Montpelier is the capital of Vermont, a city named after a French hill town and established in 1787.
The city was named for Montpellier, France, although the Vermont spelling omits the first “l.” Colonel Jacob Davis is generally credited with selecting the name. Montpelier was chartered in 1781 and settled a few years later by Davis and his family.
Vermont’s lawmakers chose Montpelier as the state capital in 1805. Its location near the geographic center of the state helped make it a practical governmental seat, even though it is much smaller than Burlington, Vermont’s largest city.
A common mix-up is confusing Montpelier with Montpellier in southern France. Vermont’s capital is also notable for being the least populous U.S. state capital, according to modern population estimates and census counts.