Okay, real talk—I once confidently told a group of people that Las Vegas was the capital of Nevada. Us states trivia Like….In public. With a straight face.

I still think about that moment at 2 a.m. sometimes. You ever do that? Say something with your whole chest, only to find out you’re painfully wrong? That’s basically the vibe of this post. Because us states trivia is weirdly hard for something we all learned in 5th grade.

You think you know your states until someone asks you which one has the most shoreline (spoiler: it’s not California) or where the heck “Chickasaw” is.

So I decided to make a quiz. But not like, a boring classroom quiz. This one will make you question your memory, your middle school education, and maybe your entire existence as an American.

The Roadtrip That Started It All (aka How I Realized I Knew Nothing)

So last summer, I did the whole “pack-up-the-car-and-hit-the-road” thing with my cousin Danny. Big map taped to the dash, endless supply of Red Vines, the works. We were halfway through Arkansas when Danny looked at a sign and goes:

“Wait… Little Rock is the capital? I thought it was Fayetteville.”

Cue me turning into that blinking white guy meme.

Honestly, it snowballed from there. We kept quizzing each other across the states, and I swear we got more wrong than right. Turns out, most of us are out here flexing our patriotism without knowing squat about the 50 states. So—here we are.

🧠 Round One: State Capitals That’ll Ruin Your Confidence

Okay smarty pants, no Googling. Just try these and see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

  1. What’s the capital of Kentucky?
    Hint: It’s not Louisville. Yeah, I thought that too.
  2. Which state has Helena as its capital?
  3. Name the capital of New Hampshire.
    (Bonus: Try spelling it right on the first try.)
  4. Which capital sounds like a sneeze? (I’m looking at you, Pierre.)

🤯 Round Two: Tricky State Facts No One Warned Us About

Okay so listen—some of this stuff is just weird.

  • Which state touches more Great Lakes than any other?
    (Nope, not New York. Try again.)
  • Where was the first Walmart opened?
    (I’ll give you a clue: Think “Ozarks” and way too much camo at the local store.)
  • Which state is home to the geographical center of the U.S.?
    Spoiler: It’s not Kansas. I know. I was also betrayed.
  • Which one has the most tornadoes per year?
    (Texas gets all the PR, but the real MVP might surprise you.)

Side rant: Why are we not taught this stuff in school instead of whatever the heck “manifest destiny” was? I’d remember a tornado leaderboard way easier.

Because let’s be real—food is how I personally remember places.

  • What state’s official snack is Jell-O?
    (I refuse to accept this, but it’s real.)
  • Which state gave us the cheesesteak?
    (C’mon, this one’s easy. If you get it wrong, I’m sending you to food jail.)
  • Which state is obsessed with green chiles to the point of having it on their license plates?
    Extra credit if you’ve actually had green chile stew.

I Asked My Mom These and She Got Mad

Okay so I texted my mom a mini version of this quiz. Her exact reply:

“I’ve lived here for 65 years, stop trying to make me feel dumb.”

To be fair, she crushed the food ones but missed four capitals and accidentally said Michigan was in New England. We’re healing from that.

📍Bonus Round: Wait…That’s a State?

These are the ones that feel made up when you hear them out loud.

  • Which state has a city called “Truth or Consequences”?
    (Yes, it’s real. No, I’m not joking.)
  • Which state has a law where it’s illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket?
    (Honestly, we should ALL have this law.)
  • Where is the world’s largest ball of twine located?
    (I saw it once. It smells… like string and disappointment.)

But Seriously, Why Do We Forget This Stuff?

Here’s my theory: We were all too busy stressing about algebra and puberty when they taught us this in school. And unless you work for Jeopardy or are a cartography nerd (no shade), your brain just… dumped it.

But knowing weird us states trivia is kinda fun, right? It makes you the interesting one at parties. It’s like having a superpower where you can say, “Actually, Tallahassee is the capital of Florida,” when someone says it’s Miami. https://kohopoho.com/country-trivia-questions/.

Your Turn – Let’s Play Trivia!

Okay, I want to hear from you. Be honest—how many of these did you actually get right? Drop your answers (or your rants) in the comments. And if you totally flopped, congrats: you’re officially human.

Also, challenge your friends. Especially that one friend who’s too confident and says stuff like “I could totally win on The Chase.”
Tag ‘em and watch the chaos unfold.

Stuff You Can Brag About If You Aced This

If you got 10+ of these right, you officially earn:

  • The coveted “Knows What Pierre Is” award
  • A fake honorary geography degree from my kitchen table
  • My eternal respect and a virtual high five

If not? No worries. You still probably know more about the Kardashians than any founding father, and that’s arguably more useful in 2025.

Wanna See More of This Chaos about us states trivia

Check out this hilariously bad map redraw someone did of the U.S. states from memory:
➡️ Bad Drawings of States That’ll Make You Feel Smart

Also, you’ll love this blog I wrote about the time I tried to impress a date by naming all 50 states and got stuck on Delaware.

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