Which city served as the U.S. national capital from 1790 until 1800?

Philadelphia served as the U.S. national capital from 1790 until 1800.

New York City was the first national capital under the Constitution and hosted George Washington’s inauguration in 1789. A political compromise in 1790 moved the temporary capital to Philadelphia while a permanent federal district was planned along the Potomac River.

The Residence Act authorized the future capital on the Potomac and allowed Philadelphia to remain the seat of government for ten years. Congress and President Washington moved there in late 1790, and the city hosted the federal government through John Adams’s presidency.

The permanent capital became Washington, D.C., in 1800. Philadelphia remained an important political and cultural center, but it was no longer the national seat. The city had also served repeatedly as a meeting place for the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention.