The Only US State Capital Without A McDonald's Or Starbucks

McDonald's and Starbucks are two fast food megachains, with restaurants all over the country, and in many nations the world over, too. They're ubiquitous; visit pretty much any city in the U.S. and you'll only go a few blocks until you see either the Golden Arches or the green mermaid logo, or both. Yet there is one state capital in the USA that has made a conscious decision to go without either a McDonald's restaurant or a Starbucks store within its city limits.

Montpelier, the capital of the tiny state of Vermont, is indeed the only U.S. capital city that doesn't contribute to the millions of burgers sold each day or the millions of caramel Frappuccinos sold each month — and for good measure, there aren't any Burger Kings or Walmarts in the city, either. The reasoning behind this is that the city instead likes to focus on small, local businesses, versus huge chains like McDonald's and Starbucks. Per their city website, Montpelier takes great pride in "doing things a little differently"; for them, "Local is a way of life."

If you're visiting the beautiful city of Montpelier and you find yourself with a hankering for some fast food or a super-customized hand-crafted caffeinated beverage, you needn't worry about traversing through mountains or forests to find them. Rather, you'll just head due southeast on US-2 and US-302 to the next nearest city of Barre, VT. It's literally about four miles and only a 12-minute drive, and they have many fast-food options — McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King, Subway, Pizza Hut, KFC (everything except a Taco Bell; if you're craving the limited-time Decades menu, you'd have to drive almost 40 miles from Montpelier to St. Johnsbury, VT to reach the nearest one).

It's worth noting, too, that someone did try and spare Montpelier's residents from making the nearly four-mile trek to Barre every time they wanted some McNuggets; yes, Jeff Jacobs tried to bring a McDonald's to Montpelier in 1995 (into a historic downtown building, no less), but the city denied the request. He then tried to take that case, and his own personal lawsuit, to Vermont's Supreme Court, but the cases fizzled out, and everyone has left well enough alone since.