For America250, which city was the U.S. national capital from 1789 to 1790?

New York City was the U.S. national capital from 1789 to 1790.

The new federal government under the Constitution began operating in New York City in 1789. George Washington was inaugurated there at Federal Hall on April 30 of that year. The city had also served as the meeting place of the Confederation Congress during the final years before the Constitution took effect.

Congress moved the national capital to Philadelphia in 1790 as part of a compromise over the location of a permanent capital. Philadelphia remained the capital for a decade, while the federal district on the Potomac River was being developed.

Washington, D.C., became the permanent national capital in 1800. Because Philadelphia and Washington are more commonly associated with early federal history, New York City is sometimes overlooked as the first capital under the Constitution.