The
Residence Act of 1790, officially titled
An Act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Government of the United States, is the
United States federal law that settled the question of locating the capital of the
United States, selecting a site along the
Potomac River. The federal government was located in
New York City at the time the bill was passed and had previously been located in
Philadelphia,
Annapolis, and several other locations.