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Personally, the ones that are also the major city in the state, that way it doesn't feel like a government town:
Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Phoenix (in this order, for me)
Some which also fulfill the same criteria, such as Boise ID, are too small for my taste
Also, if they are really "treehugger" oriented, like Madison, WI or Olympia, WA, then I'm not interested, either.
The ones I'm fairly familiar with that I like (in the sense that they seem nicer than comparably sized cities nearby) are Tallahassee, Jefferson City, Salem, Charleston.
The ones that I don't like all that much are Boise, Topeka, Columbia, Madison.
The ones that are big cities are simply big cities.
Boston automatically comes out as number one, no other capital city has the significance that it has. Its arguably a top five city of America.
The other 4 (not in Specific order):
Raleigh-A nice city that doesn't feel like some government city. Pretty nice shopping scene, a growing population, its in the Research Triangle so three top notch schools are nearby (NC State, UNC and Duke), plus you have the actual Research Triangle Park with wonderful (and lucrative) career oppurtinies.
Denver-A major city that's a capital is pretty cool, plus the access to outdoor activities brings it high up on my list.
Annapolis-I probably am being bias but its a excellent capital city because of its proximity to both Baltimore, D.C. and your not too far from Ocean City, you have the airport (BWI), nice shopping opportunities for a city of its size and soon you'll be able to Gamble nearby. Two things I do wish Annapolis had was the flagship campus of University of Maryland and better museums.
Atlanta-Arguably the Capital of the South, with three skylines (I know a skyline doesn't make a city but its always a plus on my list unless its hideous), awesome shopping opportunities (if I'm not mistaken it may have better shopping than Boston if your talking about city-limits), wonderful museums, restaurants, access to one of the worlds greatest airports, and so much more.
Honorable as mentions: St. Paul-proximity to Minneapolis, and its also a cool city itself Austin-for all I know it may be better than Raleigh but I just prefer Raleigh. Nashville-at one point I was a fan of their music scene. Sacramento-a diverse population, and not far at all from San Francisco. Olympia-my first or second favorite (for capitals) when it comes to topography Madison-I've never been but its my first or second favorite (for capitals) when it comes to topography only because it has a Isthmus. Honolulu-Another city or state I've never been to but I heard its beautiful.
While I generally like State Capital cities, Raleigh, Madison and Austin are my faves.
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