New York City served as the first U.S. national capital under the Constitution.
The new federal government began operating in New York City in 1789. George Washington was inaugurated there as the first president on April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall on Wall Street. Congress and the Supreme Court also met in the city during this initial constitutional period.
The capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790 under the Residence Act. Philadelphia served as the temporary capital for a decade before the federal government relocated to Washington, D.C., in 1800. Washington, D.C., has remained the national capital ever since.
New York City is sometimes incorrectly called the first permanent capital of the United States. Before the Constitution, the Confederation Congress met in several cities, including Philadelphia, Princeton, Annapolis, and New York. The answer here refers specifically to the first capital under the Constitution’s new federal government.