The 50 destinations that serve as state capitals in the USA represent an incredibly diverse assortment of cities – everything from huge metropolises to tiny towns. We asked USA TODAY 10Best readers to vote for their favorite from a list of 20 nominees, and the winners might surprise you!

Winning by a sizable margin was Carson City, Nevada, a small town of about 50,000 with some excellent historical attractions and a location convenient for exploring nearby Lake Tahoe and Reno.

Runner-up Juneau proves that bigger isn't always better; the Alaskan capital city doesn't even have a road leading in or out, but it does have a glacier within its city limits (and not many cities can claim that!).

Little Rock, Boise and Sacramento also finished in the top five ahead of some pretty heavy hitters – certainly an honor to be proud of.

The winners of 'Best State Capital' category in our USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice contest are as follows: