Which city served as the temporary U.S. capital from 1790 to 1800?

Philadelphia served as the temporary U.S. capital from 1790 to 1800.

The Residence Act of 1790 selected a permanent capital site on the Potomac River while design and construction proceeded. It also designated Philadelphia as the federal government’s temporary home for ten years. Congress and the executive branch moved there from New York City.

Philadelphia had already played a major role in the founding era. The First and Second Continental Congresses met there, the Declaration of Independence was adopted at Independence Hall, and the Constitutional Convention met there in 1787.

The federal government moved to Washington, D.C., in 1800. New York City had served as the national capital under the Constitution from 1789 until 1790, so the early republic had two constitutional capitals before Washington became permanent. Philadelphia later remained important as a national historic center.