital: Hartford)The capital is Hartford, on the Connecticut River. The most populous city is Bridgeport. Connecticut was the 5th state: it ratified the Constitution on January 9, 1788.
Maine(capital: Augusta)The capital is Augusta, on the Kennebec River. Not Portland, the most populous city. Maine was part of Massachusetts until it became the 23rd state on March 15, 1820.
Massachusetts(capital: Boston)The capital is Boston, also the most populous city in the state. Massachusetts was the 6th state: it ratified the Constitution on February 6, 1788.
New Hampshire(capital: Concord)The capital is Concord, the third-largest city after Manchester and Nashua. New Hampshire was the 9th state: it ratified the Constitution on June 21, 1788.
Rhode Island(capital: Providence)The capital is Providence, the most populous city. It is at Narragansett Bay's head. Rhode Island was the 13th state: it ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790.
Vermont(capital: Montpelier)The capital is Montpelier, the country's least populous state capital. The most populous city is Burlington. Vermont became the 14th state on March 4, 1791.
Middle Atlantic 3
New Jersey(capital: Trenton)The capital is Trenton, on the Delaware River. The most populous city is Newark. New Jersey was the 3rd state: it ratified the Constitution on December 18, 1787.
New York(capital: Albany)The capital is Albany, on the Hudson River. It is about 135 miles north of New York City, the city most students guess. New York was the 11th state: it ratified the Constitution on July 26, 1788.
Pennsylvania(capital: Harrisburg)The capital is Harrisburg, on the Susquehanna River, not Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania was the 2nd state: it ratified the Constitution on December 12, 1787.
How this list was compiled: State list and the two divisions: U.S. Census Bureau, Census Regions and Divisions of the United States, https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf, checked 2026-09-19 (Region 1 Northeast: Division 1 New England, Division 2 Middle Atlantic; Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia are listed under Region 3 South). Capitals and 2020 census populations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States, checked 2026-09-19. Order and dates of ratification or admission: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_date_of_admission_to_the_Union, checked 2026-09-19. Most populous city of each state: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_cities_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population, checked 2026-09-19. Naming, founding, rivers and moves of each capital: the Wikipedia articles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartford,_Connecticut, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta,_Maine, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concord,_New_Hampshire, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trenton,_New_Jersey, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany,_New_York, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrisburg,_Pennsylvania, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Providence,_Rhode_Island, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montpelier,_Vermont, checked 2026-09-19. The year Hartford began to share the job with New Haven is left out: the Hartford article says 1664, and the list of capitals and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven,_Connecticut say 1701 (read 2026-09-19); all three agree that Hartford has been the only capital since 1875. Borders, coasts, lakes and rivers in the state hints: the Wikipedia articles on each of the nine states (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_(state), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Cod, checked 2026-09-19. Hints and detail lines written for this site. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site from U.S. Census Bureau 2023 cartographic boundary file cb_2023_us_state_5m (scale 1:5,000,000), https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/GENZ2023/shp/cb_2023_us_state_5m.zip, downloaded 2026-09-19. Surrounding land from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_admin_0_countries_lakes (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_admin_0_countries_lakes.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Albers equal-area conic projection, central meridian 72.8°W, standard parallels 40.4°N and 46°N. Outlines simplified; small islands are left out. Licence: public domain (work of the United States government, 17 U.S.C. 105): https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/data/tiger/tgrshp2023/TGRSHP2023_TechDoc_Ch1.pdf; public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
How it works
This northeast states and capitals quiz draws the region big enough to tap Rhode Island. A state lights up, and you name it, then its capital. Pick New England under Start from to play its 6 states alone on a closer map.
Read the full guide
Two divisions, nine states
The Census Bureau's Northeast region has two divisions. New England is Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The Middle Atlantic is New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Some school lists add Maryland and Delaware, which the Bureau files under its South, so Annapolis and Dover are on the Southeast page.
A New England states and capitals quiz in one choice
Pick New England under Start from. The map zooms to the six states, the round asks only those, and every wrong button is another New England state or capital. Every answer is final, and misses come back in Practise the ones you missed.
In a Northeast capitals quiz the big city is the trap. Only Boston and Providence are their state's largest city.
The Concord of the 1775 battle is a Massachusetts town, not New Hampshire's capital on the Merrimack.
Rivers help: Augusta on the Kennebec, Trenton on the Delaware, Harrisburg on the Susquehanna, Albany on the Hudson.
Questions and answers
Why are four New England capitals not the biggest city?
They were chosen early, two for a central location: Vermont picked Montpelier in 1805, with land and money from residents, and New Hampshire settled on Concord in 1808. Maine named Augusta over Portland in 1827, and Hartford shared the job with New Haven until 1875.
Which is the smallest state capital?
Montpelier, Vermont. It had 8,074 people at the 2020 census, fewer than any other state capital, and it is named for Montpellier in France, which takes two l's where Vermont's takes one. Augusta, Maine holds another record: no state capital lies farther east.
Is the printable free, and can I print New England alone?
It is free, and it prints all 9. Print blank numbers the states, Connecticut as 1 to Vermont as 9, with a line each for state and capital, and Print labelled is the key. New England is lines 1 to 4, 8 and 9.