2020’s Haunted State Capitals: Haunted Capitals Project Results

Time to tally up the Haunted Capitals Project votes and reveal what 2020’s haunted state capitals were!

Sadly, because I didn’t do a lot of promo, not all states got a lot of votes.

However, all states received at least one vote for a city…and if that one was it, well, it became that state’s most haunted capital. (Don’t like it? You can cast your vote now for next year’s haunted state capital reveal.)

Some states had cities that received an equal amount of votes, resulting in a few ties. In some cases, they were two-way ties, and in a few others, they were three-way ties. (Again, don’t like it? Vote! Yours could be the tie-breaker!)

States that always have places on most haunted city lists, like Georgia (Savannah), Louisiana (New Orleans), Massachusetts (Salem), New York (Sleepy Hollow), and Pennsylvania (Gettysburg), won their votes on the poll for Haunted State Capital too.

Illinois was a bit of a surprise, though. I know Chicago gets a lot of notoriety for its haunted places and rightly so. However, I thought Alton might give it more of a run for its money, but it didn’t. It came in third. Springfield showed in at a surprising second.

I’ll leave the poll up and revisit the results a year from now and see if anything’s changed. However, for now, here are the most haunted cities in each state, a.k.a. the haunted state capitals.

Alabama

Montgomery

Alaska

Tie: Anchorage and Juneau

Arizona

Tombstone

Arkansas

Fayetteville

California

Tie: Los Angeles and San Francisco

Colorado

Colorado Springs

Connecticut

New Haven

Delaware

Tie: Newark and Wilmington

Florida

Tie: Cassadaga, Clearwater, and Tampa

Georgia

Savannah

Hawaii

Wailuku

Idaho

Tie: Boise and Idaho Falls

Illinois

Chicago

Indiana

Gary and Winchester

Iowa

Tie: Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, and Villisca

Kansas

Tie: Kansas City, Lawrence, Wichita

Kentucky

Tie: Lexington and Louisville

Louisiana

New Orleans

Maine

Tie: Portland and Skowhegan

Maryland

Baltimore

Massachusetts

Salem

Michigan

Tie: Ann Arbor and Troy

Minnesota

Tie: Minneapolis and St. Cloud

Mississippi

Tie: Hattiesburg, Natchez, and Vicksburg

Missouri

Tie: Jefferson City, Kansas City, and St. Louis

Montana

Fort Benton

Nebraska

Lincoln

Nevada

Goldfield

New Hampshire

Plymouth

New Jersey

Tie: Hoboken and Union

Note: There was also another vote cast for “Other” which would’ve made it a three-way tie, but since there was no comment left specifying the other city, it’s just tied between these two.

New Mexico

Tie: Cimarron and Roswell

New York

Sleepy Hollow

North Carolina

Tie: Asheville, Chapel Hill, and Outer Banks

North Dakota

Tie: Bismarck and Fargo

Ohio

Tie: Cincinnati, Columbus, and Mansfield

This is an interesting result because Mansfield proclaims itself the Haunted Capital of Ohio. It was the reason I started the Haunted Capitals Project, to see if I could determine, with the help of others by way of the polls, what the haunted capitals in all cities might be.

Oklahoma

Tulsa

Oregon

Portland

Pennsylvania

Gettysburg

Rhode Island

Tie: Jamestown and Newport

South Carolina

South Dakota

Deadwood

Tennessee

Memphis

Texas

San Antonio

Utah

Tie: Cedar City, Provo, and Tooele

Vermont

Manchester

Virginia

Williamsburg

Washington

Seattle

West Virginia

Harpers Ferry

Wisconsin

Tie: Fond du Lac and Milwaukee

Wyoming

Tie: Laramie and Yellowstone National Park

Check-In

What haunted state capital was picked in your state? One you expected? One you voted for? Or was it a shocker?