Which city became the first U.S. capital under the Constitution in 1789?

New York City became the first U.S. capital under the Constitution in 1789.

The new federal government began operating in New York after the Constitution created a stronger national structure. Congress met at Federal Hall on Wall Street, where George Washington took the presidential oath of office on April 30, 1789.

New York had already served as the national capital under the Articles of Confederation from 1785 until 1789. After the constitutional government began, the city remained the seat of federal power until the capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790.

Washington, D.C., became the permanent capital later. The Residence Act of 1790 authorized a capital district on the Potomac River, and the federal government moved there in 1800. This history can cause confusion because Philadelphia was also an important revolutionary and early federal center, but New York was the first capital under the Constitution.