This Is the Only U.S. State Capital Without a Single McDonald’s

Which metropolis lacks a Mickey D's?

If you travel to any big city in the United States (or most other countries), it may seem like there’s a McDonald’s on every street corner. At the very least, there’ll be one set of golden arches beckoning fast food lovers. And, if not in every big city in the world, at least in every U.S. state capital, right?

For the most part, yes. In 49 out of America’s 50 state capitals, there is a McDonald’s within the city limits. The odd city out? Montpelier, Vermont. It’s one of 75 other mind-blowing facts about McDonald’s.

To be fair, though, it’s not as glaring an omission as it might seem. We often think of state capitals as large, bustling cities, but in more than half of U.S. states, the capital is actually not the biggest city, Business Insider reports. What’s more, Montpelier is the smallest state capital in terms of population, with only about 7,500 people. In addition to being on the small side, Montpelier tends to favor local businesses over large chains, so McDonald’s shouldn’t take it personally. The city doesn’t have a Burger King either. Meanwhile, this state has the most fast-food restaurants in America.

Luckily, if you find yourself craving McDonald’s fries in Montpelier, you don’t have to travel too far. There’s a Mickey D’s in the neighboring city, Barre. And it has a Burger King, too! The two chains face each other on Barre-Montpelier Road, which connects the two cities. If you can’t imagine how people in Montpelier survive without a Mickey D’s, you’ll love knowing these 17 things McDonald’s employees won’t tell you.

[Sources: AOL, boston.com]

Meghan Jones
Meghan Jones is a word nerd who has been writing for RD.com since 2017. You can find her byline on pieces about grammar, fun facts, the meanings of various head-scratching words and phrases, and more. Meghan graduated from Marist College with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2017; her creative nonfiction piece “Anticipation” was published in the Spring 2017 issue of Angles literary magazine.